Present Time

By David Kwong

S
K
I
P
L
A
N
E
S
B
A
M
A
S
O
D
A
O
P
T
E
T
R
O
M
I
N
O
A
M
I
R
P
R
O
W
L
S
E
A
S
E
S
I
N
T
O
D
A
R
N
R
E
M
E
D
Y
A
N
I
L
L
E
E
S
U
N
R
O
S
E
S
D
M
C
M
E
N
U
A
P
R
I
L
D
O
L
C
E
N
A
H
D
A
T
A
R
I
C
A
R
D
O
O
V
E
N
S
P
H
E
R
E
S
A
P
A
P
O
F
F
A
S
C
O
A
T
S
T
E
T
O
N
R
E
B
R
A
N
D
E
D
I
M
S
O
E
D
V
E
N
T
N
O
R
O
N
S
A
L
E
O
M
N
I
N
O
I
R
F
A
N
S
I
T
E
Y
I
N
N
E
T
S
C
A
P
E
S
E
T
I
T
H
R
U
S
A
B
E
S
T
E
O
R
H
I
A
N
N
O
N
P
O
P
B
A
R
C
L
A
Y
B
I
E
N
D
E
L
I
T
O
O
K
I
N
L
A
Y
F
L
A
T
G
R
E
W
I
N
S
H
R
I
N
K
R
A
Y
A
U
R
A
S
B
R
A
V
E
C
A
E
S
A
R
C
L
E
C
H
I
T
T
E
R
M
U
S
T
V
E
S
S
E
L
S
H
U
S
H
S
U
P
M
E
N
L
O
E
T
H
E
R
E
S
P
N
E
L
F
D
A
N
C
O
U
N
D
I
M
S
T
H
E
E
E
L
I
D
E
S
R
A
R
E
S
K
A
T
E
R
A
T
S
Y
E
S
Y
E
S
O
N
C
E
G
E
T
O
V
E
R
I
T
A
D
H
E
R
E
W
E
E
D
T
R
A
N
S
E
P
T
S

Across

  1. 22SkulksPROWLS
  2. 23Joins graduallyEASESINTO
  3. 25TreatmentREMEDY
  4. 76DaddyPOP
  5. 91EmanationsAURAS
  6. 102SilenceHUSH
  7. 105AirETHER
  8. 116Skips overELIDES
  9. 124Stick (to)ADHERE

Down

  1. 12CopyMIRROR
  2. 17Fast start?AWEDNESDAY
  3. 33More lividIRATER
  4. 42DescendantSCION
  5. 43Apple: Fr.POMME
  6. 44Is withoutHASNT
  7. 55Gene pools?DNABANKS
  8. 81Most minimalBAREST
  9. 92BlueprintsSCHEMATA
  10. 101InformantSOURCE
  11. 103"Ta-ta!"SEEYA
  12. 109___ fourPETIT
  13. 113EssentialNEED

