NYT Midi Crossword Clue · Across · 14-A
Casual embraces between friends ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters
Tap each tile to reveal the answer
Stuck? Tap one tile at a time for a gentle nudge, or reveal the full answer.
Letters
8
Direction
Across
Clue #
14
Starts with
S
Ends with
S
Vowels
3
About this clue
The clue “Casual embraces between friends ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters” appeared in the New York Times Midi Crossword on Friday, June 5, 2026, at position 14-A. The answer is a 8-letter word that starts with S and ends with S.
This puzzle was titled “The Friend Zone” and constructed by Rena Cohen, edited by Ian Livengood.
The Midi Crossword sits between the lightning-fast Mini and the full daily, so its cluing tends toward punny misdirection rather than obscure trivia. With 3 vowels, this answer is unusually vowel-heavy — suggesting a phrase, name, or non-English borrowing.
How to solve this clue
If you're stuck on this Midi clue, here are angles that often help:
- Crosscheck with the perpendicular entries. Fill the Down entries that cross this one and the letters will usually reveal the answer.
- Watch for the puzzle title. Midi puzzles usually carry a small theme — long Across entries that share a wordplay link.
- Mind the part of speech. Singular clue takes a singular answer; past tense takes -ED or an irregular past form.
- Trust your first instinct. If a clue feels easy in the Midi, it usually is — the puzzle is designed to be solvable in three to five minutes.