USA Today Crossword October 5, 2025 Answers

Here's your complete guide to the USA Today Crossword for Sunday, October 5, 2025. Known for its approachable difficulty and contemporary references, this puzzle is perfect for daily solving practice.

USA Today Crossword October 5, 2025 Answers

This USA Today puzzle from October 5, 2025 contains 78 total clues—37 across and 41 down. Below you'll find every clue with its answer and helpful hints. If you're working on a different date, check our USA Today crossword archive.

Across Clues

#	Clue	Answer
1A	Animal with a bamboo-based diet	PANDA
6A	"Unfortunately . . ."	ALAS
10A	Spot for a merit badge	SASH
14A	Zodiac ram	ARIES
15A	Bird that might perch on a pier	GULL
16A	Earnest request	PLEA
17A	"RuPaul's Drag Race" garment	DRESS
18A	Transition zones between rivers and oceans	ESTUARIES
20A	"Steed" in a toddler's playroom	ROCKINGHORSE
22A	Lamb's mother	EWE
23A	___ shanty (nautical song)	SEA
24A	Piles	HEAPS
28A	Cease	STOP
29A	Pub brew	ALE
31A	Pulled-back hairstyle	BUN
32A	Prescription sleep aid	AMBIEN
35A	"ew, no more pls!"	TMI
36A	Skin opening	PORE
37A	Big hand	ROUNDOFAPPLAUSE
40A	Monastery resident	MONK
41A	Charged particle	ION
42A	Nessarose, to Elphaba, in "Wicked"	SISTER
43A	"It's always the same ___ story!"	OLD
44A	"I need 10 blankets now"	BRR
45A	Rideshare option	LYFT
46A	Mathematical proportion	RATIO
48A	Number of studio albums in Lauryn Hill's discography	ONE
49A	La Brea ___ Pits	TAR
52A	Grated trattoria topping	ROMANOCHEESE
57A	Unthinking state	AUTOPILOT
60A	Not snoozing	AWAKE
61A	Soggy forecast	RAIN
62A	Sole	LONE
63A	Desert animal with three eyelids	CAMEL
64A	Casual tops	TEES
65A	Homeowner's document	DEED
66A	Is aware of	KNOWS

Down Clues

#	Clue	Answer
1D	Father, in Spanish	PADRE
2D	Common cursor shape	ARROW
3D	Person saying "auntie," maybe	NIECE
4D	"Abbott Elementary" prop	DESK
5D	Aided	ASSISTED
6D	Feature of a cross-generational relationship	AGEGAP
7D	Teeming with greenery	LUSH
8D	Vocal range below soprano	ALTO
9D	Curved line on a music staff	SLUR
10D	Shopping ___	SPREE
11D	"Beef" star Wong	ALI
12D	"Get it?"	SEE
13D	Owns	HAS
19D	Tennis great Arthur	ASHE
21D	Gritty film genre	NEONOIR
25D	"What was that all ___?"	ABOUT
26D	Clutch, e.g.	PURSE
27D	Mocking smile	SNEER
28D	What anchors do in water	SINK
29D	Electric guitar hookup	AMP
30D	"Sing" without singing	LIPSYNC
32D	Knight's protection	ARMOR
33D	Dough	MOOLA
34D	Cake type baked in a distinct pan	BUNDT
35D	"The Joy Luck Club" author Amy	TAN
36D	___, present and future	PAST
38D	"Good ___ you!"	FOR
39D	Tip for increasing efficiency	LIFEHACK
44D	Betty ___ (Broadway role for Jasmine Amy Rogers)	BOOP
45D	Ransacked	LOOTED
47D	Removes wrinkles from	IRONS
49D	Words from una esposa	TEAMO
50D	Crooked	ASKEW
51D	Insta vids	REELS
53D	Salsa option	MILD
54D	Plant with soothing gel	ALOE
55D	Fewer than few	NONE
56D	"Trainspotting" actor McGregor	EWAN
57D	State-of-the-___	ART
58D	Burj Khalifa's country, for short	UAE
59D	Neckwear for many a "Severance" character	TIE

The USA Today Crossword launched in 1982 alongside the newspaper itself. Known for accessible difficulty and contemporary pop culture references, USA Today puzzles maintain consistent challenge levels throughout the week, making them excellent for daily solving practice. The puzzles embrace modern references while keeping clues fair and solvable.

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