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Saturday, October 17, 2026  ·  Your daily stash of puzzle hints. Answers stay hidden until you ask for them.
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Strands · Hints and answers

Strands hints and answers for Saturday, October 17, 2026

NYT theme clue: "Quite the crush" · Edited by Tracy Bennett

Saturday's Strands board has a crush: six theme words for the flustered things people do when they are falling for someone, plus a 10-letter spangram that names the feeling outright.

Hints, in order

Hint 0 of 3

Tap to show one hint at a time.

Hint 1 of 3

Think of the telltale behavior of a brand-new crush: what your mouth and body do before your brain catches up.

Hint 2 of 3

Every theme word is a symptom: talking too fast, turning red, shifting in your seat, giggling, sweating, and tripping over your own feet.

Hint 3 of 3

The spangram is three words pushed together, 10 letters, and it names the condition itself: what you do, hard, for a person.

Spangram and theme words

The spangram first, then all six theme words.

SPANGRAM
FALLINLOVE
BABBLETheme word
BLUSHTheme word
FIDGETTheme word
GIGGLETheme word
PERSPIRETheme word
STUMBLETheme word
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