This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, December 27, 2025 (21 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.
Answer length: 9 squares
First letter
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
First and last letters
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S
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About the answer
SHOEHORNS as a word: A smooth tool that assists in putting the foot into a shoe, by sliding the heel in after the toe is in place; (transitive, figuratively) To force (something) into (a tight space); to squeeze (something) into (a schedule, etc); to exert great effort to insert or inclu....
SHOEHORNS has been an answer once in the NYT Crossword and Mini puzzles we have on file, which go back to October 23, 2025.
More clues from this puzzle
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- Price-ending digits, often (19 Across)
- City west of Knoxville (22 Across)
- Knights of ___, ancient cult in the "Star Wars" universe (24 Across)
- Group that protects the QB (25 Across)
- Cruising, say (26 Across)
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