Herring, but not a red herring

Latest answer — September 15, 2026

36 Down

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Clue explained

A herring is a FISH; “red herring” adds the figurative expression for a misleading clue or distraction. The wording contrasts the literal fish with that idiom.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A school of herring swimming underwater

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, September 15, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Prepare, as avocados for guacamole
  2. 5When nothing seems to go right
  3. 11Org. now known as Scouting America
  4. 14Director Preminger
  5. 15Bubble tea balls
  6. 16Duolingo bird
  7. 17Including every flaw
  8. 19Short swim
  9. 20Muse of poetry
  10. 21Trial version
  11. 22Old-school cool
  12. 23Ceremonial act
  13. 25Like serrated knives
  14. 28Country singer Paisley
  15. 30Like the African dish bariis iskukaris
  16. 31Yaps
  17. 34Catch a ride to the beach?
  18. 37More pleasant
  19. 38Green prefix
  20. 39Safe bets, or a phonetic hint to the circled elements of this puzzle?
  21. 41Toward a boat's rudder
  22. 42University of __ Dame
  23. 44Meh
  24. 45Teeny-tiny
  25. 46Consume more than
  26. 48Mia in the Soccer Hall of Fame
  27. 50In the past few days
  28. 53Laundry container
  29. 57"Pls stop sharing!"
  30. 58Second to none
  31. 60Ish
  32. 61Opposite of trans
  33. 62Radio format likely to appeal to baby boomers
  34. 64Post-OR area
  35. 65Sentence ender
  36. 66Arthur in the International Tennis Hall of Fame
  37. 67Egyptian viper
  38. 68Evaluate
  39. 69Starring role

Down

  1. 1Grass-cutting machine
  2. 2Video game pioneer
  3. 3Fender guitar, familiarly
  4. 4Jacuzzis
  5. 5Happy Greek cry
  6. 6__ for oneself
  7. 7Tapered haircuts
  8. 8Serious genre
  9. 9Green-lights
  10. 10Fashion monogram
  11. 11Feline that helps control pests in a store
  12. 12Express disinterest on a dating app
  13. 13Mont Blanc, e.g.
  14. 18Fly like a dragon
  15. 22TV cable letters
  16. 24Eyelid hair
  17. 26Years and years
  18. 27Like clothes in a 53-Across, probably
  19. 29Couples
  20. 31Italian city known for salami
  21. 32Science of sound
  22. 33"Here's mud in your eye!"
  23. 35Hopping pal of Piglet
  24. 36Herring, but not a red herring
  25. 39Make airtight
  26. 40"Stranger Things" actor Schnapp
  27. 43Loan adjustment, for short
  28. 45Sinful
  29. 47Pool hall fixtures
  30. 49Like some lesbians, slangily
  31. 51Signs of sorrow or joy
  32. 52Nail salon brand
  33. 54Ordinary writing
  34. 55__ Sketch: drawing toy
  35. 56Made a leaf pile, perhaps
  36. 59General __ chicken
  37. 61Spy-fi org.
  38. 62Tax prep pro
  39. 63Cards with pics

The answer to “Herring, but not a red herring” in the The Washington Post crossword is FISH — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 15, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 36-Down. 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.

“Herring, but not a red herring” answer

FISH (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 FISH.

What does FISH mean?

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

(noun)

  • a limbless cold-blooded vertebrate animal with gills and fins living wholly in water
  • a person who is strange in a specified way

When else has “Herring, but not a red herring” 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 15, 2026 (most recent) → FISH. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Herring, but not a red herring”?

The answer is FISH, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 15, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Herring, but not a red herring”?

4 letters: FISH.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on September 15, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 36-Down.

Can “Herring, but not a red herring” 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 15, 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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