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NYT Crossword — November 21, 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

2D

3M

4I

5T

6C

7R

8O

9C

10M

11A

12C

13S

14L

E

A

M

I

15C

H

E

L

E

16E

Y

R

E

17M

A

N

S

P

R

E

A

D

S

18T

O

O

T

19S

L

Y

20T

O

A

D

21A

22T

R

E

S

T

23S

O

F

T

24F

R

A

I

D

S

O

25R

26O

27C

K

E

T

S

28C

I

E

N

C

E

29A

V

O

I

D

30H

O

R

A

S

31B

32I

33D

34G

E

M

S

35H

E

L

E

N

36R

I

R

I

37A

R

E

38S

E

E

D

S

39S

A

R

A

N

40H

41E

A

R

T

S

T

42O

P

P

I

N

G

43E

44D

I

B

L

E

S

45A

B

U

T

46T

I

T

L

E

S

47G

R

I

T

48R

49I

50B

51H

A

H

A

52W

53H

I

T

E

N

54O

I

S

E

55I

N

E

S

56H

O

L

E

S

I

N

O

N

E

57C

A

R

T

58Y

E

A

R

59K

I

T

T

S

Across

35 clues

6Snappy sort, for short?

10Tahoe runners

14Fanny Brice portrayer on Broadway

16Governess of Thornfield Hall

17Sits legs akimbo, pejoratively

18Highway attention-getter

20Symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt

23Shakespearean "Hush!"

24"Sorry to tell ya"

25What "it's not," they say

30Parts of some wedding rituals

31Clubs opening, perhaps

34Prized people

35She was totally taken by Paris

36Popular perfume named after a singing star

39That's a wrap!

43Grown-up gummies, e.g.

46King and queen

47Strength of character

48One in a cage

51That's a laugh!

52Insomniac's aid

55Juana ___ de la Cruz, classic Mexican writer known as "The Tenth Muse"

58Alumni notes datum

59St. ___ (vacation spot)

Down

37 clues

1Old-time charity

2Word with good or raw

4Hits up online, in a way

5Crept cautiously

6Some memory aids

9It may bring out the kid in you

10Height or width, e.g.

11Sydney Adamu portrayer on "The Bear"

15"Tomb Raider" heroine

22Camel and fawn

24Barbecuer's aid

25Sitarist's composition

26Totally done with

32Azerbaijan neighbor

33Find fault with, informally

35Lead-in to a clarification

38Word often printed in red

39"Fellow traveler," in Russian

41Certain marketing deluge

42Tony's cousins

44Anne's best friend in "Anne of Green Gables"

49Ain't proper?

50They have five eyes and communicate by dancing

53Break ground, in a way

54Japanese ogre

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

Stats & info

Friday, Nov 21, 2025

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

30/195

Black / letter cells

5.4

Avg entry length

13 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedNov 21, 2025

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorJoyce Keller

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 37 down

Longest entries

25AWhat "it's not," they say13 ltrs 40ASuspenseful13 ltrs 6DSome memory aids11 ltrs 24DBarbecuer's aid11 ltrs 14AFanny Brice portrayer on Broadway10 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 30 black squares and averages 5.4 letters per entry.