Clever Clue of the Month

 

November 2026
Clue: Outdoor elevator............................................TEE
Constructor/Editor: 'Lester Ruff' (Stan Newman)
Newsday, Saturday, November 1, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from November. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Outdoor elevator.............................TEE

They mean the world to us....................GLOBES
It's the thought that counts.................MENTALMATH
Biker bars?..................................SPOKES
Baseball game players?.......................ORGANISTS
Traveler's check, in brief?..................NBAREF

Clever Clue of the Month

October 2026
Clue: Becomes unlocked?..................................GOESBALD
Constructor: Aimee Lucido; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
New Yorker, Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from October. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Events that feature moving pictures?.........ARTSALES

Bar candidates?..............................DRINKS
Becomes unlocked?............................GOESBALD
Toddler with a 'tude.........................THREENAGER
Fights back tears?...........................DARNS
Did a book review of?........................AUDITED

Clever Clue of the Month

September 2025
Clue: Tired robots?..................................................DRIVERLESSCARS
Constructor/Editor: Brendan Emmett Quigley
Brendan Emmett Quigley Crossword, Monday, September 8, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from September. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Tired robots?................................DRIVERLESSCARS

Distant relative?............................FAR

Filing services?.............................MANICURES

German bar tender?...........................EUROS

Takes in the trash?..........................DELETEDSCENES

Tool used to go suck a lemon?................CARVAC

Clever Clue of the Month

August 2025
Clue: Swing states?.................................................MOODS
Constructor: Seth Ziebarth; Editor: Mike Shenk
WSJ, Saturday, August 30, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from August. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Press participant............................PEC
Swing states?................................MOODS
Kick-starter program?........................KARATELESSONS
Fancy footwork?..............................PEDI
Went from 0 to 60, say.......................AGED
Part of a personal air filtration system.....NOSEHAIR

Clever Clue of the Month

July 2025
Clue: Payment for a shake?.....................................DOGTREAT
Constructor: Aimee Lucido; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
New Yorker, Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from July. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Spoke in a husky voice?......................BARKED
Oil smugglers?...............................ARTTHIEVES
Payment for a shake?.........................DOGTREAT
Where a couple heading south might end up?...SPLITSVILLE
DC power player in the late 1800s?...........THOMASEDISON
Structure that's typically one story but
might have multiple levels...................TOOLSHED

Clever Clue of the Month

June 2025
Clue: Bear witness, perhaps?.........................CAMPER
Constructor: Will Nediger; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
New Yorker, Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from June. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Center of mass?..............................CHURCH
It's large and filled with holes?............GOLFCOURSE
Exclamation from someone refusing to buy
something....................................LIAR
Portable self-checkout devices?..............HANDMIRRORS
Position taken by many a sports talk radio
caller?......................................LINETWO
Bear witness, perhaps?.......................CAMPER

Clever Clue of the Month

May 2025
Clue: Something to do behind bars?.........................TEND
Constructor: Dan Zarin; Editor: Mike Shenk
WSJ, Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from May. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Help for a choir that wants to sing higher...RISER
Something to do behind bars?.................TEND
Check from the IRS...........................TAXAUDIT
Fudge alternative............................RATS
Big name in the film industry?...............SARAN
Trying times?................................FITTINGS

Clever Clue of the Month

April 2025
Clue: Slide rule experts..............................UMPS
Constructor: Jake Halperin; Editor: Mike Shenk
WSJ, Thursday, April 10, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from April. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Modern hit piece?.........................VAPEPEN
Greeting that's affectionate, but not
touching?.................................AIRKISS
Slide rule experts........................UMPS
been have into put these What words.......ALPHABETICORDER
Time to throw in the towel, perhaps.......LAUNDRYNIGHT
Twisted part of an Impala?................GASCAP

Clever Clue of the Month

March 2025
Clue: It's not working most of the time..........SEMIRETIREMENT
Constructor/Editor: Brendan Emmett Quigley
Brendan Emmett Quigley Crossword, Monday, March 10, 2025 

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from March. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

It's not working most of the time.........SEMIRETIREMENT
Their creation resulted in record losses..CDS
Lasting memory of an old flame?...........EMBER
Novels no one reads?......................AUDIOBOOKS
One may be ultimately stumped.............TREE
Whopper lover?............................LIAR

Clever Clue of the Month

 
February 2025
Clue: Using rapid transit?..............................RAFTING
Constructor: Wyna Liu; Editor: Liz Maynes-Aminzade
New Yorker, Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from February. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Digs for archaeology majors?..............DORMS
Most common labor issue...................SON
Using rapid transit?......................RAFTING
Something rarely ordered for dinner?......STEAK
Round house?..............................BAR
Cause of a clogged artery?................TRAFFIC

Clever Clue of the Month

January 2025
Clue: Where the walls have ears?.................................CORNMAZE
Constructor: Kareem Ayas; Editor: Patti Varol
LAT, Saturday, January 11, 2025

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from January. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in a few days.

Where the walls have ears?................CORNMAZE
Hot place, to put it mildly?..............HECK
Ring that indicates someone's already
engaged?..................................BUSYSIGNAL
Cabinet appointments......................DOORS
Shop lifters?.............................ESCALATORS
Lot site scheduled for demolition?........SODOM

Clever Clue of the Month

 

December 2024
Clue: Retirement account?.....................................BEDTIMESTORY
Constructor/Editor: Evan Birnholz
Evan Birnholz's Washington Post Crossword, Sunday, December 15, 2024

Clever Clue Nominees

Please vote for the best clue from December. The Clever Clue of the Month will be announced in several days.

Deal with attachment issues, in a way?....RESEND

Weapon in commercial warfare..............TASTETEST

Much-anticipated global decline?..........BALLDROP

Retirement account?.......................BEDTIMESTORY

Dangerous plant, perhaps..................ENEMYSPY

Points of view?...........................SPIRES