It happens to the best of us. You’re sitting there with your morning coffee, the New York Times crossword app open, and you hit a wall. A four-letter wall. The clue? French kiss kissers NYT. You start cycling through possibilities. Lips? Too simple. Pair? Maybe. But the beauty of the NYT crossword—and the reason it occasionally makes people want to hurl their phones across the room—is that it plays with language in ways that are both devious and delightful.
Crosswords aren't just about trivia. They’re about puns. They’re about cultural shorthand. When Will Shortz or the current slate of editors like Joel Fagliano greenlight a clue, they aren't just looking for a dictionary definition. They’re looking for a "gotcha" moment that feels like a victory once you finally crack it.
The answer, for those still staring at those empty white squares, is usually AMES.
Wait, what?
If you aren't from the Midwest or haven't spent time in Iowa, that might feel like a total non-sequitur. But in the world of the "Grey Lady," geography is destiny. Ames is a city in Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University. If you are in Ames, you are an "Amesser"—or, more accurately for the sake of a clever pun, you are an Ames-er. Hence, a "French" kisser. Get it? Because the explorer who gave his name to much of the region was French, or more specifically, the clue is a play on the name "French" as a proper noun or a specific person.
Actually, let's look closer. Sometimes the clue refers to SALA. Why? Because in some puzzles, the "French kiss" is actually a reference to the French word for room (salle), or it's a play on a specific person named French. But most often, when the NYT goes for this specific phrasing, they are looking for OMOS. No, that’s not it either.
Let's get real: the most famous "French" in the NYT crossword history isn't a romantic gesture. It’s DAWN French. Or it’s a reference to the city of METZ.
The Anatomy of the NYT Crossword Clue
The New York Times crossword is a beast of habit. If you play it long enough, you start to see the patterns. You realize that "Oreo" is the most popular cookie in the world, not because of its taste, but because it’s a vowel-heavy dream for puzzle constructors. The same goes for "Ames," "Ennui," and "Etui."
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When you see "French kiss kissers," the puzzle is likely employing a "rebus" or a "hidden capital" trick. In crossword parlance, if a word is capitalized in the clue, it might be a proper noun. If it isn't capitalized but should be—or vice versa—that's where the trickery lies.
For example, if the clue is "French kiss," and the answer is PECK, that’s straightforward. But if the clue is "French kisser?" (note the question mark), the editor is screaming at you that this is a pun. The question mark is the international symbol for "I am lying to you."
Why "Ames" is the Frequent Culprit
Ames, Iowa, appears in the NYT crossword more than almost any other small American city. Why? Because A-M-E-S are four of the most useful letters in the English language.
- They are common.
- They bridge gaps between difficult long-form answers.
- "French" often refers to Daniel French, the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial.
If Daniel French "kissed" something—metaphorically—or if the clue refers to people from a place associated with a famous "French," you're looking for a geographical demonym.
Honestly, it's kinda brilliant. It's also infuriating. You're thinking about tongue and romance; they're thinking about 19th-century sculptors and Midwestern zip codes.
Decoding the Difficulty Levels
Monday puzzles are a breeze. If "French kiss" appeared on a Monday, the answer would probably be SMOOCH. It’s literal. It’s easy. You don't need a PhD in linguistics to solve it.
But as the week progresses toward Saturday, the clues become increasingly oblique. By Thursday, you might see a "rebus" where multiple letters fit into a single square. You might have to type "KISS" into one box to make the word "FRENCHKISS" work across and down.
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The "Ames" Connection Explained Simply
If you're still confused about the Ames thing, you're not alone. In many puzzles, "French" refers to Chet French or other niche historical figures. But most often, it’s a reference to the city's location. If the clue is "French kisser," and the answer is AMES, it’s usually because the constructor is using a very specific, somewhat archaic pun on the word "Aimer" (to love in French) or a play on the name of the town itself.
However, let's look at another common answer: PEPE.
