"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"

Latest answer — July 12, 2026

24 Down

Sometimes, the punchline just doesn't hold water! 💦

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Sunday, July 12, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Griller's garment
  2. 6Ads featuring Smokey Bear
  3. 10Electric guitarists' gear
  4. 14Disney film set in Polynesia
  5. 15Carve with acid
  6. 16Genuine
  7. 17Like a cool autumn day
  8. 18Aviation prefix
  9. 19Numerous
  10. 204-0 World Series win, for example
  11. 23Object in a Trivial Pursuit set
  12. 24Juicy gossip
  13. 25Scary FX franchise with Sarah Paulson (Abbr.)
  14. 26Array on a desktop
  15. 28"I'll take that as ___"
  16. 29Letter before sigma
  17. 30"The loss is all my fault!"
  18. 32City home to South Beach
  19. 34Available if needed
  20. 36Song with the lyric "'tis the season to be jolly"
  21. 40Knight's defense
  22. 41Corner piece, at the beginning of a chess game
  23. 42Steph Curry or Michael Jordan, e.g.
  24. 45Record Store Day purchases
  25. 47Karate uniforms
  26. 49Muppet in a horizontally striped shirt
  27. 50Corn unit
  28. 51"Go away, pest!"
  29. 52___ out (laze around)
  30. 53Plenty of space
  31. 57Floored
  32. 59Formal agreement
  33. 60Slander, but in print
  34. 61Sandwich seller
  35. 62You, ages ago
  36. 63Common sans-serif font
  37. 64Eden resident (for a while)
  38. 65Takes to court
  39. 66Brainy organization

Down

  1. 1"Halt and Catch Fire" network
  2. 2Mushroom often sold dried
  3. 3Any of four in Monopoly
  4. 4Beginning
  5. 5Wine country valley
  6. 6Kid's simple launcher
  7. 7Goulash and gumbo
  8. 84,840 square yards
  9. 9Croc or moc, e.g.
  10. 10___ & Hammer
  11. 11Grassy field
  12. 12Pressed sandwich
  13. 13Most sneaky
  14. 21"I'll pass"
  15. 22Islam has five
  16. 24"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"
  17. 27Monique Ross' instrument in SistaStrings
  18. 29Seismologist's scale
  19. 30Some cold coffee orders
  20. 31Scrooge's cry
  21. 33Soccer legend Lionel
  22. 35Org. with Blues and Blue Jackets
  23. 37Seoul-based carmaker
  24. 38Type of house in which seven U.S. presidents were born
  25. 39Places where some go downhill fast?
  26. 42State home to Las Vegas
  27. 43Made beer
  28. 44"The Office" accountant who loves cats
  29. 46Skilled person
  30. 48Fashion designer McCartney
  31. 50Host
  32. 51Pointy cathedral feature
  33. 54Decides
  34. 55Honolulu's island
  35. 56Close loudly
  36. 58Poorly lit

The answer to “"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"” in the USA Today crossword is DAM — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 12, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 24-Down. 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.

“"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"” answer

DAM (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 DAM.

Why the answer is DAM

Sometimes, the punchline just doesn't hold water! 💦

What does DAM mean?

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

(noun)

  • a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply
  • a rubber sheet used to keep saliva from the teeth during dental operations, or as a prophylactic device during cunnilingus and anilingus

When else has “"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"” 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.

July 12, 2026 (most recent) → DAM. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"”?

The answer is DAM, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"”?

3 letters: DAM.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on July 12, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 24-Down.

Can “"I told a joke about a ___, but it didn't flow well"” 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 July 12, 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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