Crossclimb · No. 858 · Saturday edition
LinkedIn Crossclimb #858 Answer (Sep 5, 2026)
Top & bottom: The top + bottom rows = Two children of Darth Vader.
- Top rung
- Flowery garlands used in hula dancing
- Allows, or rents out a property
- Muscles in the lower back, for short
- Not on time
- Renaissance string instrument (adding an F to the start forms the name of a wind instrument)
- Bottom rung
Hint: Solve the middle clues first; neighboring words differ by exactly one letter.
Show Crossclimb #858 answer as text
- The top + bottom rows = Two children of Darth Vader. → LEIA
- Flowery garlands used in hula dancing → LEIS
- Allows, or rents out a property → LETS
- Muscles in the lower back, for short → LATS
- Not on time → LATE
- Renaissance string instrument (adding an F to the start forms the name of a wind instrument) → LUTE
- The top + bottom rows = Two children of Darth Vader. → LUKE
About Crossclimb #858
- Crossclimb #858 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: "Allows, or rents out a property"; "Flowery garlands used in hula dancing"; "Muscles in the lower back, for short"; "Not on time"; "Renaissance string instrument (adding an F to the start forms the name of a wind instrument)".
- The shortest, "Not on time", runs 3 words against 16 for the longest.
- 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.