NYT Crossword Answers for Feb. 20, 2025

Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues

THURSDAY PUZZLE — As the columnist who tackles the Thursday puzzles, I’m usually witness to readers’ frustrations with the so-called “trickiest” day of the week for New York Times Crosswords. They’re not the hardest — that distinction is reserved for Saturday grids — but Thursday puzzles force your brain to think outside the box. (Mind you, I’m not suggesting that you should write the letters outside the grid, although that has happened, too.)

The thing about Thursday puzzles is that they’re not all meant to make you feel as if your brain is exploding. Will Shortz, the crossword editor, has said that while the really tricky themes seem to appear mostly on Thursdays, the puzzle is really meant to simply be “one harder than Wednesdays.” In fact, some Thursday crosswords are fairly gentle, and this Times debut by Peter Gorman is one of them. It’s enjoyable, without the feeling that the theme is so insurmountable that you might as well quit while you’re ahead.

There is a trick — you may feel a bit thrown off as you solve — but I believe that this puzzle can be enjoyed by those who resolutely claim to be only Monday-through-Wednesday solvers.

Give this one a try. Set yourself up for success by trying Mr. Gorman’s puzzle and then saying to yourself, “Look at me, solving a Thursday Times Crossword!”

Today’s Theme

I knew something was up when I filled in the answer to [This clue] at 20A. It turned out to be TWENTY-ONE ACROSS, which meant that either the clue or the answer was off by one.