NY Times Crossword Answers May 09, 2025 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

NY Times Crossword Complete Solution: May 09, 2025

Published on Friday, May 09, 2025 • Updated daily

Our expert breakdown helps you solve the May 09 NYT crossword while expanding your vocabulary. Learn answer strategies and discover word connections.

NY Times Crossword Complete Solution: May 09, 2025

Across Clues and Answers (33)

Clue #1: 1. Walks softly

4-letter answer Answer: PADS

Word Help: Synonyms: bolster, stamp_pad, slog

Clue #2: 5. Impossible to contact by ordinary means

10-letter answer Answer: OFFTHEGRID

Clue #3: 15. "___, sing America"

4-letter answer Answer: ITOO

Clue #4: 16. Feature focused on investigation and resolution

10-letter answer Answer: CRIMEDRAMA

Clue #5: 17. Turf

4-letter answer Answer: LAND

Word Help: Synonyms: kingdom, dry_land, Din_Land

Clue #6: 18. Downward-facing dog?

10-letter answer Answer: CANISMAJOR

Clue #7: 19. ___ text (label for a screen reader)

3-letter answer Answer: ALT

Word Help: Synonyms: ALT, EL, altitude

Clue #8: 20. ___ Robert Jr., 2020 Gold Glove Award winner

4-letter answer Answer: LUIS

Clue #9: 21. Encrust

4-letter answer Answer: CAKE

Word Help: Synonyms: patty, bar, cake

Clue #10: 22. What might be caught Red-handed?

7-letter answer Answer: FLYBALL

Clue #11: 24. Cracker topper

4-letter answer Answer: BRIE

Word Help: Synonyms: Brie

Clue #12: 27. Raise

5-letter answer Answer: HOIST

Word Help: Synonyms: wind, hoist, lift

Clue #13: 28. Popular vacation spot

8-letter answer Answer: SEASHORE

Word Help: Synonyms: coast, seacoast, seashore

Clue #14: 32. Talks up

5-letter answer Answer: TOUTS

Word Help: Synonyms: gas, boast, vaunt

Clue #15: 33. It's not worth what it seems

9-letter answer Answer: PLAYMONEY

Clue #16: 34. Kick out

4-letter answer Answer: OUST

Word Help: Synonyms: throw_out, oust, boot_out

Clue #17: 35. Roughly 62% of its claimed territory is in Antarctica

5-letter answer Answer: CHILE

Word Help: Synonyms: chili, Chile, Republic_of_Chile

Clue #18: 36. Fine-textured wood used in musical instruments

4-letter answer Answer: PEAR

Word Help: Synonyms: Pyrus_communis, pear, pear_tree

Clue #19: 37. Unfettered flow of goods

9-letter answer Answer: FREETRADE

Clue #20: 39. It might turn up a turnip

5-letter answer Answer: SPADE

Word Help: Synonyms: jigaboo, coon, nigger

Clue #21: 40. Software clients

8-letter answer Answer: USERBASE

Clue #22: 41. Minuscule

5-letter answer Answer: TEENY

Word Help: Synonyms: wee, itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy

Clue #23: 42. "That's my opinion, too"

4-letter answer Answer: SAME

Word Help: Synonyms: Saami, Saame, Sami
Antonyms: different, unlike

Clue #24: 43. Components of some makeovers

7-letter answer Answer: HAIRDOS

Word Help: Synonyms: coiffure, hairstyle, hairdo

Clue #25: 45. Boatload

4-letter answer Answer: SLEW

Word Help: Synonyms: batch, slue, lot

Clue #26: 48. First-rate, in slang

4-letter answer Answer: BOSS

Word Help: Synonyms: hirer, foreman, genus_Bos

Clue #27: 49. R&B's ___ Hill

3-letter answer Answer: DRU

Clue #28: 50. "Be kind!"

10-letter answer Answer: HAVEAHEART

Clue #29: 54. First name of the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature

4-letter answer Answer: TONI

Clue #30: 55. What holding one's thumb up might indicate

10-letter answer Answer: INEEDARIDE

Clue #31: 56. "How could ___?"

