36 Down

NYT Daily ? September 26, 2025

Problem for someone who's pushing 90, say

Answer:

SPEEDGUN

Hint:

This tool might be tricky to handle if your reflexes aren’t what they used to be—it’s often found in competitive shooting matches.

Explanation:

This clue plays on the phrase "pushing 90," which usually means nearing 90 years old—but here, it hints at pushing a speed gun (like a radar gun) to measure how fast something’s moving. The word "problem" suggests the gun might be malfunctioning or giving trouble, making "SPEEDGUN" a clever misdirection. It’s a pun mixing age-related slang with a literal object tied to speed.

More Clues from This Puzzle

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Duchess of Sussex beginning in 2018

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Building … or a building material, if you swap its consonants

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General solving tip

'Perhaps,' 'maybe,' or 'e.g.' usually signal an example, not the category name. You're looking for one member of a broader set.

More tips → General Hints