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Monday, December 8, 2025

All NYT Down Clues December 08, 2025 - 39 Vertical Answers with Hints

NYT Down Clues Answers December 08, 2025 - All 39 Vertical Solutions & Expert Hints

Quick Summary: Today's NYT Crossword has 39 Down clues. We have all the vertical answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!

Related Puzzles: December 10 2020 NYT Clues Solutions | February 16 2022 NYT Clues Solutions | September 02 2020 NYT Clues Solutions |

About Today's Down Clues

NYT Down clues solutions for December 08, 2025
NYT Down Clues - Monday, December 08, 2025
Down Clues Statistics
Detail Information
Date December 08, 2025
Day of Week Monday
Total Down Clues 39 clues
Direction Vertical (Top to Bottom)
Difficulty Challenging

All Down Clues - Complete List

Here are all 39 Down clues for today's puzzle. These go vertically from top to bottom.

Complete Down Clues List
Number Clue
1 Down 1. Magic charms
2 Down 2. Not together
3 Down 3. Interior design
4 Down 4. Genesis boat
5 Down 5. The eyes may have it
6 Down 6. Scuba gear
7 Down 7. Remnants of a volcanic spew
8 Down 8. Corp. exec overseeing engineers, say
9 Down 9. Stuff on an artist's palette
10 Down 10. Eleventh-hour
11 Down 11. Potatoes, in Indian cooking
12 Down 12. From ___ to dusk
13 Down 15. Actor Sam of "Jurassic Park"
14 Down 18. Acorn droppers
15 Down 23. Salt, in Paris
16 Down 25. Money across the Atlantic
17 Down 27. Messages on which you might be cc'd
18 Down 29. Iraqis and Iranians
19 Down 31. Biblical brother of Jacob
20 Down 32. Psychedelic tab
21 Down 33. Toy on a string that's not a kite
22 Down 34. Center of a stone fruit
23 Down 36. Film special effects, for short
24 Down 38. After-hours source of $$$
25 Down 40. Lost moisture
26 Down 41. Nonspecific amount
27 Down 44. Pet that stores food in cheek pouches
28 Down 46. Author Fleming
29 Down 47. What empty stomachs do
30 Down 49. In ___ of
31 Down 51. No longer available
32 Down 53. "There ___ enough hours in the day"
33 Down 54. "That's the truth!"
34 Down 55. Mosaic pieces
35 Down 56. Covering over a wound
36 Down 57. Pause in the action
37 Down 59. "It's gonna ___ you!"
38 Down 63. Hwy.
39 Down 64. Early Chinese dynasty

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:

Complete Down Solutions:

1 Down: "1. Magic charms"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'M' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: M___S
  • Similar words: mojo
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: a magic power or magic spell
  • This is Down clue number 1

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer MOJOS

2 Down: "2. Not together"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'T'
  • Word pattern: A___T
  • Similar words: obscure, aside
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: remote and separate physically or socially; ; - W.H.Hudson
  • This is Down clue number 2

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer APART

3 Down: "3. Interior design"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'D' and ends with 'R'
  • Word pattern: D___R
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 3

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer DECOR

4 Down: "4. Genesis boat"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'K'
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 4

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer ARK

5 Down: "5. The eyes may have it"

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
  • Definition: makeup that is used to darken and thicken the eye lashes
  • This is Down clue number 5

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer MASCARA

6 Down: "6. Scuba gear"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'T' and ends with 'K'
  • Word pattern: T__K
  • Similar words: storage tank, cooler
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 6

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer TANK

7 Down: "7. Remnants of a volcanic spew"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: A___S
  • Similar words: ash tree, ash
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: the residue that remains when something is burned
  • This is Down clue number 7

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer ASHES

8 Down: "8. Corp. exec overseeing engineers, say"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'C' and ends with 'O'
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 8

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer CTO

9 Down: "9. Stuff on an artist's palette"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 8 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 9

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer OILPAINT

10 Down: "10. Eleventh-hour"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 9 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'L' and ends with 'H'
  • Word pattern: L_______H
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 10

