NYT Crossword
Thursday, April 02, 2026
By Joe Marquez
Tap a square to reveal a letter.
Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.
NYT Crossword Clues
Across
Down
Crossword clues, hints, and answers
Across
- 1. Fanatical groups — Answer: CULTS
- 6. Dish often topped with lime and cilantro — Answer: PHO
- 9. Sci-fi warrior — Answer: JEDI
- 13. One of 22 works by Mozart, but just one work by Beethoven — Answer: OPERA
- 14. Team behind the cameras — Answer: CREW
- 15. Actor Epps of "House" — Answer: OMAR. Hint: Think of the actor who played Dr. Foreman on the medical drama starring Hugh Laurie 🩺
- 16. Question after "Well, well, well ..." — Answer: WTVEWEHERE
- 18. Jerk — Answer: YANK
- 19. "Family Guy" character with a nasal voice — Answer: LOIS
- 20. Exec who manages a company's day-to-day affairs — Answer: COO
- 21. Word with market or list — Answer: PRICE
- 22. "Too late to do anything about it now" — Answer: TTSHIPSSAILED
- 26. One who has a lot to show? — Answer: REALTOR
- 28. Bungee jumping requirement — Answer: CORD
- 29. First name in beauty products — Answer: ESTEE
- 30. Egg carton? — Answer: SAC
- 31. Holders of hammers and anvils — Answer: EARS
- 35. One cause of deterioration — Answer: USE
- 36. Marine creatures that can grow to the size of double-decker buses — Answer: WLESRKS
- 40. Genre for DMX or DMC — Answer: RAP
- 41. Coffee maker inserts — Answer: PODS
- 43. Actor Somerhalder of "Lost" — Answer: IAN
- 44. Gas company with a triangular logo — Answer: CITGO
- 46. One side in a "Holy War" rivalry in college football — Answer: UTES
- 48. Player on the bench? — Answer: PIANIST
- 50. Sarcastic response to an unwanted offer — Answer: TNKSBUTNOTNKS
- 54. Oodles — Answer: HEAPS
- 55. Member of a Tolkien army — Answer: ORC
- 56. Object in Pixar's logo — Answer: LAMP
- 59. Demolish — Answer: RAZE. Hint: Think about leveling something to the ground! 🏚️
- 60. Facial wrinkles ... or what's present in 16-, 22-, 36- and 50-Across? — Answer: LAUGHLINES
- 63. School with a larger-than-life bronze statue of Henry VI — Answer: ETON
- 64. Fun-size — Answer: TINY
- 65. Irritating "cloud" — Answer: GNATS
- 66. Beech or birch — Answer: WOOD
- 67. Ernie who has won the British Open twice — Answer: ELS
- 68. Shoelace protector — Answer: AGLET
Down
- 1. Part of a Batman costume — Answer: COWL
- 2. Until — Answer: UPTO. Hint: A phrase meaning no later than a certain point in time or amount ⏳
- 3. Had an uplifting experience? — Answer: LEVITATED
- 4. Bridge framework — Answer: TRESTLE
- 5. Shop item with teeth — Answer: SAW
- 6. Before surgery, in brief — Answer: PREOP
- 7. "Let ___ Go" (2012 Passenger hit) — Answer: HER
- 8. Be shy — Answer: OWE
- 9. Some kicks on Route 66, maybe — Answer: JOYRIDE
- 10. Bit of info on a résumé — Answer: EMAIL
- 11. Ball — Answer: DANCE
- 12. Teed off — Answer: IRKED
- 14. Group in a loft — Answer: CHOIR
- 17. Sound in a cave — Answer: ECHO
- 21. Course standard — Answer: PAR
- 23. Gumbo, e.g. — Answer: STEW
- 24. Disney villain based on Shakespeare's King Claudius — Answer: SCAR
- 25. Punch in the face, say — Answer: SOCK
- 26. Extend a tour of duty — Answer: REUP
- 27. The first letter in this gas brand's logo resembles a backward 3 — Answer: ESSO
- 30. It's often identified by its last four digits, in brief — Answer: SSN
- 32. Made in a nonmechanized way, as food products — Answer: ARTISANAL
- 33. Cloths for custodians — Answer: RAGS
- 34. TV ad — Answer: SPOT
- 37. Stead — Answer: LIEU
- 38. Like Alabama vis-à-vis Mississippi — Answer: EAST
- 39. Create a PDF of, maybe — Answer: SCAN
- 42. Hang — Answer: SUSPEND
- 45. Slightest idea — Answer: INKLING
- 47. Airer of the game show "Wipeout" — Answer: TBS
- 48. Bess's beau on Broadway — Answer: PORGY
- 49. Eczema symptom — Answer: ITCH
- 50. Pitched — Answer: THREW
- 51. "Cool beans!" — Answer: NEATO. Hint: A fun way to express excitement about something awesome! 😄
- 52. Instrument once known as a "toy trumpet" — Answer: KAZOO
- 53. Followers of articles — Answer: NOUNS
- 57. Parcel (out) — Answer: METE
- 58. Whisper that might accompany a tap — Answer: PSST
- 60. Broadband letters — Answer: LTE
- 61. Need a day off, say — Answer: AIL
- 62. Big Apple airport code — Answer: LGA
The answer to “Cloths for custodians” in the New York Times crossword is RAGS — a 4-letter word. This clue ran in the New York Times crossword on April 2, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 33-Down. If it's the entry standing between you and a clean grid, that's the word you need — and below you'll find why it fits, plus links to the day's other clues if more than one square is giving you trouble.
“Cloths for custodians” answer
RAGS (4 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 RAGS.
Why the answer is RAGS
RAGS is the 4-letter solution that fits "Cloths for custodians" in the NYT Crossword crossword on April 2, 2026 (33-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.
When else has “Cloths for custodians” appeared?
New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up before, and what the answer was each time — handy if you landed here from a puzzle on another date.
April 2, 2026 (this puzzle) → RAGS. We haven't indexed an earlier appearance of this exact clue yet.
More clues from the NYT Crossword on April 2, 2026
Stuck elsewhere in the grid? Here are some of the crossing and nearby clues from the same puzzle — tap any for its answer and explanation.
- Holders of hammers and anvils → EARS
- Genre for DMX or DMC → RAP
- Gas company with a triangular logo → CITGO
- Player on the bench? → PIANIST
- Made in a nonmechanized way, as food products → ARTISANAL
- TV ad → SPOT
- One cause of deterioration → USE
- Egg carton? → SAC
Want every clue in one place? The full New York Times answer list for April 2, 2026 is on that day's grid page, and today's live NYT Crossword answers are always one tap from the today page.
About the NYT Crossword
The New York Times crossword, edited by Will Shortz, is the most famous daily puzzle in the United States. It runs a 15×15 grid Monday through Saturday and a larger 21×21 grid on Sunday, and its difficulty deliberately ramps through the week: Monday is the most approachable, Saturday the toughest, with Thursday often reserved for a trick or twist like rebus squares. This page covers a Thursday puzzle. A straight-definition entry is the kind of solid mid-grid answer that anchors the trickier crossings around it. Because the NYT reuses short, crossing-friendly words regularly, seeing them once makes them easier to spot next time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the answer to “Cloths for custodians”?
The answer is RAGS, a 4-letter word. It appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 2, 2026.
How many letters is the answer to “Cloths for custodians”?
4 letters: RAGS.
Where did this clue appear?
In the New York Times crossword on April 2, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 33-Down.
Can “Cloths for custodians” have a different answer?
Yes — New York Times 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 NYT Crossword answers?
The full grid for April 2, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.