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Every day, the Washington Post Daily Mini Meta Crossword offers a fun challenge to puzzle lovers. If you’re stuck on February 18, 2026’s clues, we’ve got you covered! Below, you’ll find today’s hints and answers to help you quickly finish the puzzle without spoilers. Whether it’s finding the answer for “Where to ‘do one’s business’” or decoding Taylor Swift’s lyric, we make solving simple and enjoyable. Loved today’s puzzle? Be sure to check back daily for fresh hints, answers, and more crossword fun that keeps your brain sharp!

Across

• 1A Where to “do one’s business”: OFFICE
• 4A “This means business” look: GLARE
• 6A “I read you”: ROGER
• 7A More than discomfort: PAIN
• 8A Extremely: VERY

Down

• 1D World capital replaced by Abuja in 1991: LAGOS
• 2D “Just to learn that my dreams ___ rare” (lyric in Taylor Swift’s “You’re on Your Own, Kid”): ARENT
• 3D Extremely: FIRE
• 4D What many pics and vids are shared on, with “the”: GRAM
• 5D iTunes’s eighth notes, e.g.: ICON

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Each day, the USA Today Crossword challenges players with fresh clues that test vocabulary, spelling, and knowledge. If you’re stuck on today’s February 18, 2026 crossword, don’t worry! We’ve gathered all the clues and answers below to help you finish quickly and enjoyably. Whether you need one answer or many, our guide makes it easy to find just what you need without spoilers. USA Today Crossword offers hours of fun for all skill levels. Be sure to check back tomorrow for brand-new hints and solutions to keep your puzzle streak going strong!

Across

• 1A Basics: ABCS
• 5A Title for Imelda Staunton: DAME
• 9A Aleve alternative: ADVIL
• 14A “But I’m a Cheerleader” star DuVall: CLEA
• 15A Societal woes: ILLS
• 16A Slushy wine cocktail: FROSÉ
• 17A Ice hockey venue: ARENA
• 18A Spray bottle output: MIST
• 19A Yogurt-based condiment: RAITA
• 20A Emotionally charged: FRAUGHT
• 22A Somewhat: A TAD
• 23A Store fixture for sale items: BIN
• 26A “Let me think . . .”: ERM
• 27A Tiny bit: IOTA
• 28A “___ mistake. ___. Huge”: BIG BIG
• 31A Florida city on a bay: TAMPA
• 34A ___ Vegas: LAS
• 35A “Ditto!”: SAME
• 36A Genetic initials: DNA
• 37A “Okay, I already know I messed up!”: I GET IT I GET IT
• 41A AC/DC: AC DC
• 43A Loch ___ monster: NESS
• 44A Make things right: AMEND
• 45A Dog with wrinkly skin: SHAR PEI
• 47A Puts up on the wall: HANGS
• 48A Slow, celebratory trips around the bases: HOME RUN TROTS
• 52A 2020 Cardi B hit: WAP
• 53A “Good one!”: HA HA
• 54A Ice dancer Poirier: PAUL
• 58A Swanky: POSH
• 61A “Ratatouille” rat: REMY
• 62A Frozen breakfast brand: EGGO
• 63A The Olympic Review installment: ESSAY
• 64A Cookie that can be customized: OREO
• 65A Hauls: LUGS
• 66A “___ be really nice”: IT’D
• 67A Drop-down list: MENU
• 68A Young lady in Scotland: LASS

Down

• 1D Sharp-smelling: ACRID
• 2D Pancakes often topped with caviar: BLINI
• 3D Pennies: CENTS
• 4D Drinking vessel at a 50-Down bar: RAMEN BOWL
• 5D Har gow, lo mai gai, etc.: DIM SUM
• 6D E.T., for example: ALIEN
• 7D New York Red Bulls org.: MLS
• 8D Numerical guess (Abbr.): EST
• 9D Mali’s continent: AFRICA
• 10D Took a few sips: DRANK
• 11D Null’s partner: VOID
• 12D Analogy words: IS TO
• 13D Part of an autumn pile: LEAF
• 21D Wanderer: ROAMER
• 22D Panko chicken dish: KATSU
• 24D Leans to one side: LISTS
• 25D Bellows like Alex in “Madagascar”: ROARS
• 28D What’s relayed in a relay: BATON
• 29D Chatting via WhatsApp, e.g.: IMING
• 30D They determine hair color…: GENES
• 31D Computer folder for unwanted emails: SPAM
• 32D Dried poblano: ANCHO
• 33D Palindromic term of address: MADAM
• 35D Old-fashioned phrase meaning “Relax!”: STAY COOL
• 38D Do better than: OUTDO
• 39D No, in German: NEIN
• 40D Thai currency: BAHT
• 42D Very short hairstyle: PIXIE
• 46D Sought divine guidance, e.g.: PRAYED
• 49D “And ___ you have it!”: THERE
• 50D Soup with a tonkotsu variety: RAMEN
• 51D “Stahhhp”: UGUGH
• 55D ___ fresca: AGUA
• 56D Fleece-lined boots: UGGS
• 57D Defeat: LICK
• 58D Be a good match: FIT
• 59D Fireplace residue: ASH
• 60D Code-cracking org.: NSA
• 61D ___-com: ROM

