You’re staring at a grid. It’s probably a Tuesday or a Wednesday, and that one pesky corner just won't click. You see it: strikes out crossword clue. Your brain immediately jumps to baseball. Why wouldn't it? But you count the boxes—three, four, five? It doesn't fit. You try "fanned." Too long. You try "K-ed." Maybe, but it feels like a reach.
Crossword puzzles are basically psychological warfare disguised as a morning ritual. Will Shortz and the crew at the New York Times or the folks over at The LA Times love to play with your expectations. They know you're thinking about a pitcher on a mound. They want you to think about sports because that's the most literal interpretation of the phrase. But in the world of cryptic or even standard American crosswords, "strikes out" is a linguistic chameleon.
Sometimes it’s about a literal physical action. Sometimes it’s about a failure. Other times, it’s just about drawing a line through a piece of text. If you've been stuck on this for more than five minutes, you're not failing at English; you're just not thinking like a puzzle constructor yet.
The Most Common Answers for Strikes Out
If you’re looking for the quick fix, let’s talk about the heavy hitters. In a 15x15 grid, "strikes out" usually points toward a few specific words.
ERASES is a huge one. Think about it. When you strike something out on a piece of paper, you're essentially removing it. If the clue is "strikes out," and the answer is five letters, ERASES is a safe bet. But wait. If you’re looking for a three-letter word, you might be dealing with KED. In baseball notation, a strikeout is recorded as a "K." So, to have "struck out" is to have "K-ed." It’s a bit of a crossword-ese staple that annoys purists but shows up constantly.
Then there is DELES. This is the one that trips up people who aren't editors. In proofreading, a "dele" is a mark indicating that something should be deleted. If a proofreader strikes out a word, they "dele" it. It’s a bit old-school, sure. However, crossword constructors love it because it’s a vowel-heavy word that helps them bridge difficult sections of the grid.
Why Your First Instinct Is Probably Wrong
We have a tendency to look for synonyms that match the vibe of the clue rather than the tense. If the clue is "strikes out," the answer must be in the third-person singular present tense.
If the answer you're thinking of is FAILED, you’re already in trouble because the clue wasn't "struck out." Accuracy matters. If the clue is XES, you’re looking at a physical description. When you strike something out on a form, you literally put X’s through it. It’s three letters, it’s common, and it’s a "gotcha" moment for anyone looking for a more complex word.
Actually, let's talk about OFFS. You don't hear people say "he offs the text" very often, but in certain puzzle contexts, to "strike out" or "strike off" can mean to remove from a list. It's rare, but it happens. Honestly, though, if you see three letters and "XES" doesn't work, you might be looking at ADS. Why? Because sometimes the clue is a bit of a pun. "Strikes out" could refer to someone who creates "strikes"—as in labor strikes—which might lead you toward union terminology, though that’s getting into the weeds of "Saturday" difficulty levels.
The Baseball Connection (The Literal Path)
Since baseball is the most common association, constructors lean into it heavily. You have to know the lingo.
- FANS: A pitcher fans a batter. It’s four letters. It’s common. It’s simple.
- KS: Often used as a verb in shorter or more informal puzzles.
- WHIFFS: This is a classic six-letter answer. It captures the sound and the failure perfectly.
- GOESK: A bit more obscure, but it appears in some regional puzzles where they allow for more "clunky" phrasing.
You’ve gotta realize that the person writing these clues is trying to be clever. They aren't your friend. They are a person with a thesaurus and a deadline. If they can make you think of a baseball stadium when the answer is actually about a pencil and an eraser, they’ve won that round.
Dealing With Cryptic Variations
Now, if you’re playing a British-style cryptic crossword, all the rules I just mentioned go right out the window. In a cryptic, "strikes out" could be a "container indicator" or an "anagram indicator."
For example, if the clue is “Strikes out with the rhythm (5),” the answer might be BEATS. Here, "strikes" is the definition, and "out" is just flavor text, or "out" could indicate an anagram of another word nearby. Cryptics are a different beast entirely. You have to look for the "definition" at either the very beginning or the very end of the clue. Everything in the middle is just a wordplay puzzle designed to make you feel slightly less intelligent than you actually are.
