Home/Archive/Jan 17, 2026

NYT Crossword — January 17, 2026

Saturday’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

1F

2A

3C

4E

5P

6A

7L

8M

9S

10D

11A

12I

13S

14Y

15B

R

A

N

D

N

A

M

E

16E

L

O

P

E

17O

U

T

O

F

T

I

M

E

18L

E

N

I

N

19M

B

A

S

20O

D

D

21M

I

X

I

N

S

22B

A

N

23K

N

I

C

24K

K

N

A

C

K

25R

A

I

N

C

O

A

T

26B

I

27D

28C

29A

I

R

O

30C

O

Y

31C

O

C

A

32F

O

I

S

T

33M

L

K

34L

A

N

K

Y

35B

A

S

K

36S

A

X

37M

O

L

D

S

38I

L

L

39F

A

U

X

40N

A

I

F

41M

E

42G

A

P

I

X

E

L

S

43G

44A

45P

46R

I

S

E

R

S

47V

E

T

48C

A

S

E

49I

N

E

R

T

50S

I

D

E

51W

A

L

K

S

52T

E

A

M

S

53T

I

N

D

E

R

B

I

O

54A

R

T

S

Y

55P

I

T

S

T

A

I

N

S

Across

35 clues

1Expressions of disbelief or exasperation

10What "margarita" means in Spanish

15Reputable, in a way

16What Anora and Vanya do in 2024's "Anora"

17Too late, say

18Advocate for the political mobilization of the proletariat

19People often manage with them, in brief

20You might say "Hmm" when something is this

21Toppings blended with ice cream

22Anti-troll measure

25Protection from drops

26With 27-Down, fateful time for a sorority pledge

28City in Illinois's "Little Egypt" region

31Plant with psychoactive leaves

33Famous monogram found backward in the alphabet

34Tall and thin

36One of five in a typical big band

38"All that really matters is if your rhymes was ___" (MF Doom lyric)

39Artificially unsophisticated

41Units for a high-resolution camera

46Setups for some elaborate group pictures

47Subject to careful appraisal

48Lawyer's assignment

50Ones running along a road

52Bracket contents

53Where someone's height may be stretched?

54With 39-Down, pretentiously creative

55What antiperspirants can prevent

Down

37 clues

1Crude thing to drop, familiarly

2Westernmost territory of the Netherlands

3Board game with resources

4Grandson of Eve

5Many an attachment

6___ Carlos Jobim, father of the bossa nova

7Made, as an easy basketball shot

8Longest number writable in standard Roman numerals

10Use a roller on, as a jacket

11Digital assistant

12In which opposites attract

13Flashy taekwondo moves

21"All right," folksily

23Super Mario ___

25Cybersecurity assessment

27See 26-Across

28Worker who's the subject of the song "Sixteen Tons"

32Part of the D.O.J.

33So-called "Valley Isle"

37Egg cream alternatives

39See 54-Across

40Quaint contraction

42Gentlemen, jocularly

43Korean barbecue rib dish

44Greet hospitably at the door

45Dough at a taquería

46Servant in "The Handmaid's Tale"

48Beloved, in Italian

50Product with the additive zinc dithiophosphate

51Like the weather in much of Equatorial Guinea

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

Stats & info

Saturday, Jan 17, 2026

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

30/195

Black / letter cells

5.4

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Hardest

Saturday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedJan 17, 2026

DaySaturday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorAdam Aaronson

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 37 down

Longest entries

8DLongest number writable in standard Roman numerals15 ltrs 23ATchotchke10 ltrs 41AUnits for a high-resolution camera10 ltrs 1AExpressions of disbelief or exasperation9 ltrs 15AReputable, in a way9 ltrs

Saturday is the hardest grid of the week, themeless and clued as obliquely as the editor allows. This grid has 30 black squares and averages 5.4 letters per entry.