4-letter answer Answer: INOT

Clue #32: 57. Cooking byproduct sometimes called "liquid gold"

10-letter answer Answer: PASTAWATER

Clue #33: 58. Rescues, maybe

4-letter answer Answer: PETS

Word Help: Synonyms: positron_emission_tomography, favorite, deary

Across Clues and Answers (33)

Clue #1: 1. Fragrant rice dish

5-letter answer Answer: PILAF

Word Help: Synonyms: pilaf, pilaff, pilaw

Clue #2: 2. Day and night

10-letter answer Answer: ATALLHOURS

Clue #3: 3. "Must I spell it out further?"

10-letter answer Answer: DONTYOUSEE

Clue #4: 4. Turf

3-letter answer Answer: SOD

Word Help: Synonyms: turf, superoxide_dismutase, sward

Clue #5: 5. Like practices associated with pentacles

6-letter answer Answer: OCCULT

Word Help: Synonyms: supernatural, occult, mystical

Clue #6: 6. Enfeebled

5-letter answer Answer: FRAIL

Word Help: Synonyms: weak, fallible, imperfect
Antonyms: robust

Clue #7: 7. Some scuba diving gear

4-letter answer Answer: FINS

Word Help: Synonyms: tailfin, cinque, Phoebe

Clue #8: 8. "OMG, I didn't need to know that!"

3-letter answer Answer: TMI

Clue #9: 9. "She's everything. ___ just Ken" (2023 movie tagline)

3-letter answer Answer: HES

Word Help: Synonyms: he, atomic_number_2, helium

Clue #10: 10. Genre heard at many raves, for short

3-letter answer Answer: EDM

Clue #11: 11. Pioneer in computer science who has a college at Yale named after her

11-letter answer Answer: GRACEHOPPER

Clue #12: 12. Asian royal

4-letter answer Answer: RAJA

Word Help: Synonyms: Raja, genus_Raja, raja

Clue #13: 13. "Don't worry about me"

4-letter answer Answer: IMOK

Clue #14: 14. Have the audacity

4-letter answer Answer: DARE

Word Help: Synonyms: presume, dare, make_bold

Clue #15: 20. Colleen

4-letter answer Answer: LASS

Word Help: Synonyms: lass, jeune_fille, young_girl

Clue #16: 23. Emotionally complex, in a way

11-letter answer Answer: BITTERSWEET

Word Help: Synonyms: bittersweet_nightshade, woody_nightshade, climbing_nightshade

Clue #17: 24. James Baldwin's "If ___ Street Could Talk"

5-letter answer Answer: BEALE

Clue #18: 25. One-named singer in the 2023 hit "Prada"

4-letter answer Answer: RAYE

Clue #19: 26. What one might subscribe to

3-letter answer Answer: ISM

Word Help: Synonyms: doctrine, philosophical_system, ism

Clue #20: 28. "I'll let that ___ …"

5-letter answer Answer: SLIDE

Word Help: Synonyms: slip, sliding_board, playground_slide

Clue #21: 29. Not to be repeated

10-letter answer Answer: ONEANDDONE

Clue #22: 30. Seeking comment?

10-letter answer Answer: READYORNOT

Clue #23: 31. Title heroine who says "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you"

