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NYT Crossword — May 12, 2025

Monday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 78 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 78 revealed

1L

2A

3S

4S

5O

6M

7A

8L

9T

10S

11A

12L

13T

14O

C

C

U

R

15E

L

I

A

16E

D

I

E

17B

R

A

N

D

18Y

A

L

E

X

19A

N

D

E

R

20S

E

T

21E

E

L

S

22M

U

S

E

U

M

23U

R

N

24P

A

G

E

D

25S

26P

27U

N

28T

29W

30E

E

N

31S

32A

33N

34C

A

N

D

35Y

L

A

N

D

36G

37O

U

G

E

38O

L

D

I

E

39R

D

A

40A

N

G

E

R

41R

E

E

D

S

42H

A

N

43D

S

T

A

N

D

44N

O

R

45M

O

T

T

O

46A

R

T

S

47D

48R

49O

O

L

50M

51V

P

52S

53T

R

A

W

S

54O

55R

E

O

56A

57P

58E

59S

H

E

T

L

A

60N

D

I

S

L

61A

N

D

S

62N

O

S

E

63I

B

E

T

64T

A

D

A

S

65S

U

S

S

66C

A

S

E

67S

A

Y

S

O

Across

37 clues

6Relative of a milkshake

15Director Kazan who helped popularize Method acting

16Falco of "The Sopranos"

17Dessert cocktail with crème de cacao

20"Ready, ___, go!"

21Serpentine swimmers

22Common destination for a field trip

23Funeral vessel

24Contacted using a beeper

25Created, as yarn or a spider web

2810-12-year-old

31___ Francisco

34Classic board game with the Peppermint Forest and Lollipop Lane

38"Goodie" on classic radio

39Food label inits.

40"Inside Out" emotion who says "We should lock the door and scream that curse word we know. It's a good one!"

41Oboe accessories that are often carved by the oboist

42Move from an acrobat or breakdancer

44Negative conjunction

45Montana is the only U.S. state with one in Spanish

46Defense Against the Dark ___ ("Harry Potter" class)

47What a baby's bib might protect a onesie from

50Standout athlete, for short

52Free items that come with drinks

54Black-and-white cookie

56What some people confuse with a monkey

59Scottish archipelago west of Norway

62What spectacles perch on

63"Oh, uh-huh, sure"

64Magicians' cries

66Social worker's assignment

67Parental authority

Down

41 clues

1Arcing tennis shots

3Jazz singer's improvised syllables

4What the circle on the Japanese flag represents

5"Can I take your ___?" (server's question)

6Brunch or lunch

7"___ well that ends well!"

8Word that would be more grammatical in the title "Lay, Lady, Lay"

9Beatles song with the lyric "Should five percent appear too small, be thankful I don't take it all"

10Touch or taste

11Source of extra sweetness

13Four years, for a president

181983 musical starring Barbra Streisand

19Sept. preceder

23Loosened, as a knot

26Kind of diet inspired by hunters and gatherers

27Show up to a gala in a T-shirt, say

29Noted painter of soup cans

32Who might help an author get a book deal

33Stereotypical bookworms

35"Affirmative"

36What you might "fill 'er up" with

37Alternative to bottled

43Mosque toppers

45Art with tiles in fancy styles (that might produce smiles)

48Gives stars to, say

51Hybrid Chevys

52Strings with the pattern XXX-XX-XXXX, in brief

53"___ shalt not …"

54Poetic tributes

55Formal ceremony

56Boy's name … or how you might describe 17-, 34-, 42- or 59-Across?

57Smartphone predecessors, in brief

58Competitor of Petro-Canada

60Org. with the Knicks and Clippers

61Battery for some small toys

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

Stats & info

Monday, May 12, 2025

15×15

Grid size

78

Total entries

36/189

Black / letter cells

4.8

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Easiest

Monday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 12, 2025

DayMonday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorChristina Iverson

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split37 across · 41 down

Longest entries

17ADessert cocktail with crème de cacao15 ltrs 59AScottish archipelago west of Norway15 ltrs 11DSource of extra sweetness10 ltrs 27DShow up to a gala in a T-shirt, say10 ltrs 34AClassic board game with the Peppermint Forest and Lollipop Lane9 ltrs

Monday grids are the gentlest of the week: straightforward definitions, familiar fill and almost no wordplay. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 4.8 letters per entry.