Home/Archive/Aug 21, 2025

NYT Crossword — August 21, 2025

Thursday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 81 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 81 revealed

1O

2A

3R

4S

5S

6P

7A

8N

9S

10I

11C

12I

13E

14R

15K

L

E

E

16A

G

R

E

E

17B

I

T

T

E

18S

I

V

A

19G

A

M

E

R

20M

A

S

O

N

21B

O

W

22T

O

23D

V

24R

S

25L

I

D

26T

A

K

E

I

27P

28A

Y

E

E

29C

O

L

E

30I

B

E

E

N

31H

A

D

32S

A

33Y

O

V

E

R

34L

A

D

D

35E

R

A

36T

37D

O

M

E

S

38W

39H

A

T

G

O

40E

S

U

P

41K

42I

R

O

V

43E

U

R

O

44A

45W

46E

47D

48S

E

N

A

T

E

49S

50C

I

N

51E

R

A

M

A

52P

E

R

P

53H

E

54S

H

E

55L

I

V

E

R

56I

P

A

57Z

O

R

K

58W

I

S

E

R

59G

E

N

60I

I

61T

O

62N

63Y

A

64O

D

I

65N

66O

R

G

A

N

67A

R

B

O

R

68N

O

T

E

69T

S

E

N

G

70S

T

A

N

D

71S

N

I

T

Across

41 clues

150 things on the Argo

5Units equal to nine inches

10Needing more salt, perhaps

15Swiss-born artist whose name sounds like an art medium

16What pronouns and their antecedents should do

17*Person who persists in a hopeless cause

18Destroyer of Hindu cosmogony

19*Wildlife parks

20Layer of bricks

21Show obeisance

23Smart TV features

26*Enjoy the moment, say

27Name on a check

29Porter of Broadway

30Sucker's lament

34Cheryl of "Charlie's Angels"

35Bit of Q.E.D.

37Features of some stadia

38Start of a popular saying about gravity ... or a hint to completing the answers to the starred clues

41Big name in Russian ballet

43Capital on the Mediterranean

48Legislative bodies

50Old wide-screen format

52Crime show extra, informally

53Lead-in to "they"

55*Storm-tracking aid

56Brew designed to survive trips to the subcontinent, in brief

57Early PC game whose nonsense working title stuck

58Partner of older

59Guardian spirits

61*Musical appreciation?

64Deity with the raven familiars Huginn and Muninn

66*Forming a union

67___ Day (April celebration)

69Yani ___, youngest pro golfer to win five major championships (age 22)

70Score keeper?

Down

40 clues

2Fictional character with a famous opening line

4Sushi treatment that's also a spa treatment

7What's off to the side in a selfie

8Demanding attention

10Watson and Deep Blue, for two

11Grp. aptly hidden in "special ops"

12"We're head over heels!"

13Prima ballerinas

22___ can, item first made and patented in Britain in 1810

24Turns the page, say

27Take leave of each other

29Taste tests, e.g.

33Pronoun repeated in "___ do ___"

39High on the Scoville scale

40Lake that's home to Kelleys Island

41Best candidates for permanent relationships

42Callable, say

45Gestured to keep moving

46Some retired faculty

47___ es Salaam

49Certain mattresses

51Name that means "my God" in Hebrew

54Bit of hybrid field hockey attire

57Criticize wittily

60Holm or McKellen of "The Hobbit"

62Wizards' org.

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

Stats & info

Thursday, Aug 21, 2025

16×15

Grid size

81

Total entries

38/202

Black / letter cells

5.0

Avg entry length

11 ltrs

Longest entry

Tricky

Thursday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedAug 21, 2025

DayThursday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorSimeon Seigel

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split41 across · 40 down

Longest entries

4DSushi treatment that's also a spa treatment11 ltrs 29DTaste tests, e.g.11 ltrs 38AStart of a popular saying about gravity ... or a hint to completing the answers to the starred clues10 ltrs 30ASucker's lament8 ltrs 50AOld wide-screen format8 ltrs

Thursday is the gimmick day: rebus squares, reversed entries and other tricks are fair game. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 5.0 letters per entry.