Home/Archive/Feb 19, 2026

NYT Crossword — February 19, 2026

Thursday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 79 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 79 revealed

1J

2E

3T

4T

5T

6R

7I

8B

9E

10S

11P

12E

13C

14A

T

O

M

15H

A

V

I

N

16G

17L

A

M

A

18C

R

U

I

19S

I

N

F

O

R

A

20B

R

U

I

SIN

21K

E

G

22A

R

K

23S

I

L

L

24P

R

O

25H

26I

S

S

27C

L

O

28S

E

S

29S

30I

N

G

SIN

T

31H

32E

33S

H

O

W

E

R

34S

T

U

N

G

35A

L

I

36N

S

A

37N

O

T

E

38W

H

I

R

39R

S

40B

41A

42N

43A

44O

45U

R

46T

E

E

47P

E

C

O

S

48B

U

S

I

49N

E

S

SIN

50S

I

D

E

R

S

51L

O

S

E

T

O

52T

E

S

S

53B

E

N

54M

E

G

55A

56O

R

C

57H

58O

59P

60L

E

S

61S

E

R

O

F

62T

W

O

E

63V

I

L

S

64I

C

A

N

65S

O

A

K

E

D

66E

G

G

S

67P

H

I

L

68D

R

O

N

E

69T

H

A

T

Across

37 clues

1Punk rocker Joan

5Choctaw or Chickasaw

10Design detail

14"Up and ___!" (catchphrase for a physicist)

15In possession of

17Tibetan title

18Courting disaster, slangily

21Fraternity party order

22Symbol of protection

23Part of a window above the apron

24One-half of a golf partnership, perhaps

25Sound of disapproval

29Uses a shampoo bottle as a microphone, perhaps

35Boxing champ Laila

36Subject of the Edward Snowden leaks, in brief

38Makes a noise like an electric fan

40Australian actor Eric

44"___ Father …"

46Concert souvenir

47River to the Rio Grande

48They may have knowledge of corporate secrets

51Be defeated by

52"___ of the D'Urbervilles"

53Big name in London

54Big beginning?

56Servant of Sauron in "The Lord of the Rings"

60Better choice, given the options … or the circled squares vis-à-vis the shaded ones?

64Volunteer's words

65Completely immersed, perhaps

66Some colorful plastic items in the seasonal aisle in the spring

67Noted Punxsutawney resident

68Source of some aerial shots

Down

42 clues

1Part of a royal flush

3Metaphor for a challenging puzzle

4"Eww … just eww"

5Want very much, with "for"

7Reproductive option, for short

8Some paragraphs in playbills

10High-end camera, for short

11Penniless one

12Mideast leaders

13Spot to play baccarat

19Talking back to

20Is really bad, in slang

26Formed from molten lava

28Sunken treasure sites

29You can request a new one on religious grounds if it contains "666": Abbr.

30"What was ___ think?"

31"Yeah, right!"

38Dickens and Dickinson

39Varnish ingredient

41Card game clarification

42Neither's partner

45"I'm at your disposal"

48Japanese word that's sometimes translated as "planted in a pot"

49Commentator's call after a missed field goal

51Medieval cure-all

53Radar operator's concern

56Wilson of the Frat Pack

58Actress Kurylenko

61Sketch show with Colin Jost, in brief

62Fight-ending letters

63Screen, as a candidate

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

Stats & info

Thursday, Feb 19, 2026

16×15

Grid size

79

Total entries

44/196

Black / letter cells

5.1

Avg entry length

18 ltrs

Longest entry

Tricky

Thursday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 19, 2026

DayThursday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorJohn Ewbank

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split37 across · 42 down

Longest entries

18ACourting disaster, slangily18 ltrs 29AUses a shampoo bottle as a microphone, perhaps16 ltrs 48AThey may have knowledge of corporate secrets16 ltrs 60ABetter choice, given the options … or the circled squares vis-à-vis the shaded ones?16 ltrs 3DMetaphor for a challenging puzzle8 ltrs

Thursday is the gimmick day: rebus squares, reversed entries and other tricks are fair game. This grid has 44 black squares and averages 5.1 letters per entry.