Borders, Bites and Blends
September 21, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
Taller than Vesuvius
Stone's icy villain
Apple's computer
Short for Edward
Grocery store banana
Kabul's language
Won Qatar, 2022
Double-oh operative
Number of candles
Gradually transform
Dentist's silver
Passes Frankfurt
Get well again
Once possessed
Latin word for 'I'
Creates the look
Organized snub
Captures the audio
Nevis and its kin
Home to coral reefs
Skull side or shrine
State firmly
Sound of delight
Soft purple hue
Sloped fort defense
Bullets, for short
Frozen water
Slippery river fish
Cheeky backtalk
A bit off-kilter
Founded in 1944
Nutty French cheese
Chewy rice treat
Spoken as zero
Urgent request
Nothing to speak
Back grinding teeth
Trending right now
Movie's visual magic
Borders, Bites and Blends — Solution
September 21, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
Taller than Vesuvius
Stone's icy villain
Apple's computer
Short for Edward
M
Grocery store banana
C
Kabul's language
Won Qatar, 2022
D
Double-oh operative
A
Number of candles
Gradually transform
E
T
N
A
Dentist's silver
Passes Frankfurt
A
M
A
L
G
A
M
Get well again
Once possessed
R
E
C
O
V
E
R
Latin word for 'I'
E
G
O
H
A
D
Creates the look
Organized snub
D
E
S
I
G
N
E
R
Captures the audio
M
Nevis and its kin
B
E
N
S
Home to coral reefs
Skull side or shrine
T
State firmly
P
R
E
C
O
R
D
I
S
T
Sound of delight
Soft purple hue
A
H
Sloped fort defense
L
Bullets, for short
Y
Frozen water
I
Slippery river fish
E
E
L
S
Cheeky backtalk
G
L
A
C
I
S
A bit off-kilter
Founded in 1944
A
M
I
S
S
Nutty French cheese
Chewy rice treat
Spoken as zero
M
O
C
H
I
Urgent request
Nothing to speak
P
L
E
A
C
O
M
T
E
Back grinding teeth
M
O
L
A
R
S
Trending right now
H
O
T
Movie's visual magic
E
F
F
E
C
T
S
Borders, Bites and Blends — The notes
September 21, 2026 · 12×11 · Hard
- ETNATaller than VesuviusMount Etna in Sicily is Europe's tallest and most active volcano, towering far above Vesuvius near Naples.
- TRAMELLStone's icy villainCatherine Tramell, the icy crime novelist played by Sharon Stone in the 1992 thriller Basic Instinct.
- MACApple's computerShort for Macintosh, Apple's line of desktop and laptop computers launched in 1984.
- NEDShort for EdwardA common nickname for Edward, though also famous as outlaw Ned Kelly or Ned Stark in Game of Thrones.
- CAVENDISHGrocery store bananaThe Cavendish is the banana variety sold in almost every supermarket worldwide, having replaced the Gros Michel.
- DARIKabul's languageOne of Afghanistan's two official languages, a dialect of Persian spoken widely in Kabul.
- MESSIWon Qatar, 2022Lionel Messi captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar, one of football's defining moments.
- AGENTDouble-oh operativeSomeone who acts on behalf of others, a spy, a talent representative, or a secret operative like James Bond.
- AGENumber of candlesHow many years someone has lived, traditionally marked by candles on a birthday cake.
- MORPHGradually transformTo change gradually from one form into another, as in computer animation or shapeshifting.
- AMALGAMDentist's silverA blend of different elements, historically also the silvery mercury-metal mixture dentists used for fillings.
- ODERPasses FrankfurtA river forming much of the border between Germany and Poland, flowing past Frankfurt an der Oder.
- RECOVERGet well againTo get well again after illness or hardship, or to regain something lost.
- HADOnce possessedSimple past tense of 'have', once possessed or experienced something.
- EGOLatin word for 'I'Latin for 'I'; in psychology, the part of the mind that mediates between desires and reality.
- DESIGNERCreates the lookSomeone who creates the look and function of clothes, products, or spaces.
- BOYCOTTOrganized snubAn organized refusal to deal with a person or organization, named after 19th-century land agent Charles Boycott.
- RECORDISTCaptures the audioThe crew member responsible for capturing sound on a film or audio production.
- BENSNevis and its kinScottish English for mountains, as in Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles.
- SEAHome to coral reefsA large body of salt water, smaller than an ocean, home to coral reefs and countless species.
- TEMPLESkull side or shrineEither side of the forehead, or a building dedicated to worship, two very different senses of one word.
- ASSERTState firmlyTo state something firmly and confidently, defending it if challenged.
- AHSound of delightAn exclamation of pleasure, realization, or delight, softer than a shout.
- LILACSoft purple hueA pale purple color, named after the fragrant flowering shrub.
- GLACISSloped fort defenseA gently sloping bank built in front of a fortification to expose attackers to defensive fire.
- AMMOBullets, for shortInformal short for ammunition, bullets, shells, or cartridges.
- ICEFrozen waterWater frozen solid, common in drinks, rinks, and glaciers alike.
- EELSSlippery river fishLong, slippery, snake-like fish that live in rivers and sometimes migrate to the sea to breed.
- SASSCheeky backtalkBold, cheeky backtalk, often delivered with attitude.
- AMISSA bit off-kilterSlightly wrong or out of place, as in 'something seems amiss'.
- IMFFounded in 1944The International Monetary Fund, founded in 1944 at the Bretton Woods conference to stabilize the world economy.
- COMTENutty French cheeseComté, a firm, nutty French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Jura mountains.
- MOCHIChewy rice treatA chewy Japanese rice cake made from pounded glutinous rice, often filled with sweet paste or ice cream.
- OHSpoken as zeroUsed to spell out zero in numbers or codes, as in reading a phone number 'five-oh-two'.
- PLEAUrgent requestAn urgent, heartfelt request, or a formal answer entered in a courtroom.
- OFNothing to speakA preposition showing belonging or origin, as in the idiom 'nothing to speak of'.
- MOLARSBack grinding teethThe broad, flat back teeth used for grinding food.
- HOTTrending right nowEither high in temperature or, informally, currently popular and trending.
- EFFECTSMovie's visual magicShort for visual or special effects, the movie magic that creates illusions on screen.