NYT Crossword hints and answer for December 17, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across37
Down41
ConstructorGary Larson and Doug Peterson
Today’s NYT Crossword clues, hints & answers
Every clue from this puzzle with a hint and the answer behind separate buttons, so you only see what you need. Click a clue for its own page.
Across
1A
Lock combinations? (5)
Starts with C, ends with SCOIFS→
6A
___ League (4)
Starts with A, ends with BARAB→
10A
Single instruction (4)
Starts with S, ends with PSTEP→
14A
Enemy W.W. II vessel (5)
Starts with U, ends with TUBOAT→
15A
Turner of old movies (4)
Starts with L, ends with ALANA→
16A
Powerful impulse (4)
Starts with U, ends with EURGE→
17A
Group of grumps sitting around kvetching? (10)
Starts with P, ends with YPOUTYPARTY→
19A
Elmer's nemesis (4)
Starts with B, ends with SBUGS→
20A
Meeting, casually (4)
Starts with S, ends with HSESH→
21A
A smartphone has lots of these (4)
Starts with U, ends with SUSES→
22A
Centerpiece of "The Hobbit" (5)
Starts with Q, ends with TQUEST→
23A
Community property pronoun (3)
Starts with O, ends with ROUR→
25A
Like barked orders (4)
Starts with C, ends with TCURT→
26A
Ali vs. Frazier, e.g.? (15)
Starts with C, ends with TCHAMPSATTHEBOUT→
34A
Genre for GloRilla (3)
Starts with R, ends with PRAP→
35A
Official mandate (6)
Starts with D, ends with EDECREE→
36A
Fellow fighter (4)
Starts with A, ends with YALLY→
37A
Brand once known as "Standard Oil Company of Indiana" (5)
Starts with A, ends with OAMOCO→
39A
Mardi Gras day, in brief (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETUE→
40A
Works on a muffler, say (5)
Starts with K, ends with SKNITS→
41A
Welcome figure on Wall Street, unwelcome figure in a china shop (4)
Starts with B, ends with LBULL→
42A
See 50-Down (6)
Starts with N, ends with ANOSTRA→
44A
To and ___ (3)
Starts with F, ends with OFRO→
45A
Welcome sight on a whale-watching cruise? (15)
Starts with S, ends with NSPOUTINTHEOCEAN→
48A
Poindexter (4)
Starts with G, ends with KGEEK→
49A
TV freebie of a sort (3)
Starts with P, ends with APSA→
50A
Easter Island's country (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECHILE→
52A
Dark-skinned fruit (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESLOE→
55A
Pieces of advice (4)
Starts with T, ends with STIPS→
59A
Primordial substance (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOOZE→
60A
Painstakingly explain something ... or a hint to 17-, 26- and 45-Across (10)
Starts with S, ends with TSPELLITOUT→
62A
Takes a tour of (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSEES→
63A
Compassionate (4)
Starts with K, ends with DKIND→
64A
Terra ___ (5)
Starts with C, ends with ACOTTA→
65A
Does the math, in a way (4)
Starts with A, ends with SADDS→
66A
Pot grower? (4)
Starts with A, ends with EANTE→
67A
H, on the N.Y.S.E. (5)
Starts with H, ends with THYATT→
Down
1D
Tarot suit associated with the element of water (4)
Starts with C, ends with SCUPS→
2D
Yamaha product (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOBOE→
3D
What makes a stud become studious? (4)
Starts with I, ends with SIOUS→
4D
Fully get (6)
Starts with F, ends with MFATHOM→
5D
Hog's home (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSTY→
6D
"That's a real shame" (4)
Starts with A, ends with SALAS→
7D
Steakhouse order (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERARE→
8D
Marchers in sidewalk cracks (4)
Starts with A, ends with SANTS→
9D
Howl at the moon (3)
Starts with B, ends with YBAY→
10D
Chevy S.U.V. (8)
Starts with S, ends with NSUBURBAN→
11D
Authentic (10)
Starts with T, ends with ETRUETOLIFE→
12D