Theme Explanation

Today’s theme features phrases where a word is repeated for emphasis:

• BIG BIG (28A)
• I GET IT I GET IT (37A)
• HOME RUN TROTS (48A – emphasizing the “trips”)

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The LA Times Crossword offers a fun, daily challenge for all puzzle lovers. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned solver, today’s clues might stump you — but don’t worry! Below, you’ll find helpful hints and answers for the February 18, 2026 puzzle to boost your solving progress. From tricky across clues like “__ Secretary” to down clues about a “Feline chorus,” we’ve got you covered. If you get stuck, just scroll through the list to find the exact answers you need, without spoiling other parts.

Check back daily for fresh hints and answers to keep your puzzle streak going strong!

Across

• 1A “___ Secretary”: Téa Leoni drama: MADAM
• 6A Sound effect made with coconut shells: CLOP
• 10A Toy with a tail: KITE
• 14A Horace composition: ODE
• 15A “Houdini” singer Dua: LIPA
• 16A 2017 Tony winner “Come From ___”: AWAY
• 17A “… and anything else that might come up”: ET CETERA
• 19A Hon: DEAR
• 20A “Second oboe, play the right notes this time!,” e.g.: MIND YOUR PITCHES
• 22A Sneaky: SLY
• 23A Blood: KIN
• 24A Ashram figure: GURU
• 26A “Sing your solo correctly for once!,” e.g.: WATCH YOUR TONE
• 31A “Gnossiennes” composer: SATIE
• 34A Take a chance: RISK
• 35A Online marketing strategy, for short: SEO
• 36A Count in the cereal aisle: CHOCULA
• 39A “Girl With a Pearl Earring” painter: VERMEER
• 41A ___ Lingus: AER
• 42A Invalidate: UNDO
• 44A Like a dive bar: SEEDY
• 45A “Perform the music as written! No sharps or flats!,” e.g.: DON’T BE SHARP
• 49A Lavish love (on): DOTE
• 50A Graphic opening?: OREO (A play on “Oreo-graphic” vs Orographic)
• 51D Check out: SCAN
• 54A “You must!,” or how a demanding conductor would interpret 20-, 26-, and 45-Across: FOLLOW THE SCORE
• 59A Coil in a garden: HOSE
• 61A Worker who tracks transactions: BOOKIE
• 62A The America’s Cup, for one: REGATTA
• 63A Sea eagle: ERNE
• 64A Signals from space, perhaps: PINGS
• 65A Dumpster fire: MESS
• 66A Mary ___ Lincoln: TODD
• 67A Hospital employee: NURSE

Down

• 1D Feline chorus: MEOWS
• 2D National Scrabble Day month: APRIL
• 3D Soft and fluffy: DOWNY
• 4D Med. condition treated with Ritalin: ADHD
• 5D Medieval fair quaff: MEAD
• 6D Healing character class in D&D: CLERIC
• 7D Pepped (up): LIFTED
• 8D Gp. founded in Baghdad: OPEC
• 9D Hair line?: PART
• 10D Explosive sound: KA-BOOM
• 11D “Lemme look!”: I WANNA SEE
• 12D Open page on a web browser: TAB
• 13D Cornea locale: EYE
• 18D Polynesian carving: TIKI
• 21D Plunge into liquid: IMMERSE
• 25D Gave a leg up to?: UP-ENDED
• 26D The Old ___: London venue: VIC
• 27D Bodies of work: OPERA
• 28D CLE player: CAV
• 29D Mine deposit: ORE
• 30D Flat-bottomed fishing boat: DORY
• 31D Airport security check: SCAN
• 32D Up, in a way: AROUSED
• 33D Giant Galápagos natives: TORTOISES
• 37D Hawaiian for “long”: LOA
• 38D Feel bad: AIL
• 40D Large body of eau: MER
• 43D Backyard feature for a water-loving pup: DOG POOL
• 46D Says out loud: UTTERS
• 47D Stunk: REEKED
• 48D “How To ___ Your Diary”: HIDE
• 51D Bygone Dodge two-seater: OMNI
• 52D Levels: RAZES
• 53D Hardly rambling: TERSE
• 55D Skeptical scoff: PSHAW
• 56D ___ reflex: infant’s response: MORO
• 57D Millennia upon millennia: EONS
• 58D Online discount marketplace: TEMU
• 59D Haw counterpart: GEE
• 60D Be outstanding: OWE