Grumpy or Happy on wash day, maybe? crossword clue
23 Across · WSJ Crossword, July 31, 2026 · 13 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Grumpy or Happy on wash day, maybe?” is DWARFSTARCHER. It appears as 23 Across in the Wall Street Journal crossword of July 31, 2026, a Friday puzzle titled “I Got You Babe” by Jeff Jerome, and it fills 13 squares running left to right from row 3, column 9 of the 21×21 grid.
The question mark at the end of the clue signals wordplay: the surface reading is a misdirection, and the answer fits a punning or figurative sense of the words. The entry begins with D and ends with R, and contains 3 vowels and 10 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Down 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
DWARFSTARCHER 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.