"This is ___ drill!"

Latest answer — September 05, 2026

54 Across

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Clue explained

NOTA fills the phrase “This is not a drill!” The grid removes the spaces from the four-word expression.

Clue type:
Fill-in-the-blank
An emergency warning sign conveying that an alarm is not a drill.

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Saturday, September 05, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Acronym for people opposing local developments
  2. 6Everest Base ___
  3. 10Solemn promise
  4. 14Replica that preserves proportions
  5. 16___ the hatchet
  6. 17Exercise discipline with a hammock
  7. 18Scored 100% on
  8. 19Sra., in English
  9. 20Colorful sea creature with tentacles
  10. 22Macroeconomics stat
  11. 24Moving image format
  12. 26South African currency
  13. 27Sign before Virgo
  14. 28Fauna's counterpart
  15. 30Performs in a play
  16. 31Daydreaming
  17. 34Aggressive Greek god
  18. 36Bloke
  19. 37List of mistakes
  20. 39"We'll chat soon!," in a text
  21. 40Many a god in God of War: Ragnarok
  22. 44Beers with "hazy" varieties
  23. 46Offices or dens
  24. 47Restaurant booking, for short
  25. 48Taxi trips
  26. 50Contraction that omits a "v"
  27. 51Dickens character who hates Christmas
  28. 52Texting letters
  29. 54"This is ___ drill!"
  30. 55"Not my journey, but good for you"
  31. 61Stinky smell
  32. 62Painting, filmmaking, architecture, etc.
  33. 63___ and snap
  34. 64Docs who treat tonsillitis
  35. 65Like a fast walking pace

Down

  1. 1Org. employing cryptographers
  2. 2Glacier composition
  3. 3Deface
  4. 4Airship filled with helium
  5. 5Twelve-month period
  6. 6Demurely shy
  7. 7Hullabaloo
  8. 8Hardcore Swiftie, for example
  9. 9Think ahead
  10. 10The ACA, by another name
  11. 11"That's not so!"
  12. 12Person popularizing new styles
  13. 13Jekyll's evil counterpart
  14. 15L.A. Galaxy's org.
  15. 21Significant period
  16. 22Rules governing self-expression?
  17. 23Country icon with a theme park in Tennessee
  18. 24World Cup announcer's shout
  19. 25Type of nest egg
  20. 27Raise
  21. 28Progressive saleswoman
  22. 29Word that aptly shares two letters with "mown"
  23. 32"This train is leaving soon!"
  24. 33Judge to be
  25. 35Claims
  26. 38Driving surfaces (Abbr.)
  27. 41Get dinner delivered
  28. 42Caviar and such
  29. 43"Save me!"
  30. 45"No seats available" letters
  31. 49"Fine, you win!"
  32. 50Academy Award
  33. 51Pretentious person
  34. 52Masseur's employer
  35. 53One of the Spice Girls
  36. 56Winter hrs. in Raleigh
  37. 57Having odd vibes, for short
  38. 58Uni- + uni- + uni-
  39. 59"___ not that deep!"
  40. 60Sound similar to "tut"

The answer to “"This is ___ drill!"” in the USA Today crossword is NOTA — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 5, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 54-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.

“"This is ___ drill!"” answer

NOTA (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 NOTA.

What does NOTA mean?

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

(noun)

  • (in an insect) the tergum or dorsal exoskeleton of the thorax

When else has “"This is ___ drill!"” 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 5, 2026 (most recent) → NOTA. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"This is ___ drill!"”?

The answer is NOTA, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 5, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"This is ___ drill!"”?

4 letters: NOTA.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on September 5, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 54-Across.

Can “"This is ___ drill!"” 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 5, 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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