NYT Crossword Answers - Dec 21
Present Time
By David Kwong
Across
- 1Some Arctic transportsSKIPLANES
- 141950s hangout with a jukeboxSODAOP
- 20Game piece made of four squaresTETROMINO
- 22SkulksPROWLS
- 23Joins graduallyEASESINTO
- 24"Doggone it!"DARN
- 25TreatmentREMEDY
- 27Wrangler alternativeLEE
- 28Brightly colored Mediterranean flowersSUNROSES
- 30Rap's Run-___DMC
- 31Course catalog?MENU
- 34Sweetly, on scoresDOLCE
- 35"I'll pass"NAH
- 36Input of certain miningDATA
- 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
- 56Yellow avenue in MonopolyVENTNOR
- 58A bit off, sayONSALE
- 59Hyatt alternativeOMNI
- 60Hard-boiled genreNOIR
- 64Dark sideYIN
- 65Former big name in browsersNETSCAPE
- 67U.F.O.-watching org.SETI
- 68By way of, informallyTHRU
- 71Sailor's patronSTEO
- 76DaddyPOP
- 82Wrap sellerDELI
- 83Adopted, as a petTOOKIN
- 85Wasn't folded in a suitcase, sayLAYFLAT
- 87Developed, as baby teethGREWIN
- 89Sci-fi miniaturizerSHRINKRAY
- 91EmanationsAURAS
- 93Boldly faceBRAVE
- 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
- 116Skips overELIDES
- 118Few and far betweenRARE
- 119Regulars at parks with ramps, informallySKATERATS
- 122Some time agoONCE
- 123"What's done is done!"GETOVERIT
- 124Stick (to)ADHERE
- 125Garden interloperWEED
- 126Church parts crossing navesTRANSEPTS
Down
- 1Make furiousSTEAM
- 751 to the hourNINEPAST
- 8Stage directionENTER
- 10Grammy winner ErykahBADU
- 12CopyMIRROR
- 13Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshmentsARNOLDPERS
- 14Spending rompSPREE
- 15Output of certain miningORES
- 16Counterpart of a subDOM
- 17Fast start?AWEDNESDAY
- 18Father, familiarlyOLDMAN
- 28Like most moccasinsSLIPON
- 33More lividIRATER
- 37Keister, in LeicesterARSE
- 392015 chart-topping hit for the WeekndCANTFEEYFACE
- 40Symbolic for its timeOFANERA
- 42DescendantSCION
- 43Apple: Fr.POMME
- 44Is withoutHASNT
- 47Rabid in appearanceFROTHING
- 51Rice-A-___RONI
- 53Hiding placeDEN
- 55Gene pools?DNABANKS
- 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
- 73Just getting started withNEWAT
- 74Green shadeOLIVE
- 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
- 92BlueprintsSCHEMATA
- 97Author Zora Neale ___HURSTON
- 98Noodled on, with "over"MULLED
- 101InformantSOURCE
- 103"Ta-ta!"SEEYA
- 104Tricky pool shotMASSE
- 108Mentally with itSHARP
- 109___ fourPETIT
- 110Fits one inside the otherNESTS
- 113EssentialNEED
- 120Teslas, e.g., for shortEVS
Crossword clues, hints, and answers
Across
- 1. Some Arctic transports — Answer: SKIPLANES
- 10. S.E.C. football powerhouse, for short — Answer: BAMA
- 14. 1950s hangout with a jukebox — Answer: SODAOP
- 20. Game piece made of four squares — Answer: TETROMINO
- 21. "The Kite Runner" protagonist — Answer: AMIR
- 22. Skulks — Answer: PROWLS
- 23. Joins gradually — Answer: EASESINTO
- 24. "Doggone it!" — Answer: DARN
- 25. Treatment — Answer: REMEDY
- 26. Blue colorant obtained from the indigo plant — Answer: ANIL
- 27. Wrangler alternative — Answer: LEE
- 28. Brightly colored Mediterranean flowers — Answer: SUNROSES
- 30. Rap's Run-___ — Answer: DMC
- 31. Course catalog? — Answer: MENU
- 32. When Aries transitions to Taurus — Answer: APRIL
- 34. Sweetly, on scores — Answer: DOLCE
