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New York Times, Tuesday, December 2, 2025

December 03, 2025

By Jonathan Baude • 78 Clues

Across Clues

1. Posts on a battleship, say → MASTS

6. Comic Idle of Monty Python → ERIC

10. Sport with striking and grappling, for short → MMA

13. "Grrr!" → IMMAD

14. Pro ___ (fairly divided) → RATA

15. Ray of light → BEAM

16. Cozy corners → NOOKS

17. Carpe ___ (seize the day: Lat.) → DIEM

18. Breakfast brand originally known as Froffles → EGGO

19. One of 14 in New York's Liberty Island → ACRE

20. "Please help!" → SOS

21. Decadent dessert → ECLAIR

23. Oscar-winning "GoodFellas" actor → JOEPESCI

25. British "facilities" → LAV

26. Number of U.S. states with a single-syllable name → ONE

27. The Hawks and the Pelicans, for two → NBATEAMS

32. Longtime home of Stephen Colbert → CBSTV

35. A million years, so to speak → AGES

36. Go on for-ev-er → DRAG

37. Many a TikToker's music rendition → LIPSYNC

39. Deep down → ATHEART

41. "That being said ...," to a texter → OTOH

42. Like most audiobooks before the rise of streaming → ONCD

44. "We have the meats" sloganeer → ARBYS

45. Herbal remedy in a cleanse → DETOXTEA

47. Blue Moon, for one → ALE

48. "If it be now, ___ not to come": Hamlet → TIS

49. Family-friendly film fare → PGMOVIES

54. The "O" of A.O.C. → OCASIO

57. Little devil → IMP

58. Scandinavian city that's home to a bunch of Munch → OSLO

59. Fizzy drink → COLA

60. Weak, submissive person, in modern slang → BETA

62. Wing it onstage → ADLIB

63. Blast → HOOT

64. "Superfruit" whose name has two diacritics → ACAI

65. Carhop's article of footwear → SKATE

66. Go (for) → OPT

67. Sweet person → DOLL

68. Not nearly as cool → LAMER

Down Clues

1. Nicki ___, "Starships" rapper → MINAJ

2. Gas brand owned by BP → AMOCO

3. Dessert item usually eaten moments after it's made → SMORE

4. Criticize unfairly → TAKEPOTSHOTSAT

5. 1960s antiwar grp. → SDS

6. Hospital staffer, for short → ERDOC

7. With 43-Down, seeking funding from investors ... or what you're doing in 4-, 9-, 15- and 38-Down? → RAISING

8. Suffix with Manhattan or Brooklyn → ITE

9. Brought up the rear → CAMELAST

10. Prefix that's bigger than kilo- → MEGA

11. Bible figures invoked by O. Henry → MAGI

12. Love of Spanish? → AMOR

15. Grey Goose competitor → BELVEDEREVODKA

20. Chicago-to-Indianapolis dir. → SSE

22. Hairball hacker → CAT

24. Subject of the Tenth Commandment → ENVY

28. Bit in a friendship bracelet → BEAD

29. Many a Mideast native → ARAB

30. 1970s sitcom title character who "can turn the world on with her smile" → MARY

31. Superiors to cpls. → SGTS

32. Oaf → CLOD

33. What spicy food has → BITE

34. Lay eyes on → SPOT

35. Clearasil target → ACNE

38. "Huh, better than I expected" → NOTSOBAD

40. Ring of light → HALO

43. See 7-Down → CAPITAL

46. Top of the hour? → XII

47. Electric guitarist's accessory → AMP

50. Communication system for almost two billion people → GMAIL

51. Belief system for almost two billion people → ISLAM

52. Top-tier → ELITE

53. Not drunk → SOBER

54. Dos cubed → OCHO

55. Business that's owned and managed by its members → COOP

56. Frequently → ALOT

61. Prefix with conscious → ECO

62. Communication syst. in which the letter Z is drawn with one's index finger → ASL