It’s Saturday, September 20, and the weekend stretches ahead. Today, The Atlantic Games is here to challenge you with puzzles designed to keep your mind sharp while giving you the perfect excuse to unwind. Looking to start? Click here. And if a clue proves too stubborn, the answers are waiting just below.
The Atlantic Fluxis Solution for September 20, 2025
Today’s Fluxis puzzle once again brings a rewarding experience. All you have to do is spot the pattern, connect each new word according to the categories, and before long, the whole grid clicks into place.
Don’t worry, if you are struggling, here’s a step-by-step solution to ease you into this puzzle:
Today’s base word is: BUFFER
Here’s how the chain of words builds from it:
Category 1 – Adjectives: BUFFER
Category 2 – 8 letters: BUFFERED
Category 3 – No repeated letters: REDUB (taking RED from BUFFERED, and since we have to connect the circuit, ending with B from BUFFER).
The Atlantic Crossword Solution for September 20, 2025
Today’s Crossword puzzle stretches out into a 17×15 grid. It’s no quick break-time solve, but once you settle in, you’ll find it’s packed with wit, variety, and a payoff that makes the longer journey worth it.
Still stumped? Here’s today’s solution:
Across:
1 Circuits around a track – LAPS
5 Word after vocal or motor – TIC
8 Fleeting things – WISPS
13 Food that may be breaded and fried – OKRA
14 Org. whose minimum age for membership is 18, somewhat surprisingly – AARP
15 Craft-store purchase, perhaps – ARTSET
17 Something that can indicate the presence of a disease in the body -BIOMARKER
19 Connection that might be forbidden – LIAISON
21 Carry out – ENFORCE
22 Crafter’s site – ETSY
23 Bit of equipment at a rock concert, for short – AMP
24 Psychiatrist who identified a “peculiar disease” linked to dementia – ALOISALZHEIMER
28 “_ / ” (options on a “Do you like me?” note, maybe) – YESNO
31 Genre for Krewella and Marshmello – EDM
32 A deer, a female deer – DOE
33 Astronaut Jeanette , who recently spent 235 days in space – EPPS
34 Qasida or villanelle – POEM
36 Owners of “Hers” and “Theirs” towels, perhaps – SPOUSES
40 Wreath usually composed of flowers – LEI
41 Mental process associated with memory and thinking – COGNITION
43 Title role for Sandra – EVE
44 Covers for nibs – PENCAPS
46 Rave partner? – RANT
47 Detach from a source of dependence – WEAN
48 Frequent subject of Andy Warhol paintings – CAN
49 Tank or tub, maybe – VAT
50 “Oh, really? I noticed.” – HADNT
51 Buildups that can disrupt communication between neurons – AMYLOIDPLAQUES
57 Campaign-funding org. – PAC
58 Poems of praise – ODES
59 On the __ (above board) – UPANDUP
63 Dungeons & Dragons class based on a feudal archetype – PALADIN
65 One of the methods for identifying a 17-Across of Alzheimer’s disease – BLOODTEST
67 Wine variety maligned by a character in the 2004 film Sideways – MERLOT
68 Knitting material – YARN
69 Dough used for some tortillas and pupusas – MASA
70 Anxiety-inducing note to receive from a teacher – SEEME
71 Letters that might be sent to a late date – ETA
72 Messes up – ERRS
Down:
1 Brain section – LOBE
2 Related – AKIN
3 Supervisor for a TA – PROF
4 Apia residents – SAMOANS
5 Star Trek actor George – TAKEI
6 Anger – IRE
7 Emergency procedure that should be performed at 100–120 bpm – CPR
8 Ballroom dance that should be performed at 84–90 bpm – WALTZ
9 Word before wolfhound or setter – IRISH
10 Didn’t hang up – STAYEDON
11 Letters on the side of a bike tire – PSI
12 Tidbit on an everything bagel, typically – SESAMESEED
14 Using the bow, in music – ARCO
16 Hefty book – TOME
18 Singer Parks or Guthrie – ARLO
20 Life Kit broadcaster – NPR
22 Dutch _ disease (tree affliction) – ELM
25 “I feel so ” – SEEN
26 Naval rank equivalent to Army general – ADMIRAL
27 Letters from a debtor – IOU
28 Site with multiple one-star reviews of the Grand Canyon – YELP
29 Fencing implement similar to a foil – EPEE
30 Washing-machine steps after rinses – SPINCYCLES
34 Soda – POP
35 Old-school hip-hop legends, maybe – OGS
36 Moral failing – SIN
37 Weed – POT
38 True Blood actor Rachel Wood – EVAN
39 Label on an email outbox – SENT
41 Cuddle amorously – CANOODLE
42 “Toodle-oo!” – TATA
45 Stanford rival, for short – CAL
47 “I didn’t do it!” – WASNTME
49 High-level execs – VPS
50 Body part used for nodding – HEAD
51 Icon of the small screen? – APP
52 Polite term for a woman – MAAM
53 “In one ear and out the other,” say – IDIOM
54 Al (state of pasta cookery) – DENTE
55 Meeting minima – QUORA
56 Come __ (encounter) – UPON
60 Letter opener, maybe? – DEAR
61 Space Race participant: abbr. – USSR
62 Orgs. that may host book fairs – PTAS
64 Verb sometimes abbreviated to just its middle letter – ARE
65 “Toodle-oo!” – BYE
66 Muscle below a trap – LAT
The Atlantic Stacks Solution for September 20, 2025
Today’s Stacks puzzle is challenging you to craft five new words from five given words. It’s clever, addictive, and one wrong move can topple the whole tower.
The complete words from bottom to top are LEAPFROG, PIGEON, GOALIE, ABODE, and TOUR.
To get these words, follow these exact steps:
The Atlantic Bracket City Solution for September 20, 2025
Today’s Bracket City puzzle is also all about easygoing trivia and wants you to enjoy your weekend. Just remember to keep your cool, nail the spelling, and you’ll cruise to victory.
Here’s today’s solution if you are having issues:
[“__ and ye shall find”] – SEEK
[hider’s hoped-for status post-countdown (irrelevant to the seeker)] – READY
[ready, willing, and __ ] – ABLE
[“carcinisation” is the tendency for crustaceans to evolve toward a__ -like form] – CRAB
[unit in Scrabble or Mahjong or a shower wall] – TILE
[character __ (vulnerable or volatile or venal)] – TRAIT
[a magician might own a strait one] – JACKET
[you may promise to do something when they fly] – PIGS
[holding facility for pigs] – PEN
[penguin suit 🐧] – TUXEDO
[alliterative jacket that is a component of a Canadian tuxedo] – JEAN
[Larry ➡️ ⬅️ Tut] – KING
[something with all the these and whistles is tricked out] – BELLS
[__! How the bells / sweet silver bells / All seem to say / throw cares away 🎄] – HARK
[emphasis on first syllable = fresh fruits and vegetables, emphasis on second syllable = make or create] – PRODUCE
[sharks and turkeys can reproduce without having this (!)] – SEX
Did Crossword give you the scares today? Comment below to let us know.
