You’ve been there. It’s a Tuesday morning, or maybe a brutal Saturday, and you’re staring at a row of empty white squares in the New York Times Crossword. The clue reads "Ready to go," and you’ve got four letters. Or maybe five. You punch in PREP. No, that’s not it. SET? Too short. You’re hunting for that specific phrase, ready to go between NYT grids and your own sanity, and honestly, it’s one of those clues that makes you want to toss your phone across the room. Crossword puzzles aren't just about vocabulary; they are about the specific, often weirdly elastic way the NYT editors think.
The New York Times crossword is a beast of its own. It’s a cultural touchstone that has evolved from a simple distraction in 1942 to a high-stakes daily ritual for millions. When you see a clue like "Ready to go," you aren't just looking for a synonym. You’re looking for the specific synonym that fits the constructor's theme, the day of the week, and the surrounding puns. It’s a game of mental gymnastics. Sometimes it’s literal. Sometimes it’s a slang term from 1950. Sometimes it’s a brand name you haven't thought about in a decade.
The Many Faces of Ready to Go in the NYT Crossword
If you're stuck on a "Ready to go" clue right now, the most common answer—the one that appears with frustrating frequency—is SET. But it’s rarely that simple. If the grid requires four letters, you’re likely looking at DONE. Five letters? Try ADEEP (though that’s rare) or RIPEN. If it’s a more modern puzzle, you might see AGOGO.
Wait. Let’s look at the phrasing. "Ready to go" often points toward ALLSET. That’s a classic Shortz-era staple. Will Shortz, the legendary editor who has been at the helm since 1993, loves phrases that bridge the gap between formal English and casual conversation. If you have six letters, ALLSET is almost always your huckleberry.
But what if the clue is a bit more mischievous? What if "go" refers to something else? In the world of crosswords, "go" can mean "to urinate" (rare for the NYT, but it happens in "edgier" indie puzzles), "to depart," or "to function." If the clue is "Ready to go?" with a question mark, the answer might be IDLE, as in a car engine that is running but stationary. That question mark is a warning. It’s the editor’s way of saying, "I’m lying to you, but only a little bit."
Why the Day of the Week Changes Everything
The difficulty of the NYT crossword scales throughout the week. Monday is the easiest; Saturday is the "I need three cups of coffee and a dictionary" level.
On a Monday, "Ready to go" is going to be SET or READY. It’s straightforward. It’s the warm-up lap. By the time you hit Wednesday, the cluing gets "crunchy." Now, "Ready to go" might be clued as ONDECK. This is a baseball reference, but it’s entered the common lexicon to mean anyone who is next in line.
Thursday is where things get weird. Thursday is the day of the "rebus"—where multiple letters might fit into a single square—or some other grid-breaking gimmick. A "Ready to go" clue on a Thursday might actually be part of a larger theme. Maybe the word "GO" is literally missing from the grid, and you have to infer it.
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- Monday/Tuesday: SET, PREP, READY, DONE.
- Wednesday/Thursday: ONDECK, ALLSET, INLINE.
- Friday/Saturday: ARMED, GIRT, POISED.
Notice how the words get more obscure as the week progresses? GIRT is a favorite of Saturday constructors. Nobody says "I am girt for this meeting" in real life unless they are incredibly pretentious or a time-traveler from the 1800s. But in the NYT crossword world? GIRT is king.
The Psychological Toll of the "Almost" Solve
There is a specific kind of frustration that comes with having 95% of a puzzle finished and being stuck on one tiny corner. This is usually where the ready to go between NYT solver and the actual answer meet in a standoff.
You see the letters _ E _ T.
You think: SENT? No.
VEST? Doesn't fit the clue.
NEXT?
"Next" is a brilliant answer for "Ready to go" because it implies a sequence. If you are next, you are ready to go. This is the kind of lateral thinking required. It’s not about the definition; it’s about the context. The NYT crossword is a test of how well you can inhabit the mind of another person—the constructor. People like Robyn Weintraub or Brendan Emmett Quigley have specific "voices" in their puzzles. Weintraub’s puzzles are known for being smooth and conversational, whereas Quigley often leans into rock music and modern slang.
Decoding the Constructor's Intent
To get better at these, you have to realize that constructors use "fillers." These are words that help bridge the gap between the longer, more exciting theme entries. "Ready to go" is a classic filler clue.
