NYT Crossword Answers for May 7, 2025

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WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — I have been to the city at the center of today’s crossword theme only once, roughly four years ago, but it has had my heart since then. There’s just something about it — and there’s something about today’s crossword, too. Tom McCoy’s puzzle is both clever and subtle. The clues are charming even in their occasional silliness. It’s exceptionally buoyant but has just the right amount of Wednesday bite.

It will no doubt appeal to denizens of the city, but I think there’s something in this puzzle for you all — or yinz, as their regional dialect goes.

Today’s Theme

This one takes some thinking, so let’s walk through it slowly. The revealer at 62A hints at a certain [City that had the final letter of its name removed in 1891, only to be restored in 1911]. This reversal seems to align with the way that the themed clues are written: The first part of the clue is crossed out and rewritten, then crossed out again, and restored to its original. (I’ve put the crossed-out parts of the clues in bold for easy reference.)

16A’s [Nonviolent protest A farewell to artist Chagall? Nonviolent protest] solves to PEACE MARCH, which fits with protest but not with Chagall. 30A’s [Endure Display some humorous posters? Endure] solves to PUT UP WITH. This definitely works with “endure,” but not so much with displaying posters. What gives?

The answer to 62A is PITTSBURGH, which means that the letter H was removed and restored. If we do the same to our themed entries, we discover why their clues are written the way they are: Without the letter H, 16A would read PEACE MARC — a cute farewell to the artist Marc Chagall. At 30A, the entry would read PUT UP WIT, as in display humorous posters.