NYT Crossword hints and answer for February 21, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues70
Across35
Down35
ConstructorColin Adams
Today’s NYT Crossword clues, hints & answers
Every clue from this puzzle with a hint and the answer behind separate buttons, so you only see what you need. Click a clue for its own page.
Across
1A
Bachelorette party activity (10)
Starts with B, ends with GBARHOPPING→
11A
Sea of ___, body of water at one end of the Kerch Strait (4)
Starts with A, ends with VAZOV→
15A
Classic milk accompaniment (10)
Starts with O, ends with EOREOCOOKIE→
16A
Rarest of all state birds (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENENE→
17A
A few hours for doing whatever (10)
Starts with T, ends with LTIMETOKILL→
18A
Sue at Chicago's Field Museum, e.g. (4)
Starts with T, ends with XTREX→
19A
For instance (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSAY→
20A
Made an impression? (4)
Starts with A, ends with DAPED→
21A
Jewelry designer Picasso (6)
Starts with P, ends with APALOMA→
24A
Bold bit of ink (7)
Starts with F, ends with TFACETAT→
25A
Utterly defeated, as n00bs (5)
Starts with P, ends with DPWNED→
27A
Elbows for a chef? (8)
Starts with M, ends with IMACARONI→
28A
Appearances (5)
Starts with M, ends with SMIENS→
29A
Comedian Glaser (5)
Starts with N, ends with INIKKI→
30A
Pioneer in subscription TV (3)
Starts with H, ends with OHBO→
31A
Chip in, in a way (4)
Starts with A, ends with EANTE→
32A
Villeneuve who directed "Dune" (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDENIS→
33A
Suggest (4)
Starts with M, ends with NMEAN→
34A
"Fortunate Son" subject, informally (3)
Starts with N, ends with MNAM→
35A
Word with actor or mail (5)
Starts with V, ends with EVOICE→
36A
Tips off (5)
Starts with W, ends with SWARNS→
37A
Dumpster-dive, for example (8)
Starts with S, ends with ESCAVENGE→
39A
Gun support (5)
Starts with B, ends with DBIPOD→
40A
Ancient Greek city known for its ornate columns (7)
Starts with C, ends with HCORINTH→
42A
"Curiously strong" mint (6)
Starts with A, ends with DALTOID→
43A
Love letters (4)
Starts with S, ends with KSWAK→
44A
50 Cent piece? (3)
Starts with R, ends with PRAP→
47A
Toy shovel holder (4)
Starts with P, ends with LPAIL→
48A
Where stars are born (10)
Starts with O, ends with EOUTERSPACE→
51A
___ Lewis, first recipient of the James Beard Living Legend Award (4)
Starts with E, ends with AEDNA→
52A
"Help me get the answer" (10)
Starts with I, ends with TINEEDAHINT→
53A
Politician's platform (4)
Starts with D, ends with SDAIS→
54A
Some October lawn decorations (10)
Starts with T, ends with STOMBSTONES→
Down
1D
Amazon nuisances (4)
Starts with B, ends with SBOTS→
2D
Mozart's "Der Hölle Rache," for one (4)
Starts with A, ends with AARIA→
3D
Pixar character described as "nothing less than the finest chef in France" (4)
Starts with R, ends with YREMY→
4D
Lead-in to cake in Southern cuisine (3)
Starts with H, ends with EHOE→
5D
Musical units (7)
Starts with O, ends with SOCTAVES→
7D
Pot grower's activity? (5)
Starts with P, ends with RPOKER→
8D
"Just yankin' your chain, that's all" (4)
Starts with I, ends with DIKID→
9D
Donut, in soccer (3)
Starts with N, ends with LNIL→
10D
Frozen, flexible first-aid items (8)
Starts with G, ends with SGELPACKS→
11D
Part of a rack (6)
Starts with A, ends with RANTLER→
12D
Rhyming trajectory for success (10)
Starts with Z, ends with OZEROTOHERO→
13D
Sort who might go for all the bells and whistles? (10)
Starts with O, ends with DONEMANBAND→
14D
Annoyances (9)
Starts with V, ends with SVEXATIONS→
22D
Berry in a Playa Bowl (4)
Starts with A, ends with IACAI→
23D
Claudia Harrison's role on "The Crown" (4)
Starts with A, ends with EANNE→
24D
Going backward, in skateboarding slang (5)
Starts with F, ends with EFAKIE→
25D
Cocktail served with an umbrella (10)
Starts with P, ends with APINACOLADA→
26D
Cocktail served with an olive (10)
Starts with W, ends with IWETMARTINI→
27D
Chop chop! (5)
Starts with M, ends with EMINCE→
28D
Did some personal grooming (9)
Starts with M, ends with DMANSCAPED→
29D
Negative vote in a stable? (5)
Starts with N, ends with HNEIGH→
32D
"Stop! Think of the consequences!" (8)
Starts with D, ends with TDONTDOIT→
33D
Explorers' aids (4)
Starts with M, ends with SMAPS→
35D
Part of a Caesarean boast (4)
Starts with V, ends with IVENI→
36D
Subtly flirts with (7)
Starts with W, ends with TWINKSAT→
38D
Instruments whose players read alto clef (6)
Starts with V, ends with SVIOLAS→
39D
What pogonophobia is the fear of (6)
Starts with B, ends with SBEARDS→
41D
Square (5)
Starts with D, ends with BDWEEB→
44D
Its name in Botswana is the same as the word for "money" (4)
Starts with R, ends with NRAIN→
45D
Teen trouble (4)
Starts with A, ends with EACNE→
46D
Four-footed friends (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPETS→
49D
Game with numbered cards (3)
Starts with U, ends with OUNO→
50D
Soup with rice noodles (3)
Starts with P, ends with OPHO→
How to solve the NYT Crossword
Fill the grid so that every Across and Down answer matches its clue. Numbered squares mark where answers begin. Theme answers, usually the longest entries, share a twist that the puzzle's title or a revealer clue explains. Thursday puzzles are known for rebus squares and other tricks that bend the normal rules.
Want the full method? Read our NYT Crossword strategy and tips, or check how to play the NYT Crossword on the hub.
NYT Crossword tips for tomorrow
- Start with Monday-level clues. Even on a Saturday, a handful of clues are straightforward. Find them and build outward from the crossings.
- Hunt for the revealer. A clue that references other entries or ends in "?" often explains the theme. Solving it first unlocks the long answers.
- Respect the day of the week. Thursday means tricks like rebus squares; Friday and Saturday mean long, clever fill with misleading clues.
Done for today? Try The Mini, The Midi, LA Times Crossword, all with hints first and answers behind a reveal.
Previous NYT Crossword puzzles
NYT Crossword FAQ
How many clues are in the NYT Crossword for February 21, 2025?+
70 clues: 35 Across and 35 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Colin Adams and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Bachelorette party activity (BARHOPPING); Sea of ___, body of water at one end of the Kerch Strait (AZOV); Classic milk accompaniment (OREOCOOKIE).
What time does the NYT Crossword come out?+
The next day's puzzle is released at 10:00 pm Eastern Time Monday to Friday and at 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Where can I find past NYT Crossword answers?+
Every puzzle in our archive has its own page with all Across and Down answers, plus a page for each clue. Click any date above.
