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NYT Crossword — March 23, 2026

Monday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 78 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 78 revealed

1S

2C

3A

4R

5A

6S

7P

8S

9C

10A

11M

12P

13N

A

M

E

14R

E

E

K

15A

T

O

L

16L

17A

B

E

V

18I

G

O

D

A

19R

A

T

I

O

20P

A

N

21T

O

U

R

22H

E

R

O

E

S

23S

L

I

24M

E

25L

O

26V

E

B

I

R

D

S

27T

E

M

28P

29I

R

E

30P

31A

I

R

32I

33H

34O

P

35A

36R

37I

38A

39S

40E

X

E

C

41U

T

I

V

E

42B

R

A

N

C

H

43R

E

S

I

N

44N

A

R

Y

45I

C

E

E

46S

47A

D

48E

49A

S

E

50M

51O

52V

53I

E

B

U

54F

55F

56G

E

N

57T

58S

59O

P

E

R

A

S

60L

A

61T

E

62T

I

P

63S

T

R

U

T

64W

E

I

R

D

65V

I

B

E

66S

I

D

L

E

67A

C

R

E

68E

V

I

L

69N

E

E

D

70S

K

Y

E

71T

E

A

L

Across

37 clues

1Mark of an old injury

5Some Egyptian reptiles

9Sleep in the great outdoors, say

13"The ___ Game" (song that begins "Shirley Shirley bo-berley, bonana fanna fo-ferley"

14Smell really bad

15Reef around a lagoon

17Popular character actor in both "The Godfather" and "Barney Miller"

19Expression of proportion

20Gold seeker's tool

22They save the day

25Avian metaphor for a romantic couple

27Short-term employee, informally

30Two of a kind

32Waffle House alternative

35Divas' big moments

40Part of the federal government that includes the presidency

43Amber or myrrh

44___ a soul (nobody at all)

45Slushy frozen treat brand

56Partners for ladies, informally

59Works of Rossini and Bellini

60Running behind schedule

63Move with swagger

64Off-putting aura ... or what 17-, 25-, 40- and 50-Across each have?

66Move with stealth

67Farmland area unit

70Kind of terrier named after a Scottish island

71Shade of green named after a duck

Down

41 clues

1Sounds made with the fingers (quick!)

2Shadowy plotting group

3Offerings on a hotel list

4Race, as an engine

5Best Picture Oscar winner set partially in Iran

6Korean city that hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics

7Pascal of "The Mandalorian"

8Reggae-adjacent genre

9Faddish 1980s plush toy

10Company behind the game Centipede

11___ Trend (magazine that chooses a Car of the Year annually)

12Worked at, as a trade

16Profit's counterpart

18Tabloid twosome

24Thanks, en français

26Onetime Dodge sports car … or a creature to be dodged

28Poe's "The ___ and the Pendulum"

30The "p" of r.p.m.

31Lumberjack's tool

33Like about 80% of Indians, religiously

34Some reproductive cells

36Poker player's option

37Carrot on a stick, metaphorically

41Voted out of office

42Pass on a tournament schedule

47Muscles in a six-pack

50"Carpet" on a forest floor

51Agree to accept marketing emails, say

52Salsa ___ (condiment that might include tomatillos and cilantro)

53Gloating winner's proclamation

54Tiny particle

55Tinker Bell, for one

57Lower leg bone

58Compete in a bee

61Home for a nest

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

Stats & info

Monday, Mar 23, 2026

15×15

Grid size

78

Total entries

38/187

Black / letter cells

4.8

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Easiest

Monday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMar 23, 2026

DayMonday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorMatthew Luter

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split37 across · 41 down

Longest entries

40APart of the federal government that includes the presidency15 ltrs 17APopular character actor in both "The Godfather" and "Barney Miller"9 ltrs 25AAvian metaphor for a romantic couple9 ltrs 50ACinema lover9 ltrs 64AOff-putting aura ... or what 17-, 25-, 40- and 50-Across each have?9 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 4.8 letters per entry.