This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Friday, February 27, 2026 (48 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: 3 squares
First letter
P _ _
Show the answer
About the answer
PAO as a word: (chess) A fairy chess piece which moves identically to the xiangqi cannon, moving orthogonally and must hop over a piece of either side to capture; A surname.
PAO has been an answer once in the NYT Crossword and Mini puzzles we have on file, which go back to October 23, 2025.
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- ___ the Great, king of ancient Persia (51 Across)
- Create a distraction, so to speak (54 Across)
- Heroine in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" books (57 Across)
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