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NYT Crossword — September 5, 2025

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 66 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 66 revealed
1D
2E
3N
4T
5I
6S
7T
8E
9S
10C
11O
12R
13T
14L
O
V
E
N
O
T
E
15S
H
A
V
E
S
16I
D
I
O
T
T
A
X
17T
O
R
E
U
P
18E
G
A
N
19A
R
T
20M
A
J
O
R
S
21S
E
N
T
22R
B
I
23I
M
S
A
24D
25E
26M
27T
28O
O
29P
30T
B
A
31S
T
A
R
32N
O
S
E
33D
34M
O
L
E
35T
E
R
I
Y
A
K
I
S
A
U
C
E
36D
Y
N
A
M
I
T
E
S
T
I
C
K
37I
P
O
38T
U
X
39O
S
H
40S
E
R
41I
42F
43R
A
44M
45A
46F
47R
48O
49F
I
N
E
50B
E
M
A
51D
52C
R
O
W
53R
A
T
E
D
R
54P
L
O
55T
H
O
L
E
56E
C
A
R
T
E
57L
I
M
E
A
D
E
S
58B
E
S
T
O
W
59E
A
S
E
S
O
N

Across

31 clues
1One who tries to make a good impression
8Go with
14It has its X's and O's
15Manscapes, perhaps
16Money wasted on poor decision-making, jocularly
17Destroyed emotionally
19Ones who might be looking toward careers at museums
21Elated
23:(
28Alley ___
30Sched. placeholder
31Small semiaquatic mammal with 22 tentacles on its snout
35Condiment at an Asian fusion restaurant
36Ground-breaking invention?
37Big N.Y.S.E. news
38Formal duds
43Bang into
45Musical lead-in to beat
49"OK, don't accept my apology then!"
53Not family-friendly, in a way
54Logical inconsistency in a story
56Game with a 32-card deck
57Refreshers that can be served with green wedges
58Present
59Gently presses, as a gas pedal

Down

35 clues
1Skirt
3Colorful fish with iridescent stripes
5Really small amount
7Paragon
10Bounce
11Excess of inventory
12Like canvas grocery bags
13Cookbook qty.
14Does some stretching?
20Constriction of the pupils
26Seriously harm
27"Come on, just once!"
31Misses watching a bullfight?
32Word with human or second
33Spot for a speaker
34Young 31-Down
35Bold choice, perhaps?
41Not going anywhere
42Provided with, as anonymous tips
46Noted ring bearer
50Cold one
51Monks' honorifics
53Jewish honorific
55Bit of concert merch

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

Stats & info

Friday, Sep 5, 2025
15×15
Grid size
66
Total entries
36/189
Black / letter cells
5.7
Avg entry length
15 ltrs
Longest entry
Hard
Friday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedSep 5, 2025
DayFriday
ThemeThemeless
ConstructorBryan Cheong
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split31 across · 35 down
Longest entries

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 5.7 letters per entry.