You're staring at the grid. The cursor is blinking at you, a tiny, rhythmic pulse of judgment. You've got five letters. The clue is make excited, and honestly, your brain is just cycling through "elate" or "amuse" or some other word that doesn't fit the vibe of a Thursday puzzle. This is the classic New York Times crossword experience. It’s that specific brand of mental friction where the answer is sitting right on the tip of your tongue, but the constructor has wrapped it in enough layers of wordplay that you feel like you’re trying to catch a greased pig.
The NYT crossword isn't just a game; it's a shared cultural language. When Joel Fagliano or Will Shortz greenlight a clue for "make excited," they aren't just looking for a synonym. They are looking for a "puzzly" way to frame a common emotion. Sometimes the answer is ELATE. Other times, if it’s a later-week puzzle, you might be looking for something more colloquial like REED UP or even a slangy HYPE.
The Mechanics of the "Make Excited" Clue
Let’s get into the weeds. If you see "make excited" on a Monday, it’s probably ELATE. Why? Because Mondays are for the ego. They are designed to be solved in under ten minutes over coffee. The synonyms are direct. But as the week crawls toward Saturday, the clues become more devious. A Thursday might use "make excited" as a misdirection for something mechanical or even musical.
Think about the word THRILL. It’s a classic. But what if the clue is "Cause of some chills?" Suddenly, you're thinking about the flu or a drafty window, not excitement. That's the brilliance. The NYT crossword frequently uses "make excited" to lead you toward verbs like ROUSE, STIR, or FIRE UP.
The word SENT is a frequent flier in the NYT grid, often clued through old-school slang. "Make excited, in jazz parlance" or "Sent (into a frenzy)." If you’re a younger solver, you might struggle with these 1940s-era leftovers, but they are the bedrock of the Shortz era. They represent a bridge between the highbrow vocabulary of the 1920s and the punchy, modern vernacular we see today.
Why the NYT Crossword Context Matters
You can't just look at a clue in a vacuum. The NYT is a living organism. It evolves. In the early 2000s, "make excited" might have almost always been ELATE or SEND. Fast forward to 2026, and we’re seeing clues that lean into digital culture. UPTICK might be clued as "make excited, as a market trend," though that’s a bit of a stretch. More likely, you’ll see AGOG. While "agog" is an adjective, the clue "In a state that's excited" often gets shortened in the solver's mind.
The constructor's personality shines through here. Someone like Robyn Weintraub might use a conversational "make excited" clue that feels like a nudge and a wink. Others, like Brendan Emmett Quigley, might go for something edgier.
- ELATE: The bread and butter of the grid. It’s four letters of pure crosswordese. It has three vowels. Vowels are the lifeblood of a constructor.
- STIR: Short, punchy, and often used to describe moving someone's soul or just making them restless.
- AMAIN: You won’t see this often, but when you do, it’s usually in a puzzle that’s trying to be a bit "Ye Olde."
- INFLAME: This one is great because it has a double meaning. It can be physical (ouch) or emotional (excitement/anger).
The difficulty isn't just the word; it's the crossing. If you have "make excited" and the answer is REAR, you're probably looking at a clue about a horse. "Make excited, as a stallion?" That’s the kind of lateral thinking that separates the casual solvers from the people who compete at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) in Stamford.
Breaking Down the Wordplay
Wait, let's look at the "hidden" excitement. Sometimes the crossword doesn't want a verb. It wants a phrase. "Make excited" could be the lead-in to SEND INTO A LATHER. Or GET A RISE OUT OF. These multi-word entries are the meat of the 15x15 grid. They provide the "longs" that hold the puzzle together.
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I remember a puzzle from a few years back where the clue was simply "Stir." The answer was WHIP INTO A FRENZY. It was a beautiful 15-letter span. It was elegant. It was frustrating. It was perfect.
If you're stuck on a "make excited" clue right now, look at the suffixes. Is it "makes excited"? Then you need an 'S' at the end of your verb. Is it "making excited"? Get ready for that 'ING'. It sounds basic, but in the heat of a timed solve, these are the details that vanish from your mind.
The NYT crossword has a "house style." It’s sophisticated but not stuffy. It’s "The Gray Lady," but she’s wearing sneakers. This means the clues for "make excited" will rarely be vulgar, but they can be surprisingly modern. You might see a clue referencing a viral moment or a specific meme if the constructor is feeling particularly "with it."
Common Fill for "Make Excited"
You’ve got to learn the "crosswordese." These are the words that show up because they have useful letters, not because we use them in daily conversation.
ELATE is the king. It is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the "make excited" clues. It shows up hundreds of times. If you have E_A_E, just type it in. Don't even think.
UPKEEP? No. UPEND? Maybe. UPSET? That’s the opposite.
How about WIND UP? "Make excited or nervous." This is a classic Thursday/Friday trap. It’s two words, but in the grid, it’s just WINDUP. Without the space, your brain sees "win-dup" and you short-circuit. You start looking for a word that starts with "win" and ends with "dup." There are no words that end with "dup" in common English. You’re lost. You’re staring at the screen. You’re questioning your college degree. Then, pop. You see it. Wind-up. You’re back in the game.