If you are seeing the clue "Ready to go" and it has three letters, and SET isn't working, check the cross-references. Is there a clue nearby about a "Starting gun"? If so, the answer is almost certainly ARE. As in: "Ready, ARE you? Set, Go!" It’s a bit of a stretch, but that’s the NYT for you.
Another variation: EAGER. If someone is ready to go, they are eager. It’s a synonym that focuses on the emotional state rather than the physical preparedness.
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Then there’s the technical side. "Ready to go" could mean LIVE. Think of a microphone or a broadcast. If it’s live, it’s ready to go. This is why solvers get stuck; they think of a person standing at a door with their coat on, while the constructor is thinking about a television studio in midtown Manhattan.
Real Examples from Recent Archives
Looking back at the last few years of archives—and yes, serious solvers spend way too much time in the archives—we see some interesting outliers.
- In a 2022 puzzle, the clue was "Ready to go out?" and the answer was SLEEPY. Why? Because when you are sleepy, you are ready to "go out" like a light. That’s the kind of punning that makes people love or hate this hobby.
- In 2023, "Ready to go" for four letters was AMOK. This is a play on "go amok." If you are about to run wild, you are ready to go amok.
- A more standard 2024 entry used AFLOAT. If a ship is ready to go, it is afloat.
Basically, you have to be a detective. You aren't just looking for a word; you're looking for the type of word.
How to Get Better at NYT Crosswords (Without Cheating)
Look, everyone uses Google sometimes. We call it "research" to feel better about ourselves. But if you want to actually improve your game so you don't have to look up ready to go between NYT hints every morning, you need a strategy.
First, stop thinking about the clue in a vacuum. Look at the letters you already have. If you have an "X" or a "Z" nearby, that limits the possibilities for your "Ready to go" answer significantly.
Second, learn the "Crosswordese." There are words that only exist in the world of crosswords. ETUI (a needle case), ALEE (on the sheltered side), and ERNE (a sea eagle). These words are the scaffolding of the puzzle. Once you learn them, the rest of the grid opens up, and you can solve the harder clues like "Ready to go" through the process of elimination.
Third, pay attention to the tense. If the clue is "Readied to go," the answer must be in the past tense, like SETTED (rare) or PREPPED. If the clue is "One who is ready to go," the answer might be GOER or STARTER. The grammar of the clue always matches the grammar of the answer. Always. No exceptions.
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The Evolution of the Clue
In the early days of the NYT puzzle, under Margaret Farrar, clues were much more literal. "Ready to go" would have simply been PREPARED. But as the puzzle became a cultural icon, it had to get smarter. It had to wink at the audience.
The modern puzzle reflects the world around us. "Ready to go" might now lead to UBERED, as in "I have called an Uber and I am ready to go." This movement toward "living language" is what keeps the puzzle relevant, but it's also what makes it harder for people who aren't tuned into current slang or technology.
Honestly, the best way to solve these is to walk away. It sounds counterintuitive. But your brain keeps working on the problem in the background. You go make a sandwich, you come back, and suddenly you realize that "Ready to go" isn't SET... it's GO-BAG. You see the "G" from another word and it clicks.
Final Insights for the Daily Solver
The NYT crossword is a conversation between you and an invisible person who is trying to be just clever enough to frustrate you but not so clever that you quit. When you’re stuck on a clue like "Ready to go," you’re experiencing the core of the hobby. It’s that tension between what you know and what you almost know.
Don't let a four-letter word ruin your morning. Usually, it’s simpler than you think.
Next time you’re staring at that grid, try these steps:
- Check the pluralization. Does the clue imply a plural answer? If it's "Ready to go," probably not. If it's "Those ready to go," look for an 'S' at the end.
- Look for the pun. Is there a "!" or a "?" at the end of the clue? If so, throw out the literal meaning immediately.
- Fill in the surrounding "shorts." Three-letter words are the keys to the kingdom. Get those right, and the long phrases will reveal themselves.
- Say the clue out loud. Sometimes hearing the words helps you catch a double meaning that your eyes missed. "Ready to go" sounds different when you realize "go" could be a noun.
Crosswords are supposed to be fun, even when they’re making you feel like a complete idiot. The "aha!" moment when you finally realize the answer is IN GEAR or RIPENED is worth the ten minutes of staring at a blank screen. Keep at it. Your brain will thank you, eventually.