NYT Crossword Answers for May 14, 2025

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WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — I was getting to be too big for my breeches. After a streak of successful solves, I was beginning to feel invincible. But I see now that the puzzle gods are quick to punish such hubris: Today’s crossword, constructed by Rebecca Goldstein and Adam Wagner, was so challenging that I actually felt my stomach knotting.

This is a compliment to the constructors, not a criticism. Any puzzle that catches me unawares is a puzzle worth solving, so I’m sincerely thankful to Ms. Goldstein and Mr. Wagner for the challenge. I’d just ask that they never put me through it again.

Today’s Theme

Don’t overthink the interpretation of the shaded letters in today’s themed entries. I did, and I can tell you that this theme is far simpler than it looks. The entries at 17-, 24-, 39-, 51- and 63-Across are merely descriptions for the shapes of the shaded letter inside them. (The shaded letters appear in bold type below.)

For example, the [Color-changing fad jewelry … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters?] at 17A is MOOD RINGS because the two Os are “rings” inside the word “mood.” At 24A, [Heroes’ journeys, say … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters?] are CHARACTER ARCS, in that the Cs are arc-shaped and inside the word “character.”

Here’s where I overshot the mark: My solving brain interpreted the word “character” at 24A as a reference to the fact that letters can also be called characters. At 51A, the DIVIDING LINES in question are I’s, and they just happen to visually divide the word in which they appear. These are bonus layers of wordplay! But they are not essential to the theme, as far as I can tell.