NYT Crossword hints and answer for December 19, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues72
Across35
Down37
ConstructorHemant Mehta
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
Fashion designer Schiaparelli (4)
Starts with E, ends with AELSA→
5A
Boomer playing in a band (8)
Starts with B, ends with MBASSDRUM→
13A
Things that may be connected (4)
Starts with D, ends with SDOTS→
14A
2023 musical with a Tony for Best Choreography (9)
Starts with I, ends with EILLINOISE→
15A
Some arthritis (4)
Starts with G, ends with TGOUT→
16A
Climbed without ropes (10)
Starts with F, ends with DFREESOLOED→
17A
Fire in one's belly (8)
Starts with A, ends with NAMBITION→
19A
Old money, for short? (3)
Starts with I, ends with AIRA→
20A
Jewish honorific (3)
Starts with R, ends with BREB→
21A
They work around the clock (5)
Starts with H, ends with SHANDS→
23A
Big Apple athlete (5)
Starts with K, ends with KKNICK→
27A
Home ___ (5)
Starts with D, ends with TDEPOT→
29A
Summer Olympics event (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEPEE→
31A
Gram alternative (3)
Starts with N, ends with NNAN→
32A
Trusted one, typically (5)
Starts with E, ends with RELDER→
33A
Mr. Right, e.g. (9)
Starts with I, ends with EIDEALMATE→
35A
Silver of the Silver Bulletin (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENATE→
36A
Deduce (5)
Starts with I, ends with RINFER→
37A
L.G.B.T.Q.+ rights activist Windsor (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEDIE→
38A
Suddenly kicks the bucket (9)
Starts with D, ends with DDROPSDEAD→
40A
Go viral (5)
Starts with T, ends with DTREND→
41A
"Opportunity," per Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (3)
Starts with A, ends with EAGE→
42A
Introductory dissection subject (4)
Starts with W, ends with MWORM→
43A
Plane on a diamond (5)
Starts with F, ends with TFACET→
44A
___ Hadley, "Clever Girl" novelist (5)
Starts with T, ends with ATESSA→
46A
Certain put-back shot (5)
Starts with T, ends with NTIPIN→
48A
Golden ratio symbol (3)
Starts with P, ends with IPHI→
50A
Rx dosages (3)
Starts with M, ends with SMGS→
52A
Extend (8)
Starts with L, ends with NLENGTHEN→
54A
Their talent may not be as important as their last names (10)
Starts with N, ends with SNEPOBABIES→
58A
Awed reactions (4)
Starts with O, ends with SOOHS→
59A
One who enjoys the high C's? (9)
Starts with O, ends with ROPERAGOER→
60A
Slow ___ (response from the unamused) (4)
Starts with C, ends with PCLAP→
61A
Disparities studied by economists (8)
Starts with W, ends with SWAGEGAPS→
62A
High-fat diet, informally (4)
Starts with K, ends with OKETO→
Down
1D
Annual mystery award (5)
Starts with E, ends with REDGAR→
2D
Had an outsize presence (11)
Starts with L, ends with ELOOMEDLARGE→
3D
They may recently have been in a jam (11)
Starts with S, ends with SSTUBBEDTOES→
4D
Prosecco relative (4)
Starts with A, ends with IASTI→
5D
Results of some remarriages (15)
Starts with B, ends with SBLENDEDFAMILIES→
6D
Yard sale? (3)
Starts with A, ends with EALE→
7D
Afirmativa enfática (4)
Starts with S, ends with ISISI→
8D
Swim with the fishes? (7)
Starts with S, ends with LSNORKEL→
9D
Larry ___, longtime owner of the Cleveland Guardians (5)
Starts with D, ends with NDOLAN→
10D
Grande opening? (3)
Starts with R, ends with ORIO→
11D
Fair ___ (concept in copyright law) (3)
Starts with U, ends with EUSE→
12D
Kind of school (3)
Starts with M, ends with DMED→
14D
Wrinkle remover (4)
Starts with I, ends with NIRON→
16D
Diktat (4)
Starts with F, ends with TFIAT→
18D
Repeated role for Chris Hemsworth (4)
Starts with T, ends with RTHOR→
22D
Word with dating or skating (5)
Starts with S, ends with DSPEED→
24D
Bad place to be while gambling (11)
Starts with I, ends with EINADEEPHOLE→
25D
Fictional companion of Thing One and Thing Two (11)
Starts with C, ends with TCATINTHEHAT→
26D
Hit below the belt, in a way (5)
Starts with K, ends with DKNEED→
28D
Easter basket treat (4)
Starts with P, ends with PPEEP→
30D
Pitch catcher? (3)
Starts with E, ends with REAR→
32D
Wrap up by (5)
Starts with E, ends with TENDAT→
33D
Like He and Xe (5)
Starts with I, ends with TINERT→
34D
Windy City exchange, in brief (4)
Starts with M, ends with CMERC→
36D
Altar-ed statement? (3)
Starts with I, ends with OIDO→
39D
Expo take-home (7)
Starts with S, ends with GSWAGBAG→
40D
Zesty flavor (4)
Starts with T, ends with GTANG→
43D
Parts of submarines also known as fairwaters (4)
Starts with F, ends with SFINS→
45D
D.I.Y. dessert item (5)
Starts with S, ends with ESMORE→
47D
Pressure source (4)
Starts with P, ends with RPEER→
49D
Source of motivation, informally (5)
Starts with I, ends with OINSPO→
51D
It's a long story (4)
Starts with S, ends with ASAGA→
53D
Half time? (4)
Starts with T, ends with KTOCK→
54D
When you're reading this (3)
Starts with N, ends with WNOW→
55D
Grp. with geologists and biologists (3)
Starts with E, ends with AEPA→
56D
Piece in the game Battleship (3)
Starts with P, ends with GPEG→
57D
Genre for Miles Davis or Dizzy Gillespie (3)
Starts with B, ends with PBOP→
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 19, 2025?+
72 clues: 35 Across and 37 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Hemant Mehta and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Fashion designer Schiaparelli (ELSA); Boomer playing in a band (BASSDRUM); Things that may be connected (DOTS).
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.
