This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, June 27, 2026 (23 Down). 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.
Answer length: 5 squares
First letter
E _ _ _ _
First and last letters
E _ _ _ Y
Show the answer
About the answer
ESSAY as a word: (publishing) A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject; (dated, transitive) To attempt or try.
ESSAY has been an answer 6 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since November 19, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
- Person congratulated in a yard sign, maybe (11 Down)
- Toy adorned with a tiny rubber cape (12 Down)
- That blows! (13 Down)
- Things analyzed in some forensic tests (14 Down)
- Homages to a prior era (25 Down)
- "Look where you're going!" (26 Down)
- Deliberately downplay (27 Down)
- Suffix with urban (29 Down)
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