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Netflix’s ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’ trailer has her backpacking to find herself

Netflix’s teaser trailer for animated series ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’ has Lara (Hayley Atwell) pursing a thief.

Netflix’s teaser trailer for animated series ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’ has Lara (Hayley Atwell) pursing a thief.

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Dropout cooks up the world’s silliest culinary competition in ‘Gastronauts’ trailer

“Gastronauts” sees talented chefs completing ridiculous challenges set for them by Dropout comedians.

“Gastronauts” sees talented chefs completing ridiculous challenges set for them by Dropout comedians.

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Exclusive ‘Inside Out 2’ clip reveals new emotion Self-loathing — and why she was cut

Director Kelsey Mann breaks down a ‘pivotal’ pool party scene from ‘Inside Out 2,’ out on digital August 20.

Director Kelsey Mann breaks down a ‘pivotal’ pool party scene from ‘Inside Out 2,’ out on digital August 20.

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‘Hell Hole’ review: Body horror at its absolute silliest

In “Hell Hole”, a new Adams family horror, oil drillers are trapped with a parasitic monster in the Serbian wilderness. Review.

If the trailer — or, indeed, the title — had left you in any doubt about the type of movie Hell Hole might be, then the film’s opening sequence quickly dispels any uncertainty.

With a caption placing the action in 1814 Serbia, we see two of Napoleon’s troops stalking through a misty forest. They’re given a horse by a strange woman which they take back to camp to eat, but — surprise! — an octopus-like creature bursts out at the last second and starts running rampant through their camp while heavy guitar kicks in.

It’s all very silly, gory, and tongue-in-cheek from horror household and filmmakers the Adams family (Hellbender, The Deeper You Dig) — and it sets us up perfectly for what’s to come.

What’s Hell Hole About?

The bulk of the story takes place at a present-day Serbian fracking site, where a small team of workers — plus a couple of scientists — are trapped due to some nearby flooding. They start digging, discover a still-alive man preserved underground in some kind of subterranean slimy substance. Then the hell hinted at in the movie’s title quickly breaks loose.

Yep, this is a subgenre of horror you’re familiar with. Like Alien and The Thing, Hell Hole gets its tension from trapping a core group of characters and watching them get picked off — or pick each other off — one by one. Unlike Ridley Scott and John Carpenter’s chilling classics, though, there’s a wriggling tentacle of comedy twining through Hell Hole‘s horror. The gore, and the monster, have a silly B movie feel. The question is, does it work?

“Hell Hole” is not short on explosive body horror.
Credit: Shudder

Hell Hole is not to be taken too seriously.

Hell Hole is the kind of horror movie that’d be easy to enjoy on a Saturday night with friends. As they perfected in 2021’s Hellbender, horror stalwarts the Adams family have instilled the film with a decent amount of tension — not enough to make it genuinely terrifying, but enough for plenty of pantomime it’s-behind-you suspense. The comedy isn’t exactly laugh-out-loud, either, but the film is silly enough to prompt plenty of grins, groans, and grimaces.

The characters, too, are comfortingly familiar. There’s the inevitable tension between the oil drillers and the scientists, the star-crossed lovers romance between driller’s son Teddy (Maximum Portman) and environmental intern Sofija (Olivera Perunicic), and the inevitable rebellion from the workers when their colleagues start getting picked off.

The dialogue is solid, as are the performances. The directing delights in, and makes the most of, explosive body horror affects.

Hell Hole isn’t aiming for IMDB top 100 status. But if you’re looking for something light-hearted and fun that the Adamses clearly had fun making, then you could do worse.

How to watch: Hell Hole is streaming on Shudder from Aug. 23.

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John Oliver brutally declares Republican candidates the ‘weird’ ones

John Oliver has spoken about some of the down ballot Republican candidates who aren’t helping the “weird” label.

John Oliver has spoken about some of the down ballot Republican candidates who aren’t helping the “weird” label.

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How to watch the 2024 Vuelta a España online for free

Watch the 2024 Vuelta a España for free from anywhere in the world.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2024 Vuelta a España for free on SBS on Demand, VRT, TV2, NOS, and RTVE. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

It has been a busy few months for cycling fans. Following on from the Tour de France and the Olympics, the Vuelta a España is here to deliver more action on two wheels. Of course this has been tough on the cyclists, but the fans are the real heroes. Fans have had to find the right streaming service and dedicate a lot of free time to watch everything, and that’s not easy.

