Eugene Sheffer Crossword Answers Today

By Eugene Sheffer

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Eugene Sheffer Crossword Clues

Across

  1. 26Pop

Down

  1. 26Rob

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Carried out — Answer: DID. Hint: A simple past-tense verb meaning completed or performed. ✅
  2. 4. Vinyl records — Answer: LPS. Hint: These classic music discs spin on a turntable and come in different speeds. 🎶
  3. 7. “To -- not ...” — Answer: BEOR. Hint: Complete Shakespeare’s famous existential question with the two tiny words that come before “not.” 🤔
  4. 8. Works hard — Answer: TOILS. Hint: Puts in plenty of effort, perhaps on a demanding task. 💪
  5. 10. Skit show — Answer: REVUE. Hint: A theatrical variety show made up of short comic scenes and performances 🎭
  6. 11. Having dinner — Answer: EATING. Hint: Enjoying a meal right now 🍽️
  7. 13. “The Handmaid’s Tale” actress — Answer: ELISABETHMOSS. Hint: She portrays the fiercely determined June Osborne in this dystopian series 🎬
  8. 16. Nev. neighbor — Answer: CAL. Hint: Think of the West Coast state that shares a border with Nevada. 🗺️
  9. 17. Fluttery insects — Answer: MOTHS. Hint: These delicate nighttime fliers are famously drawn to lamps. 🦋
  10. 18. Street, in Montreal — Answer: RUE. Hint: Look for the French word you’d spot on many Montréal road signs. 🛣️
  11. 19. Meeting, slangily — Answer: SESH. Hint: A casual slang term for a planned get-together or hangout. 🤝
  12. 20. Check — Answer: REIN. Hint: To check or restrain something is to hold it back, much like a rider controlling a horse. 🐎
  13. 21. Three-player card game — Answer: OMBRE. Hint: Think of an old-fashioned trick-taking game designed for exactly three players. 🃏
  14. 23. Swiss chocolate brand — Answer: LINDT. Hint: This famous Swiss chocolatier is known for smooth truffles and its gold-wrapped bunny. 🍫
  15. 25. Location — Answer: AREA. Hint: Think of a general place or region rather than a precise address. 📍
  16. 26. Pop — Answer: SODA. Hint: Think of the bubbly drink you might pour over ice at a picnic. 🥤
  17. 27. Fire — Answer: CAN. Hint: When you need to prepare a meal or warm up, this can help fuel the flames! 🔥
  18. 28. Arose — Answer: GOTUP. Hint: What you did when you left your bed this morning 🛏️
  19. 30. Away from NNE — Answer: SSW. Hint: Think of the compass direction directly opposite north-northeast. 🧭
  20. 33. “Leaving Las Vegas” actress — Answer: ELISABETHSHUE. Hint: She played the compassionate escort Sera opposite Nicolas Cage in this haunting 1995 drama 🎬
  21. 36. Panama port — Answer: BALBOA. Hint: Think of the Pacific-side harbor near the canal, named for the Spanish explorer who first saw that ocean from the Americas 🌊
  22. 37. German autos — Answer: OPELS. Hint: Think of a German car brand known for practical vehicles 🚗
  23. 38. Slander in print — Answer: LIBEL. Hint: Think of a defamatory accusation published in a newspaper. 📰
  24. 39. “Voilà!” — Answer: TADA. Hint: A cheerful exclamation made when presenting a finished trick or reveal 🎉
  25. 40. Prefix with functional — Answer: DYS. Hint: This prefix signals something is impaired or not working normally when paired with “functional.” 🛠️
  26. 41. Switch settings — Answer: ONS. Hint: Think of the positions a toggle can have when powered up. 🔌

