54 Down

NYT Daily ? September 19, 2025

"___ the Man" (2006 film inspired by "Twelfth Night")

Answer:

SHES

Hint:

This romantic comedy stars Amanda Bynes as a girl who disguises herself as her twin brother at his new school, leading to plenty of mistaken identities. Think of the possessive pronoun that fits before "the Man."

Explanation:

This clue references the 2006 modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, where the title plays on the phrase "she’s the man." The blank signals a missing word, and the answer "SHES" fills it to complete the movie’s name. The film’s premise—a girl disguising herself as her twin brother—mirrors the gender-swapping plot of the original play. It’s a straightforward fill-in-the-blank with a nod to Shakespearean comedy.

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General solving tip

Fill-in-the-blank clues want a set phrase or idiom. The crosses usually confirm the exact wording.

More tips → General Hints