This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, June 4, 2026 (51 Down) and the NYT Crossword on Saturday, May 2, 2026 (32 Across). 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.
NYT Crossword, June 4, 2026, 51 Down
Answer length: 5 squares
First letter
M _ _ _ _
First and last letters
M _ _ _ A
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About the answer
MAGMA as a word: (geology) The molten matter within the earth, the source of the material of lava flows, dikes of eruptive rocks, etc; (mathematics) A basic algebraic structure consisting of a set equipped with a single binary operation.
MAGMA has been an answer 8 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since October 31, 2025.
NYT Crossword, May 2, 2026, 32 Across
Answer length: 5 squares
First letter
S _ _ _ _
First and last letters
S _ _ _ E
Show the answer
About the answer
SHALE as a word: (geology) A fine-grained sedimentary rock of a thin, laminated, and often friable, structure; A shell or husk; a cod or pod.
SHALE has been an answer 3 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since May 2, 2026.
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
- Nursery purchases (44 Down)
- More pretentious (46 Down)
- Disguise, in a way (48 Down)
- Fancy affair (49 Down)
- Tube placed during angioplasty (54 Down)
- Article that might be prewritten, informally (57 Down)
- Bullet point (59 Down)
- Airer of "The Graham Norton Show" (61 Down)
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