It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"

Latest answer — September 16, 2026

9 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

AND appears in the expression “no ifs, ands, or buts,” which describes refusing excuses or qualifications. The quoted “if” and “but” are similarly turned into plural nouns, so AND is understood as “and” in that idiom.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A visual representation of the phrase “no ifs, ands, or buts.”

WaPo Mini Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, September 16, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1See 5-Down
  2. 4How some couples grow
  3. 7Number of completed 2-Downs that Prokofiev composed
  4. 8One of two end-of-October options
  5. 9It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"

Down

  1. 1What many people do intermittently
  2. 2Prokofiev's "Betrothal in a Monastery," e.g.
  3. 3Kind of bird that Matthew is on Netflix's "The Sandman"
  4. 5With 1-Across, audition to get, as a role
  5. 6Stuff to level with

The answer to “It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"” in the The Washington Post Mini crossword is AND — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post Mini crossword on September 16, 2026 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.

“It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"” answer

AND (3 letters)

Use the reveal tiles above to uncover the solution one letter at a time if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Prefer the full answer straight away? It's AND.

What does AND mean?

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

(conjunction)

  • used to connect words of the same part of speech, clauses, or sentences, that are to be taken jointly
  • used to introduce an additional comment or interjection
  • used after some verbs and before another verb to indicate intention, instead of ‘to’

When else has “It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"” appeared?

The Washington Post Mini 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 16, 2026 (most recent) → AND. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"”?

The answer is AND, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post Mini crossword on September 16, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"”?

3 letters: AND.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post Mini crossword on September 16, 2026, at 9-Across.

Can “It may be just as unacceptable as an "if" or a "but"” have a different answer?

Yes — The Washington Post Mini 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 today's WaPo Mini answers?

Every clue and answer from that day's puzzle is linked above, and the full grid is on the WaPo Mini answers page.

The Washington Post Mini Crossword is published by The Washington Post; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

Crossword Clues

Looking up a clue? Jump into today's answers and clue help from top puzzles.