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer LASTDITCH

11 Down: "11. Potatoes, in Indian cooking"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'O'
  • Word pattern: A__O
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 11

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer ALOO

12 Down: "12. From ___ to dusk"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'D' and ends with 'N'
  • Word pattern: D__N
  • Similar words: cockcrow, sunup
  • Opposite of: sunset
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: the first light of day
  • This is Down clue number 12

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer DAWN

13 Down: "15. Actor Sam of "Jurassic Park""

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'N' and ends with 'L'
  • Word pattern: N___L
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 13

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer NEILL

14 Down: "18. Acorn droppers"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'O' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: O__S
  • Similar words: oak, oak tree
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 14

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer OAKS

15 Down: "23. Salt, in Paris"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'S' and ends with 'L'
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 15

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer SEL

16 Down: "25. Money across the Atlantic"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'E' and ends with 'O'
  • Word pattern: E__O
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 16

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer EURO

17 Down: "27. Messages on which you might be cc'd"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: E____S
  • Similar words: e-mail, email
  • Opposite of: snail mail
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 17

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer EMAILS

18 Down: "29. Iraqis and Iranians"

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: Asiatic, Asian
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: a native or inhabitant of Asia
  • This is Down clue number 18

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer ASIANS

19 Down: "31. Biblical brother of Jacob"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'E' and ends with 'U'
  • Word pattern: E__U
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 19

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer ESAU

20 Down: "32. Psychedelic tab"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'L' and ends with 'D'
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 20

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer LSD

21 Down: "33. Toy on a string that's not a kite"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'O'
  • Word pattern: Y__O
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 21

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer YOYO

22 Down: "34. Center of a stone fruit"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 9 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'C' and ends with 'T'
  • Word pattern: C_______T
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 22

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer CHERRYPIT

23 Down: "36. Film special effects, for short"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'C' and ends with 'I'
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 23

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer CGI

24 Down: "38. After-hours source of $$$"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'M'
  • Similar words: cash machine, cash dispenser
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 24

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer ATM

25 Down: "40. Lost moisture"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'D' and ends with 'T'
  • Word pattern: D______T
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 25

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer DRIEDOUT

26 Down: "41. Nonspecific amount"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E'
  • Word pattern: S__E
  • Similar words: more or less, around
  • Opposite of: no
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 26

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer SOME

27 Down: "44. Pet that stores food in cheek pouches"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'H' and ends with 'R'
  • Word pattern: H_____R
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 27

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer HAMSTER

28 Down: "46. Author Fleming"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'I' and ends with 'N'
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 28

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer IAN

29 Down: "47. What empty stomachs do"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'G' and ends with 'L'
  • Word pattern: G___L
  • Similar words: grumble, rumble
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: the sound of growling (as made by animals)
  • This is Down clue number 29

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer GROWL

30 Down: "49. In ___ of"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'L' and ends with 'U'
  • Word pattern: L__U
  • Similar words: position, stead
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 30

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer LIEU

31 Down: "51. No longer available"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'T' and ends with 'N'
  • Word pattern: T___N
  • Similar words: take, have
  • Opposite of: give
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: carry out
  • This is Down clue number 31

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer TAKEN

32 Down: "53. "There ___ enough hours in the day""

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'T'
  • Word pattern: A___T
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 32

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer ARENT

33 Down: "54. "That's the truth!""

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'N' and ends with 'E'
  • Word pattern: N___E
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 33

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer NOLIE

34 Down: "55. Mosaic pieces"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: T___S
  • Similar words: roofing tile, tile
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 34

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer TILES

35 Down: "56. Covering over a wound"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'S' and ends with 'B'
  • Word pattern: S__B
  • Similar words: blackleg, fink
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • Definition: someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike
  • This is Down clue number 35

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer SCAB

36 Down: "57. Pause in the action"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'L' and ends with 'L'
  • Word pattern: L__L
  • Similar words: calm down, tranquillise
  • Opposite of: agitate
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 36

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer LULL

37 Down: "59. "It's gonna ___ you!""

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'C' and ends with 'T'
  • Word pattern: C__T
  • Similar words: toll, be
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 37

