Home/Archive/May 16, 2025

NYT Crossword — May 16, 2025

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 72 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 72 revealed

1S

2P

3A

4C

5E

6S

7H

8I

9P

10T

11A

12F

13F

14Y

15M

E

G

A

S

T

O

R

E

16A

G

O

R

A

17I

C

A

N

T

E

V

E

N

18D

E

R

E

K

19L

O

S

S

20F

E

N

D

21S

I

T

E

22E

S

P

23F

R

E

U

24D

25S

H

A

26G

27I

28T

I

S

29L

E

30T

M

E

G

O

31A

32L

33G

A

E

34F

U

J

I

35W

E

S

36D

O

O

M

S

37D

38A

Y

M

A

C

39H

I

N

E

40U

S

O

41S

I

S

I

42K

I

N

T

E

43L

E

G

44O

A

R

T

45M

46U

S

T

47T

A

L

L

48T

A

49L

O

N

50B

51A

52G

53T

E

S

54T

55T

I

L

T

56R

I

F

E

57C

U

B

E

R

58I

N

A

I

59L

E

D

I

T

60P

R

O

N

E

61N

E

R

D

A

L

E

R

T

62A

N

T

S

Y

63E

A

S

Y

M

O

N

E

Y

Across

35 clues

1One shooting for the stars?

10Carnival treat

15One-stop shopping spot

16Ancient Greek marketplace

17"Words fail me ..."

18___ Walcott, 1992 Literature Nobelist from St. Lucia

19The "1" of 3-1-4, say

23Who said "Where id is, there shall ego be"

25Chase, as some flies

29Cry from a captive

31Pool owner's problem

34Noted stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707-08

35___ Unseld, 1969 N.B.A. M.V.P.

36Mad scientist's creation

40Nonprofit grp. founded during W.W. II

41"Absolutamente!"

42"Roots" surname

43Decorative work with bricks

47Like some stories and ships

48It might grab a bite to eat

50Capture … or abandon

53Course finale

56Bursting (with)

57Superfast puzzle solver, of a sort

60Like a person getting a massage, usually

61Sarcastic reply when someone quotes "Star Trek"

62Given to fidgeting

63Big gain with no pain

Down

37 clues

1Something said before a click

2River through Santa Fe National Forest

7Remains overhead, say

8She outwitted Sherlock in "A Scandal in Bohemia"

9Aid for a hypnotist

11Certain hiring bias

12Announcer's call before a potential buzzer beater

13Unsigned athlete

14Its milk is a source of chhurpi (Nepalese cheese)

26"Check it out!"

27Soy : Spanish :: ___ : English:

28Actress Thompson of "Selma"

30Indications of passing time

31One whose voice is a muted trombone in "Peanuts"

33It crawls around the web

34"Just so u know ..."

38Radioactive element whose name is derived from the Greek for "unstable"

39Success in a game of Battleship

44Mary-Kate and Ashley

45They may grab a bite to eat

49Top of a schedule, usually

50Only Catholic U.S. president besides J.F.K.

52Cultural attraction in L.A., with "the"

54It's a long shot

56Move, informally

57Bookkeeper, for short

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

Stats & info

Friday, May 16, 2025

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

32/193

Black / letter cells

5.4

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 16, 2025

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorAugust Lee-Kovach

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 37 down

Longest entries

36AMad scientist's creation15 ltrs 1AOne shooting for the stars?9 ltrs 15AOne-stop shopping spot9 ltrs 17A"Words fail me ..."9 ltrs 58A"Bravo, me!"9 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 32 black squares and averages 5.4 letters per entry.