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USA Today Up & Down Words August 20, 2026 Answers

MEMaya EllisonPuzzle Editor · Verified answers

The complete Thursday word chain — 7 two-word answers, each linking into the next. Puzzle by David L. Hoyt.

Thursday7 answersUSA Today
The Chain
1 ____ ____ in "Clerks III" JUSTIN LONG
2 Ages prior to LONG BEFORE
3 2013 Ethan Hawke film BEFORE MIDNIGHT
4 1988 De Niro/Grodin movie MIDNIGHT RUN
5 Pursue; chase RUN AFTER
6 Following sunset AFTER DARK
7 2008 Heath Ledger movie (with "The") DARK KNIGHT

About this puzzle

This page lists the complete answer chain for the USA Today Up & Down Words published on August 20, 2026. Each answer is a two-word phrase, and the second word of every answer is the first word of the next one down. Tap any clue to open that answer's own page.