Fortunately, we’re here to lend a helping hand. If you want to watch the 2024 Vuelta a España for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Vuelta a España?

The Vuelta a España is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain. Along with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, the Vuelta is one of cycling’s prestigious Grand Tours.

The reigning Vuelta a España champion is Sepp Kuss.

When is the Vuelta a España in 2024?

The 2024 Vuelta a España is the 79th edition of the three-week cycling race. This year’s event takes place in Portugal and Spain between Aug. 17 and Sep. 8.

How to watch the 2024 Vuelta a España for free

The good news is that cycling fans from around the world can watch the 2024 Vuelta a España for free, with free streaming of the famous race being offered by these countries:

Australia — SBS (free)

Belgium — VRT (free)

Denmark — TV2 (free)

Netherland — NOS (free)

Norway — TV2 (free)

Spain — RTVE (free)

Anyone from around the world can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another country, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites from around the world. That might sound complicated, but the process is actually really simple.

Live stream the 2024 Vuelta a España for free from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that is offering free streaming of the 2024 Vuelta a España

Connect to your preferred streaming platform from the list above

Watch the 2024 Vuelta a España from anywhere in the world

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)
$99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)



Unfortunately, the best VPNs for streaming are not free. However, leading VPNs tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By using these offers, you can watch the 2024 Vuelta a España without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you plenty of time to watch the Vuelta a España before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Vuelta a España?

ExpressVPN leads the way when it comes to unblocking streaming sites from around the world. ExpressVPN is the top choice for SBS on Demand, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries

Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

Fast connection speeds free from throttling

Up toeight simultaneous connections

30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. You can use the money-back guarantee to watch the 2024 Vuelta a España for free from anywhere in the world.

Watch the 2024 Vuelta a España for free with ExpressVPN.

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‘Emily In Paris’ Season 4’s Me Too storyline is a huge step forward

In Season 4, Netflix series “Emily In Paris” explores workplace sexual harassment. Here’s why that’s groundbreaking.

Netflix’s Emily in Paris is back for another whirlwind of a fourth instalment. And Season 4’s first half tells an important story alongside the much-loved plotlines of love triangles, fabulous Parisian parties, and social media campaigns. 

We’re faced with a character, Louis de Leon (Pierre Deny), who is sexually harassing women at his luxury goods company JVMA. The CEO regularly directs female employees into a “brand closet” and forces them to try on clothes for him without their consent – a total abuse of his power as a male business leader. If they don’t comply, their job is at risk. An open company secret, Louis’ behaviour becomes so ingrained in JVMA’s culture that employees ordered to the closet take a “buddy” as a rule, to protect themselves.

We see Emily’s (Lily Collins) best friend Mindy (Ashley Park) grapple with her discovery of this behaviour when visiting the company in episode 2, as well as her own connection to it — she’s dating Louis’ son Nicolas (Paul Forman). Meanwhile, Emily’s boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) is contacted by French newspaper Le Monde, asked to go on the record about her own account of historic sexual harassment from when she worked with Louis. The storyline deftly covers different ways of experiencing sexual harassment, from how it can permeate workplace culture to the complexities of reporting an abuser and of being related to one.

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau.
Credit: Stephanie Branchu / Netflix

Emily In Paris doesn’t usually tackle subjects like violence against women

TV and film storylines examining sexual harassment and violence against women and girls (VAWG) have increased in prominence since the Me Too movement gained momentum in 2019. Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You was a landmark moment for representing the complexities of sexual assault, BBC’s The Jetty explored grooming and intimate image-based abuse, and Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex set out to change the conversation around consent, particularly for teenagers. Andt that’s just a few examples.

But there’s something really significant about Emily in Paris incorporating a sexual harassment storyline. The show’s usual subject matter doesn’t usually tackle subjects like violence against women, but a mainstream, fairly light-hearted Netflix series taking on this material means a lot, with the potential to reach much wider audiences with important conversations about sexual harassment.

A mainstream, fairly light-hearted Netflix series taking on this material means a lot, with the potential to reach much wider audiences.

“A TV programme like Emily in Paris will reach millions of viewers, with storylines occasionally reflecting the issues experienced by women in their everyday lives,” Rebecca Hitchen, head of policy and campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition, tells Mashable. 