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Some Arctic transports — Answer: SKIPLANES
  2. 10. S.E.C. football powerhouse, for short — Answer: BAMA
  3. 14. 1950s hangout with a jukebox — Answer: SODAOP
  4. 20. Game piece made of four squares — Answer: TETROMINO
  5. 21. "The Kite Runner" protagonist — Answer: AMIR
  6. 22. Skulks — Answer: PROWLS
  7. 23. Joins gradually — Answer: EASESINTO
  8. 24. "Doggone it!" — Answer: DARN
  9. 25. Treatment — Answer: REMEDY
  10. 26. Blue colorant obtained from the indigo plant — Answer: ANIL
  11. 27. Wrangler alternative — Answer: LEE
  12. 28. Brightly colored Mediterranean flowers — Answer: SUNROSES
  13. 30. Rap's Run-___ — Answer: DMC
  14. 31. Course catalog? — Answer: MENU
  15. 32. When Aries transitions to Taurus — Answer: APRIL
  16. 34. Sweetly, on scores — Answer: DOLCE
  17. 35. "I'll pass" — Answer: NAH. Hint: Sometimes it's a polite way to say no! 🙅‍♂️
  18. 36. Input of certain mining — Answer: DATA
  19. 38. Montalbán who played Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" — Answer: RICARDO
  20. 40. Timer setting — Answer: OVEN
  21. 42. Areas of influence — Answer: SPHERES
  22. 45. Mental health org. — Answer: APA
  23. 46. Fraudulently make seem like — Answer: POFFAS
  24. 48. Covers completely — Answer: COATS
  25. 49. Wyoming peak — Answer: TETON
  26. 51. Like a corporation with a new logo, perhaps — Answer: REBRANDED
  27. 54. Comment from someone caught in the rain — Answer: IMSOED
  28. 56. Yellow avenue in Monopoly — Answer: VENTNOR
  29. 58. A bit off, say — Answer: ONSALE
  30. 59. Hyatt alternative — Answer: OMNI
  31. 60. Hard-boiled genre — Answer: NOIR
  32. 62. TheForce.net for "Star Wars," for example — Answer: FANSITE
  33. 64. Dark side — Answer: YIN
  34. 65. Former big name in browsers — Answer: NETSCAPE
  35. 67. U.F.O.-watching org. — Answer: SETI
  36. 68. By way of, informally — Answer: THRU
  37. 70. Kemo ___ (the Lone Ranger) — Answer: SABE
  38. 71. Sailor's patron — Answer: STEO
  39. 72. Fleetwood Mac hit named for a Celtic goddess — Answer: RHIANNON
  40. 76. Daddy — Answer: POP
  41. 79. Eponymous British financier James ___ — Answer: BARCLAY
  42. 81. By saying this you mean well — Answer: BIEN
  43. 82. Wrap seller — Answer: DELI
  44. 83. Adopted, as a pet — Answer: TOOKIN
  45. 85. Wasn't folded in a suitcase, say — Answer: LAYFLAT
  46. 87. Developed, as baby teeth — Answer: GREWIN
  47. 89. Sci-fi miniaturizer — Answer: SHRINKRAY
  48. 91. Emanations — Answer: AURAS
  49. 93. Boldly face — Answer: BRAVE
  50. 94. Kind of cipher in which A becomes B, B becomes C, e.g. — Answer: CAESAR
  51. 95. Guardians, on a scoreboard — Answer: CLE
  52. 96. Bit of birdspeak — Answer: CHITTER
  53. 98. Damp, mildewy quality — Answer: MUST
  54. 99. They hold water — Answer: VESSELS
  55. 102. Silence — Answer: HUSH
  56. 103. Lying faceup — Answer: SUP
  57. 104. ___ Park, Calif. — Answer: MENLO
  58. 105. Air — Answer: ETHER
  59. 107. Disney subsidiary — Answer: ESPN
  60. 111. A little help? — Answer: ELF
  61. 112. Evaded, as a sensitive issue — Answer: DANCOUND
  62. 114. Some pings, in brief — Answer: IMS
  63. 115. "Fie on ___!" (Shakespearean cry) — Answer: THEE
  64. 116. Skips over — Answer: ELIDES
  65. 118. Few and far between — Answer: RARE
  66. 119. Regulars at parks with ramps, informally — Answer: SKATERATS
  67. 121. Reply after having one's memory jogged — Answer: YESYES
  68. 122. Some time ago — Answer: ONCE
  69. 123. "What's done is done!" — Answer: GETOVERIT
  70. 124. Stick (to) — Answer: ADHERE
  71. 125. Garden interloper — Answer: WEED
  72. 126. Church parts crossing naves — Answer: TRANSEPTS

