119 Across

NYT Daily • August 3, 2025

"Fire away!"

Answer:

ASKME

Hint:

["Here’s a helpful hint for the clue **\"Fire away!\"** with the answer **\"ASKME\"**:\n\n*\"Permission to inquire? Go ahead!\"*\n\nThis hint gently guides the solver toward the idea of asking questions without directly giving away the answer. It maintains the spirit of the original clue while making it slightly easier to interpret."]

Explanation:

The clue **"Fire away!"** leads to the answer **"ASKME"** through a playful interpretation of the phrase. - **"Fire away!"** is a common idiomatic expression meaning *"go ahead and ask your questions"* or *"start asking me anything."* - The answer **"ASKME"** directly reflects this meaning, as it is a concise way of saying *"ask me your questions."* - The wordplay here is straightforward but clever, as the clue uses a familiar phrase to hint at the answer without any complex cryptic elements. Thus, the connection is based on the idiomatic meaning of the clue rather than any hidden wordplay or puns.