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer COST

38 Down: "63. Hwy."

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'R' and ends with 'E'
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 38

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer RTE

39 Down: "64. Early Chinese dynasty"

Helpful hints for this Down clue:

  • This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
  • It starts with 'W' and ends with 'I'
  • Similar words: Wei dynasty
  • This is an abbreviation or acronym
  • This is Down clue number 39

Answer:

Click to reveal the Down answer WEI

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

  1. Fill-in-the-blank clues: These are usually the easiest Down entries
  2. Prefixes and suffixes: Common word parts often run vertically
  3. Abbreviations: Look for clues with "Abbr." or shortened forms
  4. Plural indicators: Words ending in 'S' are common in Down
  5. 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 39 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.

About This Page: We provide comprehensive Down clues solutions and hints for the NYT Crossword to help you improve your solving skills. This site is not affiliated with The New York Times.

Last Updated: December 08, 2025 at 05:16 AM

Search terms: NYT Down, Down clues, vertical, crossword answers, top to bottom, December 08 2025 down clues

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Thursday, October 16, 2025

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 16, 2025 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

October 16, 2025 NYT Crossword Solutions

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Moderate

Pro Tip: Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues - they're usually the easiest entry points!

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. "___ Talkin' 'bout Love" (Van Halen song) 4
2A 5. *Treat with kindness 8
3A 10. Noted works of the Roman poet Horace 4
4A 14. Brute 4
5A 15. Statuette modeled after a knight holding a crusader's sword 5
6A 16. Feeling associated with skipping a party, perhaps 4
7A 17. Unchangeable 10
8A 19. Horned creature in "Pan's Labyrinth" 4
9A 20. Hungers for 6
10A 21. Early Germanic people 5
11A 23. Move around the world 5
12A 24. *Expensive 6
13A 26. Lift 5
14A 29. Mardi Gras locale, informally 4
15A 30. Ovarian sac contents 3
16A 31. Fuddy-duddies 6
17A 32. "Still ___" (2022 rap hit) 3
18A 33. Meander 4
19A 34. High lights? 6
20A 35. Practice chiromancy 9
21A 37. Disappear, as a trail 6
22A 40. "Central Park in the Dark" composer 4
23A 41. Music box? 3
24A 44. Diviner 6
25A 45. Jerry's uncle on "Seinfeld" 3
26A 46. Box a bit 4
27A 47. Tonkatsu coating 5
28A 48. *Deli device 6
29A 49. Bug expert, for short 5
30A 50. Invite at the door 5
31A 52. Extreme pressure 6
32A 53. El ___ 4
33A 55. Felt tired during the day, say 10
34A 58. Words to a betrayer 4
35A 59. "The Philosophy of Right" author 5
36A 60. Like a computer with a running screensaver 4
37A 61. How whiskey might be served … with a hint to the answers to the seven starred clues 4
38A 62. *Risky endeavor, idiomatically 8
39A 63. Onetime resident of the Winter Palace 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "___ Talkin' 'bout Love" (Van Halen song)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AINT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. *Treat with kindness"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BENICETO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Noted works of the Roman poet Horace"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Similar words include: ode
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Brute"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
  • Similar words include: Goth, tyke, churl
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Statuette modeled after a knight holding a crusader's sword"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an annual award by the academy of motion picture arts and sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
  • Similar words include: Academy Award
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSCAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Feeling associated with skipping a party, perhaps"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Unchangeable"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETINSTONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Horned creature in "Pan's Labyrinth""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ancient italian deity in human shape, with horns, pointed ears and a goat's tail; equivalent to greek satyr
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Hungers for"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have a craving, appetite, or great desire for
  • Similar words include: starve, lust, thirst
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRAVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Early Germanic people"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
  • Similar words include: Goth, tyke, boor
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOTHS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Move around the world"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
  • Similar words include: field, scope, reach
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORBIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. *Expensive"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that having a high price
  • Similar words include: costly, high-priced, dear
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRICEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Lift"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lifting device for raising heavy or cumbersome objects
  • Similar words include: run up, lift, wind
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Mardi Gras locale, informally"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOLA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Ovarian sac contents"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fish eggs or egg-filled ovary; having a grainy texture
  • Similar words include: hard roe
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Fuddy-duddies"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum
  • Similar words include: puritan, prude
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRUDES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. "Still ___" (2022 rap hit)"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Meander"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that direct one's course or way
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. High lights?"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the first light of day
  • Similar words include: daybreak, sunrise, sunup
  • Opposite of: sunset
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "35. Practice chiromancy"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: READPALMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "37. Disappear, as a trail"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOCOLD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. "Central Park in the Dark" composer"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states composer noted for his innovative use of polytonality (1874-1954)
