Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?

Latest answer — July 24, 2026

53 Across

Sometimes too much of a good thing can lead to confusion! 🌸

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Friday, July 24, 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. 17-Eleven convenience
  2. 4Bubble tea "bubbles"
  3. 8Influencer devices, for short
  4. 12Olympic sprinter Richardson
  5. 14ID on a map
  6. 16*Lesser
  7. 18Transcript fig.
  8. 19Beyoncé song about the joy of human existence
  9. 20*Fit for a queen
  10. 24Corp. title for Jane Fraser of Citigroup
  11. 25BBC competitor that airs "Love Island"
  12. 261980s cool
  13. 27Unspoken agreements?
  14. 28"You wish!"
  15. 31Fed. south of Iran
  16. 33*Home of the Magic and the Magic Kingdom
  17. 37With 30-Down, Paul Rudd role
  18. 38Pride symbol
  19. 401975 thriller with a two-note leitmotif
  20. 43Roughly
  21. 44Ring spot
  22. 45Accessibility law, for short
  23. 46*Relay rod
  24. 50Online friends, colloquially
  25. 52Apple platform
  26. 53Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?
  27. 58Far from shore
  28. 59Like farmers market produce
  29. 60Apple assistant
  30. 61Title derived from "caesar"
  31. 62Smallest prime number

Down

  1. 1Donkey
  2. 2English article
  3. 3Jury-rig with what's on hand, informally
  4. 4Not just unoriginal
  5. 5Chicago airport code
  6. 6Bandeau, e.g.
  7. 7"Ain't no rule say the dog can't play basketball" film
  8. 8Parsons who was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021
  9. 9Megastar
  10. 10Multicolored cat
  11. 11Pushed
  12. 13Club in a Manilow hit
  13. 15Cookies with a "design your own" option
  14. 17Ouija board word
  15. 20Free (of)
  16. 21Bad Bunny's "__ Atardecer"
  17. 22Phony persona
  18. 23Touch down
  19. 27Gas in an inner tube?
  20. 29"Welp!"
  21. 30See 37-Across
  22. 31German equivalent of the Tube
  23. 32Romance novelist Hazelwood
  24. 34Roughly
  25. 35Most dense
  26. 36Synthesizer pioneer
  27. 39Atomic
  28. 40Brand that dropped "Juice" from its name in 2019
  29. 41Grown-ups
  30. 421960s dance
  31. 43Party line?
  32. 46Faith based in Haifa
  33. 47Clerical tunic
  34. 48One subject to a height requirement, say
  35. 49Chaplin of the Netflix miniseries "Treason"
  36. 51App ad target
  37. 54Geico's bus.
  38. 55Intel org.
  39. 56Piglet's mother
  40. 57__-cone

The answer to “Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?” in the The Washington Post crossword is BLUSHBLINDNESS — a 14-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on July 24, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 53-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.

“Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?” answer

BLUSHBLINDNESS (14 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 BLUSHBLINDNESS.

Why the answer is BLUSHBLINDNESS

Sometimes too much of a good thing can lead to confusion! 🌸

When else has “Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?” 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.

July 24, 2026 (most recent) → BLUSHBLINDNESS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?”?

The answer is BLUSHBLINDNESS, a 14-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on July 24, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?”?

14 letters: BLUSHBLINDNESS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on July 24, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 53-Across.

Can “Tendency to overuse a certain cosmetic, or what has caused a mismatch between the starred clues and their answers?” 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 July 24, 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.

Crossword Clues

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