This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, March 5, 2026 (5 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.
Answer length: 3 squares
First letter
O _ _
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About the answer
ORC as a word: (fantasy, mythology) A mythical evil monstrous humanoid creature, usually quite aggressive and often green; (slang, derogatory) A Russian soldier or gangster.
ORC has been an answer 10 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since November 15, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
- Middle-earth foe
- Guard at the gates of Mordor
- Tolkien monster
- Monster of Tolkiendom
- Member of a Tolkien army
- Servant of Sauron in "The Lord of the Rings"
- Video game creature often depicted with green skin
- Fantasy monster whose name is an anagram of another fantasy monster
- Menacing creature in "The Lord of the Rings"
More clues from this puzzle
- This might be ground-breaking (1 Down)
- San Diego suburb (2 Down)
- Person reached by dialing 0: Abbr. (3 Down)
- Comes face to face with (4 Down)
- Magic power (6 Down)
- Freshly (7 Down)
- Stuff that's slung (8 Down)
- Parenthetical remark (9 Down)
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