NYT Down Crossword December 22, 2025 - Master All 37 Top-to-Bottom Clues
Quick Summary: Today's NYT Crossword has 37 Down clues. We have all the vertical answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!
Related Puzzles: September 24 2019 NYT Clues Solutions | Todays Down Crossword NYT October 21 | Xwordhint Crossword Answers October 30 |
About Today's Down Clues
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | December 22, 2025 |
| Day of Week | Monday |
| Total Down Clues | 37 clues |
| Direction | Vertical (Top to Bottom) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
All Down Clues - Complete List
Here are all 37 Down clues for today's puzzle. These go vertically from top to bottom.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 1. Persuades with flattery |
| 2 Down | 2. Doing keto, perhaps |
| 3 Down | 3. Creator of Firefox and Thunderbird |
| 4 Down | 4. Woodworking tool |
| 5 Down | 5. Orderly arrangement: Abbr. |
| 6 Down | 6. Oscars and Grammys, e.g. |
| 7 Down | 7. Wispy clouds |
| 8 Down | 8. Approx. |
| 9 Down | 9. Harper ___, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird" |
| 10 Down | 10. Monet or Manet |
| 11 Down | 11. Don't blow it! |
| 12 Down | 12. Reaction to pollen, e.g. |
| 13 Down | 13. Shiny coatings |
| 14 Down | 18. Lyft competitor |
| 15 Down | 23. Heart attack risk factor |
| 16 Down | 25. Cherokee maker |
| 17 Down | 26. "The kissing disease" |
| 18 Down | 27. Em, to Dorothy |
| 19 Down | 32. Foot, in baby talk |
| 20 Down | 33. Word after fire or carpenter |
| 21 Down | 36. Actor Morales |
| 22 Down | 37. Drug agent, informally |
| 23 Down | 38. "No sweat!" |
| 24 Down | 39. Ball batted up and behind the catcher, say |
| 25 Down | 40. Length of a pithy joke |
| 26 Down | 41. Released from jail early |
| 27 Down | 44. Pasta preference |
| 28 Down | 45. Nine-sided figure |
| 29 Down | 46. Stirs from sleep |
| 30 Down | 48. Is over by |
| 31 Down | 49. With a light touch |
| 32 Down | 50. Suffix with problem |
| 33 Down | 53. Gold standard |
| 34 Down | 57. Scourge |
| 35 Down | 60. Shade of color |
| 36 Down | 61. Surgery sites, in brief |
| 37 Down | 62. Beanie or bowler |
Detailed Hints and Answers for All Down Clues
Need help? Here are comprehensive hints and answers for each Down clue. Also check these helpful guides:
- August 04 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
- April 09 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
- November 26 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- February 17 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
Complete Down Solutions:
1 Down: "1. Persuades with flattery"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: C_____S
- Similar words: sweet-talk, palaver
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: influence or urge by gentle urging
- This is Down clue number 1
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CAJOLES
2 Down: "2. Doing keto, perhaps"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: O_____T
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 2
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ONADIET
3 Down: "3. Creator of Firefox and Thunderbird"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: M_____A
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 3
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
MOZILLA
4 Down: "4. Woodworking tool"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: A__E
- Similar words: adz
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: an edge tool used to cut and shape wood
- This is Down clue number 4
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ADZE
5 Down: "5. Orderly arrangement: Abbr."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'Q'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 5
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SEQ
6 Down: "6. Oscars and Grammys, e.g."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A____S
- Similar words: prize, award
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a grant made by a law court
- This is Down clue number 6
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AWARDS
7 Down: "7. Wispy clouds"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'I'
- Word pattern: C___I
- Similar words: cirrus cloud, cirrus
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: usually coiled
- This is Down clue number 7
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CIRRI
8 Down: "8. Approx."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'T'
- Similar words: Eastern Time
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: standard time in the 5th time zone west of Greenwich
- This is Down clue number 8
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
EST
9 Down: "9. Harper ___, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'E'
- Similar words: lee side, leeward
- Opposite of: windward
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 9
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
LEE
10 Down: "10. Monet or Manet"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: A____T
- Similar words: creative person
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 10
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ARTIST
11 Down: "11. Don't blow it!"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: B_____D
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 11
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BIGLEAD
12 Down: "12. Reaction to pollen, e.g."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: A_____Y
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 12
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ALLERGY
13 Down: "13. Shiny coatings"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: G_____S
- Similar words: annotate, gloss
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text
- This is Down clue number 13
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
GLOSSES
14 Down: "18. Lyft competitor"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'U' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: U__R
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 14
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
UBER
15 Down: "23. Heart attack risk factor"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: S____S
- Similar words: tenseness, accentuate
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 15
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
STRESS
16 Down: "25. Cherokee maker"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'J' and ends with 'P'
- Word pattern: J__P
- Similar words: landrover
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a car suitable for traveling over rough terrain
- This is Down clue number 16
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
JEEP
17 Down: "26. "The kissing disease""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: M__O
- Similar words: monophonic, glandular fever
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 17
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
MONO
18 Down: "27. Em, to Dorothy"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: A__T
- Similar words: aunty, auntie
- Opposite of: uncle
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
