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NYT Crossword — August 9, 2025

Saturday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 66 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 66 revealed

1A

2C

3C

4O

5S

6T

7A

8S

9S

10E

11T

12S

13W

A

L

U

I

G

14I

15B

L

I

G

H

T

16C

R

O

S

T

I

N

17I

18H

A

N

G

E

R

19M

O

U

T

H

20E

P

21S

O

M

22W

W

I

23O

L

D

S

24B

E

H

A

R

25S

H

I

P

26N

E

S

27L

E

D

O

N

28L

A

I

R

S

29C

U

T

A

N

D

30P

A

S

T

E

31J

U

S

T

B

E

C

A

U

S

E

32E

A

S

T

E

R

C

A

N

D

Y

33T

A

M

P

S

34E

A

S

E

S

35C

36U

37D

38E

R

A

S

39L

A

S

T

S

40R

O

P

E

41T

M

I

42Y

O

K

E

L

43H

E

S

S

E

44R

A

S

45T

A

S

46S

E

47A

O

T

T

E

R

48I

R

V

I

N

E

49S

P

O

R

C

L

E

50S

K

U

L

K

S

51S

P

O

O

L

S

Across

33 clues

1Approach boldly

7Word with fixed or net

13Purple-hatted Nintendo character

16Little Italian toasts

18One choice at a dry cleaner

19Say but not really mean

20English town known for its mineral water

22Historical event that acquired its name almost two decades after it ended, in brief

23Car once promoted with the slogan "It's Your Money … Demand Better," informally

24Joy of television

25Windjammer, e.g.

2633-Down platform, for short

27Deceived, maybe

29Move around from here to there

31Unhelpful response to "Why?"

34Progresses slowly

35Something chewed over

38Sections of history

40Something to climb in a WWE match

41"Stop! We get it!"

43Literature Nobelist who wrote "Siddhartha"

44People whose flag depicts the Lion of Judah

46Animal that sleeps while floating on its back

48University of California campus locale

49"The Ultimate Trivia Destination," per its website

50Moves in the shadows

51Parts of cassette players

Down

33 clues

1"Really, now!"

2Actress Lombard of classic Hollywood

3"Above the ___, as high as heaven itself?": Shak.

5Villainous group of science fiction

9"The only ___ is mediocrity": Martha Graham

10Ingredient in meringue cookies

11#1 on BBC's list of greatest 21st-century TV series

14"This work is getting to be too much"

21Buildings that aren't water-resistant

24"La Cousine ___" (Balzac novel)

25Overly wise, say

27Feels thirsty

28Gives accolades

30You can see right through them

31Phenomenon of experiencing something as strangely new even though one has experienced it before

32Designate, as funds

33Series of mental blocks?

35Retail giant that opened its first store in Seattle in 1983

36Persuade to pay more than originally intended

37Popular farm vehicles

39Falls short, say

40Lead-in to active

42American in Paris?

43Certain earring

45Poetic contraction

47Some courses for honor students, for short

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

Stats & info

Saturday, Aug 9, 2025

15×15

Grid size

66

Total entries

36/189

Black / letter cells

5.7

Avg entry length

11 ltrs

Longest entry

Hardest

Saturday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedAug 9, 2025

DaySaturday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorAidan Deshong and Akshay Seetharam

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split33 across · 33 down

Longest entries

29AMove around from here to there11 ltrs 31AUnhelpful response to "Why?"11 ltrs 32ARabbit food?11 ltrs 14D"This work is getting to be too much"11 ltrs 17DApple skins?11 ltrs

Saturday is the hardest grid of the week, themeless and clued as obliquely as the editor allows. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 5.7 letters per entry.