Like a fly in a closed car

The answer to “Like a fly in a closed car” in the USA Today crossword is PESKY — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on October 4, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 4-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.

“Like a fly in a closed car” answer

PESKY (5 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 PESKY.

What does PESKY mean?

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

When else has “Like a fly in a closed car” 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.

October 4, 2026 (most recent) → PESKY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions