Home/Archive/Feb 5, 2025

NYT Crossword — February 5, 2025

Wednesday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 72 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 72 revealed

1B

2O

3W

4S

5H

6O

7T

8B

9R

10A

11S

12H

13U

N

A

L

I

K

E

14T

O

U

C

H

E

15D

E

F

E

N

S

E

16B

A

S

E

T

A

N

17F

E

D

18D

19R

O

P

S

D

O

W

N

20T

21A

L

K

U

22P

23O

P

A

L

24R

N

A

25A

R

E

26A

27M

T

28S

E

29C

30L

E

F

31T

32B

R

A

I

33N

34V

H

35S

36C

A

R

R

I

E

S

N

O

37W

E

I

G

38H

39T

40Y

A

K

41C

H

A

I

L

A

T

T

E

42Y

E

43T

44E

M

T

45P

T

A

46A

47P

48P

49S

I

50L

L

51S

52L

53E

E

P

S

54S

L

U

55S

H

P

I

L

56E

57U

M

P

58C

A

T

T

A

I

L

59G

60A

M

E

P

61A

62D

63I

N

T

E

R

N

64O

P

E

N

E

R

A

65I

T

S

M

E

66T

E

N

D

R

I

L

Across

33 clues

1Distance traversed by an arrow

14"You got me there!"

15Obstacle in achieving one's goal?

16Something acquired in a salon bed, perhaps

17Added fuel to

18Opens, as a menu ... or a description of this puzzle's circled letters?

20Bang the drum for

23Iridescent stone

24Cellular messenger

25Verb often abbreviated to a letter

28Brief bit of time

30Analytical thinker?

34Old standard of tape

36Doesn't really matter

41Steamed beverage with spices from the Indian subcontinent

44One trained in CPR

45Educational support grp.

46Notes or Messages

49Place for a cooling pie

54Common assignment for editorial assistants ... or a description of this puzzle's circled letters?

57Judger of pitches

58Furry wetlands growth

59Console device with triggers and thumbsticks

63Summer hire, perhaps

64Tennis period since 1968

65Common reply to "Who's there?"

66Appendage for a morning glory

Down

39 clues

3Starchy food item named for a food it resembles

4Smooth and glossy

5One who practices bhakti and puja

6Gives the thumbs up

7Up for a drive?

8Climax in many a video game

10Hawke or Crowe

11William ___, longtime editor of The New Yorker

12Dye in some body art

14Chopitos and croquetas, e.g.

16Knock on the noggin

27Like the French words for every weekday and month: Abbr.

31Base for some lunches

32Modern transport service

33Linguist Chomsky

35Fictional bandleader of the 1960s

37Good things to have about you

39Oolong and rooibos, for two

46Character set for electronic communication

47Audience member who might be in on the trick

48Gentle strokes

50Qualifier for many a rapper

52Measure of brightness

55Academic acronym

56Showbiz quartet

60Central figure in a classic sci-fi series

61Filmmaker Aster

62Indian lentil dish

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, Feb 5, 2025

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

40/185

Black / letter cells

5.1

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Medium

Wednesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 5, 2025

DayWednesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorKiran Pandey

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split33 across · 39 down

Longest entries

36ADoesn't really matter15 ltrs 18AOpens, as a menu ... or a description of this puzzle's circled letters?9 ltrs 30AAnalytical thinker?9 ltrs 41ASteamed beverage with spices from the Indian subcontinent9 ltrs 54ACommon assignment for editorial assistants ... or a description of this puzzle's circled letters?9 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 40 black squares and averages 5.1 letters per entry.