Comical Mutation

By Lance Enfinger and John Kugelman

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Across

  1. 29Get tuckered outLOSESTEAM
  2. 37News hound?TOPICALDOG
  3. 40Atomic bond, essentially?TWOPARTICLEHARMONY
  4. 65Some electrolysis targets?FOLLICLESONONESFACE
  5. 81BlemishMARK
  6. 97CorralCAGEIN
  7. 105Never mind?AMNESIA
  8. 108NeglectfulREMISS
  9. 111Bank (on)RELY
  10. 118Storm, sayINVADE
  11. 121ThicketsCOPSES

Down

  1. 3BogeymenFEARS
  2. 18Not stereoINMONO
  3. 30BlemishSCAR
  4. 44OrbitEYESOCKET
  5. 71No. 2'sVPS
  6. 80TouchABUT
  7. 89With zealRABIDLY
  8. 95Crack open?YOMAMA
  9. 96Is fueled byRUNSON
  10. 103Strike zone?ALLEY
  11. 110StyleMODE

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Meter in a video game showing a character's health — Answer: LIFEBAR
  2. 8. Relative of a gazelle — Answer: IMPALA
  3. 14. Office square — Answer: POSTIT
  4. 20. Food additive named one of Time's 50 Worst Inventions — Answer: OLESTRA
  5. 21. Keep cruising, say — Answer: SAILON
  6. 22. On which Apple Pay can be used — Answer: IPHONE
  7. 23. Canio in "Pagliacci," e.g.? — Answer: CLASSICALCLOWN
  8. 25. Noxious atmosphere — Answer: MIASMA
  9. 26. Prefix with business — Answer: AGRI
  10. 27. "My house, my rules" — Answer: ISAYSO
  11. 28. QB Drew whom Tom Brady ultimately replaced — Answer: BLEDSOE
  12. 29. Get tuckered out — Answer: LOSESTEAM
  13. 32. Indian wedding wear — Answer: SARI
  14. 34. School subj. — Answer: ENG
  15. 35. Grab the chips and dip? — Answer: CASHIN
  16. 37. News hound? — Answer: TOPICALDOG
  17. 40. Atomic bond, essentially? — Answer: TWOPARTICLEHARMONY
  18. 45. Many visitors to national parks — Answer: HIKERS
  19. 46. Nearsighted person — Answer: MYOPE
  20. 47. Messing up on the big screen — Answer: DEBRA
  21. 51. Italy's third-largest island (after Sicily and Sardinia) — Answer: ELBA
  22. 52. Subterranean adventurer — Answer: CAVER
  23. 54. "Aaron Burr, ___" ("Hamilton" show tune) — Answer: SIR
  24. 57. Great number — Answer: SLEW
  25. 58. Cute, cutesily — Answer: ADORBS
  26. 61. Dropbox and Roblox — Answer: APPS
  27. 62. Hailed vehicle — Answer: CAB. Hint: Think of the city ride you might summon with an upraised hand. 🚕
  28. 64. Show interruptions — Answer: ADS
  29. 65. Some electrolysis targets? — Answer: FOLLICLESONONESFACE
  30. 71. Partner of vigor — Answer: VIM
  31. 72. Letter symbolizing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius — Answer: TAU
  32. 73. "Downton Abbey" countess — Answer: CORA
  33. 74. Warm winter coats — Answer: PARKAS
  34. 76. Like some early education, for short — Answer: PREK
  35. 78. W.C. sign — Answer: MEN
  36. 80. City where LeBron James was born — Answer: AKRON
  37. 81. Blemish — Answer: MARK
  38. 82. Bit of a character? — Answer: SERIF
  39. 84. Conspiring (with) — Answer: INBED
  40. 86. Spice Girl alongside Baby, Ginger, Scary and Posh — Answer: SPORTY
  41. 88. "Mainsail hoisted, check! Hatches battened, check!"? — Answer: WERENAUTICALWORTHY
  42. 94. Shark's singing rival in "West Side Story"? — Answer: LYRICALJET
  43. 97. Corral — Answer: CAGEIN
  44. 98. Yankee great Gehrig — Answer: LOU
  45. 99. Something a judge shouldn't have — Answer: BIAS
  46. 100. Very rude email, informally — Answer: NASTYGRAM
  47. 105. Never mind? — Answer: AMNESIA
  48. 108. Neglectful — Answer: REMISS
  49. 111. Bank (on) — Answer: RELY
  50. 112. Two-___ schooner — Answer: MASTED
  51. 113. Frozen treat for Bruins fans? — Answer: BOSTONPOPSICLE
  52. 117. Lacking scruples — Answer: AMORAL
  53. 118. Storm, say — Answer: INVADE
  54. 119. Noted early riser — Answer: ROOSTER
  55. 120. With a level head — Answer: SANELY
  56. 121. Thickets — Answer: COPSES
  57. 122. Embarrassing items to have revealed on an airport X-ray — Answer: SEXTOYS

