A seven-letter word connects a bicycle to a horse in one of last year’s trickier New York Times Crossword clues. The answer, RIDABLE, stumped solvers who couldn’t immediately spot what these two different objects share beyond their ability to transport people.
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What “Like a Bicycle or a Horse” Means
The clue appeared in the Sunday, August 24, 2025 NYT Crossword. Constructor Michael Lieberman paired two unrelated examples to point solvers toward a single descriptive word: something capable of being ridden.
RIDABLE works as the answer because both bicycles and horses fit that definition. The clue doesn’t ask what category they belong to or how they look. It asks what they have in common functionally.
Lieberman, a Washington D.C. attorney who has published 30 puzzles in the Times, built this into a larger grid themed “Mixed Company.” Editor Will Shortz approved the 21×21 Sunday puzzle, which contained 140 words total.
How the Word RIDABLE Works
The Oxford English Dictionary traces “ridable” to 1611, when lexicographer Randle Cotgrave first used it in writing. The word combines “ride” with the suffix “-able” to indicate capability or suitability.
Standard definitions cover three contexts:
Animals: A ridable horse has training and temperament safe for mounting.
Vehicles: A ridable bicycle functions properly and can be operated.
Terrain: A ridable path or trail allows travel by bike or horseback.
Both “ridable” and “rideable” are correct spellings. American English favors “ridable” while British sources lean toward “rideable.” Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster, and the OED recognize both versions.
The transportation industry now uses “rideables” to describe electric scooters, e-bikes, and similar personal mobility devices. The term has expanded beyond horses and bicycles into modern urban transit discussions.
Why This Crossword Clue Strategy Succeeds
Lieberman’s clue uses a technique common in mid-week and Sunday puzzles. Instead of a direct definition, constructors give multiple examples that share one characteristic.
A clue reading only “like a bicycle” could mean wheeled, mechanical, mobile, or dozens of other descriptors. Add “or a horse” and the overlap narrows dramatically. What applies to both? They can be ridden.
This forces solvers to shift from categorizing objects to analyzing their function. The mental jump from “what are these” to “what do these do” separates novice puzzlers from experienced ones.
Will Shortz has edited the NYT Crossword since 1993. His editorial approach favors accessible knowledge presented in challenging ways. Everyone knows bicycles and horses. Recognizing their shared ridable quality takes an extra step of reasoning.
Breaking Down the Clue Structure
Seven letters: The answer length immediately eliminates shorter options like “mobile” or longer possibilities. Grid constraints matter in crosswords.
Part of speech: The clue describes what something is “like,” requiring an adjective. The answer must modify nouns.
Multiple examples: When a clue lists two or more items, they share a common trait. Find what connects them.
Disparate categories: Pairing a vehicle with an animal signals that category doesn’t matter. Function does.
Solvers stuck on this clue should work the crossing answers first. A few confirmed letters often reveal the pattern, especially with common suffixes like “-able.”
Solving Similar Multiple-Example Clues
These clues appear regularly in the NYT Crossword and other major puzzles. Recognition speeds up solving time.
Identify the connection type: Ask whether the examples share appearance, function, category, or symbolic meaning. This clue uses function.
Consider word formation: Crossword answers frequently use suffixes. If crossing letters give you R-I-D-blank-blank-L-E, the “-able” pattern becomes obvious.
Think broadly: Don’t fixate on surface similarities. A bicycle and horse look nothing alike. What they do matters more than what they are.
Check letter patterns: With partial fills, run through alphabet possibilities. RIDABLE fits English word patterns better than nonsense combinations.
Ridable in Crossword History
The word appears occasionally in major puzzles but remains less common than standard seven-letter fill. XWordInfo.com, which tracks every NYT Crossword since 1942, shows “ridable” in scattered appearances including an August 30, 2023 puzzle.
That earlier puzzle used “ridable” in a narrative theme where every across entry told a story. Solvers and commentators noted the word felt forced in that context, unlike Lieberman’s cleaner application.
The August 2025 puzzle achieved a 51.6 percentile freshness score according to XWordInfo metrics. The grid used 22 of 26 letters, skipping only J, Q, X, and Z. Constructor comments didn’t address specific clue choices, focusing instead on the broader corporate merger theme.
What Makes a Good Crossword Clue
Lieberman’s “like a bicycle or a horse” demonstrates several principles that separate strong clues from weak ones.
Fairness: Both examples are universally known. No obscure knowledge required.
Precision: The answer fits exactly without stretching definitions or relying on slang.
Misdirection: The clue makes solvers work without being unfair. Pairing a vehicle and animal creates just enough confusion to be satisfying when solved.
Clean language: No tortured phrasing or grammatical gymnastics. The clue reads naturally.
Shortz has discussed his editing philosophy in interviews over three decades. He wants puzzles that challenge without alienating. This clue hits that balance.
The Bigger Picture
Crossword construction has evolved significantly since the first NYT puzzle appeared in 1942. Modern constructors face higher standards for fill quality, thematic consistency, and clue creativity.
A clue like “like a bicycle or a horse” wouldn’t have worked in earlier eras when crosswords relied more heavily on straightforward definitions. Contemporary puzzles reward lateral thinking and pattern recognition.
The rise of crossword apps and online solving communities has raised the skill level of average solvers. Constructors respond by crafting clues that satisfy both newcomers and veterans. Multi-example clues serve this purpose well because they scale in difficulty based on solver experience.
Someone seeing this clue type for the first time might struggle. A regular solver recognizes the pattern immediately and moves to the next challenge. That range keeps Sunday puzzles accessible while maintaining depth.
Why RIDABLE Stuck With Solvers
After the August 2025 puzzle ran, solving forums and social media lit up with discussions about specific clues. “Like a bicycle or a horse” earned mentions for its clean construction and satisfying “aha moment.”
The clue works because it respects solver intelligence. It doesn’t hand you the answer. It gives you the tools and trusts you to make the connection. When that mental click happens, the satisfaction is real.
That’s what keeps people coming back to crosswords. Not the easy fills, but the moments when seemingly unrelated pieces suddenly align into a coherent answer. A bicycle and a horse have nothing to do with each other until you realize they both share one simple quality: you can ride them.
Understanding that connection doesn’t just solve one clue. It teaches you how to approach hundreds of similar puzzles. And in crosswords, pattern recognition beats raw knowledge every time.
