NYT CROSSWORD • SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2025

NYT Crossword Answers Dec 21, 2025

Complete answer list for the December 21, 2025 New York Times Crossword. Across and Down, every clue, every answer — plus the full grid below.

By David KwongEdited by Will ShortzGrid 21×22143 clues

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FRIDEC
19
2025
By Hemant Mehta
SATDEC
20
2025
By Robert S. Gard
SUNDEC
21
2025
By David Kwong
MONDEC
22
2025
By Suzanne Oliver
TUEDEC
23
2025
By Nathan Hale

The Grid

1S
2K
3I
4P
5L
6A
7N
8E
9S
10B
11A
12M
13A
14S
15O
16D
17ASH
18O
19P
20T
E
T
R
O
M
I
N
O
21A
M
I
R
22P
R
O
W
L
S
23E
A
S
E
S
I
N
T
O
24D
A
R
N
25R
E
M
E
D
Y
26A
N
I
L
27L
E
E
28S
U
N
R
O
29S
E
S
30D
M
C
31M
E
N
U
32A
P
R
33I
L
34D
O
L
C
E
35N
A
H
36D
37A
T
A
38R
I
39C
A
R
D
O
40O
41V
E
N
42S
43P
44H
E
R
E
S
45A
P
A
46PALM
O
47F
F
A
S
48C
O
A
T
S
49T
50E
T
O
N
51R
E
B
R
A
N
D
52E
53D
54I
M
S
OAK
E
55D
56V
E
N
T
57N
O
R
58O
N
S
A
L
E
59O
M
N
I
60N
61O
I
R
62F
A
N
S
63I
T
E
64Y
I
N
65N
E
T
S
66C
A
P
E
67S
E
T
I
68T
H
R
69U
70S
A
B
E
71S
T
ELM
O
72R
H
I
A
N
73N
74O
75N
76P
77O
78P
79B
A
R
80C
L
A
Y
81B
I
E
N
82D
E
L
I
83T
O
O
84K
I
N
85L
A
Y
F
86L
A
T
87G
88R
E
W
I
N
89S
H
R
I
N
K
90R
A
Y
91A
U
R
A
92S
93B
R
A
V
E
94C
A
E
S
A
R
95C
L
E
96C
97H
I
T
T
E
R
98M
U
S
T
99V
E
100S
101S
E
L
S
102H
U
S
H
103S
U
PINE
104M
E
N
L
O
105E
T
106H
E
R
107E
108S
109P
110N
111E
L
F
112D
A
N
CEDAR
O
U
113N
D
114I
M
S
115T
H
E
E
116E
L
I
117D
E
S
118R
A
R
E
119S
K
A
T
120E
R
A
T
S
121Y
E
S
Y
E
S
122O
N
C
E
123G
E
T
O
V
E
R
I
T
124A
D
H
E
R
E
125W
E
E
D
126T
R
A
N
S
E
P
T
S

Click a clue to reveal it in the grid.

Across 72

  1. 1Some Arctic transports ↗SKIPLANES
  2. 10S.E.C. football powerhouse, for short ↗BAMA
  3. 141950s hangout with a jukebox ↗SODASHOP
  4. 20Game piece made of four squares ↗TETROMINO
  5. 21"The Kite Runner" protagonist ↗AMIR
  6. 22Skulks ↗PROWLS
  7. 23Joins gradually ↗EASESINTO
  8. 24"Doggone it!" ↗DARN
  9. 25Treatment ↗REMEDY
  10. 26Blue colorant obtained from the indigo plant ↗ANIL
  11. 27Wrangler alternative ↗LEE
  12. 28Brightly colored Mediterranean flowers ↗SUNROSES
  13. 30Rap's Run-___ ↗DMC
  14. 31Course catalog? ↗MENU
  15. 32When Aries transitions to Taurus ↗APRIL
  16. 34Sweetly, on scores ↗DOLCE
  17. 35"I'll pass" ↗NAH
  18. 36Input of certain mining ↗DATA
  19. 38Montalbán who played Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" ↗RICARDO
  20. 40Timer setting ↗OVEN
  21. 42Areas of influence ↗SPHERES
  22. 45Mental health org. ↗APA
  23. 46Fraudulently make seem like ↗PALMOFFAS
  24. 48Covers completely ↗COATS
  25. 49Wyoming peak ↗TETON
  26. 51Like a corporation with a new logo, perhaps ↗REBRANDED
  27. 54Comment from someone caught in the rain ↗IMSOAKED
  28. 56Yellow avenue in Monopoly ↗VENTNOR
  29. 58A bit off, say ↗ONSALE
  30. 59Hyatt alternative ↗OMNI
  31. 60Hard-boiled genre ↗NOIR
  32. 62TheForce.net for "Star Wars," for example ↗FANSITE
  33. 64Dark side ↗YIN
  34. 65Former big name in browsers ↗NETSCAPE
  35. 67U.F.O.-watching org. ↗SETI
  36. 68By way of, informally ↗THRU
  37. 70Kemo ___ (the Lone Ranger) ↗SABE
  38. 71Sailor's patron ↗STELMO
  39. 72Fleetwood Mac hit named for a Celtic goddess ↗RHIANNON
  40. 76Daddy ↗POP
  41. 79Eponymous British financier James ___ ↗BARCLAY
  42. 81By saying this you mean well ↗BIEN
  43. 82Wrap seller ↗DELI
  44. 83Adopted, as a pet ↗TOOKIN
  45. 85Wasn't folded in a suitcase, say ↗LAYFLAT
  46. 87Developed, as baby teeth ↗GREWIN
  47. 89Sci-fi miniaturizer ↗SHRINKRAY
  48. 91Emanations ↗AURAS
  49. 93Boldly face ↗BRAVE
  50. 94Kind of cipher in which A becomes B, B becomes C, e.g. ↗CAESAR
  51. 95Guardians, on a scoreboard ↗CLE
  52. 96Bit of birdspeak ↗CHITTER
  53. 98Damp, mildewy quality ↗MUST
  54. 99They hold water ↗VESSELS
  55. 102Silence ↗HUSH
  56. 103Lying faceup ↗SUPINE
  57. 104___ Park, Calif. ↗MENLO
  58. 105Air ↗ETHER
  59. 107Disney subsidiary ↗ESPN
  60. 111A little help? ↗ELF
  61. 112Evaded, as a sensitive issue ↗DANCEDAROUND
  62. 114Some pings, in brief ↗IMS
  63. 115"Fie on ___!" (Shakespearean cry) ↗THEE
  64. 116Skips over ↗ELIDES
  65. 118Few and far between ↗RARE
  66. 119Regulars at parks with ramps, informally ↗SKATERATS
  67. 121Reply after having one's memory jogged ↗YESYES
  68. 122Some time ago ↗ONCE
  69. 123"What's done is done!" ↗GETOVERIT
  70. 124Stick (to) ↗ADHERE
  71. 125Garden interloper ↗WEED
  72. 126Church parts crossing naves ↗TRANSEPTS