4-letter answer Answer: EYRE

Word Help: Synonyms: Lake_Eyre, Eyre

Clue #24: 32. Stir-fry protein option

4-letter answer Answer: TOFU

Word Help: Synonyms: bean_curd, tofu

Clue #25: 33. This, too, shall pass

5-letter answer Answer: PHASE

Word Help: Synonyms: form, phase, stage

Clue #26: 35. Squeeze

4-letter answer Answer: CRAM

Word Help: Synonyms: jam, jampack, wad

Clue #27: 38. Not yet final, in brief

3-letter answer Answer: TBA

Clue #28: 39. Number of kings en España named Felipe

4-letter answer Answer: SEIS

Clue #29: 41. Position at a food company

6-letter answer Answer: TASTER

Word Help: Synonyms: taste-tester, taste_tester, sampler

Clue #30: 43. Throng

5-letter answer Answer: HORDE

Word Help: Synonyms: host, horde, swarm

Clue #31: 44. Boardroom group

5-letter answer Answer: SUITS

Word Help: Synonyms: befit, case, wooing

Clue #32: 45. Mail

4-letter answer Answer: SHIP

Word Help: Synonyms: embark, send, ship
Antonyms: disembark

Clue #33: 46. Superboy's crush

4-letter answer Answer: LANA

Clue #34: 47. Holiday lead-ins

4-letter answer Answer: EVES

Word Help: Synonyms: evening, eventide, even

Clue #35: 48. Entice

4-letter answer Answer: BAIT

Word Help: Synonyms: taunt, twit, decoy

Clue #36: 51. Antidiscrimination legis. of 1990

3-letter answer Answer: ADA

Word Help: Synonyms: ADA, adenosine_deaminase

Clue #37: 52. ___ flakes (fruity Chinese snack)

3-letter answer Answer: HAW

Word Help: Synonyms: hawthorn, haw

Clue #38: 53. Long period

3-letter answer Answer: ERA

Word Help: Synonyms: earned_run_average, epoch, geological_era

Clue #39: 54. What a boat shouldn't do

3-letter answer Answer: TIP

Word Help: Synonyms: angle, pourboire, tiptoe

Expert Solving Strategies

• Look for fill-in-the-blank clues first (they're often easiest)
• Watch for question marks indicating wordplay
• Check vowel patterns in partially solved words

Related Search Terms

NYT Crossword Help, Daily Puzzle Solutions, Crossword Answer Finder, May Crossword Answers

NY Times Crossword Answers May 06, 2025 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

NY Times Crossword Complete Solution: May 06, 2025

Published on Tuesday, May 06, 2025 • Updated daily

Our expert breakdown helps you solve the May 06 NYT crossword while expanding your vocabulary. Learn answer strategies and discover word connections.

NY Times Crossword Answers May 06, 2025

Across Clues and Answers (36)

Clue #1: 1. First Nations group

4-letter answer Answer: CREE

Word Help: Synonyms: Cree

Clue #2: 5. It might be treated with a kiss and a Band-Aid

6-letter answer Answer: BOOBOO

Clue #3: 11. Layered haircut

4-letter answer Answer: SHAG

Word Help: Synonyms: roll_in_the_hay, ass, piece_of_ass

Clue #4: 15. Harvest

4-letter answer Answer: REAP

Word Help: Synonyms: draw, glean, reap

Clue #5: 16. Bacall of "How to Marry a Millionaire"

6-letter answer Answer: LAUREN

Clue #6: 17. "A rising ___ lifts all boats"

4-letter answer Answer: TIDE

Word Help: Synonyms: lunar_time_period, surge, tide
Antonyms: ebb

Clue #7: 18. Orange-colored fruit pastry

11-letter answer Answer: APRICOTTART

Clue #8: 20. Central Plains tribe

4-letter answer Answer: OTOE

Word Help: Synonyms: Oto, Otoe

Clue #9: 21. Mistake in logical reasoning

7-letter answer Answer: FALLACY

Word Help: Synonyms: false_belief, fallacy

Clue #10: 22. Denny's competitor

4-letter answer Answer: IHOP

Clue #11: 24. Actress Cicely of "The Help"

5-letter answer Answer: TYSON

Word Help: Synonyms: Tyson, Mike_Tyson, Michael_Gerald_Tyson

Clue #12: 25. "Just do it" and others

9-letter answer Answer: ADSLOGANS

Clue #13: 30. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" poet

13-letter answer Answer: GILSCOTTHERON

Clue #14: 33. Rhymes over a backing beat

4-letter answer Answer: RAPS

Word Help: Synonyms: whang, rap_music, blame

Clue #15: 36. Head-in-the-clouds

5-letter answer Answer: SPACY

Word Help: Synonyms: spacy, spaced-out, spacey

Clue #16: 37. City that's home to the Shitennoji temple

5-letter answer Answer: OSAKA

Word Help: Synonyms: Osaka

Clue #17: 38. Words before "believe" or "declare"

