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NYT Crossword — May 11, 2025

Sunday’s 21 × 21 puzzle, 128 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 128 revealed
1A
2T
3A
4R
5I
6G
7A
8M
9E
10I
11R
12I
13S
14H
15S
16W
17E
18E
19T
20M
O
T
O
R
P
L
E
X
21M
O
T
H
E
22R
E
A
R
T
H
23P
R
O
M
I
S
E
M
E
24M
U
S
I
C
A
L
N
O
T
E
25S
I
D
E
S
26O
R
27B
I
T
28N
A
K
E
D
S
U
N
29U
N
D
O
30C
31O
R
T
E
X
32E
N
T
I
C
E
33P
O
S
34S
O
V
I
E
T
35K
L
E
E
36T
R
37I
38M
39S
40S
O
L
O
E
D
41H
E
E
D
42P
O
S
T
I
T
43S
44T
45P
A
U
L
I
S
46T
A
N
G
47F
A
R
48I
D
O
49W
H
I
P
P
E
D
50M
A
N
T
A
51R
A
Y
52S
N
I
P
53I
R
A
I
S
E
54H
A
N
K
S
N
O
W
55A
M
E
N
S
56S
O
M
E
O
N
57E
I
S
G
E
T
T
I
N
58G
F
I
R
E
D
59S
W
A
N
N
60A
F
T
E
R
A
L
L
61O
F
L
A
T
E
62R
A
T
S
63P
R
I
O
R
I
T
Y
64P
O
L
E
N
T
A
65O
W
E
66E
O
N
67D
I
N
E
68M
E
D
I
A
T
E
D
69L
A
R
70Y
N
X
71W
O
N
G
72R
E
D
A
C
T
73L
Y
S
O
L
74W
I
N
E
75W
E
A
R
I
T
76G
77U
78S
79L
A
80P
E
L
S
81S
H
A
L
O
M
82M
A
S
H
83T
84A
85R
A
R
O
A
D
86S
M
O
L
T
87G
A
M
M
A
88O
R
A
N
G
E
V
O
89D
K
A
90M
I
91S
92T
E
R
B
I
G
93M
I
S
D
E
M
E
A
N
O
R
94A
M
O
U
N
T
I
N
G
95B
E
H
A
R
96S
T
A
R
T
97N
E
D
B
E
A
T
T
Y

Across

61 clues
1Cartridge from the 1980s
15"Nice!"
20Drag-racing venue
21Nature personified
23"Pinky-swear?"
24Step on a scale?
26Sphere of influence
281957 Isaac Asimov novel, with "The"
30Outer layer of the brain
32Inveigle
34"Council," in Russian
35"Flower Myth" painter Paul
36Takes a bit off the top
40Showed off on an instrument
41Follow closely
42Note-to-self medium, perhaps
43Beers from Bremen, informally
46Zingy flavor
48Agreeable words
49Defeated decisively
52Salon sound
53Poker declaration
55Mass agreements
56"Whoever did this has it coming!"
59Lynn ___, Super Bowl X M.V.P.
60At the end of the day
61Recently
62"Phooey!"
63Right of way, say
64Cornmeal dish at a trattoria
65"I ___ you!"
66Eternity
67Partner of 74-Across
68Acted diplomatically
69Organ above the trachea
71Comic Ali
72Black out
73Big name in the cleaning aisle
74Partner of 67-Across
75Embody something proudly
79Spots for lavalier mics
81Hebrew greeting
82Turn to pulp
831999 Maeve Binchy novel
86Young salmon
87Unit of magnetic flux density
88Spirit with a citrus flavor
90Head cheese
93Minor crime
94Adding up (to)
95Joy on TV
96Button on many appliances
97"Network" co-star, 1976

Down

67 clues
1Invigorates
3Fighting (with)
7Tavern offering
8High school reunion topic
9Spent
10Amalgamate
11Uninteresting game, perhaps
13Climbed, as a rope
15Person on a nominating committee, say
16Goes nowhere in particular
17Psyche's partner
18Accusatory words
19"Well ___"
27Item in a hedge
30Lass
31Semicircular?
32With style
34"Let's eat!"
35School whose sports teams are known as the Golden Flashes
37Traveling from place to place
38Shopgirl in a Paris boutique
39Freezes
40Homo ___ neanderthalensis
41Strong urge
42Cough up
43Cake with a distinctive swirl
44Casual and not meant to be taken seriously, as a remark
45Spinal cord membranes
46Shade akin to pumpkin
50Beasts with enormous tusks
51Shake up
52Show warmth to
55Plague
57Take in
58Archer's gift
63Old curse word
64Actor Pascal of "Gladiator II"
66What provides the big picture?
68Noon or 6:00 p.m., for some
70Reality TV star Hadid
71Something sown, per an idiom
72Macho stereotype
74Goes in and out
76Chess opening
77Dime store?
78In need of a haircut, say
80Limerick, e.g.
83Body building?
85Acting without thinking
87See 89-Down
8987-Down makeup

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Sunday, May 11, 2025
21×21
Grid size
128
Total entries
54/387
Black / letter cells
6.0
Avg entry length
21 ltrs
Longest entry
Themed
Sunday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedMay 11, 2025
DaySunday
ThemePower Grid
ConstructorBrendan Emmett Quigley
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split61 across · 67 down
Longest entries

Sunday is the big one, a 21 by 21 grid built around a named theme rather than raw difficulty. This grid has 54 black squares and averages 6.0 letters per entry.