NYT Crossword Answers for May 15, 2024

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WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — Discovering the theme of a crossword puzzle can occasionally engender a sense of private embarrassment. We ask ourselves how we could have missed the pattern, given how obvious it seems in hindsight. I hope that you’ll give yourself some grace as you solve MaryEllen Uthlaut’s crossword puzzle, though, because its theme isn’t obvious. In fact, I needed a colleague to point out that I was only halfway appreciating its brilliance (another reason to try solving puzzles with a friend, a recommendation I have made in this column before).

This is Ms. Uthlaut’s fourth crossword for The New York Times, and she seems to be developing a real knack for subtle theme sets: She can add and subtract letters from common phrases to change their meaning, and she can hide U.F.O.s in plain sight. As for today’s theme, she truly — ahem — rises to the occasion.

Today’s Theme

The occasion alluded to above appears at 57A: “‘Best wishes for your once-a-year celebration!’ (and a wish for solvers of this puzzle).” A couple of annual occasions may fit the bill, so we’ll deduce this one using our other theme entries.

A certain “Buzzer you wouldn’t want to hit?” (17A) is a BUMBLEBEE, and a “Breast milk container” (25A) is a BABY BOTTLE. One particularly bold consonant stands out in these entries. It serves as our hint to Ms. Uthlaut’s revealer — HAPPY B-DAY.

But wait, there’s more: Solvers of this puzzle are showered with B’s not only in the entries of this puzzle but in their clues: Every clue starts with the letter B. Beautiful, isn’t it?