WSJ Crossword Answers - Aug 23

C-llectively Speaking

By Andrea Carla Michaels & Kevin Christian · Edited by Mike Shenk

M
A
R
T
R
A
I
N
L
G
B
T
O
R
E
A
N
G
L
O
A
E
I
O
U
N
I
T
C
A
L
L
S
H
O
T
G
U
N
A
S
I
A
O
B
I
E
S
M
R
C
C
E
L
L
T
O
W
E
R
S
C
O
I
L
O
N
E
A
R
M
S
O
U
S
E
I
N
D
I
E
P
U
T
T
S
C
I
L
L
I
A
N
M
U
R
P
H
Y
M
O
D
E
L
S
A
U
C
Y
A
V
O
W
S
L
E
N
T
I
L
R
E
N
D
C
O
L
L
A
R
B
O
N
E
A
R
T
T
O
M
E
I
C
A
V
E
C
U
L
L
I
G
A
N
M
A
N
S
E
W
A
P
I
A
N
N
I
E
C
E
T
S
A
S
E
X
T
I
N
S
E
T
S
T
Y

Across

  1. 1Spoil the appearance ofMAR
  2. 4Tot’s “choo-choo”TRAIN
  3. 9Pride initialsLGBT
  4. 13Miners mine itORE
  5. 14___-SaxonANGLO
  6. 15Vowel setAEIOU
  7. 17Minor criticismNIT
  8. 18Demand a seat up frontCALLSHOTGUN
  9. 20Korea’s continentASIA
  10. 22New York theater awardsOBIES
  11. 23Richie’s dad, to the FonzMRC
  12. 24Phones ping off of themCELLTOWERS
  13. 27Slinky’s shapeCOIL
  14. 28Feature of a Vegas “bandit”ONEARM
  15. 29Pickling liquidSOUSE
  16. 30Film festival film, oftenINDIE
  17. 34Strokes on the greenPUTTS
  18. 35Star of “Oppenheimer”CILLIANMURPHY
  19. 39Pose for a photographerMODEL
  20. 40Playfully impertinentSAUCY
  21. 41Openly assertsAVOWS
  22. 42High-protein legumeLENTIL
  23. 47Rip apartREND
  24. 48Clavicle, more familiarlyCOLLARBONE
  25. 52Paintings and sculpturesART
  26. 53Marisa of “My Cousin Vinny”TOMEI
  27. 54Spot for a spelunkerCAVE
  28. 55Character shouted to with a “Hey!” in water treatment adsCULLIGANMAN
  29. 59Make a hemSEW
  30. 60Bee-relatedAPIAN
  31. 61Sister’s daughterNIECE
  32. 62Org. with wands and scannersTSA
  33. 63Send a racy phone message toSEXT
  34. 64Close-up on a mapINSET
  35. 65Hog’s hangoutSTY

Down

  1. 1Monte Carlo’s settingMONACO
  2. 2Out of bedARISEN
  3. 3Fix, as a bathroom floorRETILE
  4. 4Tic-___-toeTAC
  5. 5Gene messengerRNA
  6. 6RadiantAGLOW
  7. 7“Would you look at that!”ILLBE
  8. 8Soldier’s denialNOSIR
  9. 9Vientiane’s settingLAOS
  10. 10ObtainGET
  11. 11Sort who can’t keep a secretBIGMOUTH
  12. 12Like Fisherman’s Wharf in San FranciscoTOURISTY
  13. 16Mother’s brothersUNCLES
  14. 19“___ a real nowhere man...”HES
  15. 21In the style ofALA
  16. 25Sings like a birdTRILLS
  17. 26Upscale hotel chainOMNI
  18. 27Government overthrowCOUP
  19. 29More agileSPRYER
  20. 31Govt. prosecutorsDAS
  21. 32“Not ___ million years!”INA
  22. 33Bird on Australian coinsEMU
  23. 35Scandal-avoiding ploysCOVERUPS
  24. 36“That’s the truth”IDONTLIE
  25. 37BawdyLEWD
  26. 38Bruins’ sch.UCLA
  27. 39Salsa music shakerMARACA
  28. 43“SNL” airerNBC
  29. 44Glass-raising tributesTOASTS
  30. 45Play the marketINVEST
  31. 46Wiggle roomLEEWAY
  32. 48Machinery partCOG
  33. 49Muscat residentOMANI
  34. 50His tomb is in Red SquareLENIN
  35. 51Bartender’s wedgesLIMES
  36. 53Salon coloringTINT
  37. 56LenientLAX
  38. 57Good card in blackjackACE
  39. 58Pickleball court dividerNET

