Home/Archive/Dec 23, 2025

NYT Crossword — December 23, 2025

Tuesday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 75 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 75 revealed

1N

2C

3I

4S

5A

6D

7E

8P

9T

10S

11A

12V

13E

14C

A

S

H

15M

I

N

O

R

16C

L

I

P

17O

T

T

O

18S

A

B

R

E

19O

L

G

A

20C

H

O

21C

O

L

A

T

E

22C

O

I

N

23K

H

A

K

I

24U

N

I

25A

P

N

E

26A

27E

A

T

28C

29U

P

C

A

30K

E

31F

T

C

32M

I

S

33H

A

P

34A

S

35T

U

T

E

36P

R

O

U

D

O

37F

38S

T

A

I

N

E

D

39C

A

N

D

40Y

C

O

R

N

41T

42A

43S

K

44N

E

O

45E

46T

47C

48H

49U

S

E

50S

51A

Y

S

W

52H

53O

54U

S

A

55S

T

E

56P

U

P

57A

N

58D

C

U

T

59C

H

R

I

S

T

60M

61A

62S

C

O

O

K

I

E

63A

M

E

N

64L

A

S

I

K

65V

E

T

O

66N

A

D

A

67Y

E

L

P

S

68E

D

E

N

Across

36 clues

1Longtime CBS procedural with multiple spinoffs

5Highly capable

10Ctrl+S command

14Alternative to check or credit card

15Secondary subject for a college student

17Appropriately named bus driver on "The Simpsons"

18Alternative to épée or foil, in British English

19Tokarczuk who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature

20Classic Hanukkah treat

23Brownish-yellow fabric

24Institution of higher education, to a Brit

25Sleeper's breathing problem

27Lead-in to "drink and be merry"

28Classic classroom party treat

31Antitrust enforcement org.

32Unfortunate accident

36Highly pleased about

38Colored, as church glass

39Classic Halloween treat

41It's part of the job

44Prefix with classic

49Take advantage of

50"Where'd you hear that?"

54Dream Team country, for short

55Take responsibility

57Cry from a movie director

59Classic Yuletide treat

64This should clear things up!

65Reject, as a bill

66Nothing, in Nogales

68Biblical garden

Down

39 clues

2Go off a ski jump, say

4Tried to identify, in a way, as a wrapped gift

5Playground retort

61990s internet option

7With all judges present

8___ de Rossi, "Arrested Development" actress

10Reporter's big get

11Just for grins

12Short version of an impactful story

13Org. regulating water safety

21Insect that emerges en masse every 13 or 17 years

22Kind of salad whose dressing contains anchovies

23Former N.B.A. star Shawn with the nickname "Reign Man"

26Nailed, as a test

29"Once ___ a time …"

30Character played by Bruce Lee on "The Green Hornet"

35One of three on the pitchfork in "American Gothic"

37Big Apple org. that's going to blazes?

38Flat-bottomed boat

40"That's correct!"

41Resident of Pisa or Lucca

42Condition that may require an inhaler

43Get more than a little mad

46Like many a dress shirt, with "in"

47Top execs, colloquially … or what 20-, 28-, 39- and 59-Across are, phonetically?

48Make negative remarks about

50Not on the up and up, slangily

51In a fitting way

52Breaks (into), as a computer system

53Middle name for Lennon starting in 1969

56"Escape (The ___ Colada Song)"

58Sign of peace

60Sallie or Fannie follower

61Hand-y communication method, for short?

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

Stats & info

Tuesday, Dec 23, 2025

15×15

Grid size

75

Total entries

35/190

Black / letter cells

5.1

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Easy

Tuesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedDec 23, 2025

DayTuesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorNathan Hale

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split36 across · 39 down

Longest entries

59AClassic Yuletide treat15 ltrs 20AClassic Hanukkah treat13 ltrs 39AClassic Halloween treat9 ltrs 2DGo off a ski jump, say8 ltrs 3D"Oh, really?"8 ltrs

Tuesday sits one notch above Monday, usually with a light theme and a few playful clues. This grid has 35 black squares and averages 5.1 letters per entry.