0514-25 NY Times Crossword 14 May 25, Wednesday - NYXCrossword.com (2025)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Sea creature whose name doesn’t rhyme with 1-Across, weirdly : CRAB

Crabs really do range in size from species to species. At the smaller end of the spectrum, there are pea crabs, some of which are only a few millimeters across, and often living symbiotically within the shells of mollusks. On the other hand, the Japanese spider crab is the largest species, with a leg span that can exceed 12 feet.

9 Bloating relief brand : GAS-X

“Gas-X” is a trade name for the anti-foaming agent called simethicone. Simethicone causes small gas bubbles in the stomach to combine into larger bubbles that can then be “burped” more easily.

14 Dance during which newlyweds might be lifted in chairs : HORA

The hora is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. It was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional, Israeli folk songs. The hora (also “horah”) is a regular sight at Jewish weddings. Sometimes the honoree at an event is raised on a chair during the dance.

15 Spin instructor? : PR GURU

“Spin doctor” is a slang term describing a professional in the field of public relations (PR).

17 Color-changing fad jewelry … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters? : MOOD RINGS (Os)

Mood rings were invented relatively recently, in 1975, and became a bit of a fad for a few years. A mood ring is one containing a “stone” that changes color with temperature, although the color change is touted as being dependent on the wearer’s mood. The part of the ring that changes color is actually a liquid crystal that responds to temperature changes.

19 Colombian cakes that have been around since pre-Columbian times : AREPAS

An arepa is a cornmeal cake or bread that is popular in Colombian and Venezuelan cuisines in particular. Each arepa has a flat, round shape and is often split to make a sandwich.

20 Hit single from the 1983 “Flashdance” soundtrack : MANIAC

“Maniac” is a hit song written for the 1983 movie “Flashdance”. It was performed and co-written by Michael Sembello. Paramount Pictures executives asked Sembello for songs to potentially include in the film. Sembello’s wife included “Maniac” on the tape by accident.

“Flashdance” is a 1983 romantic drama film about a young welder at a steel plant who aspires to become a professional dancer. The movie’s soundtrack was also a big hit and features songs like “Maniac” and “Flashdance…What a Feeling”. The latter was performed by Irene Cara, and won the Best Original Song Oscar for that season.

21 Man’s name that’s also a suffix : IAN

The name “John” translates into Scottish as “Ian” or “Iain”, into Russian as “Ivan”, into Italian as “Giovanni”, into Spanish as “Juan”, into Welsh as “Evan”, and into Irish as “Seán”.

24 Heroes’ journeys, say … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters? : CHARACTER ARCS (Cs)

In a story, say a novel, characters usually develop in what’s known as a character arc. Traditionally, character arcs are divided into three phases:

1. The Beginning: life before the story’s main events take place
2. The Middle: the character grows and evolves in response to situations encountered in life
3. The End: the new status quo of the character after they develop and grow

33 Barnard graduate, e.g. : ALUMNA

Barnard College is a private women’s school in New York City. It was founded in 1889 and, since 1900, has been affiliated with Columbia University.

34 Long-running British record label : EMI

EMI was a British music company, with the initialism standing for Electric and Musical Industries.

35 Canine that bites : TOOTH

The canine teeth of a mammal are also called the eyeteeth or cuspids. The name “canine” is used because these particular teeth are very prominent in dogs. The prefix “eye-” is used because in humans the eyeteeth are located in the upper jaw, directly below the eyes.

37 Actress Rapace of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” : NOOMI

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a 2011 film based on the hit novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson. Rooney Mara plays the title character, a computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. Daniel Craig also stars, playing journalist Mikael Blomkvist. The 2011 movie wasn’t the first big screen adaptation of the novel. A Swedish film with the same name was released in 2009, with Swedish actress Noomi Rapace in the title role.

63 Awkwardly lanky … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters? : ALL ELBOWS (Ls)

The term “lank” can describe something that is straight and flat, particularly hair. The usage was extended in the early 1800s (especially in the form “lanky”) to mean “awkwardly tall and thin”.

66 “I Dreamed a Dream” musical, familiarly : LES MIS

“I Dreamed a Dream” is an emotional ballad from the musical “Les Misérables”, composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg. Sung by the character Fantine, it expresses her despair and regret as she reflects on her lost youth and shattered dreams. Originally written in French, the lyrics were revised extensively for the English production of the show. “Les Misérables” was revived in French in 1991, premiering in Montreal. The revived version of “I Dreamed a Dream” was a loose translation of the English lyrics. So, there are two very different French versions of the song floating around.

68 Where to get a shelf off the shelf : IKEA

The IKEA furniture stores use the colors blue and yellow for brand recognition. Blue and yellow are the national colors of Sweden, where IKEA was founded and is headquartered.