“Storylines that responsibly and realistically portray abuse and harassment therefore have the potential to have a big impact on our collective understanding and attitudes towards these issues, particularly as perpetrators often rely on their victims feeling alone, unsupported and silenced.” 

The nuances portrayed in Emily in Paris are important. Firstly, the series explores how sexual harassment and abuse can affect individual people differently. Mindy may not be subjected to it directly, instead hearing about Louis’ actions from women at JVMA, but she’s pulled into the difficulties of dealing with an abuser in your life. She speaks to Nicolas about his father’s behaviour, and says she will stand by his side during the aftermath if he is “on the side that’s right”. 

“It is important to show all elements and victims/survivors of sexual violence to depict the nuanced and often complicated nature of relationships with abusers,” violence against women and girls (VAWG) activist Sharon Gaffka tells Mashable. “Being connected to an abuser through a close relationship, like dating their child, adds layers of emotional conflict and difficulty in navigating the situation.”

Sylvie’s storyline examines the complicated reasons why survivors may feel unable to come forward.
Credit: Stephanie Branchu / Netflix

Sylvie’s storyline examines the complications of coming forward

Meanwhile, Sylvie’s storyline examines the complicated reasons why a survivor of abuse may feel unable to come forward. Her story of sexual harassment isn’t portrayed on screen, having happened in the past. After a brief period of downplaying her experiences, we see her struggle with the ongoing psychological ramifications of abuse. Sylvie’s decision to come forward and speak to Le Monde isn’t taken lightly, for her own personal reasons and how it will affect her business as well as that of her husband Laurent (Louis is an investor in the latter).

Through Sylvie, Emily In Paris explores what it can be like for a woman of an older generation coming forward to report. Sylvie experienced sexual harassment years before Me Too, and like many women with similar experiences might be challenging internalised beliefs about VAWG. Gaffka says that this storyline “challenges the notion that there is a statute of limitations on speaking out and validates the experiences of those who may have felt silenced for years”. 

“It also highlights the enduring nature of trauma and the ongoing relevance of addressing past abuses,” she adds. “Encouraging older victims to speak up can inspire others in similar situations to find their voice and seek justice. 

Through Sylvie, ‘Emily In Paris’ explores what it can be like for a woman of an older generation coming forward to report.

Having a woman in her sixties like Sylvie deal with this hones in on the fact that sexual harassment doesn’t just happen to one age group or gender – it affects so many of us.

“Sexual assault happens to women of all ages and backgrounds, but many find they aren’t believed or taken seriously,” Hitchen says. “Older women and marginalised women are at the sharp end of this, with huge consequences for their access to justice and support.” 

Reporting abuse doesn’t always bring survivors the peace and justice that they want and deserve. After all, 99 percent of rape reports result in no further action in England and Wales, so it can feel like the trauma of coming forward may not match the small possibility of justice.

This isn’t the only issue, caveat, or negative result of deciding to report sexual abuse or domestic violence. Survivors, particularly those with a social media presence or celebrity profile who come forward risk their case inadvertently becoming involved in the court of public opinion. Something that is a very personal and painful experience gets put under a microscope, available for all to scrutinise and sensationalise. Further to that, Black and Brown people are disproportionately targeted by the police, leading to many survivors feeling hesitant about or in opposition to trusting the system to help them find justice, and therefore may choose not to report sexual harassment and violence.

Representation is one thing, but it’s got to move beyond the TV

So on top of representation in pop culture, other preventative action points must be taken to help survivors and stop violence against women and girls. This includes implementing sex and relationship education that teaches the wide spectrum of of sexual harassment, as well as other forms of abuse. It would be helpful for educators to be specific about exactly what violence can look like in real life, so that people are better equipped to identify, intervene, report, or call it out. Also, in the event of a survivor not wanting to report, or not feeling comfortable to, there needs to be more accessible and available structures that facilitate counselling and other forms of trauma support.

But in particular, men need to be included in these conversations about violence against women and girls, as part of a comprehensive movement towards preventing future abuse cycles.

On top of representation in pop culture, other preventative action points must be taken to help survivors and stop violence against women and girls.

“As well as empowering victims to come forward, we also need to see much more focus on preventing this violence so women and girls aren’t subjected to it in the first place,” Hitchen says.

