This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, January 31, 2026 (7 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: 6 squares
First letter
L _ _ _ _ _
First and last letters
L _ _ _ _ N
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About the answer
LICHEN as a word: Any of many symbiotic organisms, being associations of algae and fungi, often found as white or yellow-to-blue, green patches on rocks, old walls, etc; (transitive) To cover with lichen.
LICHEN 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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