NYT Crossword Answers for June 18, 2025

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WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — No one can predict the life span of an internet meme. When a new snowclone (i.e. replicable phrase) or image macro is making its way through social media sites, it’s anyone’s guess as to when the joke will die a cringe-y death. You won’t see anyone today posting about how “one does not simply” do something. Plays on the William Carlos Williams poem about the plums in the icebox have largely fallen out of favor.

The meme that inspired today’s theme and crossword, constructed by Eli Cotham, became popular online in 2017. Honestly, I didn’t get the appeal. When it spawned a game show on Netflix in 2020, I was genuinely baffled. But now that the expression has made its way into the New York Times Crossword, I have no choice but to concede defeat. I guess 58A is here to stay.

Today’s Theme

A certain modern-day [Rainy-day game for children] is the witty grounds for entries at 16-, 24-, 35- and 50-Across. THE FLOOR IS LAVA (58A) has one rule: Players need to avoid touching the floor at all costs.

When interpreted in a different way, each of these themed entries describes a means of staying off the ground. You can COUNTERBALANCE (16A), as in balance on top of a counter. From there, you may TABLE-HOP (24A) or COUCH SURF (35A). You can even BAR CRAWL (50A). Any other strategies for avoiding the lava? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Tricky Clues

13A. As a figure of speech, [Look bad?] normally refers to optics. But this clue ends in a question mark, which usually means that the entry has a more literal interpretation. Here, it’s about giving someone a bad look: OGLE.