The "A" of U.A.E.

About this clue

The clue “The "A" of U.A.E.” appeared in the New York Times Midi Crossword on Monday, October 19, 2026, at position 7-A. The answer is a 4-letter word that starts with A and ends with B.

This puzzle was titled “Bottom Lines” and constructed by Geoffrey Schorkopf and Olivia Mitra Framke, 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. The vowel pattern is balanced, suggesting a common English word.

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.
• 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 “The "A" of U.A.E.” in 1 other Midi puzzle. Editors occasionally reuse clue wording with a different answer.

More Across clues from this puzzle