Down 71

  1. 1Make furious ↗STEAM
  2. 2"The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil ___ ↗KEANE
  3. 3Tennis line judge's ruling ↗ITSIN
  4. 4Duke Ellington classic with the lyric "That was my heart serenading you" ↗PRELUDETOAKISS
  5. 5West side of L.A.? ↗LOS
  6. 6"Is there still time for me to join you?" ↗AMILATE
  7. 751 to the hour ↗NINEPAST
  8. 8Stage direction ↗ENTER
  9. 9Phillipa of Broadway ↗SOO
  10. 10Grammy winner Erykah ↗BADU
  11. 11___ Gorman, "The Hill We Climb" poet ↗AMANDA
  12. 12Copy ↗MIRROR
  13. 13Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshments ↗ARNOLDPALMERS
  14. 14Spending romp ↗SPREE
  15. 15Output of certain mining ↗ORES
  16. 16Counterpart of a sub ↗DOM
  17. 17Fast start? ↗ASHWEDNESDAY
  18. 18Father, familiarly ↗OLDMAN
  19. 19Mentally overpower, with "out" ↗PSYCH
  20. 28Like most moccasins ↗SLIPON
  21. 29Great Dane of cartoons, informally ↗SCOOB
  22. 33More livid ↗IRATER
  23. 37Keister, in Leicester ↗ARSE
  24. 392015 chart-topping hit for the Weeknd ↗CANTFEELMYFACE
  25. 40Symbolic for its time ↗OFANERA
  26. 41Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard design ↗VANS
  27. 42Descendant ↗SCION
  28. 43Apple: Fr. ↗POMME
  29. 44Is without ↗HASNT
  30. 47Rabid in appearance ↗FROTHING
  31. 50Woman's nickname that sounds like two letters ↗EVIE
  32. 51Rice-A-___ ↗RONI
  33. 52"Borderlands" director ___ Roth ↗ELI
  34. 53Hiding place ↗DEN
  35. 55Gene pools? ↗DNABANKS
  36. 57Org. with its own alphabet ↗NATO
  37. 61Abbr. not found on most smartphones ↗OPER
  38. 63"Aren't ___ lucky one?!" ↗ITHE
  39. 66It has a lot of secretaries ↗CABINET
  40. 67Shirt collar stiffener ↗STAY
  41. 69Where to find six "presents" in this puzzle? ↗UNDERTHETREE
  42. 71Knock ’em dead ↗SLAY
  43. 72Coolidge who sang the theme for "Octopussy" ↗RITA
  44. 73Just getting started with ↗NEWAT
  45. 74Green shade ↗OLIVE
  46. 75What Joe Montana was in the '80s ↗NINER
  47. 76A TD scores six of these ↗PTS
  48. 77"Fancy, that!" ↗OOH
  49. 78Prickly denizen of coral reefs ↗PORCUPINEFISH
  50. 80Famed lawyer in the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial ↗CLARENCEDARROW
  51. 81Most minimal ↗BAREST
  52. 84Some Korean exports ↗KIAS
  53. 86Calmed deceptively ↗LULLED
  54. 88Baseball slugger's stat ↗RBIS
  55. 90Bird used to deliver messages on "Game of Thrones" ↗RAVEN
  56. 92Blueprints ↗SCHEMATA
  57. 97Author Zora Neale ___ ↗HURSTON
  58. 98Noodled on, with "over" ↗MULLED
  59. 100Girlfriend in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" ↗SLOANE
  60. 101Informant ↗SOURCE
  61. 103"Ta-ta!" ↗SEEYA
  62. 104Tricky pool shot ↗MASSE
  63. 106Someone enjoying a walk in the park ↗HIKER
  64. 108Mentally with it ↗SHARP
  65. 109___ four ↗PETIT
  66. 110Fits one inside the other ↗NESTS
  67. 112Porcine : pigs :: cervine : ___ ↗DEER
  68. 113Essential ↗NEED
  69. 117It might be good for a change ↗DYE
  70. 119One who knows the drill?: Abbr. ↗SGT
  71. 120Teslas, e.g., for short ↗EVS