Down

  1. 1. Evil one — Answer: DEVIL. Hint: A mischievous supernatural troublemaker might fit this description. 😈
  2. 2. Debtors’ notes — Answer: IOUS. Hint: These are informal written promises to repay borrowed money. 📝
  3. 3. Visionary — Answer: DREAMER. Hint: Someone who imagines bold possibilities beyond the present might fit this clue. ✨
  4. 4. Reluctant — Answer: LOATH. Hint: Feeling unwilling or hesitant to take part? 🤔
  5. 5. Soft centers — Answer: PITHS. Hint: Think of the soft, spongy interiors found inside certain fruits 🍊
  6. 6. Slender — Answer: SLIM. Hint: Think of someone with little extra width or bulk. 🧍
  7. 7. Lugosi of film — Answer: BELA. Hint: Think of the actor who made Count Dracula iconic on screen 🧛
  8. 8. Gear parts — Answer: TEETH. Hint: These interlocking bits around a wheel help transfer motion and grip another gear. ⚙️
  9. 9. Slept loudly — Answer: SNORED. Hint: Made a noisy sound while catching some Z’s 😴
  10. 10. VCR button — Answer: REC. Hint: Press this to capture a show onto tape. 📼
  11. 12. Astronaut’s wear — Answer: GSUIT. Hint: A pressurized outfit that helps an astronaut survive beyond the spacecraft 🚀
  12. 14. Audio equipment brand — Answer: BOSE. Hint: Think of the company famous for compact speakers and noise-canceling headphones. 🔊
  13. 15. Capitol Hill VIP — Answer: SEN. Hint: This Washington insider helps shape federal laws from a seat in Congress. 🏛️
  14. 19. Govt. loan agcy. — Answer: SBA. Hint: This federal agency helps entrepreneurs and small businesses secure financing. 💼
  15. 20. Genetic letters — Answer: RNA. Hint: These molecules help carry and interpret genetic instructions inside living cells. 🧬
  16. 21. Toothbrush brand — Answer: ORALB. Hint: Think about keeping your smile bright and fresh! 🦷
  17. 22. Humble — Answer: MENIAL. Hint: Think of a low-ranking task or worker rather than someone important. 🧹
  18. 23. Lummox — Answer: LOUT. Hint: An awkward, clumsy fellow who tends to bumble into things. 🤭
  19. 24. Picture for a passport, say — Answer: IDPHOTO. Hint: A small identification image used on official documents might fit the bill 📸
  20. 25. Expert — Answer: ACE. Hint: Think of someone who is exceptionally skilled at what they do. 🎯
  21. 26. Rob — Answer: STEAL. Hint: Take something that doesn’t belong to you. 🕵️
  22. 28. Talkative — Answer: GABBY. Hint: Describes someone who always has plenty to say. 🗣️
  23. 29. Slender woodwinds — Answer: OBOES. Hint: These slim orchestral instruments are double-reed cousins of the bassoon 🎶
  24. 30. Molts — Answer: SHEDS. Hint: What snakes and crustaceans do when they outgrow an old outer layer 🐍
  25. 31. Toni Morrison novel — Answer: SULA. Hint: This Toni Morrison title shares its name with one of the novel’s unforgettable characters. 📚
  26. 32. Jazz guitarist Montgomery — Answer: WES. Hint: Think of the legendary guitarist famous for his smooth octave solos and soulful jazz sound 🎸
  27. 34. Lost traction — Answer: SLID. Hint: Moved unintentionally across a slick surface after losing grip 🧊
  28. 35. Bridge — Answer: SPAN. Hint: Think of the distance a bridge covers between two supports. 🌉

Looking for today's Sheffer Crossword answers? Every across and down solution for today's puzzle — dated August 5, 2026 — is at the top of this page, updated the moment the new grid goes live. The Eugene Sheffer Crossword is King Features' 13×13 daily, roughly 65 clues, published Monday through Saturday in newspapers and free online, and it has carried Sheffer's byline since 1929. Cluing is plain-definition rather than tricky, so a stuck square is usually one older proper noun or a piece of crosswordese — and confirming it tends to open the crossings on either side. Every clue-by-clue answer is listed below.

Full Eugene Sheffer Crossword answer list for today

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

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Carried outDID
4Vinyl recordsLPS
7“To -- not ...”BEOR
8Works hardTOILS
10Skit showREVUE
11Having dinnerEATING
13“The Handmaid’s Tale” actressELISABETHMOSS
16Nev. neighborCAL
17Fluttery insectsMOTHS
18Street, in MontrealRUE
19Meeting, slangilySESH
20CheckREIN
21Three-player card gameOMBRE
23Swiss chocolate brandLINDT
25LocationAREA
26PopSODA
27FireCAN
28AroseGOTUP
30Away from NNESSW
33“Leaving Las Vegas” actressELISABETHSHUE
36Panama portBALBOA
37German autosOPELS
38Slander in printLIBEL
39“Voilà!”TADA
40Prefix with functionalDYS
41Switch settingsONS

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Evil oneDEVIL
2Debtors’ notesIOUS
3VisionaryDREAMER
4ReluctantLOATH
5Soft centersPITHS
6SlenderSLIM
7Lugosi of filmBELA
8Gear partsTEETH
9Slept loudlySNORED
10VCR buttonREC
12Astronaut’s wearGSUIT
14Audio equipment brandBOSE
15Capitol Hill VIPSEN
19Govt. loan agcy.SBA
20Genetic lettersRNA
21Toothbrush brandORALB
22HumbleMENIAL
23LummoxLOUT
24Picture for a passport, sayIDPHOTO
25ExpertACE
26RobSTEAL
28TalkativeGABBY
29Slender woodwindsOBOES
30MoltsSHEDS
31Toni Morrison novelSULA
32Jazz guitarist MontgomeryWES
34Lost tractionSLID
35BridgeSPAN

Today's Sheffer Crossword answers

The current solution appears above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, in the order the grid numbers them. At 13×13 and roughly 65 clues there's not much to wade through, so each answer is listed separately with its clue: jump to the entry that stopped you rather than reading the whole key. A new puzzle publishes every day except Sunday, and this page updates as soon as King Features releases it.

