Old Terms, Rare Finds
September 4, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
First caucus state
Claim as yours
Plan gone wrong
Horse-drawn cart
Spirit in a lamp
Drives a cart team
Haircut, or a bounce
Big on your feed
Penned Les Mis
About ant-sized
Isle hi, or bye
Day's midpoint
Stuck in line
Warm hearth spot
Rear, Brit-style
Ancient board game
Fleece freshly cut
Old World monkey
Clocked in wages
Holding this pen
Ballet foot pose
Caught in the web
Swerves off course
Long draped garment
Digits, not tens
12 gold stars
Frozen's ice queen
Guns the engine
Band's road trip
Hissed for attention
Trivia, by topic
Still on the way
Where bombs fall
Weak lunar tide
Street cash spot
Fresh, uncooked
Elbow-side bone
Spinning app circle
Stitches shut a cut
Sail's crossbeam
Hardens, or a group
Old Terms, Rare Finds — Solution
September 4, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
First caucus state
Claim as yours
Plan gone wrong
Horse-drawn cart
F
Spirit in a lamp
D
Drives a cart team
W
Haircut, or a bounce
B
Big on your feed
Penned Les Mis
F
I
O
W
A
About ant-sized
J
Isle hi, or bye
Day's midpoint
A
L
O
H
A
Stuck in line
Warm hearth spot
W
A
I
T
I
N
G
Rear, Brit-style
B
U
M
I
N
G
L
E
N
O
O
K
Ancient board game
G
O
Fleece freshly cut
Old World monkey
Clocked in wages
G
U
E
N
O
N
Holding this pen
Ballet foot pose
Y
O
U
S
H
O
R
N
Caught in the web
N
E
T
Swerves off course
Long draped garment
S
Digits, not tens
12 gold stars
O
N
E
S
Frozen's ice queen
Guns the engine
Band's road trip
R
E
V
S
Hissed for attention
E
U
Trivia, by topic
Still on the way
Where bombs fall
Y
E
T
Weak lunar tide
Street cash spot
N
E
A
P
Fresh, uncooked
Elbow-side bone
R
A
W
Spinning app circle
L
O
A
D
E
R
S
U
L
N
A
Stitches shut a cut
S
U
T
U
R
E
S
Sail's crossbeam
Y
A
R
D
A
R
M
Hardens, or a group
S
E
T
Old Terms, Rare Finds — The notes
September 4, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
- IOWAFirst caucus stateIowa: US state, first to hold presidential caucuses each election cycle.
- OWNClaim as yoursown: to possess something; also 'on your own' means alone, unaided.
- FAILUREPlan gone wrongfailure: an unsuccessful attempt or outcome; also describes someone or something that fell short.
- WAGGONHorse-drawn cartwaggon: British spelling of 'wagon', a wheeled cart, often pulled by horses, for hauling loads.
- DJINNSpirit in a lampdjinn: a supernatural spirit in Arabic and Islamic folklore, sometimes shown granting wishes (genie).
- WAGONERDrives a cart teamwagoner: someone who drives a wagon, especially one pulled by a team of horses; an old transport trade.
- BOBHaircut, or a bouncebob: a short haircut; also to move up and down repeatedly, as a boat bobs on water.
- FAMOUSBig on your feedfamous: widely known or recognized, often for a particular achievement, talent, or notoriety.
- HUGOPenned Les MisHugo: Victor Hugo, French author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
- TEENSYAbout ant-sizedteensy: informal for very small or tiny, an emphatic way of saying something is minuscule.
- ALOHAIsle hi, or byealoha: Hawaiian word used for both hello and goodbye, embodying warmth and welcome.
- NOONDay's midpointnoon: 12 o'clock midday, the middle of the day when the sun is typically highest.
- WAITINGStuck in linewaiting: staying in place until something happens or someone arrives, a pause before what's next.
- INGLENOOKWarm hearth spotinglenook: a recessed nook beside a fireplace, often with built-in seating; a cozy corner by the fire.
- BUMRear, Brit-stylebum: (British) the buttocks; (American, informal) a homeless or lazy person, same word, different meanings.
- GOAncient board gamego: also an ancient strategy board game played with black and white stones, originating in China.
- SHORNFleece freshly cutshorn: past tense of 'shear', having had wool, hair, or fleece cut off, as with sheep.
- GUENONOld World monkeyguenon: a genus of Old World monkeys (Cercopithecus) found in African forests, known for colorful faces.
- HOURLYClocked in wageshourly: happening or paid according to each hour, e.g. an hourly wage or an hourly bus.
- YOUHolding this penyou: the person reading or solving this right now, second person pronoun.
- TENDUBallet foot posetendu: a ballet move where the foot extends outward, toes pointed, staying in contact with the floor.
- NETCaught in the webnet: a mesh used for fishing or sports goals; also short for internet, or a final amount after deductions.
- VEERSSwerves off courseveers: changes direction suddenly, especially of wind or a vehicle drifting off its path.
- SAREELong draped garmentsaree (or sari): a long draped garment traditionally worn in South Asia, wrapped around the body.
- ONESDigits, not tensones: in place value, the rightmost digit position (units); also plural of 'one', as in 'the winning ones'.
- EU12 gold starsEU: the European Union, whose flag shows a circle of 12 gold stars on a blue background.
- ELSAFrozen's ice queenElsa: the ice-wielding queen from Disney's 'Frozen' (2013), known for the song 'Let It Go'.
- REVSGuns the enginerevs: revolutions of an engine; to 'rev' is to increase engine speed, often before driving off.
- TOURBand's road triptour: a trip with multiple stops, especially a musician's series of concerts, or a guided visit.
- PSSTHissed for attentionpsst: an informal sound used to quietly get someone's attention without speaking aloud.
- ANATrivia, by topicana: a collection of memorable facts, sayings, or anecdotes about a particular subject (e.g. 'Lincolniana').
- YETStill on the wayyet: up to now, or still to happen, used to say something hasn't occurred so far but might.
- WARWhere bombs fallwar: armed conflict between nations or groups, the ending of a period of peace.
- NEAPWeak lunar tideneap: a neap tide, the weakest tides, occurring when the moon is at its first or last quarter.
- ATMStreet cash spotATM: automated teller machine, for withdrawing cash and banking, often found on the street or in a bank lobby.
- RAWFresh, uncookedraw: uncooked, or more broadly unprocessed, exposed, or unrefined, as in 'raw emotion'.
- ULNAElbow-side boneulna: one of the two forearm bones, on the side nearest the elbow and little finger.
- LOADERSSpinning app circleloaders: things that load, heavy vehicles that scoop material, or the spinning icons apps show while content loads.
- SUTURESStitches shut a cutsutures: stitches used by surgeons to close a wound and hold tissue together while it heals.
- YARDARMSail's crossbeamyardarm: the horizontal spar on a ship's mast that holds a square sail; as in 'the sun is over the yardarm'.
- SETHardens, or a groupset: to become firm or solid, as concrete sets; also a matching group of items, a tennis unit, or a film set.