Home/Archive/Apr 17, 2025

NYT Crossword — April 17, 2025

Thursday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 72 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 72 revealed

1A

2C

3A

4I

5A

6C

7T

8I

9N

10E

11M

12I

13T

14B

A

N

S

15B

R

U

N

O

16G

I

L

A

17E

R

G

O

18L

U

N

C

H

19B

O

X

E

S

20T

O

E

S

21H

O

E

22H

E

R

23L

L

C

O

O

L

24J

25L

O

26T

27U

28S

29E

L

M

30E

31S

P

O

U

S

E

32S

33S

34A

35B

L

E

36F

T

C

37M

N

E

M

E

38T

R

E

E

S

39A

S

H

40S

E

T

I

N

41A

N

A

S

42C

R

O

W

43D

44U

H

N

O

45F

I

R

46M

A

R

N

E

R

47P

E

A

R

48F

E

N

49C

R

I

S

P

E

50D

51F

L

A

52A

53P

P

L

E

54P

A

U

55L

O

56T

57H

I

T

H

E

R

58E

M

P

I

R

59E

60S

61P

O

S

S

E

S

S

62S

O

L

A

C

E

S

63S

W

E

D

E

S

64F

O

R

E

S

T

Across

37 clues

1___ bowl (healthful dish)

5Cellular protein

15Mars with bars

16Cold-blooded kind of monster

18Common back-to-school purchases

20Bit of ballet wear

222013 movie co-starring Scarlett Johansson in which she is never seen

23"Going Back to Cali" rapper, 1998

25*Abigail Adams or Eleanor Roosevelt, informally

29*Red denizen of Sesame Street

30Advocates for

33Animal with luxurious fur

36Consumer protection agcy.

37Muse of memory

38See 64-Across

41Santa ___ (hot winds)

42What three is

44"Hmm, I don't think so"

45*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch

46Eliot protagonist

47*Pickle or asparagus unit

49Placed in an air fryer instead of a microwave, say

51State with 1,350 miles of coastline (second-most after Alaska): Abbr.

52*Small, embedded program

54São ___, most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere

56Toward that place, quaintly

58Ancient Rome and Persia

63Almost half of Scandinavians

64What you can't see due to the 38-Across in this puzzle?

Down

35 clues

1Help with a crime

2Apt name for a December baby

3Early investor

4Literally, "equal legs"

5Like many a plant in spring

7Large cask for beer or wine

9What a bad assistant might be

10Teamwork inhibitor

11Word with cake or trail

12Spot dans la Seine

13Many Ph.D. students

19Some Halloween "transports"

21Plot problems

24ABC's first program broadcast in color, with "The"

26Refurbish, as an old piano

27What one may have to do to destroy a Death Star

28Original and influential

31Big name in soft drinks

32___ Presidenta, term of address for Mexico's leader beginning in 2024

33Wizard's weapon, maybe

34"___ the Doughnut," start of a children's book series

35Classic French sauce

36Horseshoe enthusiasts?

42Like one who might have to hoof it

46John ___, author of "Annals of the Former World"

50Brand of oversize Lego bricks

53Veteran's affliction, in brief

56Does a certain prank on, informally

59Some M.I.T. grads, in brief

60The last one flew in 10/03

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Thursday, Apr 17, 2025

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

37/188

Black / letter cells

5.2

Avg entry length

11 ltrs

Longest entry

Tricky

Thursday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedApr 17, 2025

DayThursday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorIlan Kolkowitz and Shimon Kolkowitz

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split37 across · 35 down

Longest entries

27DWhat one may have to do to destroy a Death Star11 ltrs 18ACommon back-to-school purchases10 ltrs 4DLiterally, "equal legs"9 ltrs 31DBig name in soft drinks9 ltrs 35DClassic French sauce9 ltrs

Thursday is the gimmick day: rebus squares, reversed entries and other tricks are fair game. This grid has 37 black squares and averages 5.2 letters per entry.