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NYT Crossword — February 23, 2026

Monday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 76 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 76 revealed
1B
2O
3Z
4O
5S
6A
7B
8D
9U
10L
11R
12A
13G
14I
R
A
T
E
15W
E
E
P
S
16E
R
A
17B
A
C
H
E
18L
O
R
P
A
D
19C
E
L
20E
Y
E
L
E
T
21B
O
N
A
22O
23U
24T
R
O
S
25T
H
26E
27L
O
R
A
X
28U
S
A
29U
S
30B
31W
O
O
D
S
Y
32R
E
R
33A
N
34R
35A
36C
E
B
Y
37R
O
L
E
38R
E
V
E
R
S
A
39L
40S
41I
V
O
T
E
D
42T
H
E
I
43R
44C
45H
46A
S
E
D
47E
48S
E
49F
R
O
50D
E
L
O
R
E
51A
52N
53O
R
54A
T
E
D
55C
A
I
N
56N
I
57G
H
T
S
58A
T
E
59N
60A
V
E
L
O
R
A
61N
62G
63E
64S
U
N
65T
W
I
C
E
66A
D
O
R
N
67E
P
S
68H
E
L
E
N
69P
O
S
E
D

Across

35 clues
1Buffoons
6Paula of "American Idol"
11Final use for an old T-shirt
14Enraged
15What "my guitar gently" does, in a classic George Harrison song
16Mesozoic or Paleozoic
17Home for a single guy
19Animation sheet
20Hole for threading a lace
21___ fide (genuine)
22"Please like and subscribe" and the like, on YouTube videos
25Dr. Seuss book with the quote "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
28___ Today
29Kind of computer port
31Like the smell of trees
32Showed again
34Zoom past
37Psychotherapy switcheroos ... or what are hidden in 17-, 25-, 50- and 59-Across?
41Text on a red, white and blue sticker
42Gender-neutral possessive
44Ran after
47Opposite of WNW
49To and ___
50Time machine car in "Back to the Future"
53Made a grand speech
55Brother of Abel
56Times between dusk and dawn
58Had lunch, say
59Fruit with a "bellybutton"
64What planets revolve around
65How often the time is 12:00 each day
66Decorate
67Mini-albums
68___ of Troy
69Sat for a portrait

Down

41 clues
1Accessory for a baby in a highchair
2British singer Rita
3Efron of "The Greatest Showman"
4Last multiple-choice option, often
5Rude goodbye to an enemy
6Soldier who has failed to report
7Military cap
8One of the three dimensions
9Kick ___ fuss
10Counterculture drug, in brief
114.75 seconds to assemble a Mr. Potato Head, per Guinness
12Concert venues
13Milky Way, e.g.
18Not as much
21"I crushed it!!!"
22Not just my
23___-friendly
24Root used in making poi
26Large jug
27Cage for crustaceans
30"American Psycho" author ___ Easton Ellis
33Cartoonist Bechdel
35Mass ___ (Boston thoroughfare)
36Give up
38Was a passenger
39Democrats and Socialists, with "the"
40Father
43Axle, e.g.
44Jewel box
45Start to escalate
46Extraterrestrials
48London theater district
51Object hitting people's heads in old cartoons
52Sibling's daughter
54South American barbecue
57Valley
59High degree
60Response to seeing an aurora, maybe
61Rejections
62College sr.'s test
6363-Down, in this puzzle

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

Stats & info

Monday, Feb 23, 2026
15×15
Grid size
76
Total entries
38/187
Black / letter cells
4.9
Avg entry length
13 ltrs
Longest entry
Easiest
Monday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedFeb 23, 2026
DayMonday
ThemeUntitled
ConstructorHannah Binney
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split35 across · 41 down
Longest entries
37APsychotherapy switcheroos ... or what are hidden in 17-, 25-, 50- and 59-Across?13 ltrs17AHome for a single guy11 ltrs59AFruit with a "bellybutton"11 ltrs5DRude goodbye to an enemy11 ltrs27DCage for crustaceans11 ltrs

Monday grids are the gentlest of the week: straightforward definitions, familiar fill and almost no wordplay. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 4.9 letters per entry.