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NYT Crossword — August 20, 2025

Wednesday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 78 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 78 revealed
1B
2A
3R
4O
5N
6L
7A
8B
9T
10E
11Y
12E
M
O
R
A
13P
14D
E
M
O
15M
O
D
E
16G
O
L
I
V
E
17M
I
S
O
S
O
U
P
18G
E
L
19T
20H
C
21T
O
G
O
22A
B
E
23S
R
O
24R
E
F
25F
26I
27B
28R
A
D
29I
C
A
L
30E
L
F
31T
S
A
32N
O
T
I
33P
S
34S
35P
E
L
T
36H
37A
38I
K
U
39D
I
E
40T
U
N
E
S
41E
L
M
S
T
42A
P
E
43M
A
N
44M
M
A
45S
46P
Y
47D
O
G
K
48I
49S
50S
51P
A
M
52H
A
S
53E
R
E
54S
U
E
55O
56D
O
R
57F
D
R
58A
N
I
59V
60E
R
O
N
I
61C
A
62I
63R
64O
B
O
T
65P
R
O
M
O
T
E
D
66S
E
N
E
C
A
67S
A
N
68R
Y
E
69C
O
L
O
N

Across

41 clues
1Tycoon
6"Famously friendly" pooch, per the American Kennel Club
9Mystery author Josephine
12Moody hip-hop subgenre
14Electronic setting on a floor model
16Switch to a newsperson on the scene, say
17Common sushi go-with
18Hair goop
19Marijuana component, for short
21Like many a coffee order
22Only U.S. prez born in Kentucky
23Letters for a sellout
24Whistle blower
25"I had something come up," maybe
28Square root
302003 Will Ferrell film
31Org. that prohibits Magic 8 Balls and baseball bats
32Custom in Japanese food service
34Went letter by letter, to Brits
36Brief verse from Japan / With seventeen syllables / Illustrated here
39Item seen rolling through this puzzle
40Fixes, as a piano
41Freddy Krueger's locale: Abbr.
42Evolutionary "missing link"
44U.F.C. fighting style
45Mole, e.g.
47Slobbery smooch
51First receptionist on "The Office"
52Delivers, as a baby
53Before, poetically
54T. rex fossil named after its discoverer
55Distinctive feature of the durian fruit
57The Big Apple's ___ Drive
58Singer DiFranco
59Frenemy of Betty in comics
62Classic Asimov collection
65Boosted
66Five Nations tribe
67___ Marino
68Patty melt bread
69Start of many emoticons

Down

37 clues
1Change seeker
2Shape-shifting organism
3Like some oats
4"... ___ quit!"
5Sat ___ (GPS, to Brits)
6Perishable bit of apparel
7Dutch bier
8Expel with jeers
9More than one would like
10Collegiate domain?
11"Uh-huh"
13Scabbers, to Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter books
14Hip-hop's Run-___
15Flavoring in some fast food, for short
20January and November have the most federal ones
23"No lie!"
24Adjusted the rankings of, as a tournament
26Michigan's ___ Royale National Park
27Cave dwellers
29Tats (up)
33What every "O" in this grid represents
35The Ramones' genre
36Material in some eco-friendly clothing
37Liberal arts college in Michigan
38Remark accompanied by a facepalm
43Actor Lamorne of Fox's "New Girl"
46Sameness
48Writer Allende
49Gas brand that sponsors NASCAR
50Wheat-based meat alternative
56Benedictine's title
57It's all the rage
59Air Force Two passengers, in brief
60"Fearless" or "1989," for Taylor Swift
61Middling grade
63Lead-in to center or room
64Musician Yoko

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, Aug 20, 2025
15×15
Grid size
78
Total entries
42/183
Black / letter cells
4.7
Avg entry length
11 ltrs
Longest entry
Medium
Wednesday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedAug 20, 2025
DayWednesday
ThemeUntitled
ConstructorVictor Schmitt
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split41 across · 37 down
Longest entries
8DExpel with jeers11 ltrs23D"No lie!"11 ltrs14AElectronic setting on a floor model8 ltrs17ACommon sushi go-with8 ltrs59AFrenemy of Betty in comics8 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 42 black squares and averages 4.7 letters per entry.