This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (22 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: 3 squares
First letter
K _ _
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About the answer
KEY as a word: (countable) An object designed to open and close a lock; An object designed to fit between two other objects (such as a shaft and a wheel) in a mechanism and maintain their relative orientation.
KEY has been an answer 6 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since February 27, 2026.
Other clues with the same answer
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- Journey, so to speak (23 Across)
- Access, as to an elite network (25 Across)
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- European landmark whose name begins with an "A" in classical literature (29 Across)
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