*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch

Latest answer — April 17, 2025

45 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Thursday, April 17, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1___ bowl (healthful dish)
  2. 5Cellular protein
  3. 10Give out
  4. 14Expels
  5. 15Mars with bars
  6. 16Cold-blooded kind of monster
  7. 17"And so ..."
  8. 18Common back-to-school purchases
  9. 20Bit of ballet wear
  10. 222013 movie co-starring Scarlett Johansson in which she is never seen
  11. 23"Going Back to Cali" rapper, 1998
  12. 25*Abigail Adams or Eleanor Roosevelt, informally
  13. 29*Red denizen of Sesame Street
  14. 30Advocates for
  15. 33Animal with luxurious fur
  16. 36Consumer protection agcy.
  17. 37Muse of memory
  18. 38See 64-Across
  19. 39*Hasty
  20. 40Become fixed
  21. 41Santa ___ (hot winds)
  22. 42What three is
  23. 44"Hmm, I don't think so"
  24. 45*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch
  25. 46Eliot protagonist
  26. 47*Pickle or asparagus unit
  27. 48Bog
  28. 49Placed in an air fryer instead of a microwave, say
  29. 51State with 1,350 miles of coastline (second-most after Alaska): Abbr.
  30. 52*Small, embedded program
  31. 54São ___, most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere
  32. 56Toward that place, quaintly
  33. 58Ancient Rome and Persia
  34. 61Own
  35. 62Comforts
  36. 63Almost half of Scandinavians
  37. 64What you can't see due to the 38-Across in this puzzle?

Down

  1. 1Help with a crime
  2. 2Apt name for a December baby
  3. 3Early investor
  4. 4Literally, "equal legs"
  5. 5Like many a plant in spring
  6. 6Draconian
  7. 7Large cask for beer or wine
  8. 8Crawl (along)
  9. 9What a bad assistant might be
  10. 10Teamwork inhibitor
  11. 11Word with cake or trail
  12. 12Spot dans la Seine
  13. 13Many Ph.D. students
  14. 19Some Halloween "transports"
  15. 21Plot problems
  16. 24ABC's first program broadcast in color, with "The"
  17. 26Refurbish, as an old piano
  18. 27What one may have to do to destroy a Death Star
  19. 28Original and influential
  20. 31Big name in soft drinks
  21. 32___ Presidenta, term of address for Mexico's leader beginning in 2024
  22. 33Wizard's weapon, maybe
  23. 34"___ the Doughnut," start of a children's book series
  24. 35Classic French sauce
  25. 36Horseshoe enthusiasts?
  26. 42Like one who might have to hoof it
  27. 43Aspire to
  28. 46John ___, author of "Annals of the Former World"
  29. 50Brand of oversize Lego bricks
  30. 53Veteran's affliction, in brief
  31. 55Yarn spinner
  32. 56Does a certain prank on, informally
  33. 57___-to
  34. 59Some M.I.T. grads, in brief
  35. 60The last one flew in 10/03

The answer to “*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch” in the New York Times crossword is FIR — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 17, 2025, a Thursday puzzle, at 45-Across. 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.

“*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch” answer

FIR (3 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 FIR.

Why the answer is FIR

FIR is the 3-letter solution that fits "*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch" in the NYT Crossword crossword on April 17, 2025 (45-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does FIR mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of FIR is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • an evergreen coniferous tree with upright cones and flat needle-shaped leaves, typically arranged in two rows. Firs are an important source of timber and resins

When else has “*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch” 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.

April 17, 2025 (most recent) → FIR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch”?

The answer is FIR, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 17, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch”?

3 letters: FIR.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on April 17, 2025 (a Thursday puzzle), at 45-Across.

Can “*"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___ to be kindled": Plutarch” 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 April 17, 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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