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New York Times, Monday, December 22, 2025

Author:
Suzanne Oliver
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Saxophone, trumpet, piano and bass, perhaps
TotalDebut
112/22/2025
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0100000
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
11.60424.440%
Suzanne Oliver

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 34 Missing: {VX} This is the debut puzzle for Ms. Oliver. Grid flow: 24.4 Monday freshness: 90%
Jim Horne notes:
PENN is short for, what? Well, kids, back in the olden times, there used to be this small brownish coin called a PENNY. You could ... read more
1
C
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O
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M
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A
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S
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A
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C
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L
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A
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B
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A
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G
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A
N
O
D
E
15
W
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S
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R
16
I
L
L
17
J
A
Z
Z
Q
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U
A
R
T
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T
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G
L
O
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O
D
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B
R
R
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I
23
S
L
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S
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L
I
L
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J
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D
I
26
M
27
A
S
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R
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28
E
E
L
29
E
R
S
30
O
U
T
R
A
G
E
31
S
T
A
32
T
E
33
A
N
N
34
E
D
Y
S
35
O
P
36
E
37
N
N
O
T
38
E
S
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P
40
O
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P
O
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S
A
T
43
A
S
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A
45
N
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A
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O
N
A
T
48
E
A
R
49
G
50
A
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51
L
O
W
52
P
E
R
S
N
I
C
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K
E
T
Y
54
D
N
A
55
F
L
O
Y
D
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A
N
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57
B
E
A
K
58
O
I
L
59
S
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H
61
O
R
T
C
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H
A
N
G
E
63
U
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E
64
A
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R
A
L
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A
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O
N
66
L
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D
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T
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Y
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© 2025, The New York Times12/22/25 ( No. 27,803 )
Across
1
Deep sleeps : COMAS
6
High-speed Amtrak train : ACELA
11
Word with punching or sleeping : BAG
14
One of a battery's poles : ANODE
15
Older but ___ : WISER
16
Under the weather : ILL
17
Saxophone, trumpet, piano and bass, perhaps : JAZZQUARTET
19
Day-___ paint : GLO
20
"Garfield" dog : ODIE
21
"It's freezing!" : BRR
22
Typical "Survivor" locales : ISLES
24
Rapper ___ Uzi Vert : LIL
25
Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, for two : JEDIMASTERS
28
Fish that may have an electric charge : EEL
29
Stammering sounds : ERS
30
Indignation : OUTRAGE
31
What each U.S. senator represents : STATE
33
Raggedy ___ : ANN
34
Breyers competitor : EDYS
35
Some exams allow them : OPENNOTES
39
Cops, slangily : POPO
42
Rode the bench : SAT
43
Yoga pose : ASANA
47
Enjoying great success : ONATEAR
49
What electric cars don't use : GAS
51
Like a 49-Across gauge that's near "Empty" : LOW
52
Overly fussy : PERSNICKETY
54
Bit of forensic evidence : DNA
55
Pink ___ (rock band) : FLOYD
56
Singer DiFranco : ANI
57
Bill : BEAK
58
Mideast export : OIL
59
Cheat ... or a punny hint to the four sets of circled letters : SHORTCHANGE
63
French "a" : UNE
64
Hearing-related : AURAL
65
Playwright Chekhov : ANTON
66
Kind of lamp that's energy-efficient : LED
67
Easily irritated : TESTY
68
Romeo and Juliet, agewise : TEENS
Down
1
Persuades with flattery : CAJOLES
2
Doing keto, perhaps : ONADIET
3
Creator of Firefox and Thunderbird : MOZILLA
4
Woodworking tool : ADZE
5
Orderly arrangement: Abbr. : SEQ
6
Oscars and Grammys, e.g. : AWARDS
7
Wispy clouds : CIRRI
8
Approx. : EST
9
Harper ___, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird" : LEE
10
Monet or Manet : ARTIST
11
Don't blow it! : BIGLEAD
12
Reaction to pollen, e.g. : ALLERGY
13
Shiny coatings : GLOSSES
18
Lyft competitor : UBER
23
Heart attack risk factor : STRESS
25
Cherokee maker : JEEP
26
"The kissing disease" : MONO
27
Em, to Dorothy : AUNT
32
Foot, in baby talk : TOOTSY
33
Word after fire or carpenter : ANT
36
Actor Morales : ESAI
37
Drug agent, informally : NARC
38
"No sweat!" : EASY
39
Ball batted up and behind the catcher, say : POPFOUL
40
Length of a pithy joke : ONELINE
41
Released from jail early : PAROLED
44
Pasta preference : ALDENTE
45
Nine-sided figure : NONAGON
46
Stirs from sleep : AWAKENS
48
Is over by : ENDSAT
49
With a light touch : GENTLY
50
Suffix with problem : ATIC
53
Gold standard : KARAT
57
Scourge : BANE
60
Shade of color : HUE
61
Surgery sites, in brief : ORS
62
Beanie or bowler : HAT

Answer summary:
4 unique to this puzzle.

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