Home/Archive/Feb 23, 2025

NYT Crossword — February 23, 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

1E

2C

3L

4A

5T

6A

7P

8P

9L

10E

11S

12P

13Y

14S

15C

16R

17U

18M

19S

H

E

B

A

20Q

U

E

E

R

21B

A

I

T

22O

R

A

T

E

23Q

U

I

C

K

24T

U

R

N

A

R

O

U

N

D

25B

I

T

T

E

26M

A

D

E

W

A

R

27A

C

E

28P

E

S

T

E

R

29H

I

S

30W

31H

32E

R

E

D

33I

D

I

P

A

R

K

34M

35A

36I

37D

E

N

38R

A

I

D

39M

A

T

40I

R

A

41A

T

R

I

A

42W

I

N

G

I

43T

44H

A

S

45P

L

O

T

46L

O

O

K

T

47H

E

O

T

H

E

R

48W

A

Y

49C

A

S

T

S

50A

N

N

E

51A

R

T

S

52A

H

I

53A

I

R

54R

E

I

S

55S

U

E

S

56F

57E

D

E

R

58A

L

G

R

59A

60N

61T

62I

R

E

63O

N

O

64M

O

N

E

Y

65C

A

N

66R

I

O

67A

S

S

68B

A

C

K

69W

A

R

D

S

70I

T

S

A

71F

A

C

T

72M

P

H

73I

S

M

74L

O

I

N

75I

B

E

T

76S

77K

78E

W

S

79I

M

H

A

80P

81P

Y

T

O

O

82B

L

I

G

E

83P

A

L

S

84T

S

P

85T

O

U

C

A

N

86R

E

C

U

R

87U

T

E

88G

E

L

89O

N

E

S

90M

E

D

A

Y

S

91R

E

V

92E

R

S

E

93C

94O

95U

R

S

E

96C

O

W

97I

B

E

X

E

S

98A

T

L

99T

O

P

C

100H

101E

102F

103O

U

N

C

E

104S

C

O

T

105C

106H

107T

A

P

E

R

O

L

L

108S

109U

S

T

E

D

110H

A

W

A

I

I

A

N

S

111E

S

S

A

Y

112S

H

Y

L

Y

113H

O

N

114S

P

O

K

E

115W

E

A

N

S

Across

65 clues

1Dazzling display

6Tech giant based in Cupertino, Calif.

11Plant with bugs?

14Formation of rugby players

19Queendom in the Bible

20Hint at L.G.B.T.Q.+ story lines to generate buzz

22Give an address

23What a tight deadline might require … or what's found in 30-Across?

25Viennese "please"

29What's-___-name

30Question when leaving a grocery store, perhaps

38Unwanted event at a speakeasy

39Spot for a pin

40Lyricist Gershwin

41Halls that may have glass ceilings

44"Everything ___ Changed" (Taylor Swift song)

46Tolerate misbehavior … or what's found in 56-Across?

49Collectors of signatures?

50___ of Cleves, wife of Henry VIII

51Newspaper section

53Word with lock or pocket

54Second printings, e.g.

56Source of some public funding

62Boiling state

63Author of the 1964 artist's book "Grapefruit"

65When doubled, a dance

66Home of the Sugarloaf Cable Car, informally

67Totally the wrong way … or what's found in 79-Across?

70"Really! Check for yourself!"

72Radar gun inits.

74It may be on the chopping block

75"Uh-huh, whatever you say!"

79"It'd be my pleasure"

841/96 of a pint: Abbr.

85It comes with a hefty bill

86Happen over and over

87Beehive State athlete

8911, literally

90Occasions for self-indulgence

91Completely change one's position … or what's found in 104-Across?

97Wild goats of the Alps

98Delta hub: Abbr.

99Reality competition show with quickfire challenges

104Gift-wrapping supplies

109Formal "you," in Uruguay

110Americans who live in their own time zone

111Many a piece of writing by Joan Didion

112In a bashful manner

114Part of a wheel

115Detaches from a source of dependence

Down

75 clues

1Lawyer's title: Abbr.

3Leader of filmdom's Rebel Alliance

4Options on some tests

5Receive severe criticism

6Blue-green shades

7Sound of a smooth-running engine

9Locale where clovers bloom

10Forget to finish writing a clue, mayb

12Felt longing (for)

14"C'est la vie"

15Potato chip, to a Brit

16Coiffure parts that are sometimes braided

17Complete nonsense

18Small mongooses

21Creature that sounds like a snooze

24Scarlett Johansson, Rami Malek or Vin Diesel (did you know?)

28PalmPilots, e.g., for short

30Wish list items

31Like some heels and hopes

32Marriage equality activist Windsor, familiarly

33"Perhaps. That's something that interests me"

34Disease that was the subject of the second Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1902)

35Yom Kippur observers, e.g.

36Amusingly incongruous outcomes

37Flood preventers

42"Don't worry about us"

43Lines of work

44What locks are made of

45Catherine ___, wife of Henry VIII

47Horse's behind

48Protein powder ingredient

49Aetna alternative

53"Unfortunately, that's incorrect"

55Many long-running TV shows

56Word processing selection

58Director's directive

59Most common coffee bean variety

60Love interest in a Hallmark movie, maybe

61Walks unsteadily

64"Monster ___" (1962 #1 song)

71Organized in a cabinet, say

74School before l'université

76Not to be relied upon

77Singer whose 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” became a top 10 hit in 2022 after being featured on “Stranger Things”

78110, facetiously

79Barbuda or Barbados

81Most dad jokes

82Nickname for Milwaukee's baseball team

84Ocean in "Ocean's Eleven"

88Like King Midas, notably

90Have a pity party

92Google Sheets alternative

93Supply at the Hershey Company

94City near Disney World, informally

99Fail ignominiously, as at the box office

101"Lohengrin" soprano

102Custardy treat

105Gender identity prefix

107Confucian concept

108Part of iOS: Abbr.

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

Stats & info

Sunday, Feb 23, 2025

21×21

Grid size

140

Total entries

70/371

Black / letter cells

5.3

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Themed

Sunday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 23, 2025

DaySunday

ThemeIn the Rearview

ConstructorDaniel Grinberg and Rafael Musa

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split65 across · 75 down

Longest entries

23AWhat a tight deadline might require … or what's found in 30-Across?15 ltrs 46ATolerate misbehavior … or what's found in 56-Across?15 ltrs 79A"It'd be my pleasure"15 ltrs 104AGift-wrapping supplies15 ltrs 30AQuestion when leaving a grocery store, perhaps13 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.