- This is Down clue number 18
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AUNT
19 Down: "32. Foot, in baby talk"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: T____Y
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 19
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TOOTSY
20 Down: "33. Word after fire or carpenter"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'T'
- Similar words: emmet, pismire
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 20
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ANT
21 Down: "36. Actor Morales"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'I'
- Word pattern: E__I
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 21
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ESAI
22 Down: "37. Drug agent, informally"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'C'
- Word pattern: N__C
- Similar words: narcotics agent, nark
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a lawman concerned with narcotics violations
- This is Down clue number 22
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
NARC
23 Down: "38. "No sweat!""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: E__Y
- Similar words: tardily, well-to-do
- Opposite of: quickly
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
- This is Down clue number 23
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
EASY
24 Down: "39. Ball batted up and behind the catcher, say"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'L'
- Word pattern: P_____L
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 24
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
POPFOUL
25 Down: "40. Length of a pithy joke"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: O_____E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 25
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ONELINE
26 Down: "41. Released from jail early"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: P_____D
- Similar words: parole
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: release a criminal from detention and place him on parole
- This is Down clue number 26
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
PAROLED
27 Down: "44. Pasta preference"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: A_____E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 27
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ALDENTE
28 Down: "45. Nine-sided figure"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'N'
- Word pattern: N_____N
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a nine-sided polygon
- This is Down clue number 28
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
NONAGON
29 Down: "46. Stirs from sleep"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A_____S
- Similar words: wake, awaken
- Opposite of: fall asleep
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: cause to become awake or conscious
- This is Down clue number 29
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AWAKENS
30 Down: "48. Is over by"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: E____T
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 30
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ENDSAT
31 Down: "49. With a light touch"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: G____Y
- Similar words: lightly, softly
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: in a gradual manner
- This is Down clue number 31
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
GENTLY
32 Down: "50. Suffix with problem"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'C'
- Word pattern: A__C
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 32
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ATIC
33 Down: "53. Gold standard"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'K' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: K___T
- Similar words: kt, carat
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 33
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
KARAT
34 Down: "57. Scourge"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: B__E
- Similar words: nemesis, scourge
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: something causing misery or death
- This is Down clue number 34
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BANE
35 Down: "60. Shade of color"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'H' and ends with 'E'
- Similar words: chromaticity, imbue
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 35
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
HUE
36 Down: "61. Surgery sites, in brief"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'S'
- Similar words: operating room, OR
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific
- This is Down clue number 36
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ORS
37 Down: "62. Beanie or bowler"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'H' and ends with 'T'
- Similar words: chapeau, lid
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 37
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
HAT
Expert Strategies for Solving Down Clues
Master the vertical clues with these professional tips:
Why Start with Down Clues?
- Down clues often reveal key letters for intersecting words
- Vertical patterns can unlock difficult sections
- Many prefixes and suffixes run vertically
- Down answers often help solve Across clues
Down Clue Patterns to Recognize
- Fill-in-the-blank clues: These are usually the easiest Down entries
- Prefixes and suffixes: Common word parts often run vertically
- Abbreviations: Look for clues with "Abbr." or shortened forms
- Plural indicators: Words ending in 'S' are common in Down
- Pop culture references: Names and titles often appear vertically
Time-Saving Down Techniques
| Technique | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Scan all Down first | Get a mental map of the vertical flow |
| Fill short Down words | 3-4 letter words are often prefixes or connectors |
| Use crossing letters | Across letters help confirm Down answers |
| Look for themes | Related Down answers often share a theme |
Frequently Asked Questions About Down Clues
What are Down clues in crossword puzzles?
Down clues are the vertical entries in a crossword puzzle that read from top to bottom. They're numbered and correspond to specific columns in the grid.
Should I solve Down or Across clues first?
Many solvers alternate between Down and Across clues to build momentum. Down clues can help unlock difficult sections by providing key intersecting letters. The best approach is to solve the clues you find easiest first, regardless of direction.
How many Down clues are in today's puzzle?
Today's NYT crossword has 37 Down clues.
Are Down clues easier than Across clues?
Neither direction is inherently easier. The difficulty depends on the specific clues and your knowledge. However, Down clues often contain helpful prefixes, suffixes, and word parts that can be easier to guess.
How do Down clues interact with Across clues?
Down and Across clues intersect at various points in the grid. Solving one can provide letters that help solve the other, making the puzzle easier as you progress.
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