- 35. "I'll pass" — Answer: NAH. Hint: Sometimes it's a polite way to say no! 🙅♂️
- 36. Input of certain mining — Answer: DATA
- 38. Montalbán who played Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" — Answer: RICARDO
- 40. Timer setting — Answer: OVEN
- 42. Areas of influence — Answer: SPHERES
- 45. Mental health org. — Answer: APA
- 46. Fraudulently make seem like — Answer: POFFAS
- 48. Covers completely — Answer: COATS
- 49. Wyoming peak — Answer: TETON
- 51. Like a corporation with a new logo, perhaps — Answer: REBRANDED
- 54. Comment from someone caught in the rain — Answer: IMSOED
- 56. Yellow avenue in Monopoly — Answer: VENTNOR
- 58. A bit off, say — Answer: ONSALE
- 59. Hyatt alternative — Answer: OMNI
- 60. Hard-boiled genre — Answer: NOIR
- 62. TheForce.net for "Star Wars," for example — Answer: FANSITE
- 64. Dark side — Answer: YIN
- 65. Former big name in browsers — Answer: NETSCAPE
- 67. U.F.O.-watching org. — Answer: SETI
- 68. By way of, informally — Answer: THRU
- 70. Kemo ___ (the Lone Ranger) — Answer: SABE
- 71. Sailor's patron — Answer: STEO
- 72. Fleetwood Mac hit named for a Celtic goddess — Answer: RHIANNON
- 76. Daddy — Answer: POP
- 79. Eponymous British financier James ___ — Answer: BARCLAY
- 81. By saying this you mean well — Answer: BIEN
- 82. Wrap seller — Answer: DELI
- 83. Adopted, as a pet — Answer: TOOKIN
- 85. Wasn't folded in a suitcase, say — Answer: LAYFLAT
- 87. Developed, as baby teeth — Answer: GREWIN
- 89. Sci-fi miniaturizer — Answer: SHRINKRAY
- 91. Emanations — Answer: AURAS
- 93. Boldly face — Answer: BRAVE
- 94. Kind of cipher in which A becomes B, B becomes C, e.g. — Answer: CAESAR
- 95. Guardians, on a scoreboard — Answer: CLE
- 96. Bit of birdspeak — Answer: CHITTER
- 98. Damp, mildewy quality — Answer: MUST
- 99. They hold water — Answer: VESSELS
- 102. Silence — Answer: HUSH
- 103. Lying faceup — Answer: SUP
- 104. ___ Park, Calif. — Answer: MENLO
- 105. Air — Answer: ETHER
- 107. Disney subsidiary — Answer: ESPN
- 111. A little help? — Answer: ELF
- 112. Evaded, as a sensitive issue — Answer: DANCOUND
- 114. Some pings, in brief — Answer: IMS
- 115. "Fie on ___!" (Shakespearean cry) — Answer: THEE
- 116. Skips over — Answer: ELIDES
- 118. Few and far between — Answer: RARE
- 119. Regulars at parks with ramps, informally — Answer: SKATERATS
- 121. Reply after having one's memory jogged — Answer: YESYES
- 122. Some time ago — Answer: ONCE
- 123. "What's done is done!" — Answer: GETOVERIT
- 124. Stick (to) — Answer: ADHERE
- 125. Garden interloper — Answer: WEED
- 126. Church parts crossing naves — Answer: TRANSEPTS
Down
- 1. Make furious — Answer: STEAM
- 2. "The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil ___ — Answer: KEANE
- 3. Tennis line judge's ruling — Answer: ITSIN
- 4. Duke Ellington classic with the lyric "That was my heart serenading you" — Answer: PRELUDETOISS
- 5. West side of L.A.? — Answer: LOS
- 6. "Is there still time for me to join you?" — Answer: AMILATE
- 7. 51 to the hour — Answer: NINEPAST
- 8. Stage direction — Answer: ENTER
- 9. Phillipa of Broadway — Answer: SOO
- 10. Grammy winner Erykah — Answer: BADU
- 11. ___ Gorman, "The Hill We Climb" poet — Answer: AMANDA
