Cause of some tics, in brief crossword clue
5 Down · WSJ Crossword, October 23, 2026 · 3 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Cause of some tics, in brief” is OCD. It appears as 5 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of October 23, 2026, a Friday puzzle titled “In and Out” by Mike Shenk, and it fills 3 squares running top to bottom from row 1, column 5 of the 21×21 grid.
The shortening cue in the clue tells you to expect an abbreviation or initials rather than a full word. The entry begins with O and ends with D, and contains 1 vowel and 2 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
Clues in other WSJ puzzles with the answer OCD:
- Repetitive behavior condition, for shortJul 9, 2026