Villain's plotting place

Latest answer — September 04, 2026

40 Across

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Clue explained

A LAIR is a secluded den or hideout, especially the plotting place of a villain in fiction.

Clue type:
Definition
A dramatic underground hideout representing a villain’s lair.

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 04, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Bar that makes suds
  2. 5Rowing sport
  3. 9Makes a scene?
  4. 13Mystery Writing Awards eponym
  5. 15Impolite
  6. 16In one's birthday suit
  7. 17"SNL" producer Michaels
  8. 18"All over that"
  9. 19Prepare a pot of coffee
  10. 20Cartoon character who says "Yabba dabba doo!"
  11. 23Spot to swim or sail
  12. 24"Gangnam Style" singer
  13. 25People on the payroll
  14. 27Deep vocal range
  15. 29Tax pro
  16. 31Greek T
  17. 32"___ chic!"
  18. 34Pasta ___ Norma
  19. 36Puts on TV
  20. 37Totally excellent
  21. 40Villain's plotting place
  22. 41School orgs. made up of volunteers
  23. 42Takes home the trophy
  24. 43Summer hrs. on Fire Island
  25. 44A little "help!"
  26. 45Crystal ball gazer
  27. 47Cries cathartically
  28. 49"Te ___ mucho"
  29. 50Have a bite to ___
  30. 53Nail salon offering with white tips
  31. 58Very small batteries
  32. 59Layer of paint
  33. 60Became paler
  34. 61Eartha who voiced Yzma in "The Emperor's New Groove"
  35. 62Puzzle on many kids' menus
  36. 63Support for an injured arm
  37. 64Greek god of war
  38. 65Former flames
  39. 66Metallic deposit

Down

  1. 1"Note to ___ . . ."
  2. 2They might make you say "pee-yew!"
  3. 3Share the same belief
  4. 4Animal that spends 10-16 hours a day eating bamboo
  5. 5Pastries used for some breakfast sandwiches
  6. 6Like the yolks of sunny-side-up eggs
  7. 7Prepare for publication
  8. 8Dunks in milk, maybe
  9. 9Head of a monastery
  10. 10Flower used as a symbol of gay identity
  11. 11Businesses also known as commercial forests
  12. 12Mend a seam
  13. 14WNBA official
  14. 21Turntable items, for short
  15. 22Org. operating X-rays at airports
  16. 26Weld together
  17. 28Request
  18. 29People you might have chemistry with?
  19. 30What a pup shakes with
  20. 32Industry event with demos
  21. 33Say for a third time, maybe
  22. 35NYC hub
  23. 36"If memory serves"
  24. 37Raced by
  25. 38Milestone for a startup (Abbr.)
  26. 39Source of sheep's milk
  27. 44"Last four digits" ID
  28. 46Geological time period
  29. 48Buggers
  30. 49Really wow
  31. 51It's synced with video
  32. 52Current craze
  33. 54Request to be looped in on an email
  34. 55Ruse
  35. 56Hypotheticals
  36. 57Cusp
  37. 58Initials before an alias

The answer to “Villain's plotting place” in the USA Today crossword is LAIR — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 4, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 40-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.

“Villain's plotting place” answer

LAIR (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 LAIR.

What does LAIR mean?

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

(noun)

  • a place where a wild animal, especially a fierce or dangerous one, lives
  • a burial plot in a graveyard

When else has “Villain's plotting place” 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 4, 2026 (most recent) → LAIR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Villain's plotting place”?

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

How many letters is the answer to “Villain's plotting place”?

4 letters: LAIR.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on September 4, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 40-Across.

Can “Villain's plotting place” 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 4, 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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