Men need to be part of the conversation. Nicolas should have done more.

In Emily In Paris, Nicolas’ first reaction on seeing the reported accusations about his father is to dismiss them as false and concentrate on “damage control” for the company. There’s not one moment in the show where Nicolas considers the allegations as truth. It’s an instant stand he tries to drag Mindy into, attempting to manage her public image as supportive of his family, then breathing a sigh of relief when the board (not him) wants his father to step down. Nicolas doesn’t take one moment to call out his father’s actions, consider the experiences of the survivors, or analyse the systemic company culture that has allowed such harassment to continue. And still, Mindy declares herself “proud” of Nicolas, for doing literally nothing.

Paul Forman as Nicolas De Leon.
Credit: Netflix

We’re yet to see Nicolas take any meaningful course of action, or whether the show will continue with this storyline in the second half of Season 4. Seeing Nicolas actually criticise his father’s behaviour, attempt to support harassed employees, and actually do something to change the company’s ingrained protection of predators would be nice, but it’s unclear whether the show will take the storyline any further. 

Nicolas doesn’t take one moment to call out his father’s actions, consider the experiences of the survivors, or analyse the systemic company culture that has allowed such harassment to continue.

That being said, to include this narrative at all is important. Gaffka points out the huge relevance of a relatively light-hearted and mainstream TV show like Emily in Paris to address a Me Too storyline. “From personal experience, I have found that it can significantly broaden the audience it reaches, especially among demographics who don’t typically engage with more serious or niche programming,” she says.

Why such a storyline on a popular show like Emily In Paris really matters

Seeing beloved characters tackle issues like complicated relationships with an abuser, mixed feelings and fears about reporting, as well as cycles and generations of abuse can help to “normalise” conversations around these issues, according to Gaffka. It can also help to disrupt preconceived stereotypes and “scripts” we have internalised about harassment and abuse, helping us to detangle ways in which it could be happening to us, or someone we love, and help to acknowledge this.

“Viewers of the show already have a pre-existing relationship with the characters, which evokes more emotions than watching a government-designed video,” she says. “This can help to normalise conversations about sexual harassment and abuse in everyday contexts, making the topic more accessible and less stigmatised. 

“By integrating these serious issues into a popular and engaging show it can raise awareness, educate viewers, and help survivors to see their experiences reflected on screen, so they don’t feel alone.”

An influential Netflix show like Emily in Paris has the potential to make a huge difference when it comes to talking about sexual harassment and violence against women. A Me Too storyline is a huge step forward. But the significance of a storyline like this on such a widely-watched show simultaneously underscores the need for wider, systemic change, as well as the increased responsibility of all other on-screen portrayals to not reinforce harmful stereotypes and to be responsible with storytelling

The conversations that Emily In Paris could start are just that: a starting point. What we really need, and must demand, is more concentrated and tangible efforts in the fight against male violence, and understanding the full spectrum and impact of sexual harassment.

How to watch: Emily In Paris Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

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NYT’s The Mini crossword answers for August 19

Answers to each clue for the August 19, 2024 edition of NYT’s The Mini crossword puzzle.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times‘ revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player’s flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Monday, August 19, 2024:

Across

Leaves a couple bucks on the bar counter

The answer is Tips.

Opera solo

The answer is Aria.

Package before sending

The answer is Box up (no space).

Number of Olympic gold medals won by Katie Ledecky

The answer is Nine.

What four quarters can equal

The answer is Year.

Down

1

2

3

4

7

Down

Browser subwindow

The answer is Tab.

A maintenance shop with a broken doorbell is an example of it

The answer is Irony.

Kind of short haircut for women

The answer is Pixie.

Spa room

The answer is Sauna.

Pay-___-view

The answer is Per.

Featured Video For You

The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times’ Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

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Today’s Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers

Everything you need know to play Hurdle like a pro.

Hurdle is a daily word game that seemingly builds on the idea of Wordle, but turns the game up a notch. The game is a daily word puzzle that will put your knowledge of the English language to the test by increasing the pressure and difficulty as you play.

Curious how to play Hurdle? Or interested in tips on achieving the best possible score? Here’s everything you need to know about Hurdle, including how to play and some tips on ways to improve your score at the end.

How to play today’s Hurdle

The goal of Hurdle is to correctly guess a secret five-letter word, through six guesses that will give you hints about the final word as you go.

