While working through the July 24, 2025 edition of the NYT Crossword, I stumbled across the clue “Doesn’t get hit, say” at 26D. To be honest, it was one of the trickier ones in an otherwise simple puzzle that even someone with a bird brain could probably crack. Sorry, but I couldn’t resist slipping in a pun with all the bird-related entries around! My only tactic here was to leave it for later and solve the surrounding clues until I had some letters filled in. Funnily enough, when I looked up the seven-letter word afterward, the dictionary definition threw me for a loop. It didn’t quite match what I expected. Here is the answer to the “Doesn’t get hit, say” clue.
Doesn’t Get Hit, Say NYT Crossword Answer
SITSPAT is the answer to the “Doesn’t get hit, say” clue.
It’s basically a mashup of two words, “sit” and “pat”. While you might not hear it every day, it’s really just another way of saying “stand pat”. You’ll more commonly find stand pat listed in dictionaries. While it literally means to be unyielding in one’s decision or opinion, it’s also a term in blackjack. So, if you’re familiar with blackjack, the clue will start making sense.
In the game, to sit pat means you stick with the cards you’ve been dealt. That’s when you’ve got a decent hand of 17 or higher, because asking for another card risks busting over 21. On the other hand, “hit” in blackjack means taking another card. So if you don’t get hit, you sit pat. Simple as that, though the clue makes you work for it.