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Spoil the appearance of — Answer: MAR. Hint: To damage something’s looks is to do this 😬
  2. 4. Tot’s “choo-choo” — Answer: TRAIN. Hint: A toddler’s toy often travels on tracks while making this sound 🚂
  3. 9. Pride initials — Answer: LGBT. Hint: These initials represent a broad spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities 🌈
  4. 13. Miners mine it — Answer: ORE. Hint: Diggers seek this valuable material underground ⛏️
  5. 14. ___-Saxon — Answer: ANGLO. Hint: This prefix pairs with Saxon to describe a historical Germanic culture 📚
  6. 15. Vowel set — Answer: AEIOU. Hint: In English, these five letters form the standard group of vowels 🔤
  7. 17. Minor criticism — Answer: NIT. Hint: A tiny complaint about an insignificant detail is this 🧐
  8. 18. Demand a seat up front — Answer: CALLSHOTGUN. Hint: To claim the front passenger seat before anyone else is to do this 🚗
  9. 20. Korea’s continent — Answer: ASIA. Hint: The peninsula home to North and South Korea lies in this vast continent 🌏
  10. 22. New York theater awards — Answer: OBIES. Hint: These honors celebrate adventurous and often off-Broadway theater in New York 🎭
  11. 23. Richie’s dad, to the Fonz — Answer: MRC. Hint: On Happy Days, the Fonz called Richie’s father by this familiar abbreviated title 📺
  12. 24. Phones ping off of them — Answer: CELLTOWERS. Hint: They relay mobile signals from elevated sites. 📡
  13. 27. Slinky’s shape — Answer: COIL. Hint: This spring toy forms a spiraling loop. 🌀
  14. 28. Feature of a Vegas “bandit” — Answer: ONEARM. Hint: A casino machine may have this kind of handle. 🎰
  15. 29. Pickling liquid — Answer: SOUSE. Hint: This tangy brine helps preserve vegetables. 🥒
  16. 30. Film festival film, often — Answer: INDIE. Hint: It is typically made outside the major studio system. 🎬
  17. 34. Strokes on the green — Answer: PUTTS. Hint: Golfers use these gentle shots near the cup. ⛳
  18. 35. Star of “Oppenheimer” — Answer: CILLIANMURPHY. Hint: This Irish actor portrayed J. Robert Oppenheimer. 🎥
  19. 39. Pose for a photographer — Answer: MODEL. Hint: A person in front of the camera may do this professionally. 📸
  20. 40. Playfully impertinent — Answer: SAUCY. Hint: A cheeky remark might be described this way. 😉
  21. 41. Openly asserts — Answer: AVOWS. Hint: Someone who declares a belief plainly does this. 📣
  22. 42. High-protein legume — Answer: LENTIL. Hint: This small, nutritious pulse is common in soups. 🥣
  23. 47. Rip apart — Answer: REND. Hint: To tear something forcefully is to do this. 💥
  24. 48. Clavicle, more familiarly — Answer: COLLARBONE. Hint: This shoulder-area bone has a name linked to clothing. 🦴
  25. 52. Paintings and sculptures — Answer: ART. Hint: These creative works might fill a gallery. 🖼️
  26. 53. Marisa of “My Cousin Vinny” — Answer: TOMEI. Hint: She won an Oscar for playing Mona Lisa Vito. 🏆
  27. 54. Spot for a spelunker — Answer: CAVE. Hint: An underground chamber is a natural destination for this explorer. 🧭
  28. 55. Character shouted to with a “Hey!” in water treatment ads — Answer: CULLIGANMAN. Hint: This costumed advertising mascot responds to a call for cleaner water. 💧
  29. 59. Make a hem — Answer: SEW. Hint: You can finish a garment edge with needle and thread. 🧵
  30. 60. Bee-related — Answer: APIAN. Hint: This adjective describes something connected with honey producers. 🐝
  31. 61. Sister’s daughter — Answer: NIECE. Hint: She is your sibling’s girl. 👧
  32. 62. Org. with wands and scanners — Answer: TSA. Hint: This agency checks travelers with handheld wands and security scanners. 🛂
  33. 63. Send a racy phone message to — Answer: SEXT. Hint: Send someone an especially steamy message by phone. 📱
  34. 64. Close-up on a map — Answer: INSET. Hint: This is a small detailed map placed inside a larger one. 🗺️
  35. 65. Hog’s hangout — Answer: STY. Hint: A pig might call this muddy enclosure home. 🐖