Down

  1. 1. Make furious — Answer: STEAM
  2. 2. "The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil ___ — Answer: KEANE
  3. 3. Tennis line judge's ruling — Answer: ITSIN
  4. 4. Duke Ellington classic with the lyric "That was my heart serenading you" — Answer: PRELUDETOISS
  5. 5. West side of L.A.? — Answer: LOS
  6. 6. "Is there still time for me to join you?" — Answer: AMILATE
  7. 7. 51 to the hour — Answer: NINEPAST
  8. 8. Stage direction — Answer: ENTER
  9. 9. Phillipa of Broadway — Answer: SOO
  10. 10. Grammy winner Erykah — Answer: BADU
  11. 11. ___ Gorman, "The Hill We Climb" poet — Answer: AMANDA
  12. 12. Copy — Answer: MIRROR
  13. 13. Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshments — Answer: ARNOLDPERS
  14. 14. Spending romp — Answer: SPREE
  15. 15. Output of certain mining — Answer: ORES
  16. 16. Counterpart of a sub — Answer: DOM
  17. 17. Fast start? — Answer: AWEDNESDAY
  18. 18. Father, familiarly — Answer: OLDMAN
  19. 19. Mentally overpower, with "out" — Answer: PSYCH
  20. 28. Like most moccasins — Answer: SLIPON
  21. 29. Great Dane of cartoons, informally — Answer: SCOOB
  22. 33. More livid — Answer: IRATER
  23. 37. Keister, in Leicester — Answer: ARSE. Hint: In British slang, it's a cheeky term for your backside! 🍑
  24. 39. 2015 chart-topping hit for the Weeknd — Answer: CANTFEEYFACE
  25. 40. Symbolic for its time — Answer: OFANERA
  26. 41. Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard design — Answer: VANS
  27. 42. Descendant — Answer: SCION
  28. 43. Apple: Fr. — Answer: POMME
  29. 44. Is without — Answer: HASNT
  30. 47. Rabid in appearance — Answer: FROTHING
  31. 50. Woman's nickname that sounds like two letters — Answer: EVIE
  32. 51. Rice-A-___ — Answer: RONI
  33. 52. "Borderlands" director ___ Roth — Answer: ELI
  34. 53. Hiding place — Answer: DEN
  35. 55. Gene pools? — Answer: DNABANKS
  36. 57. Org. with its own alphabet — Answer: NATO
  37. 61. Abbr. not found on most smartphones — Answer: OPER
  38. 63. "Aren't ___ lucky one?!" — Answer: ITHE
  39. 66. It has a lot of secretaries — Answer: CABINET
  40. 67. Shirt collar stiffener — Answer: STAY
  41. 69. Where to find six "presents" in this puzzle? — Answer: UNDERTHETREE
  42. 71. Knock 'em dead — Answer: SLAY
  43. 72. Coolidge who sang the theme for "Octopussy" — Answer: RITA
  44. 73. Just getting started with — Answer: NEWAT
  45. 74. Green shade — Answer: OLIVE
  46. 75. What Joe Montana was in the '80s — Answer: NINER
  47. 76. A TD scores six of these — Answer: PTS
  48. 77. "Fancy, that!" — Answer: OOH
  49. 78. Prickly denizen of coral reefs — Answer: PORCUPFISH
  50. 80. Famed lawyer in the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial — Answer: CLARENCROW
  51. 81. Most minimal — Answer: BAREST
  52. 84. Some Korean exports — Answer: KIAS
  53. 86. Calmed deceptively — Answer: LULLED
  54. 88. Baseball slugger's stat — Answer: RBIS
  55. 90. Bird used to deliver messages on "Game of Thrones" — Answer: RAVEN
  56. 92. Blueprints — Answer: SCHEMATA
  57. 97. Author Zora Neale ___ — Answer: HURSTON
  58. 98. Noodled on, with "over" — Answer: MULLED
  59. 100. Girlfriend in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" — Answer: SLOANE
  60. 101. Informant — Answer: SOURCE
  61. 103. "Ta-ta!" — Answer: SEEYA
  62. 104. Tricky pool shot — Answer: MASSE
  63. 106. Someone enjoying a walk in the park — Answer: HIKER
  64. 108. Mentally with it — Answer: SHARP
  65. 109. ___ four — Answer: PETIT
  66. 110. Fits one inside the other — Answer: NESTS
  67. 112. Porcine : pigs :: cervine : ___ — Answer: DEER
  68. 113. Essential — Answer: NEED
  69. 117. It might be good for a change — Answer: DYE
  70. 119. One who knows the drill?: Abbr. — Answer: SGT
  71. 120. Teslas, e.g., for short — Answer: EVS

