Click HERE to download a printable PDF of this puzzle.
Puzzled? No more cross words! Read Kosman and Picciotto on “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Puzzles.” Or watch this video.
ACROSS
1 Stand and kick habit, to begin with (5)
4 Arrow maker in Florida—one who leaves an impression? (8)
10 Famous LSD advocate embraces grand goal… (9)
11 …by swallowing stray fruit (5)
12 Like some exams after commencement, displaying a sense of right and wrong (4)
13 Send small joint (4)
14 Castro redeploying district leader to the east for agricultural area (5)
16 Lunatic did in knockout youngster (5)
17 River running west and east at location in reverse (8)
I know that many important organizations are asking you to donate today, but this year especially, The Nation needs your support.
Over the course of 2025, the Trump administration has presided over a government designed to chill activism and dissent.
The Nation experienced its efforts to destroy press freedom firsthand in September, when Vice President JD Vance attacked our magazine. Vance was following Donald Trump’s lead—waging war on the media through a series of lawsuits against publications and broadcasters, all intended to intimidate those speaking truth to power.
The Nation will never yield to these menacing currents. We have survived for 160 years and we will continue challenging new forms of intimidation, just as we refused to bow to McCarthyism seven decades ago. But in this frightening media environment, we’re relying on you to help us fund journalism that effectively challenges Trump’s crude authoritarianism.
For today only, a generous donor is matching all gifts to The Nation up to $25,000. If we hit our goal this Giving Tuesday, that’s $50,000 for journalism with a sense of urgency.
With your support, we’ll continue to publish investigations that expose the administration’s corruption, analysis that sounds the alarm on AI’s unregulated capture of the military, and profiles of the inspiring stories of people who successfully take on the ICE terror machine.
We’ll also introduce you to the new faces and ideas in this progressive moment, just like we did with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. We will always believe that a more just tomorrow is in our power today.
Please, don’t miss this chance to double your impact. Donate to The Nation today.
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and publisher, The Nation
19 Second alternative to milk for a loud baby, perhaps? (8)
21 Moving front to back, drain jugs (5)
25 Moderates try to return, imbued with energy (5)
26 Looking at just the rear ends makes the Bayeux Tapestry erotic (4)
27 Pressure to get old part of a book (4)
29 Elegant bird with duck’s tail (5)
31 Painting is almost red after some alterations (3,6)
32 Changes the arrangement of vacation, for sure, to include a bit of leisure (8)
33 Ring to mark award won by 13 actresses in the completed grid (5)
Get unlimited access: $9.50 for six months.
DOWN
1 Papal decree to authorize eating head of cow or steer (7)
2 University taken over by terrible dragon is ready for anything (2,5)
3 Pursue barbarian on time (4)
5 Turn in offensive play! (5)
6 and 30 Bachelor enters appropriate place to work out—that’s one way to create space (3,3)
7 For the most part, Weinstein and a couple of stars reap what was sown (7)
8 Savage raid engulfing Yemen’s capital, starting from hostile Saudi city (6)
9 John Roberts originally upholds all but the first piece of oath during economic upswing (8)
14 Regrets offer to hold back support (6)
15 Senior, for example, or contrarian acknowledges receipt (6)
18 About 11, quietly wear away chemical compound (8)
20 Beginning to chase us around, sailor raised sword (7)
22 Flexible source of characters in Ecclesiastes (7)
23 Person tending to lamb (rare, not well-done) supervised by that woman (7)
24 One who takes too much public transportation in chaotic era (6)
26 Rock or punk notes (5)
28 Firm adopting American disguise (4)
30 See 6
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3474
ACROSS 1 H(AS)AFIT (faith anag.) 5 U + PR + [f]IGHT 9 anag. 10 anag. 11 CAROL + E 12 EG + G + PLAN + T 14 REIN + FOR + CEMENT 18 letter bank 20 GOD (rev.) + O(F + W)AR 22 LANCE (anag.) + T 25 “no bell” 26 anag. 27 SH + EGO + AT 28 brides + O anag.
DOWN 1 HAR(DCOR)E (cord anag.) 2 SOFA + R 3 anag. 4 “tale” 5 anag. 6 [g]RI[m] + PUP 7 GUAR (anag.) + ANTE + E 8 TR(EAT)Y 13 BR(ERRAB + B)IT (B + barre rev.) 15 AUDI + BLE[ats] 16 anag. 17 anag. 19 st[r]ange anag. 21 rev. 23 CHIC + O 24 [s]QUID
Joshua Kosman and Henri PicciottoJoshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto are The Nation’s puzzlers. To read more about Kosman, click here. To read more about Picciotto, click here. Kosman and Picciotto explain what they’re up to in “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Crosswords” (also available as a PDF). Check out The Nation’s Current Issue page each week for the latest puzzle.