Fencing sword
About this clue
The clue “Fencing sword” appeared in the New York Times Midi Crossword on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at position 11-D. The answer is a 4-letter word that starts with E and ends with E.
This puzzle was titled “You Can Call Me ...” and constructed by Zhou Zhang and Kevin Curry, 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. Note that the answer contains a double letter.
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 Across 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.
- Short answers recur. Three- and four-letter entries often repeat across thousands of NYT puzzles — abbreviations, articles, and short proper nouns.
- 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.
This clue in other Midi puzzles
We've seen “Fencing sword” in 1 other Midi puzzle. Editors occasionally reuse clue wording with a different answer.