Startlingly odd crossword clue
94 Down · WSJ Crossword, August 28, 2026 · 5 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Startlingly odd” is OUTRE. It appears as 94 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of August 28, 2026, a Friday puzzle titled “Set Piece” by Gary Larson & Amy Ensz, and it fills 5 squares running top to bottom from row 17, column 9 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 E, and contains 3 vowels 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
OUTRE 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.