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NYT Crossword — August 22, 2026

Saturday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 68 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 68 revealed

1R

2A

3B

4B

5I

6T

7S

8T

9E

10W

11E

12Y

13E

14S

15A

N

Y

O

N

E

H

O

M

E

16R

E

A

L

17I

N

E

X

T

R

E

M

I

S

18E

S

T

A

19N

O

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

20A

N

E

W

21L

U

G

22S

O

23L

D

O

N

24B

25I

26F

O

C

A

27L

28S

29N

E

E

D

30B

R

E

T

H

R

E

N

31G

R

O

32S

33S

34Q

A

T

35R

O

U

36T

37E

38U

H

H

39S

N

A

40R

41K

42C

O

L

43U

44M

B

I

A

45C

O

I

46L

47K

E

E

P

I

T

P

G

48S

H

A

D

O

49W

50M

S

N

51O

P

E

D

52W

H

53I

54T

E

T

I

55G

56E

57R

58D

R

E

W

59B

A

N

A

N

A

C

A

K

E

60D

E

S

I

61I

M

O

U

T

R

A

G

E

D

62S

E

E

N

63D

O

N

T

S

T

R

E

S

S

Across

31 clues

1Dish such as Germany's hasenpfeffer

11Set of 24 for a box jellyfish

15"Hello?" follower

17Beset by impossible circumstances

18___ noche (tonight, in Spanish)

19"Let's talk about it afterward"

24Benjamin Franklin invention of the 1780s

29Hardly a luxury

30Fellow fellows

31Net alternative

34Mideast shrub with leaves that are chewed as a stimulant

35It includes a series of stations

38"Lemme think …"

39Irreverence, of a sort

42Name shared by the locales of University of South Carolina and the University of Missouri

45What might wind up in your mattress?

47Refrain from foul language, say

48Follow around

50Portal released concurrently with Windows 95

51Many a guest writer's piece

52Genetically rare feline that represents autumn in Chinese astronomy

58Tied up with?

59It's commonly made upside down

60___ Lydic of "The Daily Show"

61"This is a travesty!"

63"Relax, it'll be fine"

Down

37 clues

1"Into each life some ___ must fall": Longfellow

2Common word in Latin dating

3Tournament passes?

4Analytical graphic that divides data into quartiles

5Having communication

6She played Sandy Lester in "Tootsie"

7Author Silverstein

8"As I see it ..."

9Many members of Kuwait's al-Sabah royal line

10Crisco competitor

11Volume control device?

12"Absolutely, positively!"

13Down the hatch, perhaps

14Popular topping for fish tacos

24Smoking events, for short

25Major exporter of pistachios

26Tidbits of Greek culture?

27Francis's successor

32Icebreaker, e.g.

33Iconic hairstyle of Jane Fonda and Stevie Nicks

36Support while "en pointe"

37I, O, U and Y, but not A or E

40Success in another's field, say

41Engage in tomfoolery

44Subcompact vehicle

46Contract winner, typically

49Maker of the Hacky Sack and Hula-Hoop

51The longer they are, the harder they'll be to beat

54Lacking slack

55Greenish plum variety

56Barely makes (out)

57Wine list header

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

Stats & info

Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

15×15

Grid size

68

Total entries

34/191

Black / letter cells

5.6

Avg entry length

10 ltrs

Longest entry

Hardest

Saturday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedAug 22, 2026

DaySaturday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorAdrian Johnson

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split31 across · 37 down

Longest entries

1ADish such as Germany's hasenpfeffer10 ltrs 15A"Hello?" follower10 ltrs 17ABeset by impossible circumstances10 ltrs 19A"Let's talk about it afterward"10 ltrs 52AGenetically rare feline that represents autumn in Chinese astronomy10 ltrs

Saturday is the hardest grid of the week, themeless and clued as obliquely as the editor allows. This grid has 34 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.