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NYT Crossword — May 21, 2025

Wednesday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 74 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 74 revealed
1C
2H
3I
4P
5E
6M
7M
8A
9S
10H
11A
12R
13D
14D
U
N
E
15L
O
A
N
16P
A
L
E
O
17C
H
E
E
18S
E
D
O
G
19L
I
T
H
E
20S
L
I
V
E
R
21F
U
R
I
E
S
22P
23V
C
24D
E
L
I
25V
E
R
Y
M
A
N
26P
O
R
27T
E
N
T
28E
R
G
29A
R
T
30S
L
O
G
31M
E
M
E
32S
33T
W
I
34S
35T
36E
D
S
I
S
T
37E
38R
39F
I
R
S
T
40A
X
E
41S
42F
43E
44N
45C
I
A
46S
47T
48A
R
T
L
E
49B
L
O
50C
K
B
U
51S
T
E
R
52E
Y
E
53I
N
T
U
N
E
54L
O
N
G
55E
R
56L
I
B
R
E
57W
I
L
D
H
O
N
58E
59Y
60A
N
A
I
S
61O
M
I
T
62N
A
M
E
63B
O
D
E
S
64W
E
D
O
65S
L
O
T

Across

35 clues
1Word with chocolate or computer
5Thompson or Stone of 2021's "Cruella"
9Fragment
14Sci-fi novel with giant sandworms
15Help for a faltering business
16Type of hunter-gatherer diet
17"Smile for the photo, dude!"
19Able to bend smoothly
20Fragment
21Mythological instruments of vengeance
22Contractor's pipe material, for short
24"Work on your enunciation, bro!"
26Omen
28Little bit of work
29"The most beautiful deception of all," per Debussy
30Tedious work
31Much social media humor
33"That is messed up, girl!"
39___ and foremost
40Origin crossers
42Marshland
45Org. whose officers train at Camp Peary
46Cause to jump, say
49"Protect the quarterback, buddy!"
52Pupil's place
53Best way to sing
54What "sostenuto" means in music
56Cuba ___ (drink)
57"That's unbelievable, love!"
60Diarist Nin
61Leave out
62Finger
63Seems to point to
64"Damned if ___ …"
65Put on a schedule

Down

39 clues
1Atlanta-based govt. agency
2"Come again?"
3How some funds are held
4What old paint might do
5Smallest three-syllable number
6Tin lizzie
7Language in which "Kia ora" means "Hello"
8Director Lee
9Goes for the expensive option, say
10Sticky, as a situation
11Nissan sedan
12Try again
13"That ___ ring a bell"
18One of two on a record
21Physicist Enrico
22Afterthought's afterthought: Abbr.
23Plug-in Chevy
25Geese formations
27Cry near quittin' time
31Colorado summer hrs.
32Classic cookie cutter shape
34Something feigned by Ferris Bueller to get out of school
35Shoshone, e.g.
36Biblical birthright barterer
37Not from within
38Depend (on)
41"Get it?"
42Forensics HQ in Quantico, Va.
43Cause of some turbulent weather
44"That's halfway decent!"
46Like a good poker face
47Look after
48Cry of frustration
50Marie who is the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different science fields
51Ectoplasmic residue
55Many ages
57"Mind. Blown."
58Brooding music genre
59So far

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, May 21, 2025
15×15
Grid size
74
Total entries
36/189
Black / letter cells
5.1
Avg entry length
13 ltrs
Longest entry
Medium
Wednesday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedMay 21, 2025
DayWednesday
ThemeUntitled
ConstructorIlana Levene and Scott Hogan
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split35 across · 39 down
Longest entries
33A"That is messed up, girl!"13 ltrs24A"Work on your enunciation, bro!"11 ltrs49A"Protect the quarterback, buddy!"11 ltrs17A"Smile for the photo, dude!"9 ltrs57A"That's unbelievable, love!"9 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 5.1 letters per entry.