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

New York Times, Thursday, May 1, 2025

Author:
Aidan Deshong and Adam Levav
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Piercings that might be felt while kissing
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
45/31/20245/1/20253
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0001210
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.551562%
Aidan Deshong
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
21/13/20255/1/20251
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0100100
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.58641%
Adam Levav

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 74, Blocks: 38 Missing: {JQWXZ} This is puzzle # 4 for Mr. Deshong. This is puzzle # 2 for Mr. Levav. Thursday freshness: 59%
Constructor notes:
Aidan: I had the theme idea, but I had no idea how to find theme entries. Fortunately, Adam did (he is a computer wizard after all). ... read more
Jim Horne notes:
CIRCLES BACK at 37-Across means that the starred clues (the across answers with circles) need to be read first by skipping the ... read more
1
A
2
R
3
T
4
L
5
A
6
B
7
B
8
B
9
C
10
P
11
A
12
C
13
T
14
B
E
R
A
T
E
15
A
L
I
16
A
R
E
S
17
S
T
E
V
I
A
18
B
A
S
19
E
L
I
N
E
20
O
R
S
21
L
U
22
M
E
N
23
L
E
A
S
T
24
R
I
C
25
O
T
T
A
26
K
27
I
M
O
N
O
S
28
B
A
H
A
29
S
E
30
P
I
A
31
A
R
E
32
L
I
S
33
P
34
L
E
M
35
M
36
E
37
C
I
R
38
C
39
L
E
S
B
A
C
40
K
41
S
Y
R
I
A
42
C
L
E
43
F
44
H
45
A
46
D
47
E
P
S
48
O
49
M
50
A
E
R
51
O
52
A
V
E
53
N
54
G
E
R
55
D
U
56
S
T
P
A
N
57
G
E
N
O
A
58
I
59
L
E
F
T
60
S
I
M
61
R
E
V
I
L
62
I
N
G
63
F
E
64
M
A
L
E
65
I
N
E
S
66
K
G
B
67
L
E
A
K
E
D
68
D
O
R
Y
69
E
S
T
70
E
L
D
E
R
S
© 2025, The New York Times5/1/25 ( No. 27,568 )
Across
1
Schoolroom that serves as a studio : ARTLAB
7
Original airer of "Doctor Who" : BBC
10
Covenant : PACT
14
Give a lashing : BERATE
15
Whom Will Smith played in a 2001 sports biopic : ALI
16
Son of Zeus and Hera : ARES
17
Sweetener in some diet sodas : STEVIA
18
*Cat breed named after an Indonesian island from which it didn't originate : BALINESE
20
Places to carry out some takeout orders, for short? : ORS
21
Light unit : LUMEN
23
"Not in the ___!" : LEAST
24
*It's "read" as a stern warning : RIOTACT
26
*Relative of a snowboard : MONOSKI
28
___ Men (group that won a Grammy Award in 2001 for Best Dance Recording) : BAHA
29
Old tone : SEPIA
31
Is for the people? : ARE
32
Daffy Duck speaking feature : LISP
34
"I wanna!" : LEMME
37
Brings up a prior topic … or a hint to making sense of the answers to this puzzle's starred clues : CIRCLESBACK
41
Country that was home to the Ebla library, thought to be the world's first (2500 B.C.) : SYRIA
42
Sheet music symbol : CLEF
44
Past-tense verb that's potentially confusing (but grammatically correct!) when written twice in a row : HAD
47
___ salt (form of magnesium sulfate) : EPSOM
50
Lead-in to -nautics : AERO
52
*Carve out, in a way : ENGRAVE
55
*Comedy club fare : STANDUP
57
Columbus's birthplace : GENOA
58
"___ My Heart in San Francisco" : ILEFT
60
Video game character speaking a gibberish language : SIM
61
*Villain's expression : EVILGRIN
63
Like does : FEMALE
65
___ Mendoza, former first lady of Puerto Rico : INES
66
Onetime C.I.A. foe : KGB
67
Like government secrets, occasionally : LEAKED
68
Title friend of Marlin in an animated film : DORY
69
Times Square ball drop setting, in brief : EST
70
Revered sorts : ELDERS
Down
1
Soak up : ABSORB
2
Outcome of a hung jury : RETRIAL
3
"How stylish!" : TRESCHIC
4
W.C. : LAV
5
Not quite straight up : ATILT
6
Gorgeous ones, informally : BEAUTS
7
Film based on the 1983 children's novel "The Sheep-Pig" : BABE
8
Some comforters for toddlers : BLANKIES
9
Modern prefix with normativity : CIS
10
Dairy-less diet : PALEO
11
Singer Grande : ARIANA
12
Turn into stars, say? : CENSOR
13
Tswana for "fly" : TSETSE
19
West ___ (furniture retailer) : ELM
22
Trailblazing astronaut Jemison : MAE
25
Refuge from the heat : OASIS
27
It's one foot long : IAMB
30
Calls for sympathy : PLEAS
33
Snoop : PRY
35
Big thing in fast food? : MAC
36
Splendor : ECLAT
38
Language that gave us "Saskatchewan" : CREE
39
Piercings that might be felt while kissing : LIPRINGS
40
Memento : KEEPSAKE
43
More delicate and weak : FRAILER
44
Who says "You're a wizard, Harry" : HAGRID
45
Skin-care brand : AVEENO
46
City that lends its name to a style of omelet : DENVER
48
Uplifting work : ODE
49
Quiet : MUFFLE
51
Popping pills, say : ONMEDS
53
Racket-raising : NOISY
54
___ pal : GAL
56
Source of Andrew Carnegie's wealth : STEEL
59
Community associated with Out magazine : LGBT
62
President posthumously inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame, informally : IKE
64
Crackpot : MAD

Answer summary:
3 unique to this puzzle.

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 © 2007-2025, Jim Horne
103 ms