Home/Archive/Jan 3, 2025

NYT Crossword — January 3, 2025

Friday’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

1A

2S

3K

4E

5W

6A

7C

8D

9C

10M

11A

12S

13S

14F

L

A

S

H

15F

L

O

O

D

16A

M

E

N

17T

O

M

C

O

L

L

I

N

S

18R

E

D

O

19S

P

A

20G

U

I

L

T

21S

I

N

E

W

22L

O

I

N

23L

24A

U

N

D

R

Y

25E

26C

27H

O

E

D

28F

E

N

C

E

29M

O

O

G

S

30P

R

A

N

K

C

31A

32L

33L

34U

P

L

I

T

35R

E

V

36S

O

D

O

I

37S

A

Y

C

H

38E

E

S

E

39T

R

U

S

S

40P

E

R

C

H

41B

O

P

E

E

P

42S

43A

44M

U

R

A

I

45F

I

B

S

46P

R

I

Z

E

47S

48P

I

C

E

49O

50R

51A

52L

U

T

Z

53J

E

R

S

E

Y

54S

W

A

P

55A

B

E

L

56P

L

O

T

P

O

I

N

T

S

57T

A

R

E

58G

Y

M

S

59U

N

S

E

E

Across

35 clues

6Rock group behind 2024's Power Up Tour

10What a bodybuilder builds during a bulk cycle

14Sudden weather phenomenon

16Closing on Sundays?

17Cocktail that's called a French 75 if you use Champagne instead of soda water

19Eponymous tourist destination in Belgium

20Basis of some admissions

21Strength, poetically

22Area between the ribs and the round

23Heaps of dressing?

25Responded identically to

29Early synthesizers

30Ringing nuisance

34Like a face telling a spooky campfire story, maybe

35Give juice to

37Words before someone finally snaps?

39Bridge support

40Stool at a counter, e.g.

41Woody's crush in "Toy Story"

42Member of a warrior class

45Small stretches, perhaps

47Much-sought-after commodity in "Dune"

52Ice skating move

53Postgame photo op between two opposing players

55First person to die, according to the Bible

56They're part of the story

57Set back to zero, in a way

59Wipe from one's visual memory, so to speak

Down

37 clues

1Common nap times, in brief

2Subpar dining hall food

3Hindu god of love

5Challenge to an intruder

6Like a fearless bettor at a casino

8Command to stay

9Items harmed when they're scratched, but not when they're burned

10Group whose band is the oldest professional music ensemble in the U.S.

12Meal before the 15th of Nisan

13White out, say

15Not set in stone

21"That's rather unfortunate," dismissively

22Exercise in deduction

24___ Taylor (fashion chain)

25Australia declared "war" on them in 1932, in an attempt to stop them from destroying crops

26Where Lola was a showgirl, in song

28Farm-to-table, say

30"Couldn't have said it better myself"

31For two musicians

33Aristotle purportedly spoke with one

38Word often after a president's name

41Curling target

42Bad sound to hear by a kitchen counter

43Dutch constituent in the Caribbean

44Bishop's headwear

48Simple question on a high schooler's hand-drawn poster

50Power or frequency, essentially

53PNG alternative

54Motif in 1995's "Se7en"

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

Stats & info

Friday, Jan 3, 2025

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

32/193

Black / letter cells

5.4

Avg entry length

12 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedJan 3, 2025

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorColin Adams

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 37 down

Longest entries

5DChallenge to an intruder12 ltrs 21D"That's rather unfortunate," dismissively12 ltrs 10DGroup whose band is the oldest professional music ensemble in the U.S.11 ltrs 22DExercise in deduction11 ltrs 14ASudden weather phenomenon10 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 32 black squares and averages 5.4 letters per entry.