You're staring at the grid. The coffee is getting cold, and that one pesky corner in the Tuesday New York Times or the LA Times puzzle is refusing to budge. You see it: show up crossword clue. It looks simple. It’s a common phrase. But in the world of professional constructors like Will Shortz or Patti Varol, "show up" is a linguistic chameleon. It could be a four-letter verb, a ten-letter idiom, or a slangy jab.
Crosswords are basically a game of synonyms and context. When a clue is as vague as "show up," the constructor is usually trying to trip you up by playing with different parts of speech. Are you arriving at a party? Are you outshining a rival? Or is an object physically appearing out of thin air? Getting this right depends entirely on the letter count and the surrounding "crosses."
Why Show Up Crossword Clue Is Harder Than It Looks
Context is king. Honestly, the English language is a mess of phrasal verbs, and "show up" is one of the biggest offenders. Most solvers immediately think of "arrive." That’s a solid bet. But if the grid asks for five letters, "arrive" doesn't fit. You start sweating.
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Maybe the answer is ARISE. Or OCCUR. If you're looking at a Sunday sized puzzle, the constructor might be getting fancy. They might want MATERIALIZE. That’s the beauty—and the absolute frustration—of these puzzles. You have to think about the intent of the person who wrote the clue. Was it a Monday puzzle meant for a quick solve over breakfast, or a Saturday beast designed to make you question your vocabulary?
Actually, let's look at the most common answers that pop up in the major syndicates.
The Heavy Hitters: Common 4 and 5 Letter Answers
If you have four letters, the most frequent answer for a show up crossword clue is COME. It’s blunt. It’s simple. It’s also a bit of a "filler" word that constructors use to connect more interesting long-form answers. Another four-letter option is TURN, as in "turn up."
Moving to five letters, we see ATTEND quite often. But wait, that's six letters. My bad. For five letters, you're usually looking at APPEAR. No, that's six too. See? This is how it goes. For five, think ARISE or ADMIT (as in "show up" a mistake, though that's rare). Actually, the most common five-letter "show up" variant is actually EXPOSE. If you show someone up, you're exposing their flaws.
Shaming and Outshining: The Competitive Angle
Sometimes "show up" doesn't mean arriving at all. It means dominance. It's that feeling when your neighbor buys a slightly better lawnmower just to one-up you.
In crossword land, this often leads to the answer OUTDO.
It’s a classic. Short, vowel-heavy, and fits perfectly into tight corners of the grid. If the clue has a slightly more aggressive tone—maybe something like "Show up, in a way"—you might be looking at SHAME or BEST. There is a certain smugness inherent in these answers. You aren't just appearing; you are making sure everyone knows you're the best in the room.
The Long Game: When the Answer is a Phrase
Every now and then, you’ll hit a themed puzzle where the answer is a multi-word phrase. These are the ones that usually appear in the Wall Street Journal or the Universal Crossword.
- MAKE AN APPEARANCE (15 letters) - The holy grail of long answers.
- PUT TO SHAME (10 letters) - Often used when the clue implies a comparison.
- TURN UP (6 letters) - Simple, but frequent.
- BE THERE (7 letters) - Very conversational.
If you see a clue like "Fail to show up," the answer is almost always NO SHOW or JILT. But we're talking about actually showing up here. The nuance matters. A clue that says "Show up at the last minute" might lead you toward PULL IN or ARRIVE.
Breaking Down the "New York Times" Style
The NYT has a specific vibe. Under the editorship of Will Shortz, the clues often involve puns or "misdirection." If you see a question mark at the end of the clue, like "Show up?", be careful. That question mark is a warning. It means the answer isn't literal.
It might be a pun on a "show" (like a Broadway production) "upping" its prices. Or it could refer to a "show-up" (a lineup at a police station). In that case, the answer might be LINEUP. Always, always look for that punctuation. It’s the difference between a five-minute solve and a thirty-minute headache.
Tools of the Trade for Struggling Solvers
Look, nobody is a human dictionary. Even the pros use tools. If you’re stuck on a show up crossword clue, there are a few ways to break the deadlock without "cheating" too hard.
- Check the Crosses: This is obvious, but people forget it when they’re frustrated. If you have the "show up" clue at 22-Across, solve 14-Down and 15-Down first. Getting just one or two letters—especially a rare letter like a K or a V—will narrow your options instantly.
- Part of Speech Match: If the clue is "Shows up," the answer must end in an S (like APPEARS or COMES). If the clue is "Showed up," look for an -ED ending (like ATTENDED or ARRIVED).
- The Database Approach: Websites like Crossword Tracker or Rex Parker’s blog are goldmines. They archive decades of puzzles. You’ll quickly realize that certain constructors have "pet" answers for specific clues.
Why We Care About This One Clue
It seems trivial, right? It’s just a word. But for those of us who do the puzzle every morning, it’s about the flow. A "show up" clue is often a "pivot" point in a grid. It’s the word that bridges the difficult upper-right quadrant with the easier middle section. When you crack it, the rest of the puzzle often falls like dominos.
There's also the psychological element. We've all had those days where we feel like we didn't "show up" for ourselves. Solving it in a puzzle—finding that perfect synonym—is a tiny, microscopic victory over the chaos of language. It's satisfying. It’s why we keep buying the Sunday paper even though the ink gets on our fingers.
A Quick Cheat Sheet for Modern Puzzles
If you're currently stuck, here is a quick list of what "show up" usually translates to in modern grids, categorized by length:
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4 Letters: COME, BEST, TURN, GATE (as in gatecrash).
5 Letters: OUTDO, ARISE, SHAME, OCCUR.
6 Letters: ARRIVE, APPEAR, ATTEND, EXPOSE.
7 Letters: BE THERE, SURGEON (rare, but happens in medical-themed puzzles), PRESENT.
8+ Letters: MATERIALIZE, MAKE THE SCENE, ONE-UPPED.
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The Strategy for Your Next Puzzle
Next time you see this clue, don't just write in "ARRIVE" in pen. Use a pencil. Look at the surrounding clues. Is there a "Z" nearby? Maybe it's MATERIALIZE. Is the puzzle particularly snarky? It’s probably OUTDO.
The real trick is to stop thinking about the word "show" and start thinking about the action. Visualize someone arriving. Visualize someone being embarrassed. Visualize a ghost appearing. Once you have the mental image, the word usually follows.
Crosswords aren't just about what you know; they're about how you think. "Show up" is the perfect example of a clue that tests your flexibility. If you're too rigid, you'll fail. If you're open to the idea that "show up" could mean anything from "showing a movie" to "showing off," you'll fill that grid in no time.
Now, take another look at those blank squares. If you have an "O" and a "D," it's almost certainly OUTDO. If you have an "A" and an "R," go with APPEAR.
Actionable Steps for Solvers:
- Scan the Tense: Always match the suffix (-ed, -s, -ing) of the clue to the answer.
- Check for Puns: If there's a question mark, throw the literal definition out the window.
- Use Crosses: Solve the vertical clues sharing letters with the horizontal "show up" clue to lock in the vowels.
- Vary Your Perspective: Switch between the "arrive" definition and the "surpass" definition if you get stuck.