Pat gently

Latest answer — July 26, 2026

9 Across

A light tap or blot, nothing heavy-handed 🫳

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Sunday, July 26, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Saves, like a location in Apple Maps
  2. 5___ Ramyun (instant noodle brand)
  3. 9Pat gently
  4. 12Tres Leches Pancake Combo chain
  5. 13Items slid in curling games
  6. 15Vaccine molecule
  7. 16"The Notebook" actor Rowlands
  8. 17Pitter-___ (sound of raindrops)
  9. 18Very long time
  10. 19"Chill out, buddy"
  11. 21Carne ___ tacos
  12. 23Resource that's smelted
  13. 24Spotted wildcat
  14. 26"Preach!"
  15. 27Youngest age for a nonagenarian
  16. 29Phoenix Mercury star Thomas
  17. 31Sesame oil amt.
  18. 32Zelle alternative
  19. 35Enthusiastic go-getter
  20. 39Agitated state
  21. 40Dim ___
  22. 42Go screen-free for a day, maybe
  23. 45Didn't run the ball
  24. 48___ down (trim)
  25. 49Choice
  26. 53"text if u wanna hang!"
  27. 54Dice-rolling game with fetch, roll and bury actions
  28. 56Follow Jewish dietary restrictions
  29. 582026 event for Cerebras, for short
  30. 59Raspy-sounding
  31. 61Zilch
  32. 62"For sure!"
  33. 63"Coco" character voiced by Gael Garcia Bernal
  34. 64There are six in an inning
  35. 65Magazine VIPs
  36. 66Word after "help" or "treadmill"
  37. 67Super Mario ___

Down

  1. 1Bird that's scientifically the same as a dove
  2. 2"You're not imagining that buzzing noise!"
  3. 3Gibberish
  4. 4___/neuter clinic
  5. 5Actor's workplace
  6. 6Place with key cards
  7. 7Opening words
  8. 8Once known as
  9. 9Aspirations
  10. 10Battery ends
  11. 11___ pudding (dessert with vanilla wafers)
  12. 13Like some Takis
  13. 14Mrs., in Spanish
  14. 20Hotdish bit
  15. 22"No more details needed, I'm there!"
  16. 25Small plate
  17. 28Ornamental shoulder piece
  18. 30Loo
  19. 32___-med track
  20. 33Muscles used in the dead bug exercise
  21. 34So far
  22. 36Wildebeest
  23. 37"Thus . . ."
  24. 38Time when folks buckle up and try to get to work?
  25. 41Souvenir
  26. 42Silver lining
  27. 43Caught some Z's
  28. 44Puts sourdough in the fridge overnight, perhaps
  29. 45"All in" game
  30. 46Year, in Portuguese
  31. 47Pressure
  32. 50"Catch ya later!"
  33. 51Pasteis de nata (custard ___ often topped with cinnamon)
  34. 52"No worries"
  35. 55"Keep it down!"
  36. 57Snooty person
  37. 60Its 2025 Word of the Year was "rage bait" (Abbr.)

The answer to “Pat gently” in the USA Today crossword is DAB — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 26, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 9-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.

“Pat gently” answer

DAB (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 DAB.

Why the answer is DAB

A light tap or blot, nothing heavy-handed 🫳

What does DAB mean?

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

(verb)

  • press against (something) lightly several times with a piece of absorbent material in order to clean or dry it or to apply a substance
  • strike with a light blow

When else has “Pat gently” 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 26, 2026 (most recent) → DAB. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Pat gently”?

The answer is DAB, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 26, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Pat gently”?

3 letters: DAB.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on July 26, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 9-Across.

Can “Pat gently” 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 26, 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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