Crossword Challenge Puzzle 953 Clues and Answers
Stuck somewhere in Crossword Challenge Puzzle 953? All 31 clues on this 8×10 grid are solved below, one card per clue.
Short answers dominate here: 13 of 31 fit in one or two squares. 4 clues are pictures, and 1 of those asks you to fill the gaps in a word printed on the image; 5 clues want only the initials of the clue words; 3 want just the first letter of a single word; 2 clues are fill-ins, and 1 of them needs only the missing letters. The longest answer runs 9 letters and belongs to “Usual practice”.
Start at the edges. The first letters of the 7 answers hanging from the top row spell the answer to the picture clue in the left column, and the first letters of the 9 answers along the left edge spell the answer to “Usual practice”. Solve one of those two and every edge clue starts with a known letter.
Hints and answers, clue by clue
Clues look the way they do in the game. Tap Hint for a nudge or Answer to see the letters. The fully solved grid is below the hints.
Top row
These sit along the top edge and every answer runs down.
USUAL PRACTICE
1Usual practice
Top row 1/7 · 9 letters · down
Fits C _ _ T _ _ A _ _. “Cultural customs” crosses it at the sixth square.
CUSTOMARY
2Picture clue
Top row 2/7 · 3 letters · down
Name the object in the picture. A _ _. Its third letter is shared with “Hit with force”.
ARM
HARVEST, AS CROPS
3Harvest, as crops
Top row 3/7 · 4 letters · down
Begins with R. Its third letter is shared with “Hit with force”.
REAP
ANNUL, AS A LEGAL ORDER
4Annul, as a legal order
Top row 4/7 · 6 letters · down
Starts with V; pattern V _ _ A _ _. The fourth square is also part of “Brush with color”.
VACATE
ICY
5Icy
Top row 5/7 · 1 letter · down
Icy starts with the answer.
I
NO ANSWER
6No answer
Top row 6/7 · 2 letters · down
Take one letter from each word of the clue, in order.
NA
7Picture clue
Top row 7/7 · 6 letters · down
Look at the picture and fit it to G _ _ T _ _. Check the fourth letter against “Brush with color”.
GUITAR
Left column
These sit down the left edge and every answer runs across.
8Picture clue
Left column 1/9 · 7 letters · across
Look at the picture and fit it to C _ _ V _ _ G. Check the fifth letter against “Icy”.
CARVING
B____UCRAT
9B____UCRAT
Left column 2/9 · 4 letters · across
Fill the gap in “B____UCRAT”, but leave out the letters already shown. Starts with U.
UREA
HIT WITH FORCE
10Hit with force
Left column 3/9 · 5 letters · across
Begins with S. “Annul, as a legal order” crosses it at the fourth square.
SMACK
TAB
11Tab
Left column 4/9 · 1 letter · across
Just the opening letter of Tab.
T
OCEAN CITY
12Ocean city
Left column 5/9 · 2 letters · across
Shorten the clue to its first letters: 2 squares.
OC
CULTURAL CUSTOMS
13Cultural customs
Left column 6/9 · 5 letters · across
Starts with M; pattern M _ _ E _. Its fourth letter is shared with “Annul, as a legal order”.
MORES
TENNIS SERVE
14Tennis serve
Left column 7/9 · 3 letters · across
Fits A _ _. The third square is also part of “Back”.
ACE
ROUTE
15Route
Left column 8/9 · 4 letters · across
Starts with R; pattern R _ _ _. Check the third letter against “Back”.
ROAD
FOOTBALL FIELD GAIN
16Football field gain
Left column 9/9 · 7 letters · across
Starts with Y; pattern Y _ _ D _ _ E. “Vowel starter” crosses it at the fifth square.
YARDAGE
Inside the grid
Split squares hold two clues: the top half runs across, the bottom half runs down.
GOLD SYMBOL
17Gold symbol
Row 3, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Begins with A. The second square is also part of the picture clue in the top row.
AU
MALL BOOTH
18Mall booth
Row 3, col 6 · 5 letters · down
Starts with K; pattern K _ _ S _. Check the fourth letter against “Cultural customs”.
KIOSK
ME, MYSELF, ___
19ME, MYSELF, ___
Row 4, col 7 · 1 letter · across
The missing word in “ME, MYSELF, ___” starts with I.
I
NOT GREAT
20Not great
Row 4, col 7 · 2 letters · down
Shorten the clue to its first letters: 2 squares.
NG
BRUSH WITH COLOR
21Brush with color
Row 5, col 3 · 5 letters · across
P _ _ N _. Its fourth letter is shared with “Not great”.
PAINT
WINTER DRINK
22Winter drink
Row 5, col 3 · 5 letters · down
Fits C _ _ O _. “Route” crosses it at the fourth square.
COCOA
ANCIENT ROBE
23Ancient robe
Row 6, col 4 · 4 letters · across
Shape: T _ _ _. Solving “Not great” first gives you its third letter.
TOGA
BACK
24Back
Row 6, col 4 · 4 letters · down
Shape: R _ _ _. “Route” crosses it at the third square.
REAR
REPLY
25Reply
Row 7, col 7 · 1 letter · across
Only one square: take the initial of Reply.
R
FICUS FRUIT
26Ficus fruit
Row 7, col 7 · 3 letters · down
Fits F _ _. Solving “Football field gain” first gives you its third letter.
FIG
KITE FESTIVAL
27Kite festival
Row 8, col 5 · 2 letters · across
Shorten the clue to its first letters: 2 squares.
KF
DUE DATE
28Due date
Row 8, col 5 · 2 letters · down
Take one letter from each word of the clue, in order.
DD
mi-
29Kinetic energy
Row 8, col 8 · 2 letters · down
Work out the object in the picture, then drop the part already written on it (“mi-”). What is left starts with K.
KE
'I KNOW'
30'i know'
Row 9, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Begins with I. Check the second letter against the picture clue in the inside the grid.
IK
VOWEL STARTER
31Vowel starter
Row 9, col 6 · 1 letter · down
Think of one character, not a word, for “Vowel starter”.
A
Crossword Challenge Level 953 Solved Grid
Hide the letters to check your own board against the empty grid.
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Puzzle 953 solved
Thanks for working through Puzzle 953 with us. Puzzle 954 is next, with 32 clues on a 8×10 board.