NYT Crossword Answers for June 2, 2025
Anthony V. Grubb wears down our defenses.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — Most crossword themes are just language patterns. Perhaps I shouldn’t say “just” — I’m in awe of the way that constructors identify subtle links between given sets of words, sounds or expressions. Discovering them in the puzzle is always fun, often thrilling, and sometimes leaves me downright speechless.The theme of today’s crossword, constructed by Anthony V. Grubb, follows a familiar format — follows it to a tee, one might say in this case. There are echoes of recent puzzle themes by Rena Cohen, Ilana Levene and Scott Hogan. I can assure you, however, that Mr. Grubb’s grid is bespoke. Not only is it fresh, funny and smart, but everything in it just fits.Today’s ThemeThis one comes together slowly, slowly and then all at once. The revealer at 64A reads: [Where duds are draped to dry … or a literal description of 18-, 28- and 49-Across?]The answer is CLOTHESLINE. Each of today’s themed entries are lines, or expressions, that use clothing metaphors. A brushoff that echoes [“Go fly a kite!”] at 18A is EAT MY SHORTS (popularized by Bart Simpson). At 28A, telling someone to [“Pipe down!”] means you want that person to PUT A SOCK IN IT. And at 49A, [“No skin off my nose!”] is another way of saying SUIT YOURSELF!It’s funny to observe that the expressions in the themed clues are as figurative as the entries themselves. Flying a kite means eating shorts, and piping down (of nautical origin) is the same as stuffing a sock in one’s mouth (of World War I origin). We may be able to hop from metaphor to metaphor without ever saying exactly what we mean.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More