Polite denial

The answer to “Polite denial” in the The Washington Post crossword is NOSIR — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 27, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 73-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.

“Polite denial” answer

NOSIR (5 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 NOSIR.

When else has “Polite denial” 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 27, 2026 (most recent) → NOSIR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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