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New York Times, Sunday, December 14, 2025

Author:
Zachary Edward-Brown and John Kugelman
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
False alarm announcement?
TotalDebutCollabs
112/14/20251
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1000000
CircleDebutFlowFresh
1846.373%
Zachary Edward-Brown
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
157/30/202312/14/20252
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
13100100
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
11.6015441.863%
John Kugelman

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 138, Blocks: 75 Missing: {JQZ} This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Edward-Brown. This is puzzle # 15 for Mr. Kugelman. Grid flow: 46.3 Sunday freshness: 73%
Will Shortz notes:
Zachary Edward-Brown is a 16-year-old high school junior in Highland Park, Ill. John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer and veteran crossword maker. Zachary reached ... read more
Constructor notes:
Zachary: "I'm very excited to be making my NYT debut today, especially because it's alongside one of my favorite constructors, who also turned out to be a dream collaborator! I had the ... read more
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© 2025, The New York Times12/14/25 ( No. 27,795 )
Across
1
Marvel superhero who can manipulate weather patterns : STORM
6
Something fun to take out for a spin : TOP
9
Shaquille O'Neal's alma mater, for short : LSU
12
Parts of a hand : CARDS
17
Irritate : CHAFE
18
Recaps : WRAPUPS
20
Paul whose house is one of the 16 historic sites of Boston's Freedom Trail : REVERE
21
False alarm announcement? : OOHIMSOSCARED
23
Jedi-in-training : PADAWAN
24
Sensible : PRUDENT
25
TV host Brzezinski : MIKA
26
#1 choice, in slang : FAVE
27
"No ___, ands or buts!" : IFS
28
Pollution-fighting org. : EPA
29
"Game of Thrones" actor Gillen : AIDAN
31
River that borders the Black Forest : RHINE
33
"Render ___ Caesar ..." : UNTO
34
Major coin producer : DENVERMINT
37
Viking I or II : MARSLANDER
39
Astronaut Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space : ELLEN
40
Nickname for Mark's unsevered best friend in "Severance" : PETEY
41
They turn red litmus paper blue : BASES
42
First chimpanzee to orbit Earth : ENOS
43
Football blocker? : GOALNET
46
Hair-raising stuff : GEL
47
Remodel and resell some real estate : FLIPAHOUSE
49
Marching band tempo setters : DRUMLINES
54
Who said "It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am" : ALI
55
Season to enjoy une glace : ETE
56
Ruler before 1917 : TSAR
58
"Black-ish" airer : ABC
59
It's a numbers game : KENO
60
Clothing for SWAT teams : VESTS
62
"The Simpsons" character who becomes obsessed with crossword puzzles : LISA
64
Puff piece? : VAPE
66
Like the number of Oscars vis-à-vis the number of Emmys : FEWER
67
Plant watcher, for short : OSHA
68
Camera type, in brief : SLR
69
Site of some Santa sightings : MALL
71
Longtime record label of Elvis Presley : RCA
73
911 responder : EMT
74
"Hilarious!" : WHATAHOOT
77
"I mean, kind of ..." : NOTEXACTLY
80
"Don't give up!" : TRY
81
¬ or ~, in logic : NEGATOR
83
Beat poet ___ Cassady : NEAL
84
Like some milk, idiomatically : SPILT
87
___ on the past : DWELL
88
Indication of bad service : NOTIP
90
"Much obliged" : IOWEYOUONE
92
Crossed the International Date Line from east to west, or west to east (depending on how you look at it) : GAINEDADAY
97
Bundled up : CLAD
98
Articles are written in this : PROSE
99
Brand name for naproxen : ALEVE
100