What is the Eugene Sheffer Crossword?

The Eugene Sheffer Crossword — usually shortened to just the Sheffer Crossword — is King Features Syndicate's mid-size daily. It runs Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday edition, in more than a hundred American newspapers, and it's free to play online at games.washingtonpost.com and arkadium.com, with no subscription. The grid is a square 13×13 carrying about 65 clues, which puts it between the 11×13 Thomas Joseph puzzle and a full 15×15 daily. That compact footprint is exactly why editors have kept it for the better part of a century: a genuine crossword that still fits beside the comics. Puzzles are untitled and unthemed, so every clue stands alone.

Who was Eugene Sheffer?

Eugene Sheffer was a professor of Romance languages at Columbia University who ran the university's Maison Française for a quarter century and was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour for his work on Franco-American cultural ties. Crosswords were the side project: he took over King Features' existing daily puzzle on 24 June 1929, and it was eventually renamed for him. There's a good footnote to it — while Jack Kerouac was a student at Columbia he worked as Sheffer's private secretary, and among other duties helped define words for the daily crossword. Sheffer died in 1981; King Features still runs the puzzle under his byline as a tribute, with present-day constructors keeping to the style he set.

How the Sheffer Crossword compares

King Features syndicates three crosswords, and Sheffer sits in the middle of them:

Eugene ShefferThomas JosephPremier
Grid size13×1311×1321×21
Clues~65~50~140
How oftenMon–SatMon–SatSundays only
ThemeNoneNoneTitled pun theme
Typical solve10–15 minutesUnder 10 minutesAn hour or more

If today's grid went quickly, the Premier Crossword is the Sunday-size step up from the same syndicate; the Thomas Joseph Crossword is the shorter one.

Tips for solving the Sheffer Crossword

  • Clear the three-letter fill first. A 13×13 is dense with short entries. They cost seconds and they hand you a starting letter on every crossing answer.
  • Learn the recurring crosswordese. Sheffer reuses the same short, vowel-heavy words week after week, so an answer that feels obscure the first time becomes a freebie the next.
  • Watch for abbreviations. A clue that's itself abbreviated, or ends in “briefly” or “for short”, is telling you the answer is too.
  • Every day is the same difficulty. There's no Monday-to-Saturday ramp, so if a grid feels hard it's the particular references, not the weekday.
  • Use the solver for one entry. Our crossword solver reveals a single clue's answer from the letters you already have, without spoiling the rest of the grid.

Browse past Sheffer Crossword answers

Every day we've covered is archived on this page by date, with full across and down solutions — useful for a puzzle you set aside or a back issue you picked up late. There's no Sunday edition, so the archive steps from Saturday straight to Monday, and it updates automatically as each new grid is syndicated. Stuck on a single clue, our crossword solver will reveal just that answer.

Browse more puzzles on the crossword solver, or use it to crack any clue from any publication.

Frequently asked questions

What are today's Sheffer Crossword answers?

The full Across and Down solution for today's puzzle (August 5, 2026) is listed at the top of this page, updated as soon as King Features releases the new grid.

When does a new Sheffer Crossword come out?

A new grid publishes every day except Sunday — Monday through Saturday, at the midnight Eastern date flip. Our answers go up as soon as the puzzle is out.

Who was Eugene Sheffer?

A Columbia University professor of Romance languages who took over King Features' daily crossword on 24 June 1929, after which it was renamed for him. He died in 1981, but King Features still runs the puzzle under his byline as a tribute, with present-day constructors keeping to the style he set.

How big is the Sheffer Crossword?

It's a 13×13 grid with roughly 65 clues — a step up from the 11×13 Thomas Joseph puzzle and a step down from a standard 15×15 daily. That compact size is what made it a newspaper favourite: a real crossword that still fits beside the comics.

Is the Sheffer Crossword hard?

It's a moderate daily with no difficulty ramp — Monday and Saturday are pitched the same. Cluing is mostly straight definition with some crosswordese and abbreviations, so the sticking point is usually one dated proper noun rather than tricky wordplay.

Is the Sheffer Crossword free to play?

Yes — it's free with no subscription at games.washingtonpost.com and arkadium.com, and it runs in newspapers that carry King Features. Our answers and clues are free too.

Where can I find past Sheffer Crossword answers?

Every day we've covered is in the archive on this page, listed by date with the full solution, and it updates automatically each morning.