Home/Archive/May 14, 2025

NYT Crossword — May 14, 2025

Wednesday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 79 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 79 revealed

1S

2W

3A

4B

5C

6R

7A

8B

9G

10A

11S

12X

13O

H

N

O

14H

O

R

A

15P

R

G

U

R

16U

17M

O

O

D

18R

I

N

G

S

19A

R

E

P

A

S

20M

A

N

I

A

C

21I

22A

N

23E

Y

E

24C

H

A

25R

26A

C

T

E

27R

28A

R

C

S

29P

30A

31L

E

32N

O

N

33A

L

U

M

N

A

34E

M

I

35T

O

O

T

36H

37N

O

O

M

38I

39R

E

G

40R

E

S

S

I

O

41N

42C

U

R

V

E

S

43U

N

H

I

P

44S

T

O

O

P

45A

R

I

46S

T

R

I

47N

48G

49E

R

R

50T

E

A

S

51D

I

V

I

D

I

N

52G

L

I

N

53E

S

54E

S

E

55C

U

E

56B

E

A

57P

58A

59L

60A

T

R

61I

62S

K

63A

64L

65L

E

L

B

O

W

S

66L

E

S

M

I

S

67R

E

A

L

68I

K

E

A

69R

E

S

T

70S

E

X

T

71N

E

S

T

Across

37 clues

1Do a spit take?

5Sea creature whose name doesn't rhyme with 1-Across, weirdly

9Bloating relief brand

13"I've made a huge mistake!"

14Dance during which newlyweds might be lifted in chairs

15Spin instructor?

17Color-changing fad jewelry ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?

19Colombian cakes that have been around since pre-Columbian times

20Hit single from the 1983 "Flashdance" soundtrack

21Man's name that's also a suffix

24Heroes' journeys, say ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?

29___ in comparison

32Starter starter?

33Barnard graduate, e.g.

34Long-running British record label

35Canine that bites

37Actress Rapace of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"

39Visual aids on scatter plots ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?

43Not hot or cool

44Debase oneself

45Nickname that omits -anna

46What might be used to connect evidence on a detective's corkboard

51Some painting in a parking lot ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?

54Suffix with legal

56"Come on, help me out"

63Awkwardly lanky ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?

66"I Dreamed a Dream" musical, familiarly

68Where to get a shelf off the shelf

70Certain blue note

71Fit snugly (in)

Down

42 clues

12010s documentary trilogy about training for a very difficult wine exam

2"Hold your horses!"

4Close-fitting part of a dress

5Some Mexican Americans

6Actor/director Howard

7Home to Los Glaciares National Park: Abbr.

8Word with cable or training

9Sound from an annoyed samoyed

10Time of one's life

12Bit of equipment in a dentist's office

15Assembly of experts

18When doubled, zealous

22One-time connection

25Australian hoppers, for short

27Anticipatory events, collectively

28Cherubic archer

29Country where potatoes originated

31Playful poetry

38Egyptian deity with a reduplicative name

40Reduplicative nickname in pop music

41Sushi seaweed

42Midwestern agricultural swath

47Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie

48Creature that stampeded in "The Lion King"

50Where to place personal items before walking through a scanner

52Settings on a bike

53Prey for an osprey

57Give the finger?

59Exam whose score can't be argued, ironically

62"If you can't say something good about someone, ___ right here by me": Alice Roosevelt Longworth

64Greta of "Past Lives"

65Hardly stringent

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

16×15

Grid size

79

Total entries

40/200

Black / letter cells

5.1

Avg entry length

16 ltrs

Longest entry

Medium

Wednesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 14, 2025

DayWednesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorRebecca Goldstein and Adam Wagner

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split37 across · 42 down

Longest entries

39AVisual aids on scatter plots ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?16 ltrs 24AHeroes' journeys, say ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?13 ltrs 51ASome painting in a parking lot ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters?13 ltrs 11DStarbursts?10 ltrs 12DBit of equipment in a dentist's office10 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 40 black squares and averages 5.1 letters per entry.