Made a humiliating retraction crossword clue
49 Across · WSJ Crossword, May 15, 2026 · 7 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Made a humiliating retraction” is ATECROW. It appears as 49 Across in the Wall Street Journal crossword of May 15, 2026, a Friday puzzle titled “Prep Work” by Mike Shenk, and it fills 7 squares running left to right from row 12, column 9 of the 15×15 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 A and ends with W, and contains 3 vowels and 4 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
ATECROW 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.