Down

  1. 1. Monte Carlo’s setting — Answer: MONACO. Hint: This glamorous European microstate is famous for casinos and racing. 🎰
  2. 2. Out of bed — Answer: ARISEN. Hint: This describes someone who has gotten up for the day. 🌅
  3. 3. Fix, as a bathroom floor — Answer: RETILE. Hint: Replace the old tiles to give the floor a fresh surface. 🛠️
  4. 4. Tic-___-toe — Answer: TAC. Hint: This is the middle word in the classic grid game’s name. ❌
  5. 5. Gene messenger — Answer: RNA. Hint: This molecule carries genetic instructions from DNA. 🧬
  6. 6. Radiant — Answer: AGLOW. Hint: Something shining warmly can be described this way. ✨
  7. 7. “Would you look at that!” — Answer: ILLBE. Hint: This surprised exclamation expresses amazement at what you see. 😮
  8. 8. Soldier’s denial — Answer: NOSIR. Hint: A respectful but emphatic military refusal sounds like this. 🪖
  9. 9. Vientiane’s setting — Answer: LAOS. Hint: Vientiane is the capital of this Southeast Asian country. 🌏
  10. 10. Obtain — Answer: GET. Hint: It's what you do when you want to grab something! 🛍️
  11. 11. Sort who can’t keep a secret — Answer: BIGMOUTH. Hint: A person who constantly spills secrets might earn this label. 🤭
  12. 12. Like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco — Answer: TOURISTY. Hint: A place packed with visitors, souvenirs, and attractions has this quality. 🎡
  13. 16. Mother’s brothers — Answer: UNCLES. Hint: These are the men who are your mother’s siblings. 👨‍👩‍👧
  14. 19. “___ a real nowhere man...” — Answer: HES. Hint: This contraction begins the Beatles lyric about a nowhere man. 🎵
  15. 21. In the style of — Answer: ALA. Hint: Think of a compact phrase meaning “in the manner of” someone or something. 🧭
  16. 25. Sings like a bird — Answer: TRILLS. Hint: A vocalist who performs rapid, decorative notes does this. 🎶
  17. 26. Upscale hotel chain — Answer: OMNI. Hint: This luxury lodging brand operates hotels in major destinations. 🏨
  18. 27. Government overthrow — Answer: COUP. Hint: A sudden seizure of political power is known by this term. 🏛️
  19. 29. More agile — Answer: SPRYER. Hint: This comparative describes someone quicker and nimbler on their feet 🏃
  20. 31. Govt. prosecutors — Answer: DAS. Hint: These government attorneys handle criminal cases ⚖️
  21. 32. “Not ___ million years!” — Answer: INA. Hint: This phrase emphatically says something will never happen 🚫
  22. 33. Bird on Australian coins — Answer: EMU. Hint: Look for Australia’s tall, flightless native bird 🐦
  23. 35. Scandal-avoiding ploys — Answer: COVERUPS. Hint: These secretive tactics hide embarrassing wrongdoing 🤫
  24. 36. “That’s the truth” — Answer: IDONTLIE. Hint: This candid reassurance insists the speaker is being honest 🤞
  25. 37. Bawdy — Answer: LEWD. Hint: This adjective describes humor or behavior that is risqué 😏
  26. 38. Bruins’ sch. — Answer: UCLA. Hint: This Los Angeles university’s teams are the Bruins 🐻
  27. 39. Salsa music shaker — Answer: MARACA. Hint: This handheld percussion instrument adds a rattling rhythm 🪇
  28. 43. “SNL” airer — Answer: NBC. Hint: This broadcast network brings the late-night comedy show to viewers 📺
  29. 44. Glass-raising tributes — Answer: TOASTS. Hint: These celebratory speeches often accompany raised drinks 🥂
  30. 45. Play the market — Answer: INVEST. Hint: Put money into stocks or other opportunities to seek a return 📈
  31. 46. Wiggle room — Answer: LEEWAY. Hint: This means extra flexibility or freedom to maneuver 🌀
  32. 48. Machinery part — Answer: COG. Hint: This toothed wheel helps machinery transfer motion ⚙️
  33. 49. Muscat resident — Answer: OMANI. Hint: A person from this Gulf capital belongs to the country of Oman 🇴🇲
  34. 50. His tomb is in Red Square — Answer: LENIN. Hint: This revolutionary leader rests in a famous Moscow mausoleum 🪦
  35. 51. Bartender’s wedges — Answer: LIMES. Hint: These green citrus pieces garnish drinks at the bar 🍸
  36. 53. Salon coloring — Answer: TINT. Hint: A salon may apply this to refresh or change hair color 💇
  37. 56. Lenient — Answer: LAX. Hint: A relaxed rule or attitude can be described this way 😌
  38. 57. Good card in blackjack — Answer: ACE. Hint: In blackjack, this card can count as either one or eleven 🃏
  39. 58. Pickleball court divider — Answer: NET. Hint: This barrier separates the two sides of the court 🏓

