This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, May 21, 2026 (12 Down). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Thursday puzzles often have a trick, such as a rebus (several letters in one square) or answers that bend the rules.
How to read this clue
This is a fill-in-the-blank clue: the answer completes the phrase, title or quotation.
Answer length: 3 squares
First letter
M _ _
Show the answer
About the answer
MAE as a word: A female given name; popular as a middle name; (statistics) Initialism of mean absolute error.
MAE has been an answer 4 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since November 26, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
- Philanthropic group with a clock face in its logo (8 Down)
- The so-called "Pineapple Isle" (9 Down)
- Goes around and around (10 Down)
- Make sense, with "up" (11 Down)
- ChatGPT, Claude, etc. (13 Down)
- Inflicts (21 Down)
- Muse of history (22 Down)
- Lasting damage from a tough experience, metaphorically (26 Down)
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