Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing

Latest answer — September 10, 2026

38 Across

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Clue explained

BREAKING THE RULES means cheating or violating accepted regulations. In the puzzle’s visual gimmick, the black squares in the specified rows disrupt the grid’s usual construction pattern, so they too are “breaking the rules”; the spaces are omitted in the entry.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A crossword-style grid whose black squares disrupt its usual pattern.

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Thursday, September 10, 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. 1With deftness
  2. 5Clogs (up)
  3. 9Typical Stan Lee role
  4. 14Manitoba people
  5. 15Vinaigrette ingredient, initially
  6. 16Throw shade at
  7. 17Start filming, say
  8. 19Like a drive deep in the woods?
  9. 20Pioneers of old-school rap, for short
  10. 21"__ Lisa"
  11. 22React to meeting one's hero, perhaps
  12. 23"Wowza!"
  13. 25One pushed to make cuts?
  14. 29Mega- times mega-
  15. 30Disaster response org.
  16. 31Actress Polo
  17. 32Bombeck who advised, "Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth"
  18. 34Situated on
  19. 37Sass
  20. 38Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing
  21. 43Abbr. in calculus class
  22. 44"Ditto!"
  23. 45Paradise
  24. 46Celebrity pair
  25. 48Son of Hera
  26. 50Padre's hermanos
  27. 53First responder
  28. 56Game played in the trunk before a road trip?
  29. 58Mark
  30. 59Bait
  31. 61Medical pen prefix
  32. 62Val Kilmer's "Top Gun" role
  33. 64Couple's outing
  34. 66California wine valley
  35. 67Spot for dirty dishes
  36. 68Corner chess piece
  37. 69Actress who voices Bo Peep in the "Toy Story" franchise
  38. 70"__ bien!"
  39. 71Chlumsky of "Veep"

Down

  1. 1Hay fever sound
  2. 2Quick-witted
  3. 3Doesn't bother
  4. 4"__ darn tootin'!"
  5. 5Distraction
  6. 6Stratford-upon-__
  7. 7Team spirit
  8. 8Turf
  9. 9Pool bounce
  10. 10Fundamentally
  11. 11Have the best of intentions
  12. 12Extremely long time
  13. 13Toronto's prov.
  14. 16Chopped down
  15. 18Sets off
  16. 22Wraps tightly
  17. 24Neighborhood
  18. 26Amo, amas, __
  19. 27Shallowest Great Lake
  20. 28Features of some jeans
  21. 30Like some unauthorized editions
  22. 33"Mamma __!"
  23. 35Wordsmith's ref.
  24. 36Many a Little Leaguer
  25. 38Minor disruption
  26. 39Pop star Ora
  27. 40Up-and-coming
  28. 41Mel B and Mel C bandmate
  29. 42Second, for one
  30. 47Squirrel kin
  31. 49Pastry choice
  32. 51The Beaver State
  33. 52Suction tube
  34. 54Polite addresses
  35. 55Crime novelist Buchanan
  36. 56Long journeys
  37. 57First capital of Alaska
  38. 60Eclectic magazine
  39. 62Web access co.
  40. 63Murmur
  41. 64Summer hrs.
  42. 65401(k) kin

The answer to “Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing” in the The Washington Post crossword is BREAKINGTHERULES — a 16-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 10, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 38-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.

“Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing” answer

BREAKINGTHERULES (16 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 BREAKINGTHERULES.

When else has “Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing” appeared?

The Washington Post 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 10, 2026 (most recent) → BREAKINGTHERULES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing”?

The answer is BREAKINGTHERULES, a 16-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 10, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing”?

16 letters: BREAKINGTHERULES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on September 10, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 38-Across.

Can “Cheating, or what the black squares in rows 3, 5, 11, and 13 are doing” have a different answer?

Yes — The Washington Post 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 WaPo Crossword answers?

The full grid for September 10, 2026 is on the WaPo Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

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

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