The New York Times Crossword · 1-Across · 10 letters
Result of a tense build-up? The New York Times Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed September 4, 2026
Decode the turn
Reveal the answer now—or spot the trick first.
What to notice
Think of a wooden-block game whose stack may tumble.
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Answer
How the trick resolves
JENGATOWER turns build-up into literal stacking and tense into the suspense of keeping the blocks upright. The question mark warns that this is a playful construction, not a grammar question about verb tense.
Continue this puzzleHit a point of no return? →The turn in the clue
The question mark reinterprets build-up as assembling a precarious game structure.
The answer in plain English
A Jenga tower is the stack of wooden blocks used in the balancing game Jenga.
Where this clue appeared
1-Across in The New York Times Crossword puzzle for September 4, 2026.
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