81 Across

NYT Daily • August 24, 2025

If FORD & WALGREENS merged and became a landscaping company, they would sell ___

Answer:

FLOWERGARDENS

Hint:

Think of a blooming business name combining a car pioneer and a pharmacy chain’s green thumb.

Explanation:

This clue plays on combining the names of two well-known brands, Ford (the car company) and Walgreens (the pharmacy chain), to create a new hybrid business. By taking "FORD" and "WALGREENS," you merge parts of their names—specifically "FLOW" from Walgreens (sounding like "flower") and "GARDENS" from Ford (imagining "Ford" as a play on "forward," but here just using the "G" sound). The result is "FLOWERGARDENS," a fitting product for a landscaping company formed by their fictional merger.

More Clues from This Puzzle

11 Across

3 letters

Educational advertisement, for short

14 Across

4 letters

Farm-related prefix

18 Across

5 letters

Ding-dong ditch, e.g.

20 Across

6 letters

Bitter Italian digestif