Most people struggle with the "hidden in plain sight" clues. If the clue is “Strikes out a line,” the answer could be DELETES. It’s straightforward, yet the "a line" part makes you think of a specific sentence rather than the act of deletion itself.
The Context of the Publication
Where are you solving this?
The New York Times (NYT) has a very specific "voice." If you’re solving an NYT puzzle on a Monday, the answer to strikes out crossword clue is almost certainly going to be ERASES or XESOUT. As the week progresses, the clues get more "punny." By Thursday, "strikes out" might be a clue for PENS, as in "pens a line" (striking a line of ink).
On the other hand, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) loves a good business or labor pun. They might use "strikes out" to refer to someone leaving a job or a union action. If you’re doing the USA Today puzzle, it’s usually more direct. They want you to finish the puzzle during your commute. They aren't trying to ruin your day.
How to Test Your Answer
Before you ink it in (if you're a "solve in pen" bravado type), check the "crosses."
Look at the letters you already have. If you have an E and an S in a five-letter word, ERASES is looking real good. If you have a K, you’re probably in baseball territory.
Another thing: check for plurals. If the clue is "Strikes out," it's a verb. If the clue is "Strikes out, e.g.," the "e.g." means the answer is an example of a strikeout, which could be OUTS or MISSES.
Beyond the Grid: Why This Clue Persists
Why do we keep seeing the same clues? It’s because of the vowels. English is a consonant-heavy language, but crossword grids need vowels to function. Words like ERASE, XES, and DELE are the "glue" of the crossword world. They allow constructors to use more interesting, long-form answers in the other direction.
When you see a word like ERASES, it’s often there so the constructor could fit a 15-letter phrase like "BORN TO BE WILD" at the top of the grid. It’s a trade-off. You get a boring, common clue so you can have a "sparkly" long answer elsewhere.
Understanding this meta-layer of crossword construction makes you a better solver. You start to see the grid not as a series of random questions, but as a balanced architectural structure. The "strikes out" clue is just a small brick in that building.
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Actionable Tips for Future Puzzles
If you want to stop getting hung up on these, you need a strategy. Don't just stare at the white space.
- Count the letters first. This seems obvious, but people get a word in their head and try to force it. If it’s three letters, think KED, XES, or ADS.
- Check the tense. "Strikes" is present tense. "Struck" is past. If the answer is XEDOUT, but the clue was "strikes out," you've got a tense mismatch.
- Think outside the stadium. Move away from the baseball diamond. Think about pens, erasers, proofreading, and labor unions.
- Look for the "e.g." or "maybe." If the clue has a question mark at the end, like “Strikes out?”, the answer is going to be a pun. Maybe it’s GOESFORIT (as in, striking out on a journey).
- Use a solver as a last resort. There is no shame in using a database like Crossword Tracker or Rex Parker’s blog to see how the clue has been used in the past. It’s how you learn the "language" of the constructors.
Crosswords are essentially a vocabulary test mixed with a trivia night, wrapped in a logic puzzle. The "strikes out" clue is a classic because it bridges so many different worlds—sports, editing, and physical action. Next time you see it, don't just think about a pitcher throwing a 98-mph heater. Think about a guy with a red pen in a quiet office, or someone frantically trying to fix a mistake on a crossword grid with a dull eraser.
Basically, the more you play, the more these clues become second nature. You’ll eventually reach a point where you don't even read the whole clue. You'll see "strikes..." and the letter count, and your hand will just start writing. That's the sweet spot. That's when you’ve officially transitioned from a casual solver to a crossword junkie.
Just remember to breathe. It’s only a puzzle. Unless it’s the Saturday NYT, in which case, all bets are off and you’re allowed to be a little frustrated.
Next Steps for Your Solving Game:
Start keeping a "cheat sheet" of common crossword-ese. Whenever you encounter a word like DELE, ETUI, or ARETE, write it down. These are the "filler" words that appear alongside clues like strikes out. Once you master the filler, the rest of the grid starts to reveal itself much faster. Focus on the three and four-letter words this week; they are the keys to unlocking the longer, more satisfying answers.