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
8 Corporate practice I’d reflected about has an exciting quality (10)
9 A biblical brother nearly produces a faddish fruit (4)
10 Fur is, um, not yours (6)
11 Spice is crime-free after reversing habit (8)
12 Madly in love with contrarian view of T.S. Eliot, for instance (8)
15 Young woman conceals diamonds with a piece of expensive underwear (6)
16 Predicament of the author on Social Security (4)
18 Cow’s daughter (a female relative) (5)
19 Game played with balls and a body of water (4)
As the editors of The Nation, it’s not usually our role to fundraise. Today, however, we’re putting out a special appeal to our readers, because there are only hours left in 2025 and we’re still $20,000 away from our goal of $75,000. We need you to help close this gap.
Your gift to The Nation directly supports the rigorous, confrontational, and truly independent journalism that our country desperately needs in these dark times.
2025 was a terrible year for press freedom in the United States. Trump launched personal attack after personal attack against journalists, newspapers, and broadcasters across the country, including multiple billion-dollar lawsuits. The White House even created a government website to name and shame outlets that report on the administration with anti-Trump bias—an exercise in pure intimidation.
The Nation will never give in to these threats and will never be silenced. In fact, we’re ramping up for a year of even more urgent and powerful dissent.
With the 2026 elections on the horizon, and knowing Trump’s history of false claims of fraud when he loses, we’re going to be working overtime with writers like Elie Mystal, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Jeet Heer, Kali Holloway, Katha Pollitt, and Chris Lehmann to cut through the right’s spin, lies, and cover-ups as the year develops.
If you donate before midnight, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous donor. We hope you’ll make our work possible with a donation. Please, don’t wait any longer.
In solidarity,
The Nation Editors
21 Makes a confession amidst maneuvers (6)
23 Beach city in South America entrusting orange to Jamaican, perhaps (8)
25 Apostate almost torn to pieces by Jove and Neptune, ultimately (8)
27 The latest information involving Asner recalled the item that completes a set together with a 1 found elsewhere in the grid (6)
28 Guarded finishers in break before jump shot (4)
29 Pinter skipping premiere after running to look at baby (3-4-3)
DOWN
1 The Beatles, for example, singing “Don’t Give ‘Em a Choice” (8)
2 Urge is visible, audible (6)
Get unlimited access: $9.50 for six months.
3 Family brought up head of Egyptian goddess (4)
4 Fuzz from Michigan city taking the lead out (4)
5 A reptile ate actor Kinnear in summer? (10)
6 Casually mention famous acquaintances planting a drug in retro erotica (4-4)
7 Ellsberg nailed criminal with incoherent denial (6)
13 Astonishingly, find savior is not popular (2,8)
14 Support hiding in Soviet Russia (5)
17 Tilts toe uncomfortably! (8)
20 Honestly moving around below the radar (2,3,3)
22 Sandra: “To write is to become more profound” (6)
24 “Woodsier range” captures it! (6)
26 Before removing both sides of artist’s hat (3)
27 Worry: start of tornadoes in three directions (4)
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3480
ACROSS 1 AS + PI + RATIONAL 9 “I sup” 10 GA + THE RING 11 anag. 12 S(C)UM 14 W(IS)EST 15 INCOM[e] + MON[ey] 17 O + VERV(I)E + W 19 U + TOPIA (anag.) 22 [p]EACH 23 anag. 26 FOR(TUNA)TE 27 “peace” 28 PRE + POST + ERO(U)S
DOWN 1 AG(IL)E 2 P + LEASES 3 letter bank 4 anag. 5 phonetic hidden 6 A HEM 7 SIT + COM 8 EG(OMAN)IA 13 BOA + TPEOPLE (anag.) 14 W(ROTEOF)F (foetor rev.) 16 J + E(W)SHARP 18 anag. 20 PLACE + BO 21 anag. 24 EP + EES (rev.) 25 MU(I)R (rev.)
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).