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Daily Newsday Crossword
Newsday Crossword

LEADING CHARACTERS

Thursday, February 26, 2026 Constructed by Mark McClain 76 clues
The Grid Click “Reveal grid” to fill in every answer
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Across

  1. Undermines 4 ℓ
  2. Cruise setting 3 ℓ
  3. South American music 5 ℓ
  4. Early March Madness upset 13 ℓ
  5. Skeet need 7 ℓ
  6. Nightfall 4 ℓ
  7. Old Testament carpenter 4 ℓ
  8. Sleepwear for some 3 ℓ
  9. Strategic head games 6 ℓ
  10. Mine, in part 3 ℓ
  11. Dress slacks convenience 11 ℓ
  12. Cologne conjunction 3 ℓ
  13. Harder to get 5 ℓ
  14. Hot-tub material 5 ℓ
  15. Lions' successes 3 ℓ
  16. "We're here!" 5 ℓ
  17. Word on the Silicon Valley city list 4 ℓ
  18. Euro predecessor 5 ℓ
  19. Everyday 5 ℓ
  20. Every last bit 3 ℓ
  21. Film with an historical setting 11 ℓ
  22. Film special FX 3 ℓ
  23. Set a price of 3 ℓ
  24. Cliffside protrusion 4 ℓ
  25. Fast freshwater fish 6 ℓ
  26. Canadian First Nation 4 ℓ
  27. Breed of chicken 7 ℓ
  28. Footage created in cars 13 ℓ
  29. Winning streak 3 ℓ
  30. Actress Falco 4 ℓ
  31. Hindu pundit 5 ℓ
  32. Perched on 4 ℓ
  33. Toss every which way 5 ℓ
  34. Minor inconvenience 4 ℓ
  35. Type of hair dryer 5 ℓ
  36. Tiny amt. of time 4 ℓ
  37. __-Magnon 3 ℓ
↓

Down

  1. NorCal force 4 ℓ
  2. True up 5 ℓ
  3. Composer heard at commencements 5 ℓ
  4. Inviolate 10 ℓ
  5. Pub order 3 ℓ
  6. Funded, say 6 ℓ
  7. Certain cereal 6 ℓ
  8. Where most people live 4 ℓ
  9. Have a late meal 3 ℓ
  10. Be a blabber 6 ℓ
  11. Henry VIII's VIth 4 ℓ
  12. Home rug's coverage 4 ℓ
  13. Chicken serving 6 ℓ
  14. Preps for baking 6 ℓ
  15. Airport worker 6 ℓ
  16. Sow's sniffer 5 ℓ
  17. Keep after 5 ℓ
  18. Southern fried fare 4 ℓ
  19. Abraham grandson 4 ℓ
  20. Baker's implement 4 ℓ
  21. AL pro 4 ℓ
  22. Poli-__ 3 ℓ
  23. Paycheck abbr. 3 ℓ
  24. Really lean on 6 ℓ
  25. Isn't keen on 6 ℓ
  26. Eats, with "down" 5 ℓ
  27. Send out 4 ℓ
  28. Many ranges 3 ℓ
  29. Self-cleaning setting 4 ℓ
  30. Mild oath 4 ℓ
  31. Winter Olympics gear since '98 10 ℓ
  32. Inspiration for Hubble 5 ℓ
  33. Zebra parent 4 ℓ
  34. Fictional lab lackey 4 ℓ
  35. Australian port 5 ℓ
  36. Town welcome sign abbr. 4 ℓ
  37. Telephone tool 6 ℓ
  38. Time delay 3 ℓ
  39. Screen blinker 6 ℓ

About this puzzle

The Newsday Crossword for Thursday, February 26, 2026 is titled “LEADING CHARACTERS” and was constructed by Mark McClain. The puzzle features 76 clues arranged in a 21×21 grid — the standard format for Sunday-size puzzles.

Click any clue above to view its dedicated answer page, which includes letter-by-letter analysis, the puzzle context, and a history of every other Newsday puzzle the same clue or answer has appeared in. To see the complete grid filled in with every answer, use the “Reveal grid” button at the top of the grid.

The Newsday Crossword is published daily by Newsday on Long Island and edited by Stan Newman. Difficulty builds across the week from a gentle Monday introduction up to Saturday’s legendary themeless Stumper. The official puzzle is available on the Newsday Games site. For other days, browse the complete Newsday Crossword archive indexed by date.

Newsday LEADING CHARACTERS Crossword February 26 2026 Answers