___ Miss : OLE
101
Doll that comes in multiple body types, skin tones, eye colors and hair colors : KEN
102
Drink known also as "honey wine" : MEAD
103
Frosty : COLD
105
Subject of Newton's first law : INERTIA
108
Enjoying a soak : BATHING
110
1980 horror film starring William Hurt ... or what the shaded squares contain? : ALTEREDSTATES
112
Fundamental rules of math : AXIOMS
113
Loopy writing : CURSIVE
114
Star pitcher? : AGENT
115
"Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker : YENTE
116
Letters for an unscheduled event : TBA
117
Prefix with natal : NEO
118
Like a bubble bath : SUDSY
Down
1
Surveyed, with "out" : SCOPED
2
Early track star Jim : THORPE
3
Resident of Honolulu, e.g. : OAHUAN
4
Touchless payment tech : RFID
5
Internet ___ : MEME
6
Cheat on, in a way : TWOTIME
7
Surgery sites, in brief : ORS
8
Video game character with an endless appetite : PACMAN
9
Be in a chat room but not chat : LURK
10
Soldiers with long arms : SPEARMEN
11
Alternative to the euro, in brief : USD
12
Relinquish : CEDE
13
Director DuVernay : AVA
14
Turns back the clock, maybe? : REWINDS
15
Opposite of volunteer : DRAFTEE
16
Parts of many robots in robot-sumo : SENSORS
19
Area inside the free-throw line, in basketball slang : PAINT
20
"Gaspard de la Nuit" composer : RAVEL
22
Addresses angrily : SNARLSAT
23
Variety of violet : PANSY
26
Urban safety hazard : FIRETRAP
30
Australia's largest carnivorous mammal : DINGO
32
Word used 10 times in Roger Ebert's review of "North" (1994) : HATED
33
Dissimilar : UNALIKE
35
Part of a legendary boast : VENI
36
Skips all the ceremony? : ELOPES
38
The brother in "Am I my brother's keeper?" : ABEL
40
What might be made while clasping one's hands : PLEA
42
Engineer Gray who, arguably, invented the telephone — and battled Alexander Graham Bell over it in court for years : ELISHA
44
Ballpark figure : OUTS
45
Kind of tea : ASSAM
46
Sierra automaker : GMC
47
Shylock's security : FLESH
48
Adele song with the lyric "I must have called a thousand times" : HELLO
50
Non-premium option in a rideshare app : UBERX
51
Gaming mogul Gabe : NEWELL
52
Ernst Stavro Blofeld, to James Bond : ENEMY
53
Put into piles, perhaps : SORT
54
Swear : AVOW
57
Parking space for an Airstream, say, in brief : RVLOT
61
Did some school reporting? : TATTLED
63
Exceptionally hard timber : IRONWOOD
65
Amy Winehouse, e.g. : ALTO
66
Thumbprint alternative on iPhones : FACEID
68
Reluctant to ask out one's crush, maybe : SHY
70
Particularly particular : ANAL
72
Cafeterias : CANTEENS
75
Like many indie films : ARTY
76
Many characters in the 2007 comedy "Superbad" : TEENS
78
He had a Billboard Hot 100 hit with "Rubber Duckie" : ERNIE
79
Tortilla de patatas, por ejemplo : TAPA
82
Where high schoolers work on their numbers? : GLEECLUB
84
Starship's medical facility : SICKBAY
85
Ren faire prop akin to a halberd : POLEAXE
86
"Sign me up!" : IWANTIN
87
Hair-care item associated with Black culture : DURAG
89
Like YouTube offerings : ONVIDEO
91
Commences : OPENS
92
Rough drafts? : GALES
93
Interview guest whom Ali G calls "my man Buzz Lightyear here" : ALDRIN
94
Like lowercase i's and j's : DOTTED
95
Sci-fi sequel of 1986 : ALIENS
96
Like soft rolls : YEASTY
102
Wordless entertainment : MIME
104
Other, to Octavio : OTRA
106
Brief announcements from a pilot : ETAS
107
___ alla bolognese (slow-cooked sauce) : RAGU
109
Like hell! : HOT
110
Play a part, or part of a play : ACT
111
Part of N.Y.E. : EVE

Answer summary:
8 unique to this puzzle, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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