- 12. Copy — Answer: MIRROR
- 13. Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshments — Answer: ARNOLDPERS
- 14. Spending romp — Answer: SPREE
- 15. Output of certain mining — Answer: ORES
- 16. Counterpart of a sub — Answer: DOM
- 17. Fast start? — Answer: AWEDNESDAY
- 18. Father, familiarly — Answer: OLDMAN
- 19. Mentally overpower, with "out" — Answer: PSYCH
- 28. Like most moccasins — Answer: SLIPON
- 29. Great Dane of cartoons, informally — Answer: SCOOB
- 33. More livid — Answer: IRATER
- 37. Keister, in Leicester — Answer: ARSE. Hint: In British slang, it's a cheeky term for your backside! 🍑
- 39. 2015 chart-topping hit for the Weeknd — Answer: CANTFEEYFACE
- 40. Symbolic for its time — Answer: OFANERA
- 41. Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard design — Answer: VANS
- 42. Descendant — Answer: SCION
- 43. Apple: Fr. — Answer: POMME
- 44. Is without — Answer: HASNT
- 47. Rabid in appearance — Answer: FROTHING
- 50. Woman's nickname that sounds like two letters — Answer: EVIE
- 51. Rice-A-___ — Answer: RONI
- 52. "Borderlands" director ___ Roth — Answer: ELI
- 53. Hiding place — Answer: DEN
- 55. Gene pools? — Answer: DNABANKS
- 57. Org. with its own alphabet — Answer: NATO
- 61. Abbr. not found on most smartphones — Answer: OPER
- 63. "Aren't ___ lucky one?!" — Answer: ITHE
- 66. It has a lot of secretaries — Answer: CABINET
- 67. Shirt collar stiffener — Answer: STAY
- 69. Where to find six "presents" in this puzzle? — Answer: UNDERTHETREE
- 71. Knock 'em dead — Answer: SLAY
- 72. Coolidge who sang the theme for "Octopussy" — Answer: RITA
- 73. Just getting started with — Answer: NEWAT
- 74. Green shade — Answer: OLIVE
- 75. What Joe Montana was in the '80s — Answer: NINER
- 76. A TD scores six of these — Answer: PTS
- 77. "Fancy, that!" — Answer: OOH
- 78. Prickly denizen of coral reefs — Answer: PORCUPFISH
- 80. Famed lawyer in the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial — Answer: CLARENCROW
- 81. Most minimal — Answer: BAREST
- 84. Some Korean exports — Answer: KIAS
- 86. Calmed deceptively — Answer: LULLED
- 88. Baseball slugger's stat — Answer: RBIS
- 90. Bird used to deliver messages on "Game of Thrones" — Answer: RAVEN
- 92. Blueprints — Answer: SCHEMATA
- 97. Author Zora Neale ___ — Answer: HURSTON
- 98. Noodled on, with "over" — Answer: MULLED
- 100. Girlfriend in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" — Answer: SLOANE
- 101. Informant — Answer: SOURCE
- 103. "Ta-ta!" — Answer: SEEYA
- 104. Tricky pool shot — Answer: MASSE
- 106. Someone enjoying a walk in the park — Answer: HIKER
- 108. Mentally with it — Answer: SHARP
- 109. ___ four — Answer: PETIT
- 110. Fits one inside the other — Answer: NESTS
- 112. Porcine : pigs :: cervine : ___ — Answer: DEER
- 113. Essential — Answer: NEED
- 117. It might be good for a change — Answer: DYE
- 119. One who knows the drill?: Abbr. — Answer: SGT
- 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
Down
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.
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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.
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