NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 12, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across37
Down41
ConstructorChristina Iverson
Today’s NYT Crossword clues, hints & answers
Every clue from this puzzle with a hint and the answer behind separate buttons, so you only see what you need. Click a clue for its own page.
Across
1A
Cowboy's rope (5)
Starts with L, ends with OLASSO→
6A
Relative of a milkshake (4)
Starts with M, ends with TMALT→
14A
Take place (5)
Starts with O, ends with ROCCUR→
15A
Director Kazan who helped popularize Method acting (4)
Starts with E, ends with AELIA→
16A
Falco of "The Sopranos" (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEDIE→
17A
Dessert cocktail with crème de cacao (15)
Starts with B, ends with RBRANDYALEXANDER→
20A
"Ready, ___, go!" (3)
Starts with S, ends with TSET→
21A
Serpentine swimmers (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEELS→
22A
Common destination for a field trip (6)
Starts with M, ends with MMUSEUM→
23A
Funeral vessel (3)
Starts with U, ends with NURN→
24A
Contacted using a beeper (5)
Starts with P, ends with DPAGED→
25A
Created, as yarn or a spider web (4)
Starts with S, ends with NSPUN→
28A
10-12-year-old (5)
Starts with T, ends with NTWEEN→
31A
___ Francisco (3)
Starts with S, ends with NSAN→
34A
Classic board game with the Peppermint Forest and Lollipop Lane (9)
Starts with C, ends with DCANDYLAND→
36A
Dig (out) (5)
Starts with G, ends with EGOUGE→
38A
"Goodie" on classic radio (5)
Starts with O, ends with EOLDIE→
39A
Food label inits. (3)
Starts with R, ends with ARDA→
40A
41A
Oboe accessories that are often carved by the oboist (5)
Starts with R, ends with SREEDS→
42A
Move from an acrobat or breakdancer (9)
Starts with H, ends with DHANDSTAND→
44A
Negative conjunction (3)
Starts with N, ends with RNOR→
45A
Montana is the only U.S. state with one in Spanish (5)
Starts with M, ends with OMOTTO→
46A
Defense Against the Dark ___ ("Harry Potter" class) (4)
Starts with A, ends with SARTS→
47A
What a baby's bib might protect a onesie from (5)
Starts with D, ends with LDROOL→
50A
Standout athlete, for short (3)
Starts with M, ends with PMVP→
52A
Free items that come with drinks (6)
Starts with S, ends with SSTRAWS→
54A
Black-and-white cookie (4)
Starts with O, ends with OOREO→
56A
What some people confuse with a monkey (3)
Starts with A, ends with EAPE→
59A
Scottish archipelago west of Norway (15)
Starts with S, ends with SSHETLANDISLANDS→
62A
What spectacles perch on (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENOSE→
63A
"Oh, uh-huh, sure" (4)
Starts with I, ends with TIBET→
64A
Magicians' cries (5)
Starts with T, ends with STADAS→
65A
Figure (out) (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSUSS→
66A
Social worker's assignment (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECASE→
67A
Parental authority (5)
Starts with S, ends with OSAYSO→
Down
1D
Arcing tennis shots (4)
Starts with L, ends with SLOBS→
2D
Farmland unit (4)
Starts with A, ends with EACRE→
3D
Jazz singer's improvised syllables (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSCAT→
4D
What the circle on the Japanese flag represents (3)
Starts with S, ends with NSUN→
5D
"Can I take your ___?" (server's question) (5)
Starts with O, ends with RORDER→
6D
Brunch or lunch (4)
Starts with M, ends with LMEAL→
7D
"___ well that ends well!" (4)
Starts with A, ends with SALLS→
8D
Word that would be more grammatical in the title "Lay, Lady, Lay" (3)
Starts with L, ends with ELIE→
9D
10D
Touch or taste (5)
Starts with S, ends with ESENSE→
11D
Source of extra sweetness (10)
Starts with A, ends with RADDEDSUGAR→
13D
Four years, for a president (4)
Starts with T, ends with MTERM→
18D