Down

  1. 1. Person from the neighborhood — Answer: LOCAL
  2. 2. Volunteer's offer — Answer: ILLGO
  3. 3. Bogeymen — Answer: FEARS
  4. 4. Maker of Bikini So Teeny nail polish — Answer: ESSIE
  5. 5. Breakthrough K-pop group — Answer: BTS
  6. 6. Horror director Aster — Answer: ARI
  7. 7. Most suggestive — Answer: RACIEST
  8. 8. Like the Eid al-Fitr festival — Answer: ISLAMIC
  9. 9. Department store eponym — Answer: MACY
  10. 10. Pale lager, informally — Answer: PILS
  11. 11. ___ gobi (Indian potato dish) — Answer: ALOO
  12. 12. Feeling down — Answer: LOW
  13. 13. ___ Taylor (fashion retailer) — Answer: ANN
  14. 14. Home of the Preakness Stakes — Answer: PIMLICO
  15. 15. Early TV role for Ron Howard — Answer: OPIE
  16. 16. Atlantic fish — Answer: SHAD
  17. 17. Like Frisbees and some salads — Answer: TOSSED
  18. 18. Not stereo — Answer: INMONO
  19. 19. Hard-boiled Chinese snack — Answer: TEAEGG
  20. 24. Sapporo competitor — Answer: ASAHI
  21. 28. Bowler's edge — Answer: BRIM
  22. 30. Blemish — Answer: SCAR
  23. 31. Fixes, as a driveway — Answer: TARS
  24. 32. Cake not to be eaten — Answer: SOAP
  25. 33. French for "after" — Answer: APRES
  26. 36. Barry Bonds and Shohei Ohtani, notably, for short — Answer: NLMVPS
  27. 37. Hammer wielder — Answer: THOR. Hint: This mighty Norse deity carries the enchanted hammer Mjölnir. ⚡
  28. 38. Furthermore — Answer: AND
  29. 39. Caustic solutions — Answer: LYES
  30. 40. Mother of Helios, in myth — Answer: THEA
  31. 41. Metaphor for a runaway success — Answer: WILDFIRE
  32. 42. Gen Z put-down of an elder — Answer: OKBOOMER
  33. 43. Bit of wisdom — Answer: PEARL
  34. 44. Orbit — Answer: EYESOCKET
  35. 48. Arcane technique — Answer: BLACKART
  36. 49. Iron-rich variety of fertile soil — Answer: REDEARTH
  37. 50. Exclamations in nurseries — Answer: AWS
  38. 52. Lead-in to "tech" — Answer: CAL
  39. 53. Primatologist's interest — Answer: APE
  40. 55. Give the cold shoulder, with "out" — Answer: ICE
  41. 56. Grating voice — Answer: RASP
  42. 59. Common diner order — Answer: BLT
  43. 60. Rodgers and Hammerstein musical setting — Answer: SIAM
  44. 63. Photog's undergrad degree — Answer: BFA
  45. 66. Stick on a table — Answer: CUE
  46. 67. Like Volvo and Nokia, by origin — Answer: NORDIC
  47. 68. Gold, in Guadalajara — Answer: ORO
  48. 69. London granny — Answer: NAN
  49. 70. Standard battle wear — Answer: ARMOR
  50. 71. No. 2's — Answer: VPS
  51. 75. Vodka in blue bottles — Answer: SKYY
  52. 77. New Zealander — Answer: KIWI
  53. 79. One studied in the art of invisibility — Answer: NINJA
  54. 80. Touch — Answer: ABUT
  55. 83. Govt. campaign watchdog — Answer: FEC
  56. 85. Scottish refusals — Answer: NAES
  57. 86. Loretta of "M*A*S*H" — Answer: SWIT
  58. 87. Small keg size — Answer: PONY
  59. 89. With zeal — Answer: RABIDLY
  60. 90. Director Kazan — Answer: ELIA
  61. 91. Neighbors of premolars — Answer: CANINES
  62. 92. Audibly shocked — Answer: AGASP. Hint: This is the sound of someone reacting with sudden surprise 😮
  63. 93. Landlords, more formally — Answer: LESSORS
  64. 94. Pack carriers — Answer: LLAMAS
  65. 95. Crack open? — Answer: YOMAMA
  66. 96. Is fueled by — Answer: RUNSON
  67. 101. Fill in a mill — Answer: GRIST
  68. 102. Right-hand page — Answer: RECTO
  69. 103. Strike zone? — Answer: ALLEY
  70. 104. Mike or Michael in movies — Answer: MYERS
  71. 106. Raison d'___ — Answer: ETRE
  72. 107. Close up tight — Answer: SEAL
  73. 108. Invitation letters — Answer: RSVP. Hint: These letters ask invitees to confirm their attendance 💌
  74. 109. Uber predictions, in brief — Answer: ETAS
  75. 110. Style — Answer: MODE
  76. 113. Zippo competitor — Answer: BIC
  77. 114. Co-producer of the documentary "The Beatles: Get Back" — Answer: ONO
  78. 115. "The Bells" poet — Answer: POE
  79. 116. Fenway team, familiarly — Answer: SOX

