This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, December 25, 2025 (41 Across). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Thursday puzzles often have a trick, such as a rebus (several letters in one square) or answers that bend the rules.
How to read this clue
The question mark warns of wordplay. Expect a pun or a second meaning rather than a straight definition.
Answer length: 4 squares
First letter
E _ _ _
First and last letters
E _ _ T
Show the answer
About the answer
EAST as a word: The direction of the earth's rotation, specifically 90°; Situated or lying in or towards the east; eastward.
EAST has been an answer 13 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since November 1, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
- Which way the Great Sphinx of Giza faces
- What "Eat" stands for in the mnemonic "Never Eat Soggy Waffles"
- Toward sunrise
- Like Alabama vis-à-vis Mississippi
- In which to see the first light of day
- The right direction?
- E, on a compass
- Interest of Marco Polo, with "the"
- Right direction?
- Sunrise direction
- One direction
- The "E" of NE
More clues from this puzzle
- Hits from the side, informally (33 Across)
- First portrayer of Albus Dumbledore, the final live-action role in his long film career (35 Across)
- Stretch (39 Across)
- Letter after three consecutive rhyming letters (40 Across)
- Footwear for a bride, perhaps (42 Across)
- JFK or EWR alternative (48 Across)
- Cable lead-in to TV (49 Across)
- Jump in skates (50 Across)
Play today's NYT Crossword at The New York Times
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