Newsday.Answers
Daily Newsday Crossword

“Football officials, for short”

The verified answer to the Newsday Crossword clue “Football officials, for short”, with letter-by-letter analysis and the full puzzle context for the Monday, May 18, 2026 puzzle.

Published · Down · 4 letters

Hints first

Letters 4
First letter R
Last letter S
R ? ? S

A 4-letter down entry from the Monday puzzle

The Answer

R E F S

The answer to “Football officials, for short” is REFS

Letters 4
Direction Down
Published May 18, 2026

Letter analysis: the 4-letter answer

Vowels, consonants, and crossword construction notes
Unique 4 of 4 positions
Vowels 1 25% of word
Consonants 3 non-vowels
First letter R starts with

The clue “Football officials, for short” appeared in the Newsday Crossword on Monday, May 18, 2026 as a down entry. The verified answer is REFS — a 4-letter word that begins with R and ends with S.

This answer contains 1 vowel and 3 consonants. The Newsday Crossword is published daily by Newsday on Long Island and edited by Stan Newman, whose Saturday Stumper is widely considered one of the toughest mainstream crosswords in print.

Other clues with the answer REFS

REFS has been used as the answer for these Newsday Crossword clues
“Football arbiters, for short” Dec 8, 2025 “Sports knockdowns” Dec 6, 2025 “Sports officials” Nov 23, 2025 “Sports judges” Nov 9, 2025 “Boxing arbiters” Sep 3, 2025 “Bout arbiters” Mar 16, 2025 “NBA game trio” Jan 23, 2025

More clues from the May 18, 2026 puzzle

Monday Newsday Crossword
View full puzzle
Stand up 4 ℓ · D Time __ (Eastern Standard, for example) 4 ℓ · A Typical Saudis 5 ℓ · D Breakfast restaurant chain 4 ℓ · D Gumbo vegetable 4 ℓ · D Person digging for coal 5 ℓ · D Emcee's opening speech 5 ℓ · D 24-hour money sources: Abbr. 4 ℓ · A Scientist at an animal park 9 ℓ · D Voice of Apple devices 4 ℓ · A Python or boa 5 ℓ · D Tennis court barriers 4 ℓ · D Core principle 5 ℓ · D Devious plan 6 ℓ · D Historical periods 4 ℓ · D Jockey's strap 4 ℓ · A Goatee's spot 4 ℓ · A Card game with bluffs 5 ℓ · A Walked back and forth 5 ℓ · D Elsa's sister in Frozen 4 ℓ · A

Frequently asked questions about “Football officials, for short”

What is the answer to “Football officials, for short” in the Newsday Crossword?

The verified answer is REFS — a 4-letter word that appeared as a down entry on Monday, May 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Football officials, for short”?

The answer REFS contains 4 letters.

Was “Football officials, for short” an across or down clue?

This clue ran as a Down entry.

Is this site affiliated with Newsday?

No. This is an independent fan reference site — we are not affiliated with Newsday. The Newsday Crossword is a trademark of its respective owner. We solve and verify each Newsday Crossword puzzle manually before publishing the answer key.

Football officials, for short — Newsday Crossword Clue Answer | Newsday Crossword Answers