Ones from platypuses have leathery shells (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEGGS→
13D
Fly by night ... or by day (4)
Starts with P, ends with TPEST→
18D
Compact holder (5)
Starts with P, ends with EPURSE→
22D
Neighbor of Ont. (3)
Starts with Q, ends with EQUE→
24D
Red carpet hairstyle, perhaps (4)
Starts with U, ends with OUPDO→
25D
Jost's longtime "Weekend Update" co-anchor (3)
Starts with C, ends with ECHE→
26D
Food you might eat wearing a bib (5)
Starts with C, ends with SCRABS→
27D
Overplay for the audience (5)
Starts with H, ends with PHAMUP→
28D
Was the bigger person, say (10)
Starts with A, ends with DAPOLOGIZED→
29D
Follow, as advice (5)
Starts with A, ends with NACTON→
30D
Have faith in (5)
Starts with T, ends with TTRUST→
31D
Canines, e.g. (5)
Starts with T, ends with HTEETH→
33D
Big name in chicken or boxing (5)
Starts with T, ends with NTYSON→
38D
1990s comedy inspired by "Emma" (8)
Starts with C, ends with SCLUELESS→
40D
"Get Smart" bad guys (4)
Starts with K, ends with SKAOS→
42D
Suffix with beat or neat (3)
Starts with N, ends with KNIK→
43D
Throw off (5)
Starts with R, ends with LREPEL→
46D
Stick in the ground? (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETEE→
47D
Just about anything on a string (6)
Starts with C, ends with YCATTOY→
50D
With 42-Across, the Mafia (4)
Starts with C, ends with ACOSA→
51D
Cultivated, in a way (4)
Starts with H, ends with DHOED→
52D
Start a turn in Twister (4)
Starts with S, ends with NSPIN→
53D
Time to do without (4)
Starts with L, ends with TLENT→
54D
Gary's ___ Towne Tavern (rival bar on "Cheers") (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOLDE→
56D
Minuscule amount (4)
Starts with I, ends with AIOTA→
57D
Short stroke (4)
Starts with P, ends with TPUTT→
58D
Batting avg., e.g. (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSTAT→
60D
Rocksteady relative (3)
Starts with S, ends with ASKA→
61D
"___ bin ein Berliner" (3)
Starts with I, ends with HICH→
How to solve the NYT Crossword
Fill the grid so that every Across and Down answer matches its clue. Numbered squares mark where answers begin. Theme answers, usually the longest entries, share a twist that the puzzle's title or a revealer clue explains. Thursday puzzles are known for rebus squares and other tricks that bend the normal rules.
Want the full method? Read our NYT Crossword strategy and tips, or check how to play the NYT Crossword on the hub.
NYT Crossword tips for tomorrow
- Start with Monday-level clues. Even on a Saturday, a handful of clues are straightforward. Find them and build outward from the crossings.
- Hunt for the revealer. A clue that references other entries or ends in "?" often explains the theme. Solving it first unlocks the long answers.
- Respect the day of the week. Thursday means tricks like rebus squares; Friday and Saturday mean long, clever fill with misleading clues.
Done for today? Try The Mini, The Midi, LA Times Crossword, all with hints first and answers behind a reveal.
Previous NYT Crossword puzzles
NYT Crossword FAQ
How many clues are in the NYT Crossword for December 17, 2025?+
78 clues: 37 Across and 41 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Gary Larson and Doug Peterson and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Lock combinations? (COIFS); ___ League (ARAB); Single instruction (STEP).
What time does the NYT Crossword come out?+
The next day's puzzle is released at 10:00 pm Eastern Time Monday to Friday and at 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Where can I find past NYT Crossword answers?+
Every puzzle in our archive has its own page with all Across and Down answers, plus a page for each clue. Click any date above.
