MONDAY · 13 x 13 GRID · 68 CLUES · 35 ACROSS · 33 DOWN
Daily Themed Crossword February 23 2026 Answers
Below is the full clue list for the February 23, 2026 puzzle with the solution beside every clue, followed by the completed grid. Tap a clue to see its letter count and every other puzzle it has appeared in.
1A
Stomach muscles, for short
ABS
3
4A
"Well, that ___ unexpected!"
WAS
3
7A
Jet ___ (travel-induced drowsiness)
LAG
3
10A
Word repeated before "black sheep," in a nursery rhyme
BAA
3
11A
Actor ___ Baldwin from "Glengarry Glen Ross"
ALEC
4
13A
"Get your ___ together"
ACT
3
14A
DJ's stack: Abbr.
CDS
3
15A
Art ___ (retro architectural style)
DECO
4
16A
Hoppy brews at a tavern
ALES
4
17A
Shampoo target
HAIR
4
19A
2026 Grammys winners! The Record of the Year award was swept by Kendrick ___ and SZA for "Luther"
LAMAR
5
21A
Wile E. Coyote's explosive: Abbr.
TNT
3
22A
Toronto's province, for short
ONT
3
23A
"I did the homework, but ___ ate it" (excuse given by a child, maybe): 2 wds.
MYDOG
5
26A
Cook in hot oil, say
FRY
3
27A
Big Mac fast food chain, for short
MCD
3
30A
Something to be thankful for
BOON
4
31A
Some kitchen appliances: Abbr.
GES
3
32A
Deceptive claim, like 23a maybe
LIE
3
33A
Melbourne's country, for short
AUS
3
34A
Endeavor
TRY
3
35A
The Best Pop Vocal Album award was swept by ___ Gaga for "Mayhem"
LADY
4
36A
Goat's bleat
MAA
3
37A
"How many fingers ___ holding up?": 2 wds.
AMI
3
39A
___ Griffin, "Jeopardy!" creator
MERV
4
40A
The Song of the Year award was swept by ___ Eilish for "Wildflower"
BILLIE
6
44A
Sword fight between two warriors, e.g.
DUEL
4
46A
"___ my way" ("Coming"): 2 wds.
IMON
4
48A
White ___ ghost: 2 wds.
ASA
3
49A
Digging?
INTO
4
50A
Weight adjustment button on a deli scale
TARE
4
51A
Musician's playlist, at a concert
SET
3
52A
The Best New Artist award was swept by Olivia ___ who released the single "Man I Need"
DEAN
4
53A
"___ to be done" (incomplete)
YET
3
54A
"Isn't ___ true gentleman?": 2 wds.
HEA
3
1D
Alphabet-starting sequence that is also a TV channel
ABC
3
2D
The Album of the Year award was swept by ___ Bunny for "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos," the first Spanish-language album to win the honor
BAD
3
3D
Miss Universe's accessory
SASH
4
4D
Walking through shallow water, say
WADING
6
5D
Red ___ (state of emergency)
ALERT
5
6D
One of 60 in a minute, for short
SEC
3
7D
Emma Stone starrer "___ Land": 2 wds.
LALA
4
8D
Taiwanese laptop maker (anagram of "race")
ACER
4
9D
High-speed sports cars: Abbr.
GTS
3
12D
Orange, peach, blue, and pink, e.g.
COLORS
6
16D
Quantity of something, for short
AMT
3
18D
"This must weigh ___!" (loads): 2 wds.
ATON
4
20D
"Pick a card, ___ card"
ANY
3
23D
Wall Street worker's degree, perhaps: Abbr.
MBA
3
24D
Netflix series starring Penn Badgley
YOU
3
25D
___ and don'ts
DOS
3
26D
Tina ___, actress seen in "30 Rock"
FEY
3
27D
Style manual initials (anagram of "lam")
MLA
3
28D
El ___ (Spanish hero)
CID
3
29D
Actress Susan ___ of "L.A. Law"
DEY
3
31D
The Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award went to "Defying ___" by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
GRAVITY
7
34D
Highway sealer
TAR
3
35D
Rapper ___ Wayne of "Tha Block Is Hot"
LIL
3
36D
Cantaloupe or honeydew, e.g.
MELON
5
37D
"Cancel the mission!" at NASA
ABORT
5
38D
"It's ___" ("It belongs to me")
MINE
4
39D
Prefix with "physics" for a branch of philosophy
META
4
41D
Mascara spot
LASH
4
42D
"But ___ her in the back of my mind ..." ("Wildflower" lyric): 2 wds.
ISEE
4
43D
"I'm so hungry, I could ___ horse!": 2 wds.
EATA
4
44D
___ you know? The 68th Annual Grammy Awards, held on February 1, 2026, featured 95 categories
DID
3
45D
"One," in Paris
UNE
3
47D
"Independence Day" actress Whitman
MAE
3
No clue on this page matches that text.
1A
2B
3S
4W
5A
6S
7L
8A
9G
10B
A
A
11A
L
E
12C
13A
C
T
14C
D
S
15D
E
C
O
16A
L
E
S
17H
18A
I
R
19L
20A
M
A
R
21T
N
T
22O
N
T
23M
24Y
25D
O
G
26F
R
Y
27M
28C
29D
30B
O
O
N
31G
E
S
32L
I
E
33A
U
S
34T
R
Y
35L
A
D
Y
36M
A
A
37A
38M
I
39M
E
R
V
40B
I
L
41L
42I
43E
44D
45U
E
L
46I
47M
O
N
48A
S
A
49I
N
T
O
50T
A
R
E
51S
E
T
52D
E
A
N
53Y
E
T
54H
E
A
The completed 13 x 13 grid for February 23, 2026. Numbers mark where each across and down answer begins.
About the February 23, 2026 puzzle
The February 23, 2026 Daily Themed Crossword is a 13 x 13 grid with 68 clues — 35 across and 33 down. Puzzles tend to get harder as the week progresses, so a Monday grid sits where you would expect it in that run.
There is also a small 5x5 Mini published the same day — its answers are on the February 23 2026 Mini page. If a clue reappears in a later puzzle its own answer page is updated, so bookmarking the clue is more reliable than bookmarking the date. Older puzzles live in the archive. We are in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers that created the game.