Rubs the wrong way

Latest answer — September 18, 2026

54 Across

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Clue explained

RILES is the present-tense verb meaning “irks” or rubs someone the wrong way.

Clue type:
Definition
A visibly irritated person reacting to an annoyance

WSJ Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 18, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Rudimentary seed
  2. 6Bad winner, perhaps
  3. 13Share shelter
  4. 20Three-by-three box in a sudoku puzzle
  5. 21Bawl out
  6. 22Way back when
  7. 23Sharply defined paint job?
  8. 25Criticized mercilessly
  9. 26“Give ___ go”
  10. 27Maze walls, perhaps
  11. 28Showed curiosity
  12. 30Words with discount or disadvantage
  13. 31Private dinner
  14. 33Like poblano peppers
  15. 34Where Columbus established his La Navidad settlement
  16. 36Put out
  17. 37Suit
  18. 38Cross-referencing word
  19. 39Triangular, soft, flapping in the breeze?
  20. 42Courser control
  21. 44Disposable phone
  22. 45Sewer scurrier
  23. 46Song sung by Miss Congeniality?
  24. 50Island nation west of Fiji
  25. 54Rubs the wrong way
  26. 55Play reviewer
  27. 56Convinced
  28. 57Cacophony
  29. 58Yard sign verb
  30. 59Only European Union city to host the Summer Olympics three different years
  31. 61Turn outward
  32. 62“The Beverly Hillbillies” role
  33. 63Lewis of “Matlock”
  34. 64Occupied apartments?
  35. 66Rise dramatically
  36. 67Funerary vase
  37. 68Image Awards org.
  38. 69Aspen attire
  39. 70Not quite right, maybe
  40. 71Forest female
  41. 72Check out creepily
  42. 73Drone, e.g.
  43. 74Hemsworth who plays Thor
  44. 75Back, in a way
  45. 77The very chivalrous Mick Jagger and Keith Richards?
  46. 82Wellness grp.
  47. 83Knocked off
  48. 84Louisville’s river
  49. 85Unoccupied apartments?
  50. 89___ gratia (by the grace of God)
  51. 90Some daily temps
  52. 94Platte River people
  53. 95Hopper in Hollywood
  54. 96Blanchett with two Oscars
  55. 97Careless mistake
  56. 98Payment promise
  57. 99Jor-El’s portrayer in 2013’s “Man of Steel”
  58. 101Blackbird family member
  59. 103Groom’s words
  60. 104“That’s cheating!”
  61. 106Guy who steadfastly refuses to get help with directions?
  62. 110“The Honeymooners” creator
  63. 111Use as a resource
  64. 112Heavy hitters in Hollywood
  65. 113Sonnet sections
  66. 114Forty winks
  67. 115Grayish

Down

  1. 1Punctual
  2. 2Whirl of water
  3. 3Discontent
  4. 4Cariou of “Sweeney Todd”
  5. 5Leave one’s mark on
  6. 6Illustrator’s color effect
  7. 7Newbery Medal winner Madeleine
  8. 8Was decisive
  9. 9Parentheses, essentially
  10. 10Excessively
  11. 11“Creazione di ___” (Sistine fresco)
  12. 12Lawyer’s fee
  13. 13Willow spike
  14. 14Fairy tale baddie
  15. 15Bowler’s place
  16. 16Pompous sort
  17. 17“Grand” place near Florida
  18. 18“Makes sense to me”
  19. 19Yet
  20. 24Surrounds
  21. 29Michelin reward
  22. 32Harsh sound
  23. 34Sage, e.g.
  24. 35Last Stuart monarch
  25. 36Question from the betrayed
  26. 39Fill with, as oxygen
  27. 40Refrain snippets
  28. 41Light yellow-brown
  29. 43Toward the sunrise
  30. 44Complaint from a con
  31. 46Suite start
  32. 47Banking device
  33. 48Gathered gradually
  34. 49Subtle distinction
  35. 50Battery pioneer Alessandro
  36. 51Recess
  37. 52Most-searched “how to” subject, ahead of “how to kiss”
  38. 53Strip
  39. 56Like some poetry
  40. 59Rembrandt who painted Washington and Jefferson
  41. 60Letters on many racing cars
  42. 61Elaborate meal
  43. 64Appends
  44. 65Dark-furred martens
  45. 66Defeats decisively
  46. 68Bellini opera
  47. 70Opera opening
  48. 76Electrical units
  49. 77Diner sign promise
  50. 78Like two peas in ___
  51. 79Where Pizarro died
  52. 80In direct confrontation
  53. 81The UPS logo, e.g.
  54. 83Regatta team
  55. 85What’s happening
  56. 86Peter of “The Lion in Winter”
  57. 87Bus map depictions
  58. 88Lemon tree features
  59. 89Elegantly small
  60. 91Countess in “Twelfth Night”
  61. 92Least narrow
  62. 93Like many convertibles
  63. 96Common origami creation
  64. 99Lawyer’s job
  65. 100Chaotic scene
  66. 101Drop
  67. 102Focus of Taylor Swift’s last tour
  68. 105Lard or suet
  69. 107Morse code sound
  70. 108Protagonist of a Satyajit Ray film trilogy
  71. 109Suffering

The answer to “Rubs the wrong way” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is RILES — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 18, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 54-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.

“Rubs the wrong way” answer

RILES (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 RILES.

What does RILES mean?

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

(verb)

  • make (someone) annoyed or irritated
  • make (water) turbulent or muddy

When else has “Rubs the wrong way” 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.

September 18, 2026 (most recent) → RILES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Rubs the wrong way”?

The answer is RILES, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Rubs the wrong way”?

5 letters: RILES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 18, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 54-Across.

Can “Rubs the wrong way” 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 September 18, 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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