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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe Sunday, March 8, 2026, NYT Midi has the theme “Cross-Country Meet.” The circled squares spell XC, the abbreviation for cross-country. Below is the complete Across and Down answer list reported by Erik Kain’s Forbes guide.
Across answers
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1A: States and Guatemala | LAND |
| 5A: States and Guatemala | DMS |
| 8A: Turbo | TURBO |
| 9A: Eat | EAT |
| 10A: Country south of the United States | MEXICO |
| 11A: “Much ___ About Nothing” | ADO |
| 12A: The “E” in N.Y.E. | EVE |
| 13A: D.C. transit system | METRO |
| 15A: Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick | LAMAR |
| 18A: Country between Sudan and Niger | CHAD |
| 19A: Greetings between two frat dudes, say | BRO HUGS |
| 21A: Fifth, often, for a manual transmission | TOP GEAR |
| 22A: “What were ___ thinking?!?” | YOU |
| 23A: Vegetable similar to radicchio | ENDIVE |
| 26A: Set your alarm for 7 p.m. instead of 7 a.m., for instance | ERR |
| 27A: Storytelling clichés | TROPES |
| 28A: Place to hang your hat on | PEG |
| 29A: Knight’s title | SIR |
| 30A: Popular high school sport, for short … or a description of the circled squares in this puzzle | XC |
Down answers
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 2D: Journalist Shapiro | ARI |
| 3D: “Today” network | NBC |
| 4D: ___ and gloom | DOOM |
| 5D: Super-firm hold | DEATH GRIP |
| 6D: Patterned fabric named for a city in India now known as Chennai | MADRAS |
| 7D: Got up | STOOD |
| 8D: Big name in hiking sandals | TEVA |
| 10D: Brooks of Hollywood | MEL |
| 14D: Country between Peru and Colombia | ECUADOR |
| 16D: Jean ___, pioneering Dada artist | ARP |
| 17D: Noted thesaurus | ROGET |
| 20D: French painter Matisse | HENRI |
| 21D: Sped (through) | TORE |
| 22D: “Sure is” | YEP |
| 24D: Annoy | VEX |
| 25D: Computer key in the upper-left corner | ESC |
What the theme means
The guide identifies “Cross-Country Meet” as the theme and connects the circled letters, XC, to the short form for cross-country, a popular high school sport. The listed clues and answers come from Erik Kain’s Forbes answer guide; this is not an independently confirmed official NYT answer grid.
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