This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, November 12, 2026 (29 Down). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Thursday puzzles often have a trick, such as a rebus (several letters in one square) or answers that bend the rules.
How to read this clue
The question mark warns of wordplay. Expect a pun or a second meaning rather than a straight definition.
Answer length: 6 squares
First letter
C _ _ _ _ _
First and last letters
C _ _ _ _ E
Show the answer
About the answer
CRADLE as a word: A bed or cot for a baby, oscillating on rockers or swinging on pivots; (figuratively) The place of origin, or in which anything is nurtured or protected in the earlier period of existence.
CRADLE has been an answer once in the NYT Crossword and Mini puzzles we have on file, which go back to October 23, 2025.
More clues from this puzzle
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- As is fitting (27 Down)
- Germ, as of an idea (30 Down)
- 1040 fig. (32 Down)
- Info from Delta, or a letter soon after delta (34 Down)
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