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New York Times, Monday, December 8, 2025

Author:
Dan Kammann and Zhouqin Burnikel
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Eleventh-hour
TotalDebutCollabs
112/8/20251
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0100000
ScrabDebutFlowFresh
1.52239.017%
Dan Kammann
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
8411/13/201212/8/202525
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
6302275113
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
291.5637932.436%
Zhouqin Burnikel

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 78, Blocks: 40 Missing: {FQVXZ} This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Kammann. This is puzzle # 84 for Ms. Burnikel. Grid flow: 39.0 Monday freshness: 52%
1
M
2
A
3
D
4
A
5
M
6
T
7
A
8
C
9
O
10
L
11
A
12
D
13
O
P
E
R
A
14
A
S
T
I
15
N
16
A
L
A
17
J
A
C
K
S
18
O
N
H
O
L
E
19
S
O
W
20
O
R
O
21
C
A
K
E
22
P
I
23
S
T
O
N
24
S
T
R
25
E
A
K
26
S
27
E
A
L
E
D
28
U
R
S
29
A
30
M
I
L
L
I
31
E
32
L
33
Y
34
C
R
A
35
S
36
C
A
N
37
T
S
38
A
39
S
O
H
O
40
D
I
G
I
T
41
S
C
A
T
42
D
Y
E
43
R
A
I
L
44
H
O
H
U
M
45
O
R
46
I
47
G
I
N
48
S
49
L
A
M
50
R
A
R
E
S
51
T
52
I
M
E
53
A
54
N
55
T
56
S
57
L
Y
N
O
D
58
A
59
C
E
S
60
R
O
I
61
C
U
P
62
W
O
63
R
K
O
U
T
64
W
E
L
L
65
A
L
I
66
L
U
T
E
S
67
E
E
N
I
E
68
B
L
T
69
T
E
N
T
70
R
I
T
E
S
© 2025, The New York Times12/8/25 ( No. 27,789 )
Across
1
Sir's counterpart : MADAM
6
Folded Mexican snack : TACO
10
Young chap : LAD
13
"___ is where a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings": Robert Benchley : OPERA
14
Sean of "The Lord of the Rings" : ASTIN
16
Chicken ___ king : ALA
17
Wyoming skiing mecca : JACKSONHOLE
19
Female pig : SOW
20
Gold, in Spanish : ORO
21
Dessert with icing : CAKE
22
Motor City hoopster : PISTON
24
Run out of clothes? : STREAK
26
Like an envelope that's ready to be sent : SEALED
28
___ Major (constellation) : URSA
30
"Enola Holmes" actress ___ Bobby Brown : MILLIE
32
Bicycle shorts material : LYCRA
35
Computer image : SCAN
37
ID checkers at an airport : TSA
39
Gallery-filled Big Apple neighborhood : SOHO
40
Finger or toe ... or, when read as two words, what you can do to the ends of 17- and 62-Across and 10- and 34-Down : DIGIT
41
"Get outta here!" : SCAT
42
Artificial colorant : DYE
43
Half of a train track : RAIL
44
"That's boring!" : HOHUM
45
Starting point : ORIGIN
48
Grand ___ (achievement in baseball or tennis) : SLAM
50
Hardest to find : RAREST
52
"Let me clarify ..." : IMEANT
56
Gesture suggesting "I see what you did there" : SLYNOD
58
Top poker cards : ACES
60
Monarch at Versailles : ROI
61
Golfer's target ... or prize : CUP
62
End successfully : WORKOUTWELL
65
Comedian Wong : ALI
66
Medieval stringed instruments : LUTES
67
"___, meenie, miney, mo" : EENIE
68
Crunchy sandwich, for short : BLT
69
Camp shelter : TENT
70
Religious ceremonies : RITES
Down
1
Magic charms : MOJOS
2
Not together : APART
3
Interior design : DECOR
4
Genesis boat : ARK
5
The eyes may have it : MASCARA
6
Scuba gear : TANK
7
Remnants of a volcanic spew : ASHES
8
Corp. exec overseeing engineers, say : CTO
9
Stuff on an artist's palette : OILPAINT
10
Eleventh-hour : LASTDITCH
11
Potatoes, in Indian cooking : ALOO
12
From ___ to dusk : DAWN
15
Actor Sam of "Jurassic Park" : NEILL
18
Acorn droppers : OAKS
23
Salt, in Paris : SEL
25
Money across the Atlantic : EURO
27
Messages on which you might be cc'd : EMAILS
29
Iraqis and Iranians : ASIANS
31
Biblical brother of Jacob : ESAU
32
Psychedelic tab : LSD
33
Toy on a string that's not a kite : YOYO
34
Center of a stone fruit : CHERRYPIT
36
Film special effects, for short : CGI
38
After-hours source of $$$ : ATM
40
Lost moisture : DRIEDOUT
41
Nonspecific amount : SOME
44
Pet that stores food in cheek pouches : HAMSTER
46
Author Fleming : IAN
47
What empty stomachs do : GROWL
49
In ___ of : LIEU
51
No longer available : TAKEN
53
"There ___ enough hours in the day" : ARENT
54
"That's the truth!" : NOLIE
55
Mosaic pieces : TILES
56
Covering over a wound : SCAB
57
Pause in the action : LULL
59
"It's gonna ___ you!" : COST
63
Hwy. : RTE
64
Early Chinese dynasty : WEI

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle.

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