3-letter answer Answer: IDO

Word Help: Synonyms: Ido

Clue #18: 39. ___ generis

3-letter answer Answer: SUI

Clue #19: 40. More, in Mexico City

3-letter answer Answer: MAS

Word Help: Synonyms: mamma, mA, Bay_State

Clue #20: 42. Downturn

3-letter answer Answer: DIP

Word Help: Synonyms: douse, sink, cutpurse

Clue #21: 43. Easily duped person

5-letter answer Answer: CHUMP

Word Help: Synonyms: soft_touch, gull, patsy

Clue #22: 45. Michelangelo marble masterpiece

5-letter answer Answer: DAVID

Word Help: Synonyms: Jacques_Louis_David, David, Saint_David

Clue #23: 48. Samosa tidbits

4-letter answer Answer: PEAS

Word Help: Synonyms: pea_plant, pea

Clue #24: 49. Dairy product with curds

13-letter answer Answer: COTTAGECHEESE

Clue #25: 52. Looks that might send a chill down one's spine

9-letter answer Answer: ICYSTARES

Clue #26: 53. Fruits often poached with cinnamon

5-letter answer Answer: PEARS

Word Help: Synonyms: pear_tree, Pyrus_communis, pear

Clue #27: 57. "None of it's true!"

4-letter answer Answer: LIES

Word Help: Synonyms: prevarication, Trygve_Lie, Trygve_Halvden_Lie
Antonyms: arise, stand

Clue #28: 58. Disposable coaster at a bar

7-letter answer Answer: BEERMAT

Clue #29: 60. Ocean, poetically

4-letter answer Answer: MAIN

Word Help: Synonyms: main, primary, briny
Antonyms: dependent

Clue #30: 62. Carnival confection ... or, when re-parsed, a hint to what appears three times in this puzzle

11-letter answer Answer: COTTONCANDY

Clue #31: 66. Dad, in Korean

4-letter answer Answer: APPA

Clue #32: 67. Though

6-letter answer Answer: ALBEIT

Clue #33: 68. Soccer score

4-letter answer Answer: GOAL

Word Help: Synonyms: goal, finish, destination

Clue #34: 69. Member of the South Asian diaspora

4-letter answer Answer: DESI

Clue #35: 70. They need a push to get started

6-letter answer Answer: PEDALS

Word Help: Synonyms: pedal_point, pedal, bicycle

Clue #36: 71. Raison d'___

4-letter answer Answer: ETRE

Across Clues and Answers (36)

Clue #1: 1. Crossword construction, e.g.

5-letter answer Answer: CRAFT

Word Help: Synonyms: craftiness, guile, trade

Clue #2: 2. Settle, as a debt

5-letter answer Answer: REPAY

Word Help: Synonyms: requite, refund, come_back

Clue #3: 3. They outrank viscounts

5-letter answer Answer: EARLS

Word Help: Synonyms: earl

Clue #4: 4. Literary postscripts

7-letter answer Answer: EPILOGS

Word Help: Synonyms: epilogue, epilog

Clue #5: 5. Group that votes together

4-letter answer Answer: BLOC

Word Help: Synonyms: bloc, axis

Clue #6: 6. Like some ales and health bars

4-letter answer Answer: OATY

Clue #7: 7. Living life openly, in a way

3-letter answer Answer: OUT

Word Help: Synonyms: away, kayoed, verboten
Antonyms: safe

Clue #8: 8. Garment with cups

3-letter answer Answer: BRA

Word Help: Synonyms: brassiere, bra, bandeau

Clue #9: 9. Opposite of 'neath

3-letter answer Answer: OER

Clue #10: 10. Betting recklessly at the poker table

6-letter answer Answer: ONTILT

Clue #11: 11. Moe, Larry and Curly

7-letter answer Answer: STOOGES

Word Help: Synonyms: goat, yes-man, butt

Clue #12: 12. Listing of top tunes

9-letter answer Answer: HITPARADE

Clue #13: 13. Much ___ about nothing

3-letter answer Answer: ADO

Word Help: Synonyms: fuss, bustle, flurry

Clue #14: 14. "Fancy that!"

