Home/Archive/Dec 28, 2025

NYT Crossword — December 28, 2025

Sunday’s 21 × 21 puzzle, 140 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 140 revealed

1P

2L

3A

4T

5H

6S

7D

8C

9A

10R

11D

12L

13A

14V

15S

16T

17I

18G

19A

I

S

H

A

20W

E

A

R

E

R

21E

X

I

T

22W

R

Y

23R

O

S

E

T

24T

A

S

T

O

N

E

25N

E

P

O

26T

I

S

M

27K

N

E

E

28U

N

I

T

S

29A

30F

T

31P

A

R

T

A

32S

T

A

33R

R

34L

E

35T

M

E

36E

A

T

I

T

U

37P

38G

E

N

39O

40M

E

41E

J

E

42C

T

S

43E

D

U

44F

45I

46E

L

D

T

R

I

P

47M

O

B

I

U

S

48S

49T

R

I

P

50A

C

T

E

D

51A

L

E

52C

53B

L

E

D

54M

A

S

T

S

55T

A

O

S

56P

L

E

N

U

57M

58E

R

E

59B

U

S

60A

R

I

61P

A

L

S

62S

A

63L

S

A

64E

R

E

65C

66T

67L

U

L

68L

A

B

Y

69S

P

L

I

T

70R

E

F

R

A

I

71N

72S

E

A

L

S

73P

A

S

T

S

74B

O

T

S

75R

N

A

76B

A

T

77T

E

N

78S

P

79R

A

T

S

80P

E

G

S

81C

82O

83S

E

C

84W

A

T

85T

86S

O

B

A

87G

R

E

E

T

88P

R

O

L

E

89T

A

R

I

A

90T

91O

U

T

92D

O

O

R

S

Y

93A

E

R

94E

N

L

A

C

E

95T

R

E

A

T

S

96S

O

B

97B

98I

N

G

99G

O

L

100O

W

101N

O

T

102R

103E

104P

O

U

N

D

105G

O

B

106C

O

107L

108A

S

109R

A

V

110I

111E

I

N

S

T

E

112I

N

113A

114V

E

R

A

G

E

115J

A

N

E

S

116M

E

N

117E

R

M

A

118R

E

A

D

M

E

119A

T

O

N

E

120U

S

E

121L

S

A

T

122S

E

N

S

E

D

123Y

E

N

T

E

Across

69 clues

1Poet with a 1982 posthumous Pulitzer

6S.L.R. insert since the early 2000s

12Baths in Bath

16Comedian Notaro

19Host Tyler of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

20One sporting an article of apparel

21Sign in a theater

25How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

27Prop for a proposal

28College credit hours

29Far from fore

31Starting section

32Fab Four drummer

34"I can handle that for you"

36Swallow something hook, line and sinker

38Subject of some modern maps

43Ending with Butler or Bard

47A Strange Loop

50Played a part

51Baldwin of "30 Rock"

53Ran in the rain, perhaps

55New Mexico skiing locale

56Full legislative assembly

58Personification of darkness, in Greek myth

60Shapiro of public radio

62Chips go-with

67A Little Night Music

70A Chorus Line

72Creatures formed from the fingers of the sea goddess Sedna, in Inuit myth

73Personal histories

74Automatons, informally

76"___ down the hatches!"

78Nursery rhyme couple

80Cribbage markers

81Sine's reciprocal, in trig

86Japanese noodle

88The Producers

91Into the Woods

95Halloween haul

99Eschew the high road, say

104Repeatedly hit hard

109Sitar great Shankar

116Chess pieces

117Bombeck who wrote "At Wit's End"

118File often installed with computer programs

121Hurdle for a J.D.-to-be

122Became aware of

123"Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker

Down

71 clues

1Playground area, often

2Fearsome felines

4"One of These Nights" band

5Makeshift tip collector

6Epitome of graceful beauty

7Arnaz of "I Love Lucy"

8Certain stock holder

10Kylo ___ of "Star Wars"

11Gig of a lifetime

13Guitar, slangily

14Front-of-the-line credential

15Cousin of a mink

16Cheep trills?

17Dodger's comeuppance

18Indoor recess locale

24Super-excited, in slang

26One "T" of TNT

33Foxx of 1970s TV

35Judge pro ___

36Piano pupil's practice piece

37Short boxers, e.g.

39How some medicines are taken

40Apt name for a distance runner?

42Oldsmobile Cutlass model

44Like 45-Down's flaw

45Mythical figure undone by hubris

46Prima ballerina

48Uses an alternate account to play against easier opponents, in gamer-speak

49Police weapon

52Transition points

56Blue Ribbon brand

57Ice cream parlor offerings

61Classic theater name

63Struggles with sibilant sounds

65Law, but not order

68Word with record or union

69World capital near the Andean foothills

71Downright mean

73Bit of wisdom

74Founder of the Mughal Empire

77String-plucking sound

79Sources in etymology

81Some summers, in brief

82Black-and-white desserts

83Université with a Pierre and Marie Curie campus

85Shell filling stations

87Basic programming command

89Chicken pieces

90Part of AT&T: Abbr.

92Ballet or bourrée, in Bourgogne

97Do a diner job

98Gathering of moles

100Setting for Cole Porter's "Anything Goes"

102Continued interminably

103Discus throw at the Olympics, e.g.

105Buzzing nuisance

107Glitzy fabric

108Like some cheese

111Blue-necked bird

112"___ Believer"

114Flock formation

115Blue-winged bird

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

Stats & info

Sunday, Dec 28, 2025

21×21

Grid size

140

Total entries

70/371

Black / letter cells

5.3

Avg entry length

12 ltrs

Longest entry

Themed

Sunday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedDec 28, 2025

DaySunday

ThemeOff Broadway Musicals

ConstructorAlex Eaton-Salners

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split69 across · 71 down

Longest entries

23ARock of Ages12 ltrs 113AMean Girls12 ltrs 47AA Strange Loop11 ltrs 88AThe Producers11 ltrs 44AA Class Act9 ltrs

Sunday is the big one, a 21 by 21 grid built around a named theme rather than raw difficulty. This grid has 70 black squares and averages 5.3 letters per entry.