Recent NYT Crossword Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

Here are the NYT Crossword answers for Sunday, February 1, 2026 — every solution for that day's 15×15 (21×21 on Sunday) puzzle, listed at the top of this page. Whether you're catching up on a puzzle you missed, settling a “what was the answer on February 1?” question, or checking a grid you finished that day, the complete clue-by-clue solution is right here. Looking for today's puzzle instead? Head to our live NYT Crossword answers page.

NYT Crossword answers for February 1, 2026

The full solution for the February 1 NYT Crossword is shown above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, exactly as that day's grid read. Each answer is listed separately, so you can check just the clue you were stuck on and leave the rest. This is the confirmed grid as published on Sunday, February 1.

Full NYT Crossword answer list for February 1, 2026

Every clue from the February 1 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Meter in a video game showing a character's healthLIFEBAR
8Relative of a gazelleIMPALA
14Office squarePOSTIT
20Food additive named one of Time's 50 Worst InventionsOLESTRA
21Keep cruising, saySAILON
22On which Apple Pay can be usedIPHONE
23Canio in "Pagliacci," e.g.?CLASSICALCLOWN
25Noxious atmosphereMIASMA
26Prefix with businessAGRI
27"My house, my rules"ISAYSO
28QB Drew whom Tom Brady ultimately replacedBLEDSOE
29Get tuckered outLOSESTEAM
32Indian wedding wearSARI
34School subj.ENG
35Grab the chips and dip?CASHIN
37News hound?TOPICALDOG
40Atomic bond, essentially?TWOPARTICLEHARMONY
45Many visitors to national parksHIKERS
46Nearsighted personMYOPE
47Messing up on the big screenDEBRA
51Italy's third-largest island (after Sicily and Sardinia)ELBA
52Subterranean adventurerCAVER
54"Aaron Burr, ___" ("Hamilton" show tune)SIR
57Great numberSLEW
58Cute, cutesilyADORBS
61Dropbox and RobloxAPPS
62Hailed vehicleCAB
64Show interruptionsADS
65Some electrolysis targets?FOLLICLESONONESFACE
71Partner of vigorVIM
72Letter symbolizing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radiusTAU
73"Downton Abbey" countessCORA
74Warm winter coatsPARKAS
76Like some early education, for shortPREK
78W.C. signMEN
80City where LeBron James was bornAKRON
81BlemishMARK
82Bit of a character?SERIF
84Conspiring (with)INBED
86Spice Girl alongside Baby, Ginger, Scary and PoshSPORTY
88"Mainsail hoisted, check! Hatches battened, check!"?WERENAUTICALWORTHY
94Shark's singing rival in "West Side Story"?LYRICALJET
97CorralCAGEIN
98Yankee great GehrigLOU
99Something a judge shouldn't haveBIAS
100Very rude email, informallyNASTYGRAM
105Never mind?AMNESIA
108NeglectfulREMISS
111Bank (on)RELY
112Two-___ schoonerMASTED
113Frozen treat for Bruins fans?BOSTONPOPSICLE
117Lacking scruplesAMORAL
118Storm, sayINVADE
119Noted early riserROOSTER
120With a level headSANELY
121ThicketsCOPSES
122Embarrassing items to have revealed on an airport X-raySEXTOYS

