This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, October 31, 2026 (42 Across). 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.
How to read this clue
The question mark warns of wordplay. Expect a pun or a second meaning rather than a straight definition.
Answer length: 3 squares
First letter
F _ _
Show the answer
About the answer
FAN as a word: A hand-held device consisting of concertinaed material, or slats of material, gathered together at one end, that may be opened out into the shape of a sector...; An electrical or mechanical device for moving air, used for cooling people, machinery, etc.
FAN has been an answer 5 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since November 20, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
- Brooks in Hollywood (37 Across)
- Headed (38 Across)
- Kinda sorta (40 Across)
- Cash flow analyst, for short (41 Across)
- Trig fig. (44 Across)
- Schöningen ___, German mine discoveries that may be up to 300,000 years old (46 Across)
- Instrument in a bell tower (48 Across)
Play today's NYT Crossword at The New York Times
All crossword clues · Today's NYT Crossword answers · Today's Mini answers