20 Across
NYT Daily • August 4, 2025
Rotary phone feature
Answer:
DIAL
Hint:
["Think of what you spin to call on an old-fashioned telephone."]
Explanation:
The clue "Rotary phone feature" leads to the answer "DIAL" through a straightforward reference to a characteristic part of a rotary phone. Before the era of digital and push-button phones, rotary phones were common. These phones featured a circular device called a dial, which users would rotate with their finger to input each number when making a call. The dial is an essential and defining feature of a rotary phone, making "DIAL" the correct answer to the clue.