3-letter answer Answer: GEE

Word Help: Synonyms: g, g-force, gee

Clue #15: 19. "Will you let me, please?"

4-letter answer Answer: CANI

Clue #16: 23. Snack cakes with swirls

5-letter answer Answer: HOHOS

Clue #17: 25. Obama health law, for short

3-letter answer Answer: ACA

Clue #18: 26. "What's up, ___?"

3-letter answer Answer: DOC

Word Help: Synonyms: MD, Department_of_Commerce, Commerce_Department

Clue #19: 27. Totally hamper

6-letter answer Answer: STYMIE

Word Help: Synonyms: blockade, block, stymy

Clue #20: 28. Finnish telecom giant

5-letter answer Answer: NOKIA

Clue #21: 29. Kudos at a poetry slam

5-letter answer Answer: SNAPS

Word Help: Synonyms: catch, bust, snap_fastener
Antonyms: inelasticity

Clue #22: 31. Sch. with the cheer "Geaux Tigers!"

3-letter answer Answer: LSU

Clue #23: 32. Spinner of silk

6-letter answer Answer: SPIDER

Word Help: Synonyms: spider, wanderer

Clue #24: 33. Actress Christina of "Yellowjackets"

5-letter answer Answer: RICCI

Clue #25: 34. Like some committees

5-letter answer Answer: ADHOC

Clue #26: 35. Desired effect of a plumping gloss

9-letter answer Answer: POUTYLIPS

Clue #27: 39. Sudden surge

5-letter answer Answer: SPATE

Word Help: Synonyms: deal, tidy_sum, mass

Clue #28: 41. Summer drink suffix

3-letter answer Answer: ADE

Word Help: Synonyms: fruit_drink, ade

Clue #29: 44. O.T. high point?

7-letter answer Answer: MTSINAI

Clue #30: 46. Flexible card in blackjack

3-letter answer Answer: ACE

Word Help: Synonyms: one, 1, sail_through

Clue #31: 47. Pre-DVD format

3-letter answer Answer: VHS

Clue #32: 48. System of hereditary titles and noble ranks

7-letter answer Answer: PEERAGE

Word Help: Synonyms: peerage, baronage

Clue #33: 50. Tank top?

6-letter answer Answer: GASCAP

Clue #34: 51. Design deet

4-letter answer Answer: SPEC

Word Help: Synonyms: spec, specification

Clue #35: 54. "Are too!" response

5-letter answer Answer: AMNOT

Clue #36: 55. Doppler device

5-letter answer Answer: RADAR

Word Help: Synonyms: microwave_radar, radiolocation, radio_detection_and_ranging

Clue #37: 56. Fashion sense

5-letter answer Answer: STYLE

Word Help: Synonyms: style, expressive_style, vogue

Clue #38: 58. Bring to 212°

4-letter answer Answer: BOIL

Word Help: Synonyms: churn, moil, boiling_point
Antonyms: freeze

Clue #39: 59. Towering Tolkien creatures

4-letter answer Answer: ENTS

Clue #40: 60. Worked up, say

3-letter answer Answer: MAD

Word Help: Synonyms: mad, unbalanced, delirious

Clue #41: 61. Chest-beating mammal

3-letter answer Answer: APE

Word Help: Synonyms: anthropoid, emulator, imitator

Clue #42: 63. Copa Mundial shout

3-letter answer Answer: OLE

Clue #43: 64. Still undecided, in brief

3-letter answer Answer: TBD

Clue #44: 65. Product of the Camellia sinensis plant

3-letter answer Answer: TEA

Word Help: Synonyms: Camellia_sinensis, afternoon_tea, teatime

Expert Solving Strategies

• Look for fill-in-the-blank clues first (they're often easiest)
• Watch for question marks indicating wordplay
• Check vowel patterns in partially solved words

Related Search Terms

NYT Crossword Help, Daily Puzzle Solutions, Crossword Answer Finder, May Crossword Answers