This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

New York Times, Saturday, May 16, 2026

Author:
Byron Walden
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Don't start with me!
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
11111/23/20015/16/202615
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
1412393727
RebusCircleScrabFlowFresh
321.5951.094%
Byron Walden

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 66, Blocks: 26 Missing: {JQ} This is puzzle # 111 for Mr. Walden. Grid flow: 26.8 Saturday freshness: 96%
1
U
2
R
3
L
4
S
5
S
6
C
7
R
8
I
9
M
10
W
11
R
12
E
13
N
14
C
O
A
T
15
P
H
O
N
E
16
S
H
O
M
E
17
L
U
N
A
18
L
I
T
T
L
E
O
L
M
E
19
A
N
D
Y
20
K
I
M
21
W
A
T
T
L
E
D
22
D
E
B
A
T
E
23
C
O
N
T
E
S
T
S
24
M
E
D
A
Y
S
25
H
A
G
E
L
26
A
M
O
C
O
27
D
I
C
E
R
28
L
29
I
30
D
31
N
U
U
K
32
F
E
A
T
S
33
M
A
N
I
34
E
P
T
35
S
E
E
P
S
36
Z
A
R
F
S
37
C
O
U
P
E
38
V
I
R
G
O
S
39
S
40
E
41
C
O
N
D
S
T
42
R
I
N
G
E
R
43
T
R
A
V
A
I
L
44
E
X
C
I
S
E
45
D
46
R
I
V
E
R
S
E
47
I
N
E
48
N
O
V
A
49
E
V
E
N
S
T
E
V
E
N
50
A
D
E
N
51
P
O
D
S
52
S
P
E
W
S
53
L
A
R
K
© 2026, The New York Times5/16/26 ( No. 27,948 )
Across
1
Modern "go-to's" : URLS
5
Curtain for silhouetting on stage : SCRIM
10
Bird on the South Carolina state quarter : WREN
14
Capote or chesterfield : COAT
15
Emulates E.T., in a way : PHONESHOME
17
Roman goddess who drives a two-horse chariot : LUNA
18
Precious self-reference : LITTLEOLME
19
Name shared by the singer of the #1 hit "Rock Me Gently" (1974) and the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate (2024) : ANDYKIM
21
Double-___ cassowary (bird of Indonesia and Australia) : WATTLED
22
Matches with forensics : DEBATECONTESTS
24
Occasions to relax and recharge : MEDAYS
25
Obama's third secretary of defense (2013-15) : HAGEL
26
Gasoline brand that offered the Torch Club credit card : AMOCO
27
Aid in making salsa : DICER
28
Operculum, e.g. : LID
31
Capital of Greenland : NUUK
32
They're hard to pull off : FEATS
33
Spa service, in brief : MANI
34
Up to snuff, facetiously : EPT
35
Trickles : SEEPS
36
Cup holders : ZARFS
37
Many a Porsche 911 : COUPE
38
Practical types who are often perfectionists, it's said : VIRGOS
39
Don't start with me! : SECONDSTRINGER
43
Difficult effort : TRAVAIL
44
Cut out : EXCISED
46
Setting for Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" : RIVERSEINE
48
Cold-smoked lox : NOVA
49
7 up, perhaps : EVENSTEVEN
50
Gulf of ___, waters that abut Djibouti and Somaliland : ADEN
51
Vanilla units : PODS
52
Spouts : SPEWS
53
Romp : LARK
Down
1
Victor over Washington on 11/12/1955 in "Back to the Future, Pt. II" — and in real life : UCLA
2
Cattle call : ROUNDEMUP
3
Went wide or long, as a tennis ball : LANDEDOUT
4
"No closer!" : STAYBACK
5
Takes off : SPLITS
6
Wind pipe? : CHIME
7
Blight : ROT
8
Getting a break on Broadway? : INTWOACTS
9
Medleys : MELANGES
10
Marriott property with the slogan "Whatever Whenever" : WHOTEL
11
Triumphs smoothly : ROLLS
12
___ Brickowski ("The Lego Movie" protagonist) : EMMET
13
"What this country ___ ..." : NEEDS
16
Certain volleyballer : SETTER
20
Deck : KAYO
23
Once-popular terra-cotta figurine : CHIAPET
24
Trigger hair : MANE
27
State in which Gulliver is discovered by the Lilliputians : DEEPSLEEP
28
Combo meal upgrade : LARGESODA
29
Going back ages : INFOREVER
30
___ track : DISS
32
Folks who enjoy a well-aged beef? : FEUDISTS
33
Borderline : MARGINAL
35
Echolocation systems : SONARS
36
Element between copper and gallium on the periodic table : ZINC
37
Spelling combinations? : COVENS
38
They're concerned with feeding kits : VIXENS
39
Pharyngeal woe : STREP
40
Cynthia ___, Tony winner for "The Color Purple" : ERIVO
41
Buckled : CAVED
42
Extend, in a way : RENEW
45
Chilly and damp : DANK
47
"___ noticed" : IVE

Answer summary:
13 unique to this puzzle, 2 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

  Please log in to use the Analyze feature.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2026, Jim Horne
34 ms