Daily Themed Crossword Answers

Daily Themed Crossword — December 16, 2025 Answers

Margaret Halloran
Senior Crossword Editor·

Below you'll find the complete solved grid and every answer for the Daily Themed Crossword puzzle dated December 16, 2025. Click any clue to see more about that specific answer.

Solved Grid

68 clues13×13 grid33 across · 35 down
1P
2E
3R
4U
5S
6P
7F
8A
9R
10T
11E
V
E
N
12P
A
R
13B
O
O
14T
A
X
I
15A
N
Y
16H
E
L
P
17T
18A
C
19B
U
L
L
S
20T
21H
E
S
E
22A
U
G
23S
E
E
D
S
24A
R
S
E
25N
26A
27L
28P
A
L
29E
L
M
30U
S
E
31A
R
I
32Z
33O
N
A
34S
35E
N
S
E
36I
N
T
37R
O
A
S
T
38C
39I
T
Y
40E
X
S
41W
E
T
42X
43M
44A
S
45E
46M
47M
48A
49I
N
S
50G
T
E
51L
E
A
D
52N
A
Y
53M
E
T
54A
N
A

Clues & Answers

Across

1ALima's countryPERU
5ASunscreen bottle lettersSPF
8APablo Picasso's workART
11ALike the numbers 2, 4, and 6EVEN
12ANot up to ___ (inadequate)PAR
13APeek-a-___ (game played with a baby)BOO
14AVehicle that's often hired at the airportTAXI
15A"Pick a card, ___ card" (magician's words)ANY
16A"Can I ___ you?" (information desk offer)HELP
17ATic ___ (mint candy)TAC
19AChicago ___, NBA team home to Michael Jordan, whose red and white uniforms are as merry as Santa's suitBULLS
20A"With friends like ___, who needs enemies?"THESE
22AMonth number eight, for shortAUG
23ABits of chia or hempSEEDS
24A___ F.C, Premier League soccer team home to Thierry Henry, whose red and white uniforms are as merry as Santa's suitARSENAL
28ABuddyPAL
29A"West" follower to mean a furniture giantELM
30AApply, as a toolUSE
31A___ Cardinals, NFL team home to Larry Fitzgerald, whose red and white uniforms are as merry as Santa's suitARIZONA
34ASight, smell, or touch, e.g.SENSE
36AFootball stat, for shortINT
37ACook a turkey in the oven, sayROAST
38AKansas ___ Chiefs, NFL team home to Len Dawson, whose red and white uniforms are as merry as Santa's suitCITY
40A"___ & Oh's" (Elle King hit)EXS
41ALike one's clothing after getting drenchedWET
42ADecember 25th, informallyXMAS
45AActress ___ Thompson who played Professor Sybill TrelawneyEMMA
49ARun-___ (chance encounters)INS
50AFormer telecom giant: Abbr.GTE
51AHeavy metal whose symbol is PbLEAD
52AOld-fashioned "no" (anagram of 15a)NAY
53AFulfilled, as expectationsMET
54A___ de Armas, "No Time to Die" actressANA

Down

1DTeacher's ___ (favorite)PET
2DActress ___ Longoria from "Desperate Housewives"EVA
3DT-___ ("Jurassic Park" dino, for short)REX
4DManchester ___ F.C., Premier League soccer team home to Wayne Rooney, whose red and white uniforms are as merry as Santa's suitUNITED
5DAstronaut's domainSPACE
6DPeter ___ (boy from Neverland)PAN
7DCook in hot oil, sayFRY
8DCain's biblical brotherABEL
9DCinnamon ___ (swirly pastry)ROLL
10DSpinning toysTOPS
16DGodzilla-sized, sayHUGE
18DPack animalASS
19DField trip transport choiceBUS
20DCrybaby's dropTEAR
21DPrefix with "pad" or "copter"HELI
22DLimb that liftsARM
23DPlace to de-stressSPA
24DMontgomery's state, for shortALA
25DConvent sistersNUNS
26DManager's aide, for shortASST
27DLevi's competitorLEE
29DOtoscope-wielding doctor: Abbr.ENT
32DUnwanted skin eruption, informallyZIT
33DShiny black gemstone that often has parallel bandsONYX
34DBoston Red ___, MLB team home to Ted Williams, whose red and white uniforms are as merry as Santa's suitSOX
35DArtist's canvas holderEASEL
37D"Start over" buttonRESET
38DJohn ___ (WWE wrestler)CENA
39D"___ Bitsy Spider" (kindergarten song)ITSY
41DW, in sports statisticsWIN
43D"Saltburn" studio: Abbr.MGM
44DGobbled some turkey, sayATE
46D"___ culpa" ("My bad!")MEA
47D"Bambi" villainMAN
48D___ Lovelace (English mathematician)ADA
About Margaret Halloran
Senior Crossword Editor

Twelve years editing daily puzzle solutions. Themed crosswords, wordplay, and the occasional cryptic.