  • Similar words include: James Ives, Charles Edward Ives, James Merritt Ives
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Music box?"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic unit of electric current adopted under the systeme international d'unites
  • Similar words include: A, adenosine monophosphate, adenylic acid
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Diviner"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an authoritative person who divines the future
  • Similar words include: seer, prophesier, prophet
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORACLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "45. Jerry's uncle on "Seinfeld""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in leo
  • Similar words include: Lion, Leo the Lion
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "46. Box a bit"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various nonmetallic minerals (calcite or feldspar) that are light in color and transparent or translucent and cleavable
  • Similar words include: sparring
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "47. Tonkatsu coating"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PANKO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "48. *Deli device"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a golfer whose shots typically curve right (for right-handed golfers)
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLICER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "49. Bug expert, for short"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITPRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "50. Invite at the door"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASKIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "52. Extreme pressure"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that compulsory force or threat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DURESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "53. El ___"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "55. Felt tired during the day, say"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEEDEDANAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "58. Words to a betrayer"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETTU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "59. "The Philosophy of Right" author"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that german philosopher whose three stage process of dialectical reasoning was adopted by karl marx (1770-1831)
  • Similar words include: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEGEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "60. Like a computer with a running screensaver"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
  • Similar words include: baseless, loose, stagnate
  • Opposite of: run, work
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "61. How whiskey might be served … with a hint to the answers to the seven starred clues"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that clean or organized
  • Similar words include: corking, refined, bang-up
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "62. *Risky endeavor, idiomatically"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DICEROLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "63. Onetime resident of the Winter Palace"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male monarch or emperor (especially of russia prior to 1917)
  • Similar words include: czar, tzar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Bolt 7
2D 2. Certain Windows hard drive malfunction 7
3D 3. *Conspicuous 10
4D 4. Stupid stuff it's fun to know 6
5D 5. Level-ending foe 4
6D 6. Educated guess: Abbr. 3
7D 7. Sgt., e.g. 3
8D 8. Like lemon curd 5
9D 9. Preceder of "Bites" and "Bars" in commercial names 4
10D 10. *Chance to meet one-on-one with a professor 11
11D 11. "Copy me" 7
12D 12. Runner Down Under 3
13D 13. Certain heir 3
14D 18. Make in the end 3
15D 22. Steady humming sounds 6
16D 24. Locale for catfish or carp 4
17D 25. What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix 7
18D 27. Spanish 101 verb 3
19D 28. Whom you might greet with open arms, for short? 3
20D 30. Novelist Charles who wrote "The Cloister and the Hearth" 5
21D 31. Prefix with botanist 5
22D 33. "Sure … if you say so" 6
23D 35. Enjoys oneself uninhibitedly … or a punny title for this puzzle 8
24D 36. Profess 4
25D 37. Something Lincoln once led, for short 3
26D 38. Italian time unit 3
27D 39. Card game with a winning score of 5,000 points 7
28D 41. *Book addenda 10
29D 42. Chicken ___ 7
30D 43. Thrive 7
31D 46. Narrow channel 6
32D 48. Derisive look 5
33D 49. OB/GYN offering 3
34D 51. Crisply shown, as on TV 4
35D 52. Wooded valley 4
36D 53. Coop 3
37D 54. Performed amazingly, in slang 3
38D 56. Id's counterpart 3
39D 57. The First State: Abbr. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Bolt"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
  • Similar words include: absquatulate, decamp, go off
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABSCOND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Certain Windows hard drive malfunction"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IOERROR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. *Conspicuous"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capable or worthy of being perceived
  • Similar words include: obtrusive, detectable
  • Opposite of: unobtrusive, unnoticeable
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOTICEABLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Stupid stuff it's fun to know"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something of small importance
  • Similar words include: triviality, trivium, small beer
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRIVIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Level-ending foe"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who exercises control over workers
  • Similar words include: political boss, emboss, party boss
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Educated guess: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard time in the 5th time zone west of greenwich, reckoned at the 75th meridian; used in the eastern united states
  • Similar words include: Eastern Standard Time, Eastern Time
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sgt., e.g."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NCO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Like lemon curd"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tasting sour like a lemon
  • Similar words include: lemony, sourish, lemonlike
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TANGY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Preceder of "Bites" and "Bars" in commercial names"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that chocolate cookie with white cream filling
  • Similar words include: oreo cookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. *Chance to meet one-on-one with a professor"

