The New York Times crossword puzzle is one of the most popular and challenging word games in the world. It is published daily in print and online, and attracts millions of solvers every year. The puzzle consists of a grid of black and white squares, with clues for the words that fill the white squares. The words can be written across (left to right) or down (top to bottom), and they must fit the given letter pattern and match the clue’s meaning.

One of the clues that appeared in the NYT crossword puzzle on October 21, 2022 was “Sisterly”. This clue has a seven-letter answer, and it is related to the theme of the puzzle, which was “Nunsense”. The theme involved puns on words that have something to do with nuns, such as “habit”, “monastic”, “abbess”, and “cloister”. The answer for the clue “Sisterly” is “SORORAL”, which means “of or relating to sisters”.

If you are wondering how to solve this clue, here are some tips and strategies that can help you:

• Look for the theme of the puzzle. The theme clues are usually marked with asterisks (*) or circles, and they are often longer and more creative than the other clues. The theme clues can give you hints about the answers for the related clues, such as “Sisterly”.
• Use the crossings. The crossings are the letters that are shared by two or more words in the grid. They can help you narrow down the possible answers for a clue, and sometimes they can even reveal the answer completely. For example, if you know that the first letter of “Sisterly” is S, and the fourth letter is R, you can eliminate many options and focus on the ones that start with S and have R as the fourth letter.
• Think of synonyms and antonyms. Sometimes, the clue can be a synonym or an antonym of the answer, or it can have a similar or opposite meaning. For example, the clue “Sisterly” can be a synonym of “SORORAL”, or it can have a similar meaning, such as “fraternal” or “familial”.
• Consider the wordplay. The NYT crossword puzzle is known for its clever and witty wordplay, which can involve puns, anagrams, homophones, hidden words, abbreviations, and other tricks. For example, the clue “Sisterly” can be a pun on “sorority”, which is a group of female students in a college or university. The word “sorority” comes from the Latin word “soror”, which means “sister”.
• Use online tools. If you are stuck or need some help, you can use online tools such as dictionaries, thesauruses, crossword solvers, and crossword databases. These tools can help you find the definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and possible answers for any clue. For example, you can use the website Try Hard Guides to find the solution for the clue “Sisterly” on the NYT crossword puzzle. According to Try Hard Guides, the answer is “SORORAL”.