Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?

Latest answer — September 04, 2026

101 Across

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Clue explained

OLD WIVES' TAIL is a pun on “old wives' tale.” The spy is tasked with tailing—or following—spouses in their later years, producing the whimsical “tail” version.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A detective discreetly following an elderly couple.

WSJ Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 04, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1Music genre for Tokyo’s Yoasobi and Nogizaka46
  2. 5Speaks for, briefly
  3. 9Motrin alternative
  4. 14Corkscrews on tables, e.g.
  5. 19Brand for Brussels griffons
  6. 20Westernmost D-Day beach
  7. 21They fly in an 11-Down
  8. 22Abstractions
  9. 23Dieting and exercising to avoid needing to buy a bigger belt?
  10. 26Disinclined
  11. 27Eurythmics singer Lennox
  12. 28Ceremonial basin
  13. 29At most
  14. 31Cow chow
  15. 32Designer’s draft
  16. 34Deserves
  17. 36Maker of licensed vinyl toy figures
  18. 38Common name for a herding dog
  19. 40Fear-inducing thunderstorm?
  20. 44Asian honorific
  21. 47Ill-suited
  22. 50Make out, in Bath
  23. 51Frolicsome
  24. 52Astonishingly awesome shriek?
  25. 55Astronaut Cooper, familiarly
  26. 57Lab liquids
  27. 58“Freeze the Feeling” beverage brand
  28. 59Happening place
  29. 61Iridescent gem
  30. 63Asian honorific
  31. 64“The Commitments” writer Doyle
  32. 66Bacteria-infected
  33. 68Place under the seat, say
  34. 70Story of Earth’s longest-living land animal trying to hide its years with a wig?
  35. 77Ancient music halls
  36. 78Goddess of the dawn
  37. 79Carried
  38. 80Flimflam
  39. 83Opposite of avant
  40. 86Bomb in an idiom about backfiring plans
  41. 88With 44-Down, modest garment
  42. 89Mimicked
  43. 91Replies to a host
  44. 93What a bird feels after crashing into a sheet of glass?
  45. 95Piedmontese wine
  46. 97Grub
  47. 99Nick of “Tropic Thunder”
  48. 100___ Islas Filipinas
  49. 101Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?
  50. 104Crowd-sourced review site
  51. 106Wing
  52. 107Antarctic explorer Shackleton
  53. 110Unsavory
  54. 114Nothing at all
  55. 116Taylor Swift’s “___ Something Bad”
  56. 118Auto correction
  57. 120City of Tuscany
  58. 121Ivy in Philly
  59. 123Crew members tending to spinnakers and jibs?
  60. 126Tight headwear
  61. 127A crowd, they say
  62. 128Ivy in New Haven
  63. 129One of a geographic quintet
  64. 130Operatic bass-baritone Simon
  65. 131Iditarod vehicles
  66. 132Passed easily
  67. 133Property paper

Down

  1. 1Scavengers who sell C-3PO and R2-D2 to Luke’s uncle
  2. 2Core exercise
  3. 3Think out loud
  4. 4Hypothesizes
  5. 5Dark ’n’ Stormy part
  6. 6List wrap-up
  7. 7Yankee Clipper carrier
  8. 8Wax alternative
  9. 9Problem for job-seeking seniors
  10. 10Lowering in rank
  11. 11See 21-Across
  12. 12“Freedom ___ free”
  13. 13Acquitted
  14. 14Hoppy lager
  15. 15Hubbub
  16. 16Members of the genus Hippocampus
  17. 17“So long!”
  18. 18Wan
  19. 24Helper after a crash
  20. 25Teri of “Young Frankenstein”
  21. 30Hypothesize
  22. 33Mathematician Poincaré
  23. 35Inquisitive sort
  24. 37Mr. Kringle
  25. 39History Channel’s highest-rated show
  26. 41Grimm monster
  27. 42Vegetable called bhindi in Pakistan
  28. 43Gosling in Hollywood
  29. 44See 88-Across
  30. 45Big name in copiers
  31. 46___ la Cité (site of Notre Dame cathedral)
  32. 48Leisurely stroll, in Spanish-speaking areas
  33. 49Hedren of “The Birds”
  34. 53Resulted in
  35. 54“___ luck!”
  36. 56Villainous
  37. 60Bind
  38. 62“Stay (I Missed You)” singer Lisa
  39. 65Member of the Jedi High Council
  40. 67Seven-time AL batting champ
  41. 69Clobber
  42. 71Admonished
  43. 72Away
  44. 73Pipe-clearing brand
  45. 74Common neo-grotesque font
  46. 75Most populous country
  47. 76Coach controls
  48. 80Baja resort
  49. 81Iridescent gem
  50. 82“Get a load of this dweeb!”
  51. 84Nights before
  52. 85Flurry
  53. 87Lavishes affection
  54. 90Sad
  55. 92Hit with a jump scare
  56. 94Lament of the vanquished
  57. 96Jacket parts
  58. 98Cranial cavities
  59. 102Is real
  60. 103Advance
  61. 105Ready
  62. 108“So long!”
  63. 109“Dear Mama” rapper
  64. 111Steel plow inventor
  65. 112Navel type
  66. 113Out of fashion
  67. 114Botticelli’s Venus, e.g.
  68. 115NYSE debuts
  69. 117Willy Wonka’s creator
  70. 119Wan
  71. 122Scottish refusal
  72. 124Fury
  73. 125Like diamonds

The answer to “Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is OLDWIVESTAIL — a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 4, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 101-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.

“Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?” answer

OLDWIVESTAIL (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 OLDWIVESTAIL.

When else has “Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?” 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 4, 2026 (most recent) → OLDWIVESTAIL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?”?

The answer is OLDWIVESTAIL, a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 4, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?”?

12 letters: OLDWIVESTAIL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 4, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 101-Across.

Can “Spy tasked with following spouses in their golden years?” 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 4, 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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