Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell

Latest answer — September 21, 2026

38 Across

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Clue explained

An ORC is a hostile fantasy creature, especially in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, making one very unlikely to receive an invitation to the elven refuge of Rivendell.

Clue type:
Pop culture
A fantasy orc depicted as a menacing humanoid creature

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Monday, September 21, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Snooze
  2. 5"Wish" character who sings "This Wish"
  3. 9___ Faust (Rebecca Ferguson's character in the "Mission: Impossible" series)
  4. 13Primates without tails
  5. 14"Don't you see what this ___?"
  6. 16Brunch, e.g.
  7. 17Like a cranberry martini, perhaps
  8. 18Emmet Cohen jazz style
  9. 19"I'm so sure" sound
  10. 20Part of a remedy for a sick burn?
  11. 22Overact, perhaps
  12. 24Either "P" of P2P file sharing
  13. 25Most kind
  14. 27Parts of cherries
  15. 29Lite-Brite piece
  16. 30Little laugh
  17. 32"___ Body Is Bible"
  18. 33Rose features
  19. 36"Don't ___ yourself short"
  20. 38Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell
  21. 39Performing without accompaniment
  22. 41Country singer Jo ___ Messina
  23. 42Cookie you can deep-fry
  24. 44Walk quietly
  25. 45Birth mo. for some Libras
  26. 46Road trip rest spots
  27. 48Casual shirt
  28. 49Moves briskly
  29. 51Word before "curl" or "dip"
  30. 53Santa Monica's has a Ferris wheel
  31. 54Yoga posture
  32. 55Ghostly apparitions
  33. 59Professor ___ (Clue character)
  34. 60Wintry precipitation
  35. 62Hoppy brews, for short
  36. 63Waterproof sheet
  37. 64Scroll read from at a bar mitzvah
  38. 65___ in (control)
  39. 66Tip jar bills, often
  40. 67Vanilla amts.
  41. 68Wraps up

Down

  1. 1Spreadsheet contents
  2. 2Birthstone for some Libras
  3. 3In absolutely no way certain
  4. 4Self-___
  5. 5"Whoa, ___ is the color of your energy"
  6. 6Prophet
  7. 7Fiery salsa ingredients
  8. 8"I'll take that as ___"
  9. 9Stays too long, say
  10. 10Kept an option available, say
  11. 11Hotel room box
  12. 12Second Reddit account, say
  13. 15Design detail, for short
  14. 21Sleeveless garments
  15. 23"Not loving that"
  16. 26Catch fire
  17. 27"Get outta here!"
  18. 28"Glee" character Schuester
  19. 29Courteous
  20. 31Put into office
  21. 34"That looks good on you"
  22. 35___-Caps (candy)
  23. 37"___ just say . . ."
  24. 40"Sure, I'll give you a ride!"
  25. 43Highway entrances
  26. 47Pride, e.g.
  27. 50Leave the workforce
  28. 52Actors listed in a Playbill
  29. 53"I'm happy our ___ crossed"
  30. 54"Die Hard" actor Rickman
  31. 56Pile
  32. 57___ of honor
  33. 58IRS IDs
  34. 59Perk for salaried workers (Abbr.)
  35. 61Parking area

The answer to “Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell” in the USA Today crossword is ORC — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 21, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 38-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell” answer

ORC (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is ORC.

What does ORC mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of ORC is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • (in fantasy literature and games) a member of an imaginary race of humanlike creatures, characterized as ugly, warlike, and malevolent

When else has “Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell” appeared?

USA Today reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 21, 2026 (most recent) → ORC. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell”?

The answer is ORC, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 21, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell”?

3 letters: ORC.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on September 21, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 38-Across.

Can “Creature unlikely to be invited to Rivendell” have a different answer?

Yes — USA Today sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's USA Today answers?

The full grid for September 21, 2026 is on the USA Today answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

USA Today Crossword is published by USA Today; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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