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Person from the neighborhoodLOCAL
2Volunteer's offerILLGO
3BogeymenFEARS
4Maker of Bikini So Teeny nail polishESSIE
5Breakthrough K-pop groupBTS
6Horror director AsterARI
7Most suggestiveRACIEST
8Like the Eid al-Fitr festivalISLAMIC
9Department store eponymMACY
10Pale lager, informallyPILS
11___ gobi (Indian potato dish)ALOO
12Feeling downLOW
13___ Taylor (fashion retailer)ANN
14Home of the Preakness StakesPIMLICO
15Early TV role for Ron HowardOPIE
16Atlantic fishSHAD
17Like Frisbees and some saladsTOSSED
18Not stereoINMONO
19Hard-boiled Chinese snackTEAEGG
24Sapporo competitorASAHI
28Bowler's edgeBRIM
30BlemishSCAR
31Fixes, as a drivewayTARS
32Cake not to be eatenSOAP
33French for "after"APRES
36Barry Bonds and Shohei Ohtani, notably, for shortNLMVPS
37Hammer wielderTHOR
38FurthermoreAND
39Caustic solutionsLYES
40Mother of Helios, in mythTHEA
41Metaphor for a runaway successWILDFIRE
42Gen Z put-down of an elderOKBOOMER
43Bit of wisdomPEARL
44OrbitEYESOCKET
48Arcane techniqueBLACKART
49Iron-rich variety of fertile soilREDEARTH
50Exclamations in nurseriesAWS
52Lead-in to "tech"CAL
53Primatologist's interestAPE
55Give the cold shoulder, with "out"ICE
56Grating voiceRASP
59Common diner orderBLT
60Rodgers and Hammerstein musical settingSIAM
63Photog's undergrad degreeBFA
66Stick on a tableCUE
67Like Volvo and Nokia, by originNORDIC
68Gold, in GuadalajaraORO
69London grannyNAN
70Standard battle wearARMOR
71No. 2'sVPS
75Vodka in blue bottlesSKYY
77New ZealanderKIWI
79One studied in the art of invisibilityNINJA
80TouchABUT
83Govt. campaign watchdogFEC
85Scottish refusalsNAES
86Loretta of "M*A*S*H"SWIT
87Small keg sizePONY
89With zealRABIDLY
90Director KazanELIA
91Neighbors of premolarsCANINES
92Audibly shockedAGASP
93Landlords, more formallyLESSORS
94Pack carriersLLAMAS
95Crack open?YOMAMA
96Is fueled byRUNSON
101Fill in a millGRIST
102Right-hand pageRECTO
103Strike zone?ALLEY
104Mike or Michael in moviesMYERS
106Raison d'___ETRE
107Close up tightSEAL
108Invitation lettersRSVP
109Uber predictions, in briefETAS
110StyleMODE
113Zippo competitorBIC
114Co-producer of the documentary "The Beatles: Get Back"ONO
115"The Bells" poetPOE
116Fenway team, familiarlySOX

Hints for the February 1 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The February 1 puzzle fell on a Sunday, and with the New York Times crossword that matters: the grid gets harder as the week goes on, from an easy Monday to a fiendish Saturday, with a large themed puzzle on Sunday. So a Sunday grid tells you how much misdirection to expect — and if a clue that day seemed to make no sense, the weekday is usually the reason. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.

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Frequently asked questions

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