Home/Archive/Dec 15, 2025

NYT Crossword — December 15, 2025

Monday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 76 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 76 revealed

1S

2A

3I

4N

5T

6B

7A

8N

9C

10J

11F

12K

13A

R

T

O

O

14A

R

E

A

15A

L

I

16R

E

S

T

U

17P

18D

I

S

R

19O

B

E

D

20A

S

A

21L

I

22E

S

23S

U

B

B

E

D

24H

O

B

25N

O

B

B

E

26D

27S

O

A

K

28S

T

U

B

B

E

D

29T

O

E

30T

31R

U

S

S

32D

A

S

33T

34O

35P

36H

E

R

B

E

37R

38T

39Y

E

40S

41W

E

D

O

42O

D

D

43I

U

44D

45E

A

R

E

D

46D

47U

B

B

E

48D

49F

I

L

M

50C

51H

I

N

52B

E

D

A

Z

Z

L

53E

54D

55T

O

U

C

A

56N

57P

E

L

E

58I

M

O

59B

U

N

K

B

E

60D

S

61A

S

62I

M

O

V

63A

P

T

64L

O

R

E

65U

N

I

T

E

66R

E

S

67E

N

Y

A

68P

E

T

E

R

Across

36 clues

6Judge's seat, from the French

10N.Y.C. airport

13"Star Wars" droid, familiarly

14Side's length squared, for a square

15Thrilla in Manila boxer

16Recharge one's batteries

18Prepared to bathe

20Cool ___ cucumber

21"Balderdash!"

23Filled in (for), for short

24Schmoozed (with)

27Good, long bath

28Slight injury from tripping

30Bridge support

32Karl Marx's "___ Kapital"

33Do one better than

36President Hoover

39"You take credit cards?" response

42Unconventional

43Alternative to the pill, in brief

45Dog-___ (like the pages in some books)

46Foreign-language movie that you don't have to read subtitles for

50Location for a goatee or soul patch

55Big-beaked tropical bird

57One-named Brazilian soccer star

58"If you ask me …," to texters

59Camp sleeping spots … or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters

61Sci-fi writer Isaac

63Suitable, as a unit in a bldg.?

64Tales of yore

65Join in marriage

66Lo-___ graphics

67One-named Grammy winner from Ireland

68___ Cottontail

Down

40 clues

1Wife of Abraham, in the Bible

2"You ___ right!"

4"I'm kidding!!," in "Wayne's World"

5Artist Henri de ___-Lautrec

6One who's rotten from the start

7Singer Grande, to fans

8Loch ___ monster

9Opera great Enrico

10Sluglike "Star Wars" crime boss

11On ___ (looking great, in slang)

12Colonial-era pirate captain

17Mr. ___ (Dr Pepper competitor)

19Orchestral woodwind

22Be on the wane

25Crash-investigating org.

26Turning point in W.W. II

29When doubled, an African fly

31Like a ripe strawberry

33Re-election restriction

34Many a Wordsworth poem

37Part of a barbecue rack

38Ernest in the Country Music Hall of Fame

40Suddenly stops working, as an engine

41Gov. Tim ___, 2024 running mate

44Beyond the continental shelf, say

46Comic actor Van Dyke

47Lacking the capacity

48Prez before 10-Across

49"Deck the Halls" syllables

50Two-door auto

51Outings for foxhounds

53Show feelings onstage

54Capital of Delaware

55Lift on the slopes

56Like bright signs on the Las Vegas Strip

60Funny in a subtle way

62Suffix with Benedict or elephant

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

Stats & info

Monday, Dec 15, 2025

15×15

Grid size

76

Total entries

41/184

Black / letter cells

4.8

Avg entry length

10 ltrs

Longest entry

Easiest

Monday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedDec 15, 2025

DayMonday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorJeff Jerome and Andrea Carla Michaels

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split36 across · 40 down

Longest entries

28ASlight injury from tripping10 ltrs 46AForeign-language movie that you don't have to read subtitles for10 ltrs 24ASchmoozed (with)9 ltrs 52AEnchanted9 ltrs 3D"Ridiculous!"9 ltrs

Monday grids are the gentlest of the week: straightforward definitions, familiar fill and almost no wordplay. This grid has 41 black squares and averages 4.8 letters per entry.