Frodo's sidekick
Crossword Answer — July 20, 2025
NYT Crossword
Sunday, July 20, 2025
By Michael Schlossberg
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Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.
NYT Crossword Clues
Across
Down
Crossword clues, hints, and answers
Across
- 1. The small screen's second Golden Age, informally — Answer: PEAKTV
- 7. Completed in two under par — Answer: EAGLED
- 13. Indian tourist mecca — Answer: GOA
- 16. Scoundrel — Answer: CAD
- 19. One working near home — Answer: UMPIRE
- 20. Flourish — Answer: THRIVE
- 21. "Wait for it ... finished!" — Answer: ANDDONE
- 23. Cardinal point? — Answer: SISTINECHAPEL
- 25. Philanthropist ___ French Gates — Answer: MELINDA
- 26. Ignore the alarm, say — Answer: SLEEPIN
- 27. Tipping point? — Answer: CASHREGISTER
- 29. Few and far between — Answer: SCARCE
- 32. Terse affirmation — Answer: IDO
- 33. Scottish regional accents — Answer: BURRS
- 34. [My word!] — Answer: GASP
- 38. Father of Transcendentalism — Answer: EMERSON
- 41. What makes a twister twistier? — Answer: ANI
- 43. "Absolutamente!" — Answer: SISI
- 44. Really really — Answer: ULTRA
- 46. ___ Miss — Answer: OLE
- 47. Cry near a scarecrow — Answer: CAW
- 49. Airport sign carrier — Answer: MEETER
- 51. Fine point? — Answer: SPEEDTRAP
- 53. Plot point? — Answer: HERBGARDEN
- 56. Swear — Answer: AVOW
- 57. Tree ring, to a dendrochronologist — Answer: YEAR
- 59. Potpourri feature — Answer: AROMA
- 60. What the Mosquirix vaccine targets — Answer: MALARIA
- 63. "Take a hike, pal!" — Answer: BEATIT
- 65. Supergiant, e.g. — Answer: STAR
- 69. Match point? — Answer: DATINGSITE
- 72. Flash point? — Answer: PHOTOBOOTH
- 75. Comic who said "One thing about being narrow-minded -- you'll never be lonely" — Answer: SAHL
- 76. Singsong refrain syllables — Answer: TRALAS
- 78. Total — Answer: ADDUPTO
- 79. Mary Westmacott, for Agatha Christie — Answer: ALIAS
- 81. Bring up the rear? — Answer: MOON
- 84. Galoots — Answer: OAFS. Hint: These clumsy characters often trip over their own feet! 🤪
- 85. Style point? — Answer: BARBERSHOP
- 89. Low point? — Answer: DAIRYFARM
- 93. Sawbones, in brief — Answer: ORDOCS
- 94. Alternative to Yahoo Mail — Answer: AOL
- 95. It's just a guess: Abbr. — Answer: EST
- 96. More cunning — Answer: SLIER
- 97. Japanese pitcher nicknamed "The Tornado" — Answer: NOMO
- 98. Frodo's sidekick — Answer: SAM
- 101. Gym — Answer: PECLASS
- 104. Stately trees — Answer: ELMS
- 105. Barn-raising participants, maybe — Answer: AMISH
- 107. ___ Paulo — Answer: SAO
- 109. Lessens — Answer: ALLAYS
- 111. Sticking point? — Answer: TATTOOPARLOR
- 115. Smooths, as the way — Answer: GREASES
- 120. Home to Uganda's presidential palace — Answer: ENTEBBE
- 121. Brownie point? — Answer: GIRLSCOUTCAMP
- 124. Biting — Answer: ACERBIC
- 125. Flagship Honda model — Answer: ACCORD
- 126. Lover of Bassanio, in Shakespeare — Answer: PORTIA
- 127. Like hemoglobin — Answer: RED
- 128. Still — Answer: YET
- 129. Wise king in the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" — Answer: NESTOR
- 130. They're not good looks — Answer: SNEERS
Down
- 1. Kisser — Answer: PUSS
- 2. Jannings who won the first Best Actor Oscar — Answer: EMIL
- 3. Sunday school recess? — Answer: APSE
- 4. Chinese symbol of hope and prosperity — Answer: KITE
- 5. Beater of pocket rockets, in Texas hold 'em — Answer: TRIPS
- 6. "The Floating City" — Answer: VENICE
- 7. "You get the picture" — Answer: ETC
- 8. Sound while sticking out one's tongue — Answer: AHH
- 9. Greek sisters of myth — Answer: GRACES
- 10. Pop star Dua ___ — Answer: LIPA
- 11. Beforetimes? — Answer: EVES
- 12. Second-most-populous city in the world (after Tokyo) — Answer: DELHI
- 13. "Let's do this!" — Answer: GAMEON
- 14. Much-desired blood type, for short — Answer: ONEG
- 15. Fly by the seat of one's pants — Answer: ADLIB
- 16. Repentant — Answer: CONTRITE
- 17. Author of "The Princess and the Pea" and "The Ugly Duckling" — Answer: ANDERSEN
- 18. Letter opener — Answer: DEARSIR
- 22. Derelict — Answer: DISUSED
- 24. Charm — Answer: ENAMOR
- 28. Nutrient inits. — Answer: RDA
- 30. Race with an anchor — Answer: RELAY
- 31. Brunch station offering — Answer: CREPE
- 34. Astronaut Grissom — Answer: GUS
- 35. Finsteraarhorn, e.g. — Answer: ALP
- 36. Furtiveness — Answer: STEALTH
- 37. Triumph — Answer: PREVAIL
- 39. Common lampshade shade — Answer: OCHRE
- 40. Scottish negative — Answer: NAE
- 42. Muslim leader — Answer: IMAM
- 45. Festoon — Answer: ADORN
- 48. "Star Trek II: The ___ of Khan" — Answer: WRATH
- 50. Epic time — Answer: ERA