Recent WSJ Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

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Here are the WSJ Crossword answers for Sunday, August 23, 2026 — every solution for that day's Wall Street Journal 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 August 23?” 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 WSJ Crossword answers page.

WSJ Crossword answers for August 23, 2026

The full solution for the August 23 WSJ 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, August 23.

Full WSJ Crossword answer list for August 23, 2026

Every clue from the August 23 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Spoil the appearance ofMAR
4Tot’s “choo-choo”TRAIN
9Pride initialsLGBT
13Miners mine itORE
14___-SaxonANGLO
15Vowel setAEIOU
17Minor criticismNIT
18Demand a seat up frontCALLSHOTGUN
20Korea’s continentASIA
22New York theater awardsOBIES
23Richie’s dad, to the FonzMRC
24Phones ping off of themCELLTOWERS
27Slinky’s shapeCOIL
28Feature of a Vegas “bandit”ONEARM
29Pickling liquidSOUSE
30Film festival film, oftenINDIE
34Strokes on the greenPUTTS
35Star of “Oppenheimer”CILLIANMURPHY
39Pose for a photographerMODEL
40Playfully impertinentSAUCY
41Openly assertsAVOWS
42High-protein legumeLENTIL
47Rip apartREND
48Clavicle, more familiarlyCOLLARBONE
52Paintings and sculpturesART
53Marisa of “My Cousin Vinny”TOMEI
54Spot for a spelunkerCAVE
55Character shouted to with a “Hey!” in water treatment adsCULLIGANMAN
59Make a hemSEW
60Bee-relatedAPIAN
61Sister’s daughterNIECE
62Org. with wands and scannersTSA
63Send a racy phone message toSEXT
64Close-up on a mapINSET
65Hog’s hangoutSTY

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Monte Carlo’s settingMONACO
2Out of bedARISEN
3Fix, as a bathroom floorRETILE
4Tic-___-toeTAC
5Gene messengerRNA
6RadiantAGLOW
7“Would you look at that!”ILLBE
8Soldier’s denialNOSIR
9Vientiane’s settingLAOS
10ObtainGET
11Sort who can’t keep a secretBIGMOUTH
12Like Fisherman’s Wharf in San FranciscoTOURISTY
16Mother’s brothersUNCLES
19“___ a real nowhere man...”HES
21In the style ofALA
25Sings like a birdTRILLS
26Upscale hotel chainOMNI
27Government overthrowCOUP
29More agileSPRYER
31Govt. prosecutorsDAS
32“Not ___ million years!”INA
33Bird on Australian coinsEMU
35Scandal-avoiding ploysCOVERUPS
36“That’s the truth”IDONTLIE
37BawdyLEWD
38Bruins’ sch.UCLA
39Salsa music shakerMARACA
43“SNL” airerNBC
44Glass-raising tributesTOASTS
45Play the marketINVEST
46Wiggle roomLEEWAY
48Machinery partCOG
49Muscat residentOMANI
50His tomb is in Red SquareLENIN
51Bartender’s wedgesLIMES
53Salon coloringTINT
56LenientLAX
57Good card in blackjackACE
58Pickleball court dividerNET

Hints for the August 23 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The August 23 Wall Street Journal Crossword was a Sunday puzzle, which matters more than it does at most papers: the WSJ runs a clean 15×15 midweek, a larger themed grid at the end of the week, and a Friday contest puzzle whose real answer hides inside the finished grid. Editor Mike Shenk keeps the cluing fair rather than punishing, so a stuck corner usually breaks open on one confirmed crossing. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.

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