NYT Crossword Answers for March 12, 2025

Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues

WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — No matter your level of skill as a solver, it’s natural to be curious about the logic behind crossword puzzles: why constructors opt for certain words over others, the choice between a vertical theme and a horizontal one, and so on. Anyone curious about these aspects in today’s crossword is in luck; its constructors, Chandi Deitmer and Kate Hawkins, have offered a wonderfully detailed look into the thinking behind their grid and theme design in the Constructor Notes below. Their insights really highlight the complexity of theme creation, and made me appreciate how well they pulled it off.

For more behind-the-scenes crossword content, you can also subscribe to the Easy Mode newsletter. In it, Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, answers a different reader question each week.

Today’s Theme

We’ve got to crack a few entries in the grid before identifying the [classic magic trick that’s depicted figuratively in this grid?] at 58-Across. Since shaded squares are a sure indication of themed content, let’s focus on a couple of those. 32-Across is pretty much a gimme (an obvious answer, in puzzle-speak): [The Wicked Witch of the West, in “Wicked”] is ELPHABA. To the right, at 35-Across, there’s another partially-shaded celebrity figure: The [Grammy’s Album of the Year winner for 2024’s “Cowboy Carter”] is BEYONCÉ. Shaded letters between these two entries read B-A-B-E. Hmm.

At 52-Across, the [Kid-lit character with telekinetic abilities] is MATILDA; next to her, at 54-Across, sits the [“Brand New Key” singer, 1971], MELANIE. Between these two names we get D-A-M-E in the shaded squares.

Both of these are slangy terms for a woman (for better or worse), which help us identify the “classic magic trick” from 58-Across: SAW A WOMAN IN HALF (58A). Not only do the shaded squares “saw” synonyms for the word “woman” in half, but each half also belongs to part of a woman’s name. MISSUS is split between ARTEMIS at 17-Across and SUSANNA at 18-Across. There’s one thing you can say about either Ms. Deitmer or Ms. Hawkins: When it comes to crossword themes, she never missus. Yuk, yuk! (I’m getting the hook.)