The New York Times Crossword for Tuesday, August 12, 2025 delivered a clean Tuesday solve — approachable yet clever, with a satisfying themed reveal. The “aha” moment came when you realized the long thematic Across entries were phonetically hiding “two cans”, pointing to the final answer TOUCANS.
Here’s your full guide with explanations for all Across and Down clues.
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Across Clues & Answers
1A – Take to the slopes → SKI
Winter sports action on snowy mountains.
4A – Abolitionist Tubman → HARRIET
Harriet Tubman, key figure of the Underground Railroad.
11A – Shade of gray or blond → ASH
Describes a pale tone in both hair and color palettes.
14A – “That’s rough!” → OOF
Informal sympathy or reaction to discomfort.
15A – Quantities → AMOUNTS
Totals, sums, or measures.
16A – Dubai’s country, for short → UAE
United Arab Emirates.
17A – Pales in comparison → CAN’T HOLD A CANDLE
Idiom meaning “is nowhere near as good.” (Theme entry)
20A – Greeting in Oahu → ALOHA
Hawaiian for “hello” and “goodbye.”
21A – French article → LES
Plural definite article “the” in French.
22A – Countrified → RURAL
Pertaining to the countryside.
23A – After the buzzer → LATE
Past the time limit.
24A – Typical People cover subject, informally → CELEB
Short for “celebrity.”
26A – Pharmacy bottlefuls, informally → MEDS
Casual term for medications.
27A – Edible Christmas ornament → CANDYCANE
Striped holiday treat. (Theme entry)
30A – Planet with the most moons (274) → SATURN
The ringed giant, rich in satellites.
33A – Not out of the ordinary → NORMAL
Routine, typical.
37A – Container for oranges → CRATE
Large box for transport of produce.
38A – Certain significant others, informally → BFS
Boyfriends.
41A – 2016 Disney movie → MOANA
Adventure animation about a Polynesian heroine.
42A – King, in Latin → REX
Royal title.
43A – Visual features of a 27-Across → STRIPES
Candy canes are striped red and white.
46A – U.S. soldiers → GIS
“Government Issue” troops.
47A – Blown away → AWED
Amazed.
49A – ___ cart (type of food stand) → HALAL
Food prepared according to Islamic dietary laws.
50A – University in western Pennsylvania, familiarly → PITT
University of Pittsburgh.
51A – Chicana, for example → MEXICAN AMERICAN
Heritage description. (Theme entry)
54A – Bad news for vegetation → BLIGHT
A plant disease causing decay.
55A – 1990s–’00s sitcom starring Brandy → MOESHA
Teen sitcom classic.
56A – Rapper ___ Wayne → LIL
Hip-hop star.
57A – Conscience-stricken → ASHAMED
Feeling guilt or remorse.
61A – He / ___ → HIM
Pronoun.
62A – Time to look ahead → EVE
Before an event, e.g., New Year’s Eve.
63A – Birds phonetically suggested by a feature of 17-, 27- and 51-Across → TOUCANS
Theme reveal — each themer hides “two cans” in sound.
64A – Fútbol cheer → OLE
Spanish cheer at soccer matches.
65A – ___ Moines → DES
City in Iowa.
66A – Prepared to pray → KNELT
Past tense of kneel.
67A – Partner of “ty” → PLS
Short for “please,” pairs with “ty” (“thank you”).
Down Clues & Answers
1D – L.A.’s region → SOCAL
Southern California.
2D – Eucalyptus eater → KOALA
Australian marsupial.
3D – “Otherwise …” → IFNOT
Alternative clause opener.
4D – “Serves you right!” → HAHA
Mocking laugh response.
5D – “Te ___” (“I love you,” in Spanish) → AMO
Spanish phrase: “Te amo.”
6D – Like some R’s and oats → ROLLED
Rolled oats (flattened grains) and rolled R’s (trilled).
7D – “As I was saying before I was so ___ interrupted …” → RUDELY
Manner of interruption.
8D – Shortly → INASEC
In a second.
9D – And the like, for short → ETC
Et cetera.
10D – Russian ruler of old → TSAR
Historical monarch.
11D – Lorde who wrote Sister Outsider → AUDRE
Audre Lorde, poet and activist.
12D – Partner of soup → SALAD
Common meal combo.
13D – What the Beyoncé title “6 Inch” refers to → HEELS
High-heeled shoes.
18D – Online publication of Vox Media → THECUT
Lifestyle and fashion site.
19D – Tres o cuatro → NUMERO
Spanish for “number.”
24D – “Have I Got News for You” channel → CNN
News network.
25D – Prohibit → BAN
To forbid.
28D – Greek war god → ARES
God of war in mythology.
29D – Chances at awards, informally → NOMS
Nominations.
30D – Like this: ESMCLDRBA → SCRAMBLED
As in scrambled letters.
31D – “Has our broadcast started?” → ARE WE LIVE
On-air check.
32D – People living abroad for financial reasons → TAX EXILES
Individuals avoiding high taxes by residing elsewhere.
34D – Business selling trick coins and marked decks → MAGIC SHOP
Store for magicians.
35D – Law professor played by Kerry Washington in 2016’s Confirmation → ANITAHILL
Real-life attorney and educator.
36D – Things alphabetized in telephone books → LAST NAMES
Surnames.
38D – Raisin ___ → BRAN
Cereal variety.
39D – Sneaker brand → FILA
Sportswear company.
40D – A dispiritingly large percentage of phone calls → SPAM
Unwanted, unsolicited calls.
44D – “No worries” → THAT’S OK
Reassuring phrase.
45D – He or I, but not she → ELEMENT
Wordplay: “He” and “I” are chemical elements (helium & iodine).
48D – Like, informally → DIG
To enjoy something.
50D – Dessert with a shell → PIE
Pastry dessert.
52D – Casual conversation → CHAT
Friendly talk.
53D – Cones’ counterparts in the eye → RODS
Light-sensitive cells for vision.
58D – Follower of Attila → HUN
Historical warrior people.
59D – Great serve → ACE
Winning tennis serve.
60D – Opposite of bien → MAL
Spanish for “bad.”
🐦 Theme Recap
The entries CAN’T HOLD A CANDLE, CANDY CANE, and MEXICAN AMERICAN each hide the sound “two cans,” leading to the revealer TOUCANS — colorful tropical birds, tying the puzzle together neatly.
🧠 Solving Tips
- Spot soundplay early: Tuesday puzzles often use phonetic twists like today’s.
- Use theme entries to fill chunks: Once one theme phrase is in, it unlocks many crossings.
- Cross-reference clues: 43A leaned on solving 27A first.
