Passports and Palates
August 21, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
Punch's puppet wife
Lawn ball game
Ward off blows
Twangy Japanese lute
Spoken, not written
Older and wiser
Spiky dragon fruit
Jolt of coffee
Guided the way
Strange sky visitor
Openly antagonistic
State it firmly
Match the timing
Short for Edward
VJ's old channel
Built, not grown
Card game shout
Quick greeting wave
Bodily weakness
A perfect score
Spots on the chin
Simply true
Big swamp rodent
Shaped like an egg
Scent or German city
1836 Texas siege
Leave it out
Tiny notions box
Sunbathes to bronze
Curry dish's potato
Rice wine or purpose
Sesame in curry
Devoured a meal
Rich egg spread
Soup up a car
Trail a suspect
Sigh of wonder
Set to happen
View of what's ahead
Real head-scratcher
Number after zero
Passports and Palates — Solution
August 21, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
Punch's puppet wife
J
Lawn ball game
Ward off blows
B
Twangy Japanese lute
S
Spoken, not written
Older and wiser
Spiky dragon fruit
P
Jolt of coffee
Guided the way
R
Strange sky visitor
U
F
O
Openly antagonistic
H
O
S
T
I
L
E
State it firmly
Match the timing
D
E
C
L
A
R
E
Short for Edward
VJ's old channel
T
E
D
S
Y
N
C
Built, not grown
Card game shout
M
A
N
M
A
D
E
Quick greeting wave
Bodily weakness
D
E
B
I
L
I
T
Y
A perfect score
Y
H
I
Spots on the chin
Simply true
Big swamp rodent
I
S
Shaped like an egg
O
V
A
T
E
Scent or German city
1836 Texas siege
Leave it out
A
C
N
E
Tiny notions box
R
Sunbathes to bronze
Curry dish's potato
E
Rice wine or purpose
C
O
L
O
G
N
E
Sesame in curry
Devoured a meal
T
A
N
S
Rich egg spread
Soup up a car
M
A
Y
O
Trail a suspect
Sigh of wonder
T
A
I
L
Set to happen
A
P
I
M
P
View of what's ahead
O
U
T
L
O
O
K
Real head-scratcher
T
O
U
G
H
I
E
Number after zero
O
N
E
Passports and Palates — The notes
August 21, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
- JUDYPunch's puppet wifeThe puppet-show wife in the classic British Punch and Judy performances.
- BOCCELawn ball gameAn Italian lawn game where players roll balls toward a smaller target ball.
- FENDWard off blowsTo defend or ward something off, as in fend for yourself or fend off an attack.
- SHAMISENTwangy Japanese luteA three-stringed Japanese lute played with a large pick, central to kabuki and folk music.
- ORALSpoken, not writtenDelivered by speech rather than in writing, as in an oral exam or oral history.
- SENIOROlder and wiserOlder in age or higher in rank, a senior citizen, or the top student before graduation.
- PITAYASpiky dragon fruitAlso called dragon fruit, a spiky pink fruit with speckled white or red flesh.
- REDEYEJolt of coffeeDiner slang for drip coffee with a shot of espresso, also a tiring overnight flight.
- LEDGuided the wayPast tense of lead, guided or directed, as in she led the team to victory.
- UFOStrange sky visitorAn unidentified flying object, often reported as a strange light or shape in the sky.
- HOSTILEOpenly antagonisticUnfriendly or aggressive in manner, as in a hostile takeover or hostile crowd.
- DECLAREState it firmlyTo announce something officially, or to report goods at customs.
- SYNCMatch the timingShort for synchronize, to align in time or rhythm, like lips to audio.
- TEDShort for EdwardA common nickname for Edward, also the name behind the famous ideas conference.
- MTVVJ's old channelMusic Television, the channel that launched the music video era and its iconic VJs.
- MANMADEBuilt, not grownCreated by human effort rather than occurring naturally, like a manmade lake.
- BINGOCard game shoutThe winning shout in a numbers game played with cards and marked squares.
- HIQuick greeting waveA quick, casual greeting, shorter than hello.
- DEBILITYBodily weaknessA state of physical weakness or feebleness, often from illness or age.
- TENA perfect scoreThe number after nine, also slang for a perfect score, as in she's a ten.
- ACNESpots on the chinSkin condition causing pimples, common during teenage hormonal changes.
- ISSimply trueThird-person singular of to be, states that something exists right now.
- COYPUBig swamp rodentA large, web-footed rodent also called nutria, farmed for its fur.
- OVATEShaped like an eggEgg-shaped, a term botanists use to describe certain leaves.
- COLOGNEScent or German cityA lightly scented splash, also the English name for the German city Koln.
- ALAMO1836 Texas siegeThe 1836 mission siege in San Antonio, Remember the Alamo became a rallying cry.
- OMITLeave it outTo leave something out or skip it entirely, whether by choice or oversight.
- ETUITiny notions boxA small decorative case for holding sewing notions, cosmetics, or trinkets.
- TANSSunbathes to bronzeDarkens the skin from sun exposure, or the plural of a tan color.
- ALOOCurry dish's potatoHindi and Urdu word for potato, seen on menus in dishes like aloo gobi.
- SAKERice wine or purposeJapanese rice wine, or, in for the sake of, a reason or purpose.
- TILSesame in curryIn South Asian cooking, til means sesame seed, also an informal short form of until.
- ATEDevoured a mealPast tense of eat, consumed food, from a snack to a feast.
- MAYORich egg spreadA creamy condiment made from egg yolk and oil, spread on sandwiches worldwide.
- PIMPSoup up a carSlang for flashily customizing something, as in the show Pimp My Ride.
- TAILTrail a suspectTo secretly follow someone, or the swishing appendage behind an animal.
- OHSigh of wonderA short exclamation of surprise, realization, or wonder.
- ONSet to happenScheduled to happen, or switched into an active, powered state.
- OUTLOOKView of what's aheadOne's overall view or expectation of the future, or Microsoft's email software.
- TOUGHIEReal head-scratcherInformal term for a tricky problem or question that's hard to solve.
- ONENumber after zeroThe first counting number, also used to mean a person, as in one must try.