The Psychology of the Solve
There is a hit of dopamine when you crack a clue like this. It’s why people do the puzzle every single day. The "Aha!" moment isn't just a cliché; it’s a neurological event. When you translate "make excited" into FIRE UP, your brain rewards you. It’s a tiny victory against a nameless, faceless constructor who was trying to outsmart you.
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Many people think crosswords are about knowing facts. They aren't. They’re about knowing how people think about facts. It’s a study in linguistics and psychology. When you see "make excited," you have to ask: "What does this specific constructor want from me?"
- Are they being literal?
- Are they using a metaphor?
- Is this a pun?
- Is it a "sounds like" clue?
If the clue is "Make excited? (6 letters)," and there’s a question mark, the answer might be THRILL. But the question mark usually indicates a pun. Maybe it’s CHARGES, as in "electrically charges."
Honestly, the best way to get better at this is just volume. Solve the archives. Go back to the early 2010s. See how the clues have shifted. You’ll notice that "make excited" used to be much more formal. Nowadays, it’s looser. It’s more kinetic.
Strategic Tips for Solving
Don't let a "make excited" clue ruin your streak. If you’re genuinely stuck, look at the crossings. The vowels in ELATE or REED (as in "reed up") are usually easy to spot because they are common in other words.
Watch for the Tense
If the clue is "Made excited," your answer almost certainly ends in ED. ELATED, STIRRED, FIRED UP. This is the first thing you should check. It narrows your options by about 80%.
Check the Parts of Speech
"Make excited" is a verb phrase. The answer must be a verb. If the clue is "Very excited," that's an adjective, and you're looking for AGOG, KEEN, or ELATED. Note the overlap! ELATED can be the past tense verb (He elated the crowd) or the adjective (He was elated). The NYT loves these "swing" words.
The "Hidden" Excitement
Sometimes "make excited" is part of a larger theme. If the theme is "Electrifying," the answer might be SHOCK or JOLT. Always keep the theme in the back of your mind. If it’s a Sunday puzzle, the theme is everything.
Real World Examples from the Archives
In 2022, a Tuesday puzzle used "Make excited" for THRILL. Simple. Direct.
In 2019, a Friday used "Make very excited" for SEND. That’s a bit tougher because "send" is such a versatile word. It could mean "mail" or "dispatch."
In 2015, we saw "Make excited, in a way" for HYPNOTIZE. Now that’s a deep cut. It’s not a direct synonym, but in the context of a "trance-like excitement," it works.
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You see the pattern? The further you get from Monday, the more "in a way" or "perhaps" gets tacked onto the end of the clue. These are the constructor's "get out of jail free" cards. They allow for loose definitions that would otherwise be rejected by the editorial team.
The crossword is a conversation between you and the editor. Will Shortz has a very specific "voice." He likes cleverness, but he hates unfairness. If a "make excited" clue feels impossible, it’s probably because you’re looking at it too literally. Step back. Take a breath. Look at the grid as a whole.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Solve
To truly master these types of clues, you need a system. Don't just guess.
- Count the letters immediately. Three letters? Try AMP (as in "amp up"). Four? STIR or SEND. Five? ELATE.
- Verify the crossings. If the third letter of your five-letter word is 'A', ELATE is looking very good. If it's 'I', maybe it's STIM (short for stimulate, though rare).
- Read the room. Is the rest of the puzzle using slang? If you've already filled in BAE or YEET, then "make excited" is likely HYPE.
- Use the "Sigh" Test. If you fill in a word and it makes you sigh with relief because it finally makes the surrounding words work, it’s probably right. Crosswords have a certain "click" when the letters fit perfectly.
The "make excited" NYT crossword clue is a microcosm of the whole game. It’s a blend of vocabulary, logic, and a little bit of intuition. Next time you see it, don't panic. Just remember that the answer is usually simpler than you think, buried under a layer of clever phrasing.
Stop overthinking the "dictionary" definition. Start thinking about how people actually talk. Start thinking about how words feel. A "thrill" feels different than being "elated." Being "sent" feels different than being "stirred." The NYT knows this. Now you do too.
Get back to the grid. That 14-across isn't going to solve itself. If you're still stuck, walk away for ten minutes. Your subconscious is better at crosswords than your conscious mind is. It'll chew on "make excited" while you’re making a sandwich, and when you sit back down, ELATE will be staring you in the face.
The beauty of the NYT puzzle is that it teaches you to be comfortable with ambiguity. It teaches you that "excited" can mean a dozen different things depending on who’s asking. That’s a pretty good lesson for life, too, not just for a hobby you do on the train.
Keep your pencil sharp, or your screen bright. The next puzzle is always just a few hours away. Each one is a chance to refine your internal dictionary. Each "make excited" clue you crack makes the next one that much easier. You aren't just solving a puzzle; you're learning the rhythm of the language.