You’ll start by guessing a 5-letter word. After hitting enter, the tiles of letters for that word will flip and turn one of three colors: gray, yellow, or green. Here’s what the colors mean.

Gray: The letter isn’t in the word.

Yellow: The letter is in the word, but in a different spot.

Green: The letter is in the word, and it’s in the correct spot.

So far, the game is a lot like Wordle, right? This, however, is where the similarities end. Once you guess the correct word, you’ll move on to the next Hurdle, but this time, the word from the previous puzzle will be automatically entered as the first guessed word. Get the second Hurdle correct, and you’ll move on to the third Hurdle, which will have the words from the first two Hurdles pre-filled. By the time you get to the fifth and final Hurdle puzzle for the day, you’ll only have two chances to solve the puzzle using the color tile clues pre-filled by the first four words.

Not so easy now, is it?

At the end of the game, you can use the Recap function to check your answers, and if you didn’t guess a word correctly, you’ll be told what the word was at the top of the screen.

Challenge yourself with Hard Mode

As if the game on its own wasn’t hard enough, you can challenge yourself even further with a dedicated hard mode. Hard mode increases the pressure by forcing you to use any revealed hints in your subsequent guesses. So, if any letters show yellow or green in one guess, you’ll be forced to use them in further guesses.

To enable hard mode, press the three-button hamburger menu on the top left of the puzzle, then press the settings option. Finally, toggle on the hard mode option, then close the settings menu by tapping on the “X” on the top right of the screen.

How are scores calculated?

If you’re constantly trying to beat your previous score, you might be wondering how scores are calculated. It’s actually not all that complicated. Here’s a rundown of how scores are calculated based on whether you won or lost, and your game mode:

Game won: 1,000 + (100 x number of empty lines) + Winning Bonus

Game lost: (10 x number of yellow letters on the keyboard) + (20 x number of green letters on the keyboard)

The winning bonus is 4,000 points and it’s awarded at the end of all the hurdles. So you won’t get a winning bonus for completing just the first hurdle, for example. The maximum possible score in Normal mode is 10,800 points. In Hard mode, scores are multiplied by 1.5, bringing the maximum total score to 16,200 points.

High Contrast Mode

The game offers a High Contrast Mode too, which is aimed at making it easier to see different colors for those with certain color blindnesses. When High Contrast Mode is turned on, letters that are in the correct spot will be orange instead of green. Letters in the word but in the wrong spot will be blue instead of yellow.

To turn on High Contrast Mode, press the three-lined menu button on the top left of the puzzle. Then press the settings button and toggle on High Contrast Mode. Close the settings menu by tapping on the “X” in the top right of the screen.

Tips for getting the best score

Looking for tips on how to get a better score? There are a few things to keep in mind as you play.

Linguistic researchers note that vowels are the most common letters in the English language, so your first word should contain as many vowels as possible.

Additionally, for at least the first few words, you should try to use words with five different letters, as this will maximize the number of clues you’ll get.

There are some other things to consider too. Most of the time, the word won’t be a plural, unless it’s an irregular plural like “Geese.” Also, it’s worth keeping in mind the fact that the word could have two of the same letter – so if you’re stuck, and not sure why you can’t think of a word, try to think of ways in which a letter you got right could be in the word twice.

Last but not least, you don’t have to play entirely on the screen – if you’re having trouble, it can help to get out a good ol’ pen and paper, and try to brainstorm that way. This will help you eliminate words without using up your guesses.

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Play the Daily Crossword for free

Mashable Games offers a free daily crossword you can play right now. Everything you need to rule at puzzles.

There’s nothing like a great crossword. Crosswords have been the go-to morning activity for millions of people around the world. Back in the day, a crossword used to be found at the end of the newspaper. Now, there are easier ways to play for as long as you want. The Daily Crossword offers a range of features and tools to make crosswording even more fun.

Looking for a crossword game to incorporate into your morning routine? Here’s everything you need to know about Daily Crossword, including how to use the different settings and some tips and tricks for getting the best possible score.

How to play the Daily Crossword

At its core, the Daily Crossword works the same as other crossword games. You’ll be presented with a grid of boxes, with some boxes having numbers that correlate to clues across or down. If a clue is labeled as being across, you’ll need to find a word that corresponds to that clue and fill it in horizontally. If a clue is labeled as being down, you’ll do the same, but vertically, starting from the top. Only the right word will fit, though. While you might be able to find other words that correspond to the clue and fit in the boxes, the right word will have letters that are featured in other words that cross it.

