Crossclimb · No. 850 · Friday edition
LinkedIn Crossclimb #850 Answer (Aug 28, 2026)
Top & bottom: The top + bottom rows = A compound word for what is paid out by slot machines (also known as fruit machines or poker machines). Keep in mind: The first word may be at the bottom.
- Top rung
- Returned from a trip abroad
- Johann Sebastian ___ (German composer)
- Alternative to a shower
- Route from one place to another
- Gently touches, as a pet dog
- Bottom rung
Hint: Solve the middle clues first; neighboring words differ by exactly one letter.
Show Crossclimb #850 answer as text
- The top + bottom rows = A compound word for what is paid out by slot machines (also known as fruit machines or poker machines). Keep in mind: The first word may be at the bottom. → JACK
- Returned from a trip abroad → BACK
- Johann Sebastian ___ (German composer) → BACH
- Alternative to a shower → BATH
- Route from one place to another → PATH
- Gently touches, as a pet dog → PATS
- The top + bottom rows = A compound word for what is paid out by slot machines (also known as fruit machines or poker machines). Keep in mind: The first word may be at the bottom. → POTS
About Crossclimb #850
- Crossclimb #850 is a ladder of 7 4-letter words, each one letter away from the next.
- Listed alphabetically rather than in ladder order, the five middle clues are: "Alternative to a shower"; "Gently touches, as a pet dog"; "Johann Sebastian ___ (German composer)"; "Returned from a trip abroad"; "Route from one place to another".
- The shortest, "Alternative to a shower", runs four words against six for the longest.
- One is a fill-in-the-blank and one adds a qualifier after a comma, and clues like that are usually the fastest to pin down.
- Settle the middle five before touching the top and bottom rungs: those two share one combined clue that opens only once the middle is in ladder order.