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NYT Crossword — December 29, 2025

Monday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 78 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 78 revealed
1B
2I
3O
4S
5P
6A
7C
8E
9S
10W
11A
12M
13P
14A
D
O
15E
D
G
E
S
16P
A
G
E
S
17W
O
R
18K
S
F
O
R
P
19E
A
N
U
T
S
20L
L
A
M
A
21G
A
I
A
22N
A
S
T
23S
H
A
M
24E
25E
R
26M
A
27R
E
C
28O
29R
D
L
A
B
30E
31L
32S
33P
34O
T
35R
E
A
36N
E
P
A
37L
38E
L
S
39J
U
R
Y
40B
41O
X
42E
T
A
43C
E
L
44L
O
45O
I
L
46D
E
E
P
47B
O
O
K
48S
49O
N
T
A
50P
E
51B
E
T
H
52F
I
R
53E
54S
55S
56O
57P
S
58A
R
59F
60S
61T
E
N
E
62T
63T
H
E
T
64O
T
A
L
P
65A
C
K
A
G
E
66A
I
R
E
D
67T
E
E
T
H
68C
U
E
69G
O
U
R
D
70S
A
D
L
Y
71T
E
D

Across

35 clues
1Life story, in brief
4The "S" of NASA
9Where Shrek lives
14Kerfuffle
15Outer limits
16They're contained within books
17Is severely underpaid
20Andean animal with a long neck
21Earth goddess
22Condé ___ (magazine publisher)
23"Tsk! Tsk!"
25Humorist Bombeck
27Motown or RCA
32Particular place
35Stephen of "V for Vendetta"
36Country that contains the southern slope of Mount Everest
38Chicago trains
39Seating area for 12 peers
42Piece of Grubhub info, for short
43Stringed instrument that rests on the ground
45Tin Man's need
46Like the Mariana Trench
47Works that are heard rather than read
51Sister of Meg, Jo and Amy in "Little Women"
52Gives the ax
55Soaks (up)
58Puppy sounds
61Fundamental belief
63Description for an ideal partner … or what the ends of 17-, 27-, 39- and 47-Across create?
66Put on TV
67Molars and canines
68Signal for an actor to go onstage
69Pumpkin, e.g.
70"Alas ..."
71TV's "___ Lasso"

Down

43 clues
1Cry like a baby
2Admired figures
3Battle cry of the U.S. Marine Corps
4Kind of bagel
5Many a PC file
6Really eager
7Actor Michael of "Arrested Development"
8Caught sight of
9Place to be pampered
101996 #1 hit for the Spice Girls
11Water, in Colombia
12Team that plays at Citi Field
13"Over here!"
18Onetime retail chain giant
19___ Grey tea
24Very light brown
26Tail-less cat
28Above, in poetry
29Synthetic fiber
30Fencing sword
31Not on time
32"Gimme a ___!"
33Commoner
34Norway's capital
37Two lengths of a pool
39What a punch line may end
40Part of a drill assembly or comedy routine
41"Frozen" snowman
44Seafood with claws
46Jeter in the Baseball Hall of Fame
48Rushing yards, e.g., informally
49"Well, dang it!"
50Slightly out of tune
53Put into law
54Move smoothly to another topic
55Without a date
56River past Cincinnati
57Lima's land
59Tiny canine pest
60Drove over the legal limit
62Ticked (off)
64Peculiar
65The Falcons, on a scoreboard

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

Stats & info

Monday, Dec 29, 2025
15×15
Grid size
78
Total entries
40/185
Black / letter cells
4.7
Avg entry length
15 ltrs
Longest entry
Easiest
Monday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedDec 29, 2025
DayMonday
ThemeUntitled
ConstructorChase Dittrich
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split35 across · 43 down
Longest entries
17AIs severely underpaid15 ltrs63ADescription for an ideal partner … or what the ends of 17-, 27-, 39- and 47-Across create?15 ltrs27AMotown or RCA11 ltrs47AWorks that are heard rather than read11 ltrs39ASeating area for 12 peers7 ltrs

Monday grids are the gentlest of the week: straightforward definitions, familiar fill and almost no wordplay. This grid has 40 black squares and averages 4.7 letters per entry.