Close by Crossword Clue

Looking for the answer to “Close by” from the New York Times Bonus crossword of August 1, 2026? It has 4 letters. Flip the tiles one at a time, try a hint first, or look through the rest of that puzzle.

Crossword answer

NEW YORK TIMES BONUS, AUGUST 1, 2026

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Every answer and hint for “Close by” →

Hints

Three clues to the answer, gentle first. Open one at a time.

Hint 1 Meaning

Hint 2 Anagram

Hint 3 Another clue

More clues from the New York Times Bonus (August 1, 2026)

Across

1. ___ frog (arboreal amphibian)
5. Rights advocacy grp.
9. African country that's home to worm snakes and forest cobras
14. ___ monster, only 25-Down native to the U.S. that kills its prey with 59-Across
15. Hideout for a skink or tortoise, e.g.
16. Hunky-dory
17. Societal problems
18. Some savings plans, in brief
19. Muscles visible from the back when you're just wearing overalls, informally
20. Southeast Asian reptile with "wings" made from extended ribs
23. Very long stretches
24. Vague words at the end of a threat
28. Finlike features of some geckos and basilisks
31. Advice columnist Landers who offered a story about a snake who says "You knew what I was when you picked me up"
33. Dramatic dance moves
34. Jah worshiper
35. Color of most of a red-tailed rat snake
37. Sound of a mosquito being fried
38. Tiebreaker periods, in brief
39. Creature endemic to New Zealand that has the lowest body temperature of all reptiles
41. ___ Aster, director of the short film "The Turtle's Head"
42. Bill dispenser, for short
43. Surrealist painter James
44. In and of itself
46. Name that sounds like a potter's material
48. However, informally
49. Pieces of grass (under which you might find a toad!)
50. Madame : France :: ___ : Spanish
52. Look through binoculars, say
53. Slitherer that mimics cobras and plays dead … and whose snout resembles that of a pig
59. Neurotoxic or hemotoxic substance found in fangs
62. The "E" of Q.E.D.
63. "Yeah …? Think so?"
64. Greeting in one of two U.S. states with no native land snakes
65. Shifty eyes, maybe, in poker
66. Amphibian whose bright color warns of its poisonous skin
67. Flavor of soda used in the Spanish refresher called a "tinto de verano"
68. Quantity between none and most
69. Greek goddess who created the serpent monster Python

Down

1. "Woohoo! Weekend, here I come!"
2. Shallow channel that may be a habitat for amphibians
3. M.L.B.'s De La Cruz
4. Like Herpetology 101, among all a university's herpetology courses
5. Matches up, as a crocodile's teeth
6. Kings, queens and jacks
7. Traitorous sort
8. Bear, in Latin
9. Florida golf course menace, informally
10. ___ toad, misnamed 25-Down
11. Letters between names
12. Rest on a rock in the sun, maybe
13. Shakespearean cries
21. Put to paper, as a musical composition
22. Mouse who has been cornered by a taipan, most likely
25. Asian water monitor or iguana, e.g.
26. Like vegetation in the desert
27. Observes, as a camouflaged chameleon, say
28. Makes a noise like a bullfrog
29. Warning sound from a snake shaking its tail
30. Susie of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
31. "Star Wars" robot, familiarly
32. Close by
35. Wound after a run-in with a Komodo dragon, perhaps
36. Florida city around which many invasive chameleons can be found
40. Remove ID from, as a Facebook post
45. Making, as a paycheck
47. Syllables before "and a bottle of rum!"
49. Tidbit for a beardie or box turtle to eat
51. Cicero or Caesar
52. "Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear" is part of the 58th one
54. Some tools for catching reptiles
55. Cookie in cookies 'n' cream ice cream
56. Researching Pacific green turtles up close, maybe
57. Native New Zealander
58. R&B singer James
59. Actor Kilmer
60. Name found in "snakelike"
61. When repeated, slangy sound of eating

Seen before

This clue also appeared in the New York Times Bonus on December 1, 2025.

Fresh clues from recent puzzles

Mischievous demon
Dessert consumed on 3/14
(Don't pet me!)
"Eureka!"
Support in the closet
"Sadly ..."
Pepsi, e.g.
Dumbbell units, for short
Greek K
State with only three counties: Abbr.

Questions

What is the answer to “Close by”?

NEAR, 4 letters: situated within a short distance.

When was “Close by” last seen in a crossword?

In the New York Times Bonus crossword of August 1, 2026, and 1 more time before that.

How many letters does the answer have?

4 letters, starting with N.