Especially gratifying, so to speak

Latest answer — October 25, 2025

16 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, October 25, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Calendar month between Sha'ban and Shawwal
  2. 8Some solid marks
  3. 15"Here's the hard truth ..."
  4. 1746 years?
  5. 18Sudden movement
  6. 19Pinched
  7. 20___ Maroni, Gotham City mobster in the DC Comics universe
  8. 21Runs superbly
  9. 22Bug
  10. 23Word on either side of "against"
  11. 241992 U2 hit inspired by German reunification
  12. 25Busby Berkeley musical film that introduced "I Only Have Eyes for You"
  13. 26Printing mark whose name is from the Latin for "is lacking"
  14. 27Financial reporter?
  15. 29Balances
  16. 30"You've called at a bad time"
  17. 32Heads
  18. 35Shiva, for example
  19. 39Suffix meaning "rule"
  20. 40Combinations with numbers and sets
  21. 4124-Across co-producer, whose name is the song title spelled backward
  22. 42Climax of operational planning
  23. 43Brand for which General Foods distributed orange-handled coffeepots to restaurants
  24. 44Core supporters
  25. 45Ferrer who co-starred in "War and Peace," 1956
  26. 46Shot-putter?
  27. 47Baba ghanouj, e.g.
  28. 48Where gold "beaver coins" were used as currency
  29. 51Green suit?
  30. 52Pricey catering option
  31. 53Scuffled, in dialect

Down

  1. 1Sharp blow to the chest
  2. 2Staple in a poke bowl
  3. 3Titular figure in a scandalous John Singer Sargent portrait
  4. 4Maintains
  5. 5Negative impression
  6. 6Sports org. in the 2024 film "Challengers"
  7. 7Longship builders
  8. 8Intoxicates
  9. 9___ Farnsworth, inventor dubbed "The Father of Television"
  10. 10Treasure hunter's find
  11. 11La ___ (leading Belgian French-language TV channel)
  12. 12Mocap suit components
  13. 13Break character?
  14. 14Slender hospital tools
  15. 16Especially gratifying, so to speak
  16. 22Done-up dos
  17. 23Eastern lines
  18. 25Very iffy
  19. 26They might go faster with zinc
  20. 28Suspect
  21. 29British slang for a police car
  22. 31Improviser at a workbench
  23. 32Cursed vibe
  24. 33Call at the plate?
  25. 34Geometry term from the Greek for "uneven"
  26. 36Application for smoother shifting
  27. 37Even, or nearly so, at Wimbledon
  28. 38Naïve-looking, in a way
  29. 40Transaction with no money down
  30. 43Leader of the Afrofuturistic jazz collective Arkestra for almost four decades
  31. 44Seat fillers
  32. 46Greenhorn, informally
  33. 47Oldest four-letter papal name
  34. 49Call in a card game
  35. 50Early major producer of vacuum tubes

The answer to “Especially gratifying, so to speak” in the New York Times crossword is BETTERTHANSEX — a 13-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 25, 2025, a Saturday puzzle, at 16-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Especially gratifying, so to speak” answer

BETTERTHANSEX (13 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is BETTERTHANSEX.

Why the answer is BETTERTHANSEX

BETTERTHANSEX is the 13-letter solution that fits "Especially gratifying, so to speak" in the NYT Crossword crossword on October 25, 2025 (16-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

When else has “Especially gratifying, so to speak” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

October 25, 2025 (most recent) → BETTERTHANSEX. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Especially gratifying, so to speak”?

The answer is BETTERTHANSEX, a 13-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 25, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Especially gratifying, so to speak”?

13 letters: BETTERTHANSEX.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 25, 2025 (a Saturday puzzle), at 16-Down.

Can “Especially gratifying, so to speak” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for October 25, 2025 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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