This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, January 17, 2026 (38 Across). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Saturday puzzles are the hardest of the week and themeless, so clues are often deliberately misleading.
How to read this clue
This is a fill-in-the-blank clue: the answer completes the phrase, title or quotation.
Answer length: 3 squares
First letter
I _ _
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About the answer
ILL as a word: Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel; Unpropitious, unkind, faulty, not up to reasonable standard.
ILL has been an answer 10 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since November 4, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
- Tall and thin (34 Across)
- Revel (in) (35 Across)
- One of five in a typical big band (36 Across)
- Archetypes (37 Across)
- Artificially unsophisticated (39 Across)
- Units for a high-resolution camera (41 Across)
- Interval (43 Across)
- Setups for some elaborate group pictures (46 Across)
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