This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Friday, August 7, 2026 (33 Across). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Friday puzzles are themeless and hard, with clues that are vague on purpose.
How to read this clue
This is a fill-in-the-blank clue: the answer completes the phrase, title or quotation.
Answer length: 4 squares
First letter
N _ _ _
First and last letters
N _ _ F
Show the answer
About the answer
NERF as a word: (transitive, slang, video games) To change a mechanic, an ability or a character in a video game in order to make less efficacious; (slang, video games) The deterioration, weakening or worsening of a character, a weapon, a spell, etc.
NERF has been an answer 5 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since October 30, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
- Laugh, laugh, laugh (27 Across)
- Geneticist's finding (30 Across)
- Wasteful government spending, informally (31 Across)
- Big name in sandals (32 Across)
- Many of the characters in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (34 Across)
- Word with block or platform (35 Across)
- Tangy hybrid (36 Across)
- Gobsmacks (37 Across)
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