Recent NYT Crossword Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

Here are the NYT Crossword answers for Sunday, December 21, 2025 — every solution for that day's 15×15 (21×21 on Sunday) puzzle, listed at the top of this page. Whether you're catching up on a puzzle you missed, settling a “what was the answer on December 21?” question, or checking a grid you finished that day, the complete clue-by-clue solution is right here. Looking for today's puzzle instead? Head to our live NYT Crossword answers page.

NYT Crossword answers for December 21, 2025

The full solution for the December 21 NYT Crossword is shown above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, exactly as that day's grid read. Each answer is listed separately, so you can check just the clue you were stuck on and leave the rest. This is the confirmed grid as published on Sunday, December 21.

Full NYT Crossword answer list for December 21, 2025

Every clue from the December 21 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Some Arctic transportsSKIPLANES
10S.E.C. football powerhouse, for shortBAMA
141950s hangout with a jukeboxSODAOP
20Game piece made of four squaresTETROMINO
21"The Kite Runner" protagonistAMIR
22SkulksPROWLS
23Joins graduallyEASESINTO
24"Doggone it!"DARN
25TreatmentREMEDY
26Blue colorant obtained from the indigo plantANIL
27Wrangler alternativeLEE
28Brightly colored Mediterranean flowersSUNROSES
30Rap's Run-___DMC
31Course catalog?MENU
32When Aries transitions to TaurusAPRIL
34Sweetly, on scoresDOLCE
35"I'll pass"NAH
36Input of certain miningDATA
38Montalbán who played Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"RICARDO
40Timer settingOVEN
42Areas of influenceSPHERES
45Mental health org.APA
46Fraudulently make seem likePOFFAS
48Covers completelyCOATS
49Wyoming peakTETON
51Like a corporation with a new logo, perhapsREBRANDED
54Comment from someone caught in the rainIMSOED
56Yellow avenue in MonopolyVENTNOR
58A bit off, sayONSALE
59Hyatt alternativeOMNI
60Hard-boiled genreNOIR
62TheForce.net for "Star Wars," for exampleFANSITE
64Dark sideYIN
65Former big name in browsersNETSCAPE
67U.F.O.-watching org.SETI
68By way of, informallyTHRU
70Kemo ___ (the Lone Ranger)SABE
71Sailor's patronSTEO
72Fleetwood Mac hit named for a Celtic goddessRHIANNON
76DaddyPOP
79Eponymous British financier James ___BARCLAY
81By saying this you mean wellBIEN
82Wrap sellerDELI
83Adopted, as a petTOOKIN
85Wasn't folded in a suitcase, sayLAYFLAT
87Developed, as baby teethGREWIN
89Sci-fi miniaturizerSHRINKRAY
91EmanationsAURAS
93Boldly faceBRAVE
94Kind of cipher in which A becomes B, B becomes C, e.g.CAESAR
95Guardians, on a scoreboardCLE
96Bit of birdspeakCHITTER
98Damp, mildewy qualityMUST
99They hold waterVESSELS
102SilenceHUSH
103Lying faceupSUP
104___ Park, Calif.MENLO
105AirETHER
107Disney subsidiaryESPN
111A little help?ELF
112Evaded, as a sensitive issueDANCOUND
114Some pings, in briefIMS
115"Fie on ___!" (Shakespearean cry)THEE
116Skips overELIDES
118Few and far betweenRARE
119Regulars at parks with ramps, informallySKATERATS
121Reply after having one's memory joggedYESYES
122Some time agoONCE
123"What's done is done!"GETOVERIT
124Stick (to)ADHERE
125Garden interloperWEED
126Church parts crossing navesTRANSEPTS

