Tumbler that needs a deep clean?

Latest answer — September 13, 2026

39 Across

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Clue explained

TAINTED GLASS is a pun on “stained glass”: a drinking tumbler that is dirty or contaminated is literally tainted. The question mark signals this playful reworking of the familiar phrase.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A visibly dirty drinking glass that needs to be washed

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Sunday, September 13, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1L'Oreal's Telescopic, e.g.
  2. 8Stanley of "The Devil Wears Prada 2"
  3. 13Beehive sound
  4. 16Short filmmaker?
  5. 19Make like
  6. 20Tea region of India
  7. 21Run
  8. 23Concern over travel plans to Portland, Oregon?
  9. 25Souvenir shop items
  10. 26Align, as devices
  11. 27Not all, but not none
  12. 28South Pacific nation now known as the Republic of Naoero
  13. 30Activewear brand
  14. 31Helps with a job, say
  15. 33Name on a stadium, often
  16. 35Gumshoes
  17. 36Song that tells a story
  18. 39Tumbler that needs a deep clean?
  19. 41Leaning
  20. 42Social app with a synagogue directory
  21. 44Italian six
  22. 45Gets design help from an M.C. Escher-loving architect?
  23. 50King with a golden touch
  24. 55Texting tech
  25. 56Quarter
  26. 57Fire up, as an engine
  27. 58Dress top
  28. 59Mass. neighbor
  29. 60"Copy what I'm doing"
  30. 62High-end Italian shoe brand
  31. 63Warning about interns hired every spring?
  32. 70Actor Guinness
  33. 71Takes by force
  34. 72"Walkabout" director Nicolas
  35. 73Nicki Minaj genre
  36. 75Long of "Michael"
  37. 76Loud weather event, briefly
  38. 79Sparky the Sun Devil's sch.
  39. 82Carried
  40. 83Talk into a pay hike?
  41. 86Celestial body
  42. 89Heart throb?
  43. 90101-level course
  44. 91Jewelry store section for May birthday gifts?
  45. 97Generates a hard copy of
  46. 98MC alternative
  47. 99Pro-am, for one
  48. 100Last word
  49. 102Maki roll wrap
  50. 103Clue board areas
  51. 104Bit of reality
  52. 105"Blame It on the Bossa __"
  53. 109"The Firm" novelist
  54. 111Was a complete disappointment as a nanny?
  55. 115Pie crust pattern
  56. 116Get the knots out?
  57. 117"Erin Brockovich" Oscar winner
  58. 118Shortish albums
  59. 119"Chopped" host Allen
  60. 120Goes first
  61. 121Three-syllable poetic foot

Down

  1. 1Yoga surfaces
  2. 2Sore
  3. 3Comics icon Lee
  4. 4Jeers
  5. 5Burro
  6. 6Ran the hose over, say
  7. 7In development, quaintly
  8. 8Like pet dogs
  9. 9Katie Ledecky's Olympic team: Abbr.
  10. 10Forensic drama franchise
  11. 11Deliverer of 25-Across, at times
  12. 12"To be clear ... "
  13. 13Dragsters
  14. 14Sudden rise
  15. 15So-so
  16. 16Sculpts
  17. 17Some creepy stories
  18. 18Small plateaus
  19. 22Vaquero's lasso
  20. 24Co.'s protected symbols
  21. 29Put into practice
  22. 32Takes the place of
  23. 33Louis Armstrong nickname
  24. 34Docking station
  25. 36Bases, in baseball slang
  26. 37Tiny particle
  27. 38"You made all of that up!"
  28. 39Small fruit pie
  29. 40Long ride, for short
  30. 42Excursions
  31. 43SSE or NNW
  32. 46Get in shape
  33. 47Extremely dry
  34. 48"The Wizard of Oz" farmhand
  35. 49First name in haute couture
  36. 51Collar attachment
  37. 52Last name in haute couture
  38. 53"Highway to Hell" band
  39. 54Meeting, casually
  40. 58Previously
  41. 59Private supply
  42. 60Fleur-de-__
  43. 61Gloomy
  44. 63Thai currency
  45. 64Pixar film featuring a supercomputer named Ooooo
  46. 65Cried
  47. 66Like museum paintings
  48. 67Cedar Point lake
  49. 68"Give yourself __ on the back!"
  50. 69Autobiographies
  51. 74Aroma
  52. 76Sincerely
  53. 77Prime Day event
  54. 78Taylor Swift's "__ the Damn Season"
  55. 79Memo abbr.
  56. 80Kind
  57. 81Airborne mysteries
  58. 84Church recess
  59. 85Local labor leader
  60. 87Daily grind
  61. 88Opened, in a way
  62. 91Moody 73-Across subgenre
  63. 92Deserves
  64. 93Be real
  65. 94Bert and Ernie, e.g.
  66. 95Carrying capacity
  67. 96Ridiculously high-risk, as a scheme
  68. 97Programming language with a reptilian name
  69. 98Hidden motive
  70. 100Gloomy
  71. 101West African capital
  72. 104Membership dues, e.g.
  73. 106Nasty sort
  74. 107Dog docs
  75. 108Little help?
  76. 110Billboard success
  77. 112"Give __ rest!"
  78. 113Pot top
  79. 114Legal org.

The answer to “Tumbler that needs a deep clean?” in the The Washington Post crossword is TAINTEDGLASS — a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 13, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 39-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.

“Tumbler that needs a deep clean?” answer

TAINTEDGLASS (12 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 TAINTEDGLASS.

When else has “Tumbler that needs a deep clean?” 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 13, 2026 (most recent) → TAINTEDGLASS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Tumbler that needs a deep clean?”?

The answer is TAINTEDGLASS, a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 13, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Tumbler that needs a deep clean?”?

12 letters: TAINTEDGLASS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on September 13, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 39-Across.

Can “Tumbler that needs a deep clean?” 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 13, 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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