1983 musical starring Barbra Streisand (5)
Starts with Y, ends with LYENTL→
19D
Sept. preceder (3)
Starts with A, ends with GAUG→
23D
Loosened, as a knot (5)
Starts with U, ends with DUNDID→
24D
Nitpicker (6)
Starts with P, ends with TPEDANT→
25D
Contempt (5)
Starts with S, ends with NSCORN→
26D
Kind of diet inspired by hunters and gatherers (5)
Starts with P, ends with OPALEO→
27D
Show up to a gala in a T-shirt, say (10)
Starts with U, ends with SUNDERDRESS→
29D
Noted painter of soup cans (6)
Starts with W, ends with LWARHOL→
30D
Go until (5)
Starts with E, ends with TENDAT→
32D
Who might help an author get a book deal (5)
Starts with A, ends with TAGENT→
33D
Stereotypical bookworms (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNERDS→
35D
"Affirmative" (3)
Starts with Y, ends with SYES→
36D
What you might "fill 'er up" with (3)
Starts with G, ends with SGAS→
37D
Alternative to bottled (5)
Starts with O, ends with PONTAP→
43D
Mosque toppers (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDOMES→
45D
Art with tiles in fancy styles (that might produce smiles) (6)
Starts with M, ends with CMOSAIC→
48D
Gives stars to, say (5)
Starts with R, ends with SRATES→
49D
"Wise" bird (3)
Starts with O, ends with LOWL→
51D
Hybrid Chevys (5)
Starts with V, ends with SVOLTS→
52D
Strings with the pattern XXX-XX-XXXX, in brief (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSSNS→
53D
"___ shalt not …" (4)
Starts with T, ends with UTHOU→
54D
Poetic tributes (4)
Starts with O, ends with SODES→
55D
Formal ceremony (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERITE→
56D
Boy's name … or how you might describe 17-, 34-, 42- or 59-Across? (4)
Starts with A, ends with YANDY→
57D
Smartphone predecessors, in brief (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPDAS→
58D
Competitor of Petro-Canada (4)
Starts with E, ends with OESSO→
60D
Org. with the Knicks and Clippers (3)
Starts with N, ends with ANBA→
61D
Battery for some small toys (3)
Starts with A, ends with AAAA→
How to solve the NYT Crossword
Fill the grid so that every Across and Down answer matches its clue. Numbered squares mark where answers begin. Theme answers, usually the longest entries, share a twist that the puzzle's title or a revealer clue explains. Thursday puzzles are known for rebus squares and other tricks that bend the normal rules.
Want the full method? Read our NYT Crossword strategy and tips, or check how to play the NYT Crossword on the hub.
NYT Crossword tips for tomorrow
- Start with Monday-level clues. Even on a Saturday, a handful of clues are straightforward. Find them and build outward from the crossings.
- Hunt for the revealer. A clue that references other entries or ends in "?" often explains the theme. Solving it first unlocks the long answers.
- Respect the day of the week. Thursday means tricks like rebus squares; Friday and Saturday mean long, clever fill with misleading clues.
Done for today? Try The Mini, The Midi, LA Times Crossword, all with hints first and answers behind a reveal.
Previous NYT Crossword puzzles
NYT Crossword FAQ
How many clues are in the NYT Crossword for May 12, 2025?+
78 clues: 37 Across and 41 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Christina Iverson and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Cowboy's rope (LASSO); Relative of a milkshake (MALT); NaCl (SALT).
What time does the NYT Crossword come out?+
The next day's puzzle is released at 10:00 pm Eastern Time Monday to Friday and at 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Where can I find past NYT Crossword answers?+
Every puzzle in our archive has its own page with all Across and Down answers, plus a page for each clue. Click any date above.
