Home›October 23, 2026›9 Down

Creaky, maybe crossword clue

9 Down · WSJ Crossword, October 23, 2026 · 3 letters

Answer

OLD

OLD (3 letters)

Explanation

The answer to “Creaky, maybe” is OLD. It appears as 9 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 10 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 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 OLD:

Out of dateOct 19, 2026
VintageSep 29, 2026

Other clues from this puzzle

7AFar from gregarious

12AIga who’s won the U.S. Open, French Open and Wimbledon

19AHook’s field

20AStripe-shirted character found in kids’ books

21AGraceful entry into the pool

22AFall beverage only available to those in the know?

24ARides with toes off the board

25APlay around, so to speak

26AMobile CPR pro

27AOut of the ordinary

29ABody art, informally

30ALink letters

31APewter, e.g.

33ABiscotti flavoring

34ABlade for an Olympian

37AChance for the comic’s apprentice to perform?

40AWriters Beattie and Patchett

41ALegal drama fig.

44AOne may be bonded

45AOracle’s temple?

48ACanaries, for example

53APhysician Virginia, for whom a newborn test is named

54AHalf of Popeye’s adopted baby’s name

55ABraz. neighbor

56APlant with starchy corms

57ALike the start of knighthood

59APhone screen array

60AInner ear, of a sort

61AHave a mortgage, say

62AThings smelled in some churches?

65ADissenting vote

66ADüsseldorf dissents

67ASimple shack

69ABefore, in ballades

70ACasino table covering

71AGuy who cooks

72APediatric patient

75ACome back from a 30-40 score in tennis?

78AWord on a bill

79AItalicize, e.g.

81ACharger unit

82AMake a list of all of the cards in packs of tarot?

86AStop fretting

91AHarness races

93AFrees of skin

94AName after Sallie, Fannie or Ginnie

96ATwitter/X alternative with a butterfly logo

99AAnother name for broad bean

100ACapital of South Australia

102AA dentist’s Boley gauge, e.g.?

106AInconvenient, in a way

108AOfficially prohibit

110ARound at the bar, perhaps

111ALoyalty program accrual

1DProve the practicality of a bib

2DCassiterite, notably

3D“The Little Mermaid” villainess

4DBirkenstock buy

5DCause of some tics, in brief

7D“You’ve gotta be kidding!”

10DUkraine’s main port

11DInternet gamer who may spend V-Bucks

12D1919 George Gershwin composition

13DDesigner Vera

14D“The Dark at the Top of the Stairs” playwright

15DBillboard displays

16D“The Mikado” town

17DLeveling tool

18DMath logic puzzle invented by Tetsuya Miyamoto

21DSecond-highest mount in the Cascade Range

31DNickname for the Governator

32D“Metropolis” director Fritz

34DEurope’s highest volcano

36DThe title role in Verdi’s “Attila,” e.g.

38DMet, as a challenge

39DPhrase tacked on for emphasis

41DTrembly trees

42D2002 M. Night Shyamalan film

43DEscapee’s destination, maybe

45D“You don’t need to remind me”

46DNoted defector of 1961

47DScout’s discovery

48D“You can’t make me!”

49DOne of the letters of DNA stands for it

50D“What is it?” drawing created by Roger Price

52DPenitent person

54DOverlook description

57DDisplayed derision

58DHow an unwelcome guest may be received

59DFallen flier

62DSurge of new arrivals

63DBuy from Burpee

68DSpot for garbage or laundry, in some buildings

71DRomantic milestone

72DSamhain celebrators

74DUnspoiled spot

77DTwo tablets, perhaps

80DRing decisions

82DLike marquetry

83DMelon or bean

84D“Spill!”

85DPiano pieces

86DSubject of Abu Simbel statues

87DManaus’s river

88D“I don’t want to hear your excuses!”

93DCoat on a bench, say

96DTorment with nasty remarks

99DEvian alternative

101DPre-5G mobile tech letters

103DRooftop sound

104DCall center worker, for short

105DStart for Cat or Caps

Full answers and explanations for October 23, 2026 ›