Crossword Clue: Sly bushy-tailed animal
Here's the answer to the Sly bushy-tailed animal crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: FOX
The answer to "Sly bushy-tailed animal" is FOX. Fox is a 3-letter word made up of 1 vowel and 2 consonants, beginning with F and ending with X. In a crossword grid it occupies a 3-square slot, and each of its letters also forms part of a word crossing it — so even if the clue stumps you, the crossing entries will usually hand you enough letters to fill it in.
Origin & meaning
The fox is a small, adaptable member of the dog family famous in folklore for its cleverness. A group of foxes is called a 'skulk,' and their reputation for cunning has made 'foxy' a synonym for shrewd.
Common usage
Fox turns up frequently in crosswords precisely because of that letter mix. Short, vowel-friendly words like FOX are a constructor's best friend: they interlock cleanly with longer entries and help a grid come together without awkward letter clashes. When you see a 3-letter slot and already have a crossing letter or two, FOX is often quick to confirm — especially once the F or X is in place.
Crossword trivia
Because it is only 3 letters long, FOX appears far more often in daily mini and themed puzzles than longer, more obscure words. Regular solvers come to recognize it on sight, and it is exactly the kind of entry worth committing to memory: the more common short words you know cold, the faster your solve times become.
Stuck on this clue?
If "Sly bushy-tailed animal" has you stuck, don't force it — jump to the clues crossing this slot instead. Filling in even one or two intersecting letters usually makes FOX obvious. That crossing-first approach is the single most useful habit for improving at crosswords, and it works on everything from the quick daily Mini to a full Sunday grid.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Sly bushy-tailed animal" is just one way to arrive at FOX. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Sly animal", "'The Simpsons' network". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing FOX into the grid took no time at all."
- "Fox is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Sly bushy-tailed animal' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in FOX almost immediately."
- "Once the F was confirmed by the crossing word, FOX was the only entry that fit."