- 52. Stick on a tree — Answer: TWIG
- 54. Joie de vivre — Answer: BRIO
- 55. More than wanna — Answer: GOTTA
- 58. Biblical shepherd — Answer: ABEL
- 60. Many residents, for short — Answer: MDS
- 61. Org. with a "Tipsy Tow" service — Answer: AAA
- 62. Up — Answer: ASTIR
- 64. Lhasa ___ — Answer: APSO
- 65. It's literally "inflated" in the kitchen — Answer: SOUFFLE
- 66. Mast attachment above a gaff — Answer: TOPSAIL
- 67. QB stat: Abbr. — Answer: ATT
- 68. Fraternity letter — Answer: RHO
- 70. Plans for the future, in brief? — Answer: IRAS
- 71. Actress Smith of Fox's "Empire" — Answer: TASHA
- 73. Funk — Answer: ODOR
- 74. Annual celebrations, informally — Answer: BDAYS
- 77. Enough — Answer: AMPLE
- 79. "The Golden Bachelor" network — Answer: ABC
- 80. Without — Answer: LESS
- 82. Newbery-winning author Scott ___ — Answer: ODELL
- 83. Twangy — Answer: NASAL
- 85. Cousin of a man crush — Answer: BROMANCE
- 86. Took in — Answer: ADMITTED
- 87. Cock — Answer: ROOSTER
- 88. Alley ___ — Answer: OOP
- 90. "The plan has been approved!" — Answer: ITSAGO
- 91. Kind of cycle at night — Answer: REM
- 92. Partner, with "the" — Answer: MRS
- 93. Hot, hot, hot — Answer: ONATEAR
- 99. Facet — Answer: ASPECT
- 100. Petting zoo noise — Answer: MAA
- 102. Suburban setting? — Answer: CARLOT
- 103. IHOP selections — Answer: SYRUPS
- 106. Woodworking or bird-watching — Answer: HOBBY
- 108. Heart, e.g. — Answer: ORGAN
- 110. Place atop — Answer: SETON
- 112. New York theater award first given in 1956 — Answer: OBIE
- 113. One of the 10 plagues of Egypt — Answer: LICE
- 114. Dungeons & Dragons baddies — Answer: ORCS
- 116. One of 24 in Yankee Stadium — Answer: ACRE
- 117. Quench — Answer: SATE
- 118. Gulf bigwig — Answer: EMIR
- 119. Some cruise ship amenities — Answer: SPAS
- 122. Ticketmaster spec — Answer: SRO
- 123. Navy submarine head: Abbr. — Answer: CDR
The answer to “Frodo's sidekick” in the New York Times crossword is SAM — a 3-letter word. This clue ran in the New York Times crossword on July 20, 2025, a Sunday puzzle, at 98-Across. If it's the entry standing between you and a clean grid, that's the word you need — and below you'll find why it fits, plus links to the day's other clues if more than one square is giving you trouble.
“Frodo's sidekick” answer
SAM (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 SAM.
Why the answer is SAM
SAM is the 3-letter solution that fits "Frodo's sidekick" in the NYT Crossword crossword on July 20, 2025 (98-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.
When else has “Frodo's sidekick” 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 before, and what the answer was each time — handy if you landed here from a puzzle on another date.
July 20, 2025 (this puzzle) → SAM. We haven't indexed an earlier appearance of this exact clue yet.
More clues from the NYT Crossword crossword on July 20, 2025
Stuck elsewhere in the grid? Here are some of the crossing and nearby clues from the same puzzle — tap any for its answer and explanation.
- Without → LESS
- Facet → ASPECT
- Petting zoo noise → MAA
- Japanese pitcher nicknamed "The Tornado" → NOMO
- More cunning → SLIER
- It's just a guess: Abbr. → EST
- Gym → PECLASS
- Alternative to Yahoo Mail → AOL
Want every clue in one place? The full New York Times answer list for July 20, 2025 is on that day's grid page, and today's live NYT Crossword answers are always one tap from the today page.
About the NYT Crossword
The New York Times crossword, edited by Will Shortz, is the most famous daily puzzle in the United States. It runs a 15×15 grid Monday through Saturday and a larger 21×21 grid on Sunday, and its difficulty deliberately ramps through the week: Monday is the most approachable, Saturday the toughest, with Thursday often reserved for a trick or twist like rebus squares. This page covers a Sunday puzzle. A straight-definition entry is the kind of solid mid-grid answer that anchors the trickier crossings around it. Because the NYT reuses short, crossing-friendly words regularly, seeing them once makes them easier to spot next time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the answer to “Frodo's sidekick”?
The answer is SAM, a 3-letter word. It appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 20, 2025.
How many letters is the answer to “Frodo's sidekick”?
3 letters: SAM.
Where did this clue appear?
In the New York Times crossword on July 20, 2025 (a Sunday puzzle), at 98-Across.
Can “Frodo's sidekick” 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 July 20, 2025 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.