Where a Balkan rooster might direct its gaze? crossword clue
26 Across · WSJ Crossword, May 28, 2026 · 12 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Where a Balkan rooster might direct its gaze?” is ATATHENSHENS. It appears as 26 Across in the Wall Street Journal crossword of May 28, 2026, a Thursday puzzle titled “Capital Gains” by Jake Halperin, and it fills 12 squares running left to right from row 6, column 4 of the 15×15 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 A and ends with S, and contains 4 vowels and 8 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Down entries should be enough to lock it in. Thursday puzzles lean harder on misdirection, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
ATATHENSHENS 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.