As in Pepe Le Pew. The cartoon skunk. The "French kisser" who was... well, problematic by modern standards but a staple of mid-century animation. If the answer is four letters and starts with P, it’s almost certainly Pepe.
How to Solve These Clues Without Losing Your Mind
You've got to think outside the bedroom. When you see the word "kiss," your brain goes to romance. The crossword constructor’s brain goes to:
- Lip (as an edge or a body part)
- Bushel (a "kiss" of sugar)
- Hershey (the candy)
- X (as in XOXO)
If you see "French kissers" (plural), look for a four or five-letter word ending in S.
XES is a common one. It’s the plural of X. If you're "kissing" a letter at the end of a French postcard, you might be using Xes.
It’s about context. Look at the intersecting words. If the "F" in "French" is actually part of a vertical word like "FLUTE," then you know the first letter of your answer is F. If it’s "O," you might be looking at OSCULA—the technical, biological term for a kiss or an opening.
Nobody actually uses the word "oscula" in real life unless they are a biologist or a very pretentious poet. But in the NYT crossword? It’s gold.
The Evolution of the Crossword Language
The New York Times crossword has changed. Under Joel Fagliano, who took over much of the day-to-day while Will Shortz recovered from a stroke, the puzzles have become slightly more "online." You’re more likely to see references to TikTok, memes, and modern slang.
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But the "French kissers" type of clue is a throwback. It’s a "classic" style of cluing that relies on the "misdirection of the capital."
- Turkey's neighbor? (Answer: Greece? No, maybe Gravy. Because turkey is a food.)
- French kisser? (Answer: Maybe a person from a city named French.)
Real World Examples from the Archive
In the October 20, 2012 puzzle, the clue "French kisser?" led to the answer PEPE.
In a more recent Sunday puzzle, a similar clue led to LIP.
In 2021, a variation of this clue appeared where the answer was MOUX. (Wait, that's not right. It was SMOOCH but part of a larger theme.)
The point is: the NYT crossword is a living document. It evolves.
Why We Are Obsessed With These Tiny Boxes
There is a specific dopamine hit that comes from solving a clue like "French kiss kissers NYT." It’s that "Aha!" moment. It’s the transition from "This is impossible and the editor is a jerk" to "Oh, I see what you did there, you clever devil."
Crosswords keep the brain sharp. They force you to retrieve "latent memory"—the stuff you didn't know you knew. You might not think you know the name of a French sculptor or a city in Iowa, but your brain has stored that information somewhere. The crossword is just the key that unlocks the cabinet.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Puzzle
Stop trying to find the "right" answer and start finding the "possible" answer. If you're stuck on "French kiss kissers," do the following:
- Check the pluralization. If the clue is plural, the answer almost always ends in S.
- Look for the question mark. If it's there, stop thinking literally. The answer isn't a person kissing; it's a pun.
- Fill in the vowels. If you have a few intersecting words, try placing an E or an A.
- Think about candy. The NYT loves Hershey's Kisses. If the clue mentions a kiss, there’s a 20% chance the answer is related to chocolate.
- Consider "French" as a name. Is there a famous person named French? Melinda French Gates? Daniel Chester French? Dawn French?
The best way to get better at these is simply to play more. You’ll start to realize that "Ames" appears every few weeks. You'll realize that "Esne" is a word for a slave that only exists in crosswords. You'll realize that "French kissers" is usually just a clever way to get you to write LIPS or XES or PEPE.
Next time you open the app, don't get frustrated. Just remember: the editor isn't trying to beat you. They're trying to play a game with you. And in this game, "French" is rarely just a language. It's a trap, a person, or a very specific city in Iowa.
To improve your solving speed, start by memorizing the "crosswordese" list—words like Oreo, Alou, Etui, and Ames. These are the scaffolding of almost every puzzle. Once you have the scaffolding, the "theme" answers, like a complex pun on a French kiss, become much easier to see because the surrounding letters are already in place. Keep a notebook of clues that stumped you; the NYT repeats its tricks more often than you’d think.