Way to begin gaming, say
Crossword Answer — August 16, 2025
NYT Crossword
Saturday, August 16, 2025
By Byron Walden
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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. Beauty lounge, of a sort — Answer: BLOWDRYBAR
- 11. Calm — Answer: HUSH
- 15. Mexico's Chamber of Deputies or France's National Assembly, for example — Answer: LOWERHOUSE
- 16. Cash on hand? — Answer: ANTE
- 17. French kiss kissers — Answer: OPENMOUTHS
- 18. Pull — Answer: SWAY
- 19. Leading counsel? — Answer: BESTADVICE
- 20. Parting word — Answer: TATA
- 21. One of the First Nations — Answer: CREE
- 22. Tied up — Answer: ALLEVEN
- 24. Évariste ___, 19th-century French math prodigy for whom a differential theory is named — Answer: GALOIS
- 27. Melancholy 1964 #1 hit for Bobby Vinton — Answer: MRLONELY
- 28. Sponge brand originally spelled with two hyphens — Answer: OCELO
- 29. Spots — Answer: SITES
- 30. N.B.A. stat: Abbr. — Answer: REB
- 31. Slightly — Answer: ATAD
- 32. Practitioner of black magic — Answer: HEXER
- 33. Kind of box for media watchers — Answer: TIVO
- 34. "___ the Damn Season" (Taylor Swift holiday song) — Answer: TIS
- 35. Machine for a highway crew — Answer: PAVER
- 36. Like bismuth and bitcoin — Answer: MINED
- 37. Swimwear that can be worn as shorts — Answer: BOARDIES
- 39. Full of snickers — Answer: GIGGLY
- 40. Try to break, as a bad habit — Answer: UNLEARN
- 41. Curve that's high and outside? — Answer: ARCH
- 42. Abbreviated first name found three times on the signed Declaration of Independence — Answer: THOS
- 43. 1990 novelty dance inspired by a comics superhero — Answer: THEBARTMAN
- 48. Staple of an outdoor reception — Answer: TENT
- 49. Became a marquee name, say — Answer: ROSETOFAME
- 50. Logical connective — Answer: ERGO
- 51. Lovers of "Emma" and "Persuasion" — Answer: AUSTENITES
- 52. Equine color — Answer: ROAN
- 53. Way to begin gaming, say — Answer: PRESSSTART
Down
- 1. Appearance of the marine creature called "by-the-wind sailor" — Answer: BLOB
- 2. Run easily — Answer: LOPE
- 3. Hasn't settled up — Answer: OWES
- 4. Foundered, as an investigation — Answer: WENTCOLD
- 5. Nintendo title character with a head mirror — Answer: DRMARIO
- 6. Largest of the Dodecanese Islands — Answer: RHODES
- 7. "___ changed" — Answer: YOUVE
- 8. "___ disagree" — Answer: BUTI
- 9. Barack Obama's final secretary of defense (2015-17) — Answer: ASHCARTER
- 10. One who profits from eBay, say — Answer: RESELLER
- 11. Expedite — Answer: HASTEN
- 12. Rock solid — Answer: UNWAVERING
- 13. Where the 10th Amendment leaves many issues — Answer: STATELEVEL
- 14. Call to whomever — Answer: HEYANYBODY
- 23. ___ Alamitos, Calif. — Answer: LOS
- 24. Dairy spread in a health food store — Answer: GOATBUTTER
- 25. Bond classification — Answer: ACTIONHERO
- 26. Tony-winning actress who provided the singing voice for the Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan — Answer: LEASALONGA
- 27. Is a social butterfly — Answer: MIXES
- 29. Like a typical flight from New York to London — Answer: SEVENHOUR
- 32. Shower drain protector — Answer: HAIRTRAP
- 33. Property of a wet suit or shapewear — Answer: TIGHTFIT
- 35. Smack in the middle of a crowd, in brief? — Answer: PDA
- 36. Units for measuring bacteria and dust — Answer: MICRONS
- 38. Surmount — Answer: RESTON
- 39. Hazards for high heels — Answer: GRATES
- 41. Provides job assistance? — Answer: ABETS
- 44. To be, to Brutus — Answer: ESSE
- 45. ___ Hari — Answer: MATA
- 46. Part of A.S.L.: Abbr. — Answer: AMER
- 47. Group of spies, say — Answer: NEST
The answer to “Way to begin gaming, say” in the New York Times crossword is PRESSSTART — a 10-letter word. This clue ran in the New York Times crossword on August 16, 2025, a Saturday puzzle, at 53-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.
“Way to begin gaming, say” answer
PRESSSTART (10 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 PRESSSTART.
Why the answer is PRESSSTART
PRESSSTART is the 10-letter solution that fits "Way to begin gaming, say" in the NYT Crossword crossword on August 16, 2025 (53-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.
When else has “Way to begin gaming, say” 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.
August 16, 2025 (this puzzle) → PRESSSTART. We haven't indexed an earlier appearance of this exact clue yet.
More clues from the NYT Crossword crossword on August 16, 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.
- Like a typical flight from New York to London → SEVENHOUR
- Shower drain protector → HAIRTRAP
- Property of a wet suit or shapewear → TIGHTFIT
- Units for measuring bacteria and dust → MICRONS
- Hazards for high heels → GRATES
- Provides job assistance? → ABETS
- To be, to Brutus → ESSE
- ___ Hari → MATA
Want every clue in one place? The full New York Times answer list for August 16, 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 Saturday 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 “Way to begin gaming, say”?
The answer is PRESSSTART, a 10-letter word. It appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 16, 2025.
How many letters is the answer to “Way to begin gaming, say”?
10 letters: PRESSSTART.
Where did this clue appear?
In the New York Times crossword on August 16, 2025 (a Saturday puzzle), at 53-Across.
Can “Way to begin gaming, say” 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 August 16, 2025 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.