Like air near a fire

Latest answer — September 11, 2026

27 Down

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Clue explained

Ashy describes air containing or resembling ash, such as air near a fire. It is an adjective formed from “ash” with the suffix “-y.”

Clue type:
Word form
Gray ash and smoke suspended in the air above a fire

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 11, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Snow day vehicle with runners
  2. 5CBD source
  3. 9Modify
  4. 14Person with "pants on fire"
  5. 15Type of gemstone or apple
  6. 16Indiana WNBA team
  7. 17Golden rule preposition
  8. 18"High Priestess of Soul" singer Simone
  9. 19A little out of whack
  10. 20Gadget often lost between sofa cushions
  11. 23Pony up in advance
  12. 24MLK's title
  13. 25Mauna ___ (Hawaiian peak)
  14. 28Student's stat
  15. 30Common rental car choices
  16. 33"It was a joke"
  17. 37Apt name for a florist
  18. 40Tactile sense
  19. 41"The gloves are off!"
  20. 44Mary Poppins' role
  21. 45"Mmhmm"
  22. 46Pronoun used as a song title by Jelly Roll and Harry Styles
  23. 47Grilled corn snacks with cotija
  24. 49Source of a certain princess's insomnia
  25. 51Rodent in some Banksy art
  26. 52One ___ million
  27. 552009 blockbuster set on Pandora
  28. 60Chun-Li's Lightning Kick, for one
  29. 64Color of the sky on a bluebird day
  30. 66"Your mileage may ___"
  31. 67Lumberjills' tools
  32. 68Snoopy vs. the Red ___
  33. 69Ship in Greek mythology
  34. 70Word before "dish" or "effect"
  35. 71Totally beat
  36. 72Stead
  37. 73Improvise like Ella Fitzgerald

Down

  1. 1Enjoy ramen audibly
  2. 2Passenger ship
  3. 3Tempting words on a Wonderland cake
  4. 4What thirsty plants do
  5. 5Sweet term of endearment
  6. 6"That's legendary!"
  7. 7Wayne ___ (Batman's estate)
  8. 8Neither a bird nor Superman
  9. 9A long way off
  10. 10Brief note
  11. 11Sinister-sounding cackle
  12. 12Super Mario Bros. console
  13. 13OB-GYNs and ENTs
  14. 21"You're it!" game
  15. 22Best Buy buys
  16. 26Promptly?
  17. 27Like air near a fire
  18. 29BTS fandom
  19. 31"Yadda, yadda, yadda"
  20. 32"What ___ that mean?"
  21. 33___ child (common therapy subject)
  22. 34Eucalyptus-eating marsupial
  23. 35"Who knows"
  24. 36"Stop that!"
  25. 38Intense anger
  26. 39Applaud a slam poet
  27. 42Pumpernickel grain
  28. 43"That's totally valid"
  29. 48What's wrong?
  30. 50Park, in NYC
  31. 53Like a submarine
  32. 54Its best-selling game is Pac-Man
  33. 56Stockpile
  34. 57"My ___ trait is . . ."
  35. 58Vegan beauty brand
  36. 59Unplug and plug back in, say
  37. 61De-crease?
  38. 62Chivalrous chap
  39. 63Impulse
  40. 64Situp targets
  41. 65It's shocking!

The answer to “Like air near a fire” in the USA Today crossword is ASHY — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 11, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 27-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 air near a fire” answer

ASHY (4 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 ASHY.

What does ASHY mean?

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

(adjective)

  • of a pale greyish colour; ashen
  • covered with, consisting of, or resembling ashes
  • (in African American usage) (of dark skin) dry and with a grey or whitish appearance

When else has “Like air near a fire” 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 11, 2026 (most recent) → ASHY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Like air near a fire”?

The answer is ASHY, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 11, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Like air near a fire”?

4 letters: ASHY.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on September 11, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 27-Down.

Can “Like air near a fire” 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 11, 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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