Antarctic expanse crossword clue
82 Down · WSJ Crossword, July 31, 2026 · 8 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Antarctic expanse” is ICESCAPE. It appears as 82 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of July 31, 2026, a Friday puzzle titled “I Got You Babe” by Jeff Jerome, and it fills 8 squares running top to bottom from row 14, column 6 of the 21×21 grid.
The clue is a straightforward definition, so the answer is a direct synonym or a factual match for the words as written. The entry begins with I and ends with E, and contains 4 vowels and 4 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across entries should be enough to lock it in. Friday puzzles are the Journal’s contest crosswords with a hidden meta answer, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
ICESCAPE has not appeared as an answer in any other WSJ puzzle in our index, which runs from May 2026 onward. It will be listed here the next time it turns up.