The Monday, April 21, 2025, New York Times Crossword was constructed by Thomas van Geel. Its four themed answers build toward a spoken sneeze, with GESUNDHEIT as the revealer. Spoilers follow.
NYT crossword answers for April 21, 2025
The puzzle-specific answers and clues below are from CrosswordFiend’s dated review; it is a review, not an official NYT answer key.
| Entry | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Across | Coming-of-age ceremony | BAR MITZVAH |
| 25-Across | Place “rocked” in a Clash song | THE CASBAH |
| 34-Across | Animal that can go 0-60 in three seconds | CHEETAH |
| 48-Across | Famed shoe designer | JIMMY CHOO |
| Revealer | Polite response to the ends of 17-, 25-, 34- and 48-Across | GESUNDHEIT |
What is the theme of the April 21 NYT crossword?
The endings of the four long entries suggest the sounds “AH, AH, AH, CHOO”—a sneeze. GESUNDHEIT is the customary polite response to a sneeze, so the revealer explains what those answer endings are doing. The wordplay depends on how the entries sound when spoken, rather than on a shared category such as animals or names.
Who constructed the April 21, 2025 NYT crossword?
Thomas van Geel constructed this Monday puzzle, according to the dated CrosswordFiend review.
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What does GESUNDHEIT mean in the crossword?
GESUNDHEIT is a German expression used in English as a polite response when someone sneezes. Here it is the revealer: it points back to the sneeze-like “AH-AH-AH-CHOO” sounds at the ends of the theme answers.
How to replay the puzzle or check the answers
The practical choice is whether to solve interactively or look up the themed entries and explanation directly:
| What you want | Route | Access and trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Solve the original puzzle in the NYT interface | Use the NYT Crossword Archive and navigate by month and year. | Games and All Access subscribers have archive access; other users have limited access. Check the current NYT archive access information for your account. |
| Get the theme and selected answers quickly | Use the answer table and explanation above. | This gives the theme context without replaying the grid, but it is a review-based guide rather than an official NYT key. |
NYT says its crossword can be played at nytimes.com/crosswords, in the NYT Games app, and in the News app; print access is through Home Delivery or a newspaper copy. The official archive help page says the archive goes back over ten years. Weekday puzzles generally grow harder from Monday through Saturday, while the larger Sunday puzzle is around Wednesday/Thursday difficulty.
In the game, Check and Reveal can expose a square, an answer, or the full solution; NYT warns that using these tools resets the crossword streak. These are in-game aids, separate from consulting an external guide.
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What else stood out in the grid?
CrosswordFiend’s reviewer characterized the Monday grid as unusually segmented and maze-like, and called attention to lively longer fill including TABASCO, GOOD BET, DOG TEAM, DOJA CAT, and NEMESIS. Those observations are the reviewer’s opinion, not an official NYT difficulty rating.
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