This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, September 26, 2026 (17 Down). 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: 11 squares
First letter
D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
First and last letters
D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ G
Show the answer
DEADHEADING
About the answer
DEADHEADING as a word: The removal of dead flowers from a plant in order to encourage the growth of new ones, and to prevent the production of seeds; The driving of an unladen vehicle, such as a bus with no passengers, in order to take it from one place to another.
DEADHEADING 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
- Mean (10 Down)
- Some Basque headwear (11 Down)
- Exclave's spot in an atlas, often (12 Down)
- Critical response concerning a piece of fiction? (14 Down)
- Real page-turner? (20 Down)
- Lead-in to light (22 Down)
- Gag reflexes? (24 Down)
- Scorches (26 Down)
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