Political attack, of a sort

Latest answer — August 07, 2026

62 Down

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Clue explained

A SMEAR is a malicious or unfair political attack, typically intended to damage a candidate’s reputation. “Of a sort” acknowledges that the attack is verbal rather than physical.

Clue type:
Definition
A newspaper-style image about a political smear campaign.

WSJ Crossword

This clue's Friday, August 07, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Perjury, e.g.
  2. 6Amusing escapade
  3. 10Collezione della Galleria degli Uffizi
  4. 14Mac
  5. 17Dotty
  6. 19Welcome to a mainlander, maybe
  7. 21Precious
  8. 22Call on
  9. 23Courtroom schedule
  10. 24Turkic tongue
  11. 25Mollusk on a menu
  12. 271919 H. Rider Haggard novel
  13. 30Director Mira, who’s the mother of New York City’s mayor
  14. 31Coordinate with
  15. 32Exclusion-based angst, for short
  16. 35Some gym equipment
  17. 39Sloan deg.
  18. 41Words before “Lover,” “Dollar” and “Man” in song names
  19. 43Flatow of radio’s “Science Friday”
  20. 45“Hurry up and decide!”
  21. 49One of three NHL squads in New York State
  22. 52Creature with a ring of stinging tentacles
  23. 53Daggers, so to speak
  24. 55Refuse to drop
  25. 56Had as one’s boss
  26. 60Friend to François
  27. 61U.S. Army medal
  28. 64Make a mountain out of a molehill, say
  29. 66Site of the George W. Bush Presidential Ctr.
  30. 69Having a very round countenance
  31. 72Sorta suffix
  32. 73Chance for a belt
  33. 75Really enjoy
  34. 77Mag. crew
  35. 80Calliope
  36. 83Sappho’s home
  37. 86Former region of the Spanish Sahara
  38. 89Maxim about the importance of liquidity
  39. 92“Can’t decide!”
  40. 93Beer once advertised as being “for the winners”
  41. 96Facile
  42. 97Beethoven symphony of 1804
  43. 100Family member
  44. 101Resort town north of Santa Fe
  45. 102Palace guard, of a sort
  46. 105Middle Eastern capital once called Philadelphia
  47. 106Bit of a shock?
  48. 109Superhero with the catchphrase “Tra-la-laaaa!” (and a hint to the circled letters)
  49. 116Handle
  50. 119Hold in contempt
  51. 120Pressing concern for astronauts?
  52. 122Kooky
  53. 123Frozen Four org.
  54. 124“Well, then I have to go”
  55. 125Financially solvent
  56. 126Since, slangily
  57. 127“Life of Pi” author Martel
  58. 128Figure (out)
  59. 129If tripled, “you get the picture”

Down

  1. 1You might trip on it
  2. 2“That hurt!”
  3. 3Progress slowly
  4. 4Brand named for a goddess
  5. 5Ohioan who orbited Earth at age 40 and age 77
  6. 6“See ya, dude!”
  7. 7“There oughta be ___!”
  8. 8Old newspaper photo section
  9. 9Ukraine’s second-largest city
  10. 10“___ Fideles”
  11. 11Did a farrier’s job
  12. 12It may contain carne asada
  13. 13___ Good Feelings (early 19th-century period)
  14. 14Really irk
  15. 15“For the People Who Serve” grp.
  16. 16Perfecta, for one
  17. 18James in the Blues Hall of Fame
  18. 20Longtime “What’s My Line?” panelist Francis
  19. 26“Citizen Kane” studio
  20. 28Classic shout-out
  21. 29Textile worker
  22. 33Surrealist Joan
  23. 34Layered treat
  24. 35Baryshnikov nickname
  25. 36Starting squad
  26. 37Bolshevik foe
  27. 38Piece of cake
  28. 40Paquin of “The Piano”
  29. 42Words to the audience
  30. 44Invite
  31. 46Lennon’s love
  32. 47Make (one’s way)
  33. 48“___ as the green-growing bud unfolds”: Longfellow
  34. 50Range whose name means “gold mountain” in Mongolian
  35. 51Aligned groups
  36. 53Went astray
  37. 54“Otello” composer
  38. 57One of two found in Georgia
  39. 58Monongahela Natl. Forest location
  40. 59Common Market inits.
  41. 62Political attack, of a sort
  42. 63Brunch cocktail
  43. 65Nickname for Angel Stadium
  44. 67Bungle
  45. 68Out-and-out
  46. 70“Well, what have we here!”
  47. 71Neither go-with
  48. 74Sierra ____
  49. 76Smooth-talking
  50. 78“Tiny Bubbles” singer
  51. 79Some Army NCOs
  52. 81Rhine whine
  53. 82Dornoch denials
  54. 84Night school subj.
  55. 85Revue segment
  56. 86Criticize harshly
  57. 87Mosque figure
  58. 88Director Preminger
  59. 90Ljubljana residents
  60. 91Pay tribute to
  61. 93“La Bohème” heroine
  62. 94“Just watch me!”
  63. 95They play across the border from the Kraken
  64. 98Wicker material
  65. 99Fred Astaire, by birth
  66. 103Knee injury initials
  67. 104Yellowish-brown
  68. 107Nelly Korda’s org.
  69. 108Chewy candy
  70. 110Layout measure
  71. 111Chef Matsuhisa with a chain of namesake restaurants
  72. 112Prohibition backers
  73. 113Mardi Gras city, familiarly
  74. 114Stomped (on)
  75. 115Horse mackerel
  76. 116Gooden of the Mets
  77. 117NYU extension
  78. 118Wood-shaping tool
  79. 121Athenian vowel

The answer to “Political attack, of a sort” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is SMEAR — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on August 7, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 62-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.

“Political attack, of a sort” answer

SMEAR (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 SMEAR.

What does SMEAR mean?

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

(verb)

  • coat or mark (something) messily or carelessly with a greasy or sticky substance
  • damage the reputation of (someone) by false accusations; slander

When else has “Political attack, of a sort” appeared?

Wall Street Journal 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.

August 7, 2026 (most recent) → SMEAR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Political attack, of a sort”?

The answer is SMEAR, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on August 7, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Political attack, of a sort”?

5 letters: SMEAR.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on August 7, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 62-Down.

Can “Political attack, of a sort” have a different answer?

Yes — Wall Street Journal 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 WSJ answers?

The full grid for August 7, 2026 is on the WSJ answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

Wall Street Journal Crossword is published by The Wall Street Journal; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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