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Make furiousSTEAM
2"The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil ___KEANE
3Tennis line judge's rulingITSIN
4Duke Ellington classic with the lyric "That was my heart serenading you"PRELUDETOISS
5West side of L.A.?LOS
6"Is there still time for me to join you?"AMILATE
751 to the hourNINEPAST
8Stage directionENTER
9Phillipa of BroadwaySOO
10Grammy winner ErykahBADU
11___ Gorman, "The Hill We Climb" poetAMANDA
12CopyMIRROR
13Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshmentsARNOLDPERS
14Spending rompSPREE
15Output of certain miningORES
16Counterpart of a subDOM
17Fast start?AWEDNESDAY
18Father, familiarlyOLDMAN
19Mentally overpower, with "out"PSYCH
28Like most moccasinsSLIPON
29Great Dane of cartoons, informallySCOOB
33More lividIRATER
37Keister, in LeicesterARSE
392015 chart-topping hit for the WeekndCANTFEEYFACE
40Symbolic for its timeOFANERA
41Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard designVANS
42DescendantSCION
43Apple: Fr.POMME
44Is withoutHASNT
47Rabid in appearanceFROTHING
50Woman's nickname that sounds like two lettersEVIE
51Rice-A-___RONI
52"Borderlands" director ___ RothELI
53Hiding placeDEN
55Gene pools?DNABANKS
57Org. with its own alphabetNATO
61Abbr. not found on most smartphonesOPER
63"Aren't ___ lucky one?!"ITHE
66It has a lot of secretariesCABINET
67Shirt collar stiffenerSTAY
69Where to find six "presents" in this puzzle?UNDERTHETREE
71Knock 'em deadSLAY
72Coolidge who sang the theme for "Octopussy"RITA
73Just getting started withNEWAT
74Green shadeOLIVE
75What Joe Montana was in the '80sNINER
76A TD scores six of thesePTS
77"Fancy, that!"OOH
78Prickly denizen of coral reefsPORCUPFISH
80Famed lawyer in the 1925 Scopes Monkey TrialCLARENCROW
81Most minimalBAREST
84Some Korean exportsKIAS
86Calmed deceptivelyLULLED
88Baseball slugger's statRBIS
90Bird used to deliver messages on "Game of Thrones"RAVEN
92BlueprintsSCHEMATA
97Author Zora Neale ___HURSTON
98Noodled on, with "over"MULLED
100Girlfriend in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"SLOANE
101InformantSOURCE
103"Ta-ta!"SEEYA
104Tricky pool shotMASSE
106Someone enjoying a walk in the parkHIKER
108Mentally with itSHARP
109___ fourPETIT
110Fits one inside the otherNESTS
112Porcine : pigs :: cervine : ___DEER
113EssentialNEED
117It might be good for a changeDYE
119One who knows the drill?: Abbr.SGT
120Teslas, e.g., for shortEVS

Hints for the December 21 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The December 21 puzzle fell on a Sunday, and with the New York Times crossword that matters: the grid gets harder as the week goes on, from an easy Monday to a fiendish Saturday, with a large themed puzzle on Sunday. So a Sunday grid tells you how much misdirection to expect — and if a clue that day seemed to make no sense, the weekday is usually the reason. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.

Looking for a different day?

Prefer to solve rather than peek? The play button opens the puzzle so you can try that day's grid yourself, then come back to check your answers. Stuck on a single clue from any puzzle, our crossword solver reveals just that answer from your known letters.

Frequently asked questions

What were the NYT Crossword answers on December 21, 2025?

Every answer for the Sunday, December 21, 2025 NYT Crossword is listed at the top of this page — the confirmed grid as published that day.

Where can I find today's NYT Crossword answers?

Today's live puzzle is on our NYT Crossword answers today page, updated the moment each new grid goes live.

How do I look up a different date?

Use the previous/next links above to step day by day, or open the today page to browse the full dated archive.