Crossclimb · No. 865 · Saturday edition
LinkedIn Crossclimb #865 Answer (Sep 12, 2026)
Top & bottom: The top + bottom rows = A compound word for decorative items given as presents, such as fancy silver for a wedding couple. Keep in mind: The first word may be at the bottom.
- Top rung
- Wax and ___
- Desire
- ___ and rave
- Boat that's simply logs lashed together
- Fissure, as in nature or a tense relationship
- Bottom rung
Hint: Solve the middle clues first; neighboring words differ by exactly one letter.
Show Crossclimb #865 answer as text
- The top + bottom rows = A compound word for decorative items given as presents, such as fancy silver for a wedding couple. Keep in mind: The first word may be at the bottom. → WARE
- Wax and ___ → WANE
- Desire → WANT
- ___ and rave → RANT
- Boat that's simply logs lashed together → RAFT
- Fissure, as in nature or a tense relationship → RIFT
- The top + bottom rows = A compound word for decorative items given as presents, such as fancy silver for a wedding couple. Keep in mind: The first word may be at the bottom. → GIFT
About Crossclimb #865
- Crossclimb #865 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: "Boat that's simply logs lashed together"; "Desire"; "Fissure, as in nature or a tense relationship"; "Wax and ___"; "___ and rave".
- The shortest, "Desire", runs one word against eight for the longest.
- Two are fill-in-the-blanks 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.