That’s really all there is to it. If you find all the correct words, the puzzle will fit together nicely without any errors or blank boxes. Of course, you might find yourself needing to erase words that you’ve previously filled in if you find that words don’t quite fit together.

Settings you can change

You can change in Daily Crossword to make the experience of using it even better. The settings are available both on the web and in the mobile app.

Daily Crossword allows you to change settings relatively easily using the three-line menu button on the top left-hand corner of the screen. There, you can access a range of different settings. For example, you can opt to show a timer. The time will continue ticking while you’re playing, and it will continue ticking whether you show it or not, considering the fact that it impacts your final score. If you’re competitive, you may want to show the time on the screen to ensure you complete the crossword in a reasonable amount of time.

On top of having settings related to the timer, you can also select whether the arrow keys on your keyboard only change the cell that you’re on or the direction in which you’re typing, and you can choose to automatically skip over filled squares when you’re typing. You can also choose settings related to the clues. For example, you can increase the size of the clues, and you can show the clues as a list on the side of the puzzle, or only a single clue at once. It’s worth taking a look at the settings to set up Daily Crossword to be perfect for you.

Free Daily Crossword hints and features

There are other tools that you can use in Daily Crossword, too. For starters, there’s a check and auto-check feature, which essentially checks whether a letter, word, or puzzle that you’ve typed in is correct. You can press the check button to check either a letter, word, or puzzle. And you can enable auto-check to automatically check any mistakes as you type. To enable auto-check, press the check button, then toggle on auto-check.

If you’re really stuck, you can use the reveal feature to show you a part of the puzzle that you haven’t yet guessed. Reveal allows you to show a letter, word, or the whole puzzle.

Last is the pencil feature. The pencil is built for those times in which you’re not sure if a letter or word properly fits. You’ll be able to insert a letter into any cell without it being recognized as having been completed. So you can test out words as you go. When you use the pencil feature, letters will appear as gray instead of black on the puzzle, so you can know which letters and words you’ve entered using the feature.

Speaking of pencils, perhaps you prefer to fill out the puzzle on a good old-fashioned piece of paper. That’s what the print button on the top right of the screen is for. When you press print, you’ll be able to choose where you want the clues and what you want to be printed if you’ve already entered letters and words.

How is the Daily Crossword score calculated?

Your score for the Daily Crossword depends on a number of different factors. For starters, there’s the puzzle score, which is equal to the percentage of the puzzle that you completed without help times 100. “Help” is defined as any part of the puzzle that was filled using the reveal and check buttons. So if you want the maximum score, you should avoid using those features.

You’ll also get a time bonus, though the bonus that you get depends on the type of puzzle that you’re completing. For example, the bonus for a Two Minute Mini Daily Crossword is 120 minus the number of seconds you took, times 10. The bonus for the Sunday crossword is 2,700 minus the number of seconds you took, times 10.

Lastly, you’ll get a bonus if you complete the puzzle on the Daily Puzzle Date. For example, if the Daily Puzzle Date is the 2nd of October, and you complete it on the 2nd of October, you’ll get a 50-point daily bonus.

But while you’ll get a score for an individual puzzle, you’ll also get a total score for the month. Your total score is basically the sum of all the daily scores you’ve finished within a month, and it’s added to a leaderboard as you go.

Daily Crossword tips

If you’re looking to get the highest score you possibly can, there are a number of tips to keep in mind.

For starters, it’s probably a good idea to start with clues that you find easy. This will allow you to fill in as much of the puzzle as possible, which could give you additional hints as to what the other words may be. It’s also a good idea to focus on shorter words before anything else, which, again, will help you fill in letters that will be used in longer words down the line.

Often, the Daily Crossword will have a theme to it. You could get hints as to what the theme of the puzzle is using the puzzle’s title, and if there is a theme, keep it in mind as you guess words, as the words will connect to the theme.

Don’t be afraid to guess words as well. Sometimes, you won’t definitively know what a word is, but that’s why the pencil feature is there. Use the pencil feature to guess words as you go, as it could help you fill in letters that will give you more hints about other words.

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