11 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OFFICEHOURS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "Copy me""

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOASIDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Runner Down Under"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various systems of units for measuring electricity and magnetism
  • Similar words include: electromagnetic unit, Emu novaehollandiae, Dromaius novaehollandiae
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Certain heir"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male human offspring
  • Similar words include: Word, Logos, boy
  • Opposite of: daughter, girl
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Make in the end"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the tcp/ip network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
  • Similar words include: clear, profit, network
  • Opposite of: gross
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Steady humming sounds"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thrumming sound
  • Similar words include: beat, hum, thrum
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THRUMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Locale for catfish or carp"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small lake
  • Similar words include: pool
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDPILL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Spanish 101 verb"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Whom you might greet with open arms, for short?"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency established in 2001 to safeguard united states transportation systems and insure safe air travel
  • Similar words include: Transportation Security Administration
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Novelist Charles who wrote "The Cloister and the Hearth""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: READE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Prefix with botanist"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PALEO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. "Sure … if you say so""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WELLOK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Enjoys oneself uninhibitedly … or a punny title for this puzzle"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROCKSOUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Profess"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that report or maintain
  • Similar words include: swan, allege, avow
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Something Lincoln once led, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the younger of two major political parties in the united states; gop is an acronym for grand old party
  • Similar words include: Republican Party
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Italian time unit"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mouth or mouthlike opening
  • Similar words include: operating system, osmium, atomic number 76
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. Card game with a winning score of 5,000 points"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a form of rummy using two decks of cards and four jokers; jokers and deuces are wild; the object is to form groups of the same rank
  • Similar words include: meld, basket rummy
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CANASTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. *Book addenda"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that supplementary material that is collected and appended at the back of a book
  • Similar words include: vermiform process, cecal appendage, appendix
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APPENDICES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. Chicken ___"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dark sweet or semisweet dessert wine from sicily
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARSALA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "43. Thrive"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance
  • Similar words include: fly high, thrive, flourish
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROSPER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "46. Narrow channel"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water
  • Similar words include: sound, straits, pass
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STRAIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Derisive look"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a facial expression of contempt or scorn; the upper lip curls
  • Similar words include: leer
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNEER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. OB/GYN offering"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that contraceptive device consisting of a piece of bent plastic or metal that is inserted through the vagina into the uterus
  • Similar words include: intrauterine device
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IUD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Crisply shown, as on TV"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INHD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Wooded valley"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small wooded hollow
  • Similar words include: dingle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "53. Coop"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
  • Similar words include: compose, write, penitentiary
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "54. Performed amazingly, in slang"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
  • Similar words include: eat up, eat, eat on
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "56. Id's counterpart"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others
  • Similar words include: self, self-importance, egotism
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "57. The First State: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

Begin with fill-in-the-blank clues and short 3-4 letter words. These are your foundation.

Decode the Clues

Question marks indicate wordplay or puns. "Maybe" suggests multiple interpretations.

Use Cross-References

Let intersecting letters guide you. One correct answer unlocks several others.

Build Vocabulary

Common crossword words repeat. Learning them speeds up future solving.

Today's Puzzle Stats

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: October 16, 2025 at 03:51 AM

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