The five-letter answer stumped thousands of crossword solvers on August 23, 2025. Forums filled with frustrated puzzlers trying to crack “allowed to strike” in the New York Times crossword. The answer wasn’t hiding in any dictionary. It required understanding how modern American crosswords borrow tricks from their British cousins.
The solution: LETAT.
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Breaking Down the Wordplay
LETAT works as a compressed phrase. Think of it like stacking two building blocks:
LET = allowed, permitted AT = to strike, attack (as in “go at” someone)
Combine them, and you get “let at,” which means permitting someone to strike or attack. The clue asks you to find these two separate word components and smash them together. Crossword constructors call this a charade clue.
The trick lies in reading the clue two different ways. On the surface, “allowed to strike” sounds like you need a verb meaning “permitted to attack.” But Saturday NYT crosswords rarely play that straight. You need to spot the individual parts: a word for “allowed” plus a word for “strike.”
Saturday Crosswords Play Different
This clue appeared in the August 23, 2025 Saturday puzzle, the hardest slot in the weekly NYT rotation. Will Shortz, who has edited the Times crossword since 1993, maintains a strict difficulty schedule:
Monday puzzles feature direct definitions. “Egyptian cobra” gets you ASP. Simple.
By Wednesday, you’ll see basic wordplay creeping in.
Friday puzzles start incorporating real misdirection.
Saturday represents the peak. These 15×15 grids assume you understand crossword conventions. Constructors deploy compressed phrases, cryptic elements, and wordplay that would seem unfair earlier in the week.
The Saturday puzzle tests whether you can shift mental gears. Can you read “allowed to strike” and see LET + AT instead of searching for a six-letter synonym? That cognitive flexibility separates casual solvers from Saturday regulars.
The Cryptic Crossword Connection
American crosswords traditionally stuck to straight definitions. British cryptic crosswords took a different path, treating every clue as a mini puzzle with hidden instructions.
Over the past two decades, American constructors have imported cryptic techniques for late-week puzzles. You’ll now encounter:
Charades like LETAT, where you combine separate word parts
Container clues where one word goes inside another
Hidden words buried inside the clue itself
Reversals spelling answers backward
The “allowed to strike” clue represents this hybrid style. It contains a loose definition (the whole phrase) and a construction method (LET + AT). British solvers would recognize this immediately. American solvers trained on Monday puzzles often hit a wall.
Crossword databases show LETAT has appeared in the NYT only a handful of times, always in Friday or Saturday slots. The answer relies entirely on wordplay rather than vocabulary knowledge.
How to Crack Similar Clues
When you spot a clue that seems too simple for Saturday, assume wordplay:
Look for component words. Break the clue into potential parts. “Allowed” might be LET or PERMIT. “Strike” could be HIT, WHACK, or AT. Try different combinations.
Check prepositions. Short words like AT, IN, ON, BY, and TO frequently appear in compressed phrases. They’re small enough to hide inside clues.
Use crossing letters strategically. Even two letters from intersecting answers can trigger recognition. If you have L_TAT, the middle letter choices narrow quickly.
Think about letter count versus clue complexity. A five-letter answer with a complex-sounding clue signals wordplay over straight definition.
Read the clue multiple ways. Don’t lock into the surface meaning. “Allowed to strike” could mean many things depending on how you parse it.
Saturday solvers benefit from familiarizing themselves with common crossword building blocks. Three-letter words like LET, SET, and GET combine with AT constantly. Once you spot these patterns, similar clues become easier.
Why Constructors Choose This Style
Puzzle makers walk a line between fair and challenging. A clue like “allowed to strike” follows legitimate rules, but it doesn’t advertise those rules.
The best Saturday clues create what solvers call the “aha moment.” You stare at the grid, the clue makes no sense, crossing letters slowly fill in, and suddenly LETAT clicks into place. That satisfaction drives people to tackle harder puzzles.
Constructors working with NYT editor Will Shortz know Saturday audiences expect this level of difficulty. A grid full of straightforward clues would disappoint regulars who’ve built up their skills through the week.
The clue also demonstrates efficient construction. LETAT provides useful letter patterns (vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel) that help constructors build clean grids. The E, A, and T give multiple crossing options.
The NYT Crossword Evolution
Margaret Farrar created the foundational rules when she launched the Times crossword in 1942: rotational symmetry, minimum three-letter words, no unchecked squares. Those structural elements remain.
But cluing style has shifted dramatically. Eugene Maleska, who edited from 1977 to 1993, favored classical references and traditional definitions. Will Shortz opened the door to contemporary culture, wordplay, and cryptic techniques.
This evolution means older solving strategies don’t always work on current puzzles. A solver who mastered 1980s NYT crosswords might struggle with modern Saturday clues incorporating cryptic elements.
The puzzle’s digital presence accelerated these changes. Online solving communities share techniques instantly. What seemed obscure five years ago becomes common knowledge. Constructors respond by pushing boundaries further.
What This Means for Solvers
If you bounced off “allowed to strike” and couldn’t crack LETAT, you’re not missing vocabulary or general knowledge. You need exposure to wordplay conventions.
Start by attempting Friday and Saturday puzzles regularly, even if you don’t finish. Use crossing letters to reveal answers you couldn’t solve directly, then examine those clues to understand the wordplay. Patterns emerge with practice.
Online crossword communities and databases let you research how specific answers get clued across different puzzles. Seeing LETAT clued multiple ways builds recognition.
The NYT crossword assumes progressive skill building. Monday teaches you the basics. By Saturday, you’re expected to have absorbed the lessons. Skipping straight to late-week puzzles without that foundation leads to frustration.
The Future of Crossword Cluing
American crosswords continue borrowing from cryptic traditions. Expect more compressed phrases, hidden words, and wordplay misdirection in Friday and Saturday slots.
Some constructors push even further, creating puzzles that blur the line between American and British styles. The NYT occasionally publishes full cryptic crosswords as variety puzzles, testing whether audiences will embrace harder formats.
This trend challenges the idea that crosswords should be purely accessible. Saturday puzzles deliberately exclude casual solvers. You need dedicated practice to crack clues like “allowed to strike.”
But that exclusivity creates community. Solvers who finally break through to regular Saturday completions join a specific group. The shared struggle builds connection.
The “allowed to strike” clue will trip up new solvers for years. LETAT doesn’t get easier through general knowledge. You either understand the wordplay or you don’t. And once you do, dozens of similar clues suddenly make sense.
That’s the real answer hiding inside this puzzle. The clue isn’t testing what you know. It’s testing whether you’ve learned how to think like a constructor. Five letters, two words, one compressed phrase. Simple once you see it. Impossible until you do.
