Home/Archive/Oct 17, 2025

NYT Crossword — October 17, 2025

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 68 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 68 revealed

1J

2E

3S

4T

5M

6O

7S

8S

9W

10I

11C

12C

13A

14A

N

N

E

15I

S

E

E

16E

C

H

O

S

17C

H

A

R

18L

I

X

C

X

19B

E

A

U

S

20C

A

U

S

E

S

21R

I

22C

E

W

I

N

E

23U

N

S

E

T

24B

E

E

R

D

A

R

T

S

25S

C

A

R

26R

E

C

R

U

I

T

27E

E

G

28T

I

N

Y

29S

T

E

30M

31D

E

32B

U

T

S

33C

H

O

R

E

34S

35S

E

R

A

36B

A

E

R

37N

U

38T

39S

N

O

40C

A

P

S

41H

O

P

I

42S

43I

44S

T

E

R

A

C

T

45C

O

P

E

D

46A

N

E

C

D

A

T

A

47V

O

L

A

R

E

48L

U

N

A

R

49B

R

50A

I

N

D

U

M

P

51E

R

A

S

E

52E

D

E

N

53I

S

A

O

54M

E

T

E

D

55D

I

R

E

56T

E

N

D

Across

36 clues

1What a comment might be made in

5Plant often confused with algae

14Pulitzer-winning historian and journalist Applebaum

15Understanding response

16Amazon smart speakers

17British singer with the top 10 albums "Crash" and "Brat"

20Sets in motion

21Sake, for one

23Not fixed, as a stone

24Drinking game with projectiles

25Sign of healing

26New service member

27Mental image, for short?

28Fun-size, so to speak

31First releases

33Taking out the trash and others

36Max ___, boxer nicknamed "Madcap Maxie"

37Corn ___ (snack misnomer)

39Longtime Nestlé candy brand

41Arizona tribe with matrilineal clans

421992 Whoopi Goldberg comedy

45Survived, so to speak

46Portmanteau for evidence based solely on personal accounts

47Popular name of the 1958 Italian hit "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu"

49Act of writing down whatever comes to mind in order to clear mental clutter

52Biblical locale in a Steinbeck title

54Rationed (out)

Down

32 clues

1Historic Émile Zola letter of 1898

3Meaty dog treats "in a blanket"

5Customizable Nintendo avatars

6Mac platform renamed in 2016

7Condition of discretion

8More seductive

9One managing online content

10Drink that comes with free refills

11Word with easy or high

13Insufferable sorts

22Handles beautifully, in slang

24Bills worth 100 buckaroos

26British singer with the hits "R.I.P." and "Radioactive"

28Showed embarrassment, say

30Event typically occurring in one's late 40s or early 50s

32Hoped-for scenario

33America, for one: Abbr.

34DC figure since 1938

36Brand of rum mentioned in Hemingway novels

38Certain unit of detergent

40Pet gear often eschewed in favor of someone's lap

41"Stop the presses!"

42Capital that's home to the oldest university in the Western U.S. (1842)

44Upper house of the French parliament

45With, in Spanish

47Plant on a pergola

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

Stats & info

Friday, Oct 17, 2025

15×15

Grid size

68

Total entries

33/192

Black / letter cells

5.6

Avg entry length

9 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedOct 17, 2025

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorKaren Steinberg

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split36 across · 32 down

Longest entries

17ABritish singer with the top 10 albums "Crash" and "Brat"9 ltrs 24ADrinking game with projectiles9 ltrs 42A1992 Whoopi Goldberg comedy9 ltrs 49AAct of writing down whatever comes to mind in order to clear mental clutter9 ltrs 3DMeaty dog treats "in a blanket"9 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 33 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.