NYT Crossword Answers for April 1, 2025

Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues

TUESDAY PUZZLE — Let me guess: You’re staring at the scribbles in today’s crossword, wondering how someone could have started it before you did. I sympathize. Then again, it is April Fools’ Day — and I have a feeling that Sande Milton, who constructed the puzzle, is celebrating the occasion.

Those penciled-in letters aren’t entirely trustworthy. In fact, some of them are plain wrong. But I encourage you to think of these less as mistakes than as points of departure. They add to the satisfaction you’ll feel when Mr. Milton’s brilliant joke finally lands.

Today’s Theme

As I mentioned above, only some of the filled-in squares are correct. [“___ Misérables”] (22A) is LES, just as the existing letters suggest. But [Declare openly] (17A) can’t be “aver,” because that would leave us with a Nobel Prize winner named “Teni” Morrison. (It’s Toni.) There’s also a problem with 44-Down: If [___ power] solved to “horse,” as is written in the grid, then to [See red] (54A) would be to “get M.S.D.,” which sounds more like an off-brand psychedelic.

Our suspicions of sabotage are confirmed at 49-Across: There’s a [Person who may have ruined your puzzle experience]. In order to identify the vandal, though, we’ll need answers to 18-, 29- and 61-Across. These clues are “partners,” so to speak, because each one relies on another’s solution. In general, the best way to break into such clue sets is to use crossing entries to figure out one answer, and then use that solution to crack the other clues.

As far as which one to begin with, your mileage may vary. I found 18A — [Publication where this puzzle might be found] — easiest to fill in using my crossings: IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE. This gave away 29A: [Where the 18-Across is commonly found] is a SEAT BACK POCKET. Finally, we’re on the same plane (yuk, yuk) as the puzzle.