70 Certain blue note : SEXT

Sexting (a portmanteau of “sex” and “texting”) is the sending of explicit dialog and images between cell phones. The term “sexting” was coined by the UK’s “Sunday Telegraph Magazine” in a 2005 article.

Down

1 2010s documentary trilogy about training for a very difficult wine exam : SOMM

“Sommelier” is the French word for “wine steward”. If that steward is a female, then the term used in French is “sommelière”.

4 Close-fitting part of a dress : BODICE

A bodice is the upper part of a dress. In earlier times, a bodice was a corset or stays. Strangely enough, “bodice” is a variant of “bodies”, the plural of “body”. In the 16th century, a “body” was a two-part corset that fastened in the middle.

6 Actor/director Howard : RON

Ron Howard sure has come a long way since playing Opie Taylor on “The Andy Griffith Show”. He has directed some fabulous movies including favorites of mine like “Apollo 13”, “The Da Vinci Code” and “A Beautiful Mind”, the latter earning Howard a Best Director Oscar.

7 Home to Los Glaciares National Park: Abbr. : ARG

Argentina is the second largest country in South America (after Brazil), and the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation. The name “Argentina” comes from the Latin “argentum”, the word for “silver”. It is thought that the name was given by the early Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who also named the Rio de la Plata (the “Silver River”). Those early explorers got hold of lots of silver objects that they found among the native population.

11 Starbursts? : SUPERNOVAE

A nova (plural “novae”) is basically a star that suddenly gets much brighter, gradually returning to its original state weeks or even years later. The increased brightness of a nova is due to increased nuclear activity causing the star to pick up extra hydrogen from a neighboring celestial body. A supernova is very different from a nova. A supernova is a very bright burst of light and energy created when most of the material in a star explodes. The bright burst of a supernova is very short-lived compared to the sustained brightness of a nova.

12 Bit of equipment in a dentist’s office : X-RAY CAMERA

X-rays were first studied comprehensively by the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (also “Roentgen”), and it was he who gave the name “X-rays” to this particular type of radiation. Paradoxically, in Röntgen’s native language of German, X-rays are routinely referred to as “Röntgen rays”. In 1901, Röntgen’s work on X-rays won him the first Nobel Prize in Physics that was ever awarded.

25 Australian hoppers, for short : ROOS

The word “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “Kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.

28 Cherubic archer : AMOR

Cupid was the god of love in Roman mythology. Cupid’s name comes from the Latin verb “cupere” meaning “to desire”. Cupid’s Latin name was “Amor”, and his Greek counterpart was Eros.

A cherub (plural “cherubim”) is an angel. The term “cherub” ultimately comes from the Hebrew “kerubh” (plural “kerubhim”) meaning “winged angel”. In the Jewish tradition, cherubim play a key role in protecting the Garden of Eden, and in particular the Tree of Life.

29 Country where potatoes originated : PERU

The potato is native to the Americas, and was first domesticated in southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia, around Lake Titicaca. The Spanish introduced the potato to Europe in the 1500s.

35 Lukewarm : TEPID

The obsolete adjective “luke” meant “tepid, moderately warm”. Said adjective used to exist in words like “luke-hot” and “luke-hearted”, but now only survives in the word “luke-warm” (usually “lukewarm”). So, I guess “lukewarm” means “tepidly tepid” …

38 Egyptian deity with a reduplicative name : ISIS

Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh’s power. The name “Isis” translates as “throne”, and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

40 Reduplicative nickname in pop music : RIRI

Singer Rihanna was born and grew up on the island of Barbados and moved to the US when she was 16-years-old to pursue a singing career. “Rihanna” is her stage name, as she was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty. The name “Rihanna” is derived from the Welsh name “Rhiannon”. And, Rihanna sometimes goes by the nickname “RiRi”, which is also the name of her line of beauty products.

41 Sushi seaweed : NORI

Nori is an edible seaweed that we used to know as “laver” when we were living in Wales. Nori is usually dried into thin sheets. Here in the US, we are most familiar with nori as the seaweed used as a wrap for sushi.

42 Midwestern agricultural swath : CORN BELT

The Corn Belt (sometimes “Grain Belt”) is a region in the Midwest where, since the mid-1800s, corn has been the major crop. Geographically, the Corn Belt covers Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and parts of Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Missouri. About 40% of the world’s corn production comes from the region, and most of that production is used for the feeding of livestock.

47 Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie : NICKS

Singer Stevie Nicks came to fame as the lead singer of Fleetwood Mac. She has a very distinctive voice, heard at its best (I think) on the famous 1977 album “Rumours”.

The band Fleetwood Mac was founded in 1967 in London by Peter Green. He chose “Fleetwood Mac” from the names of two friends in former groups, i.e. “Fleetwood” and “McVie”. Green did this despite the fact that Fleetwood Mac’s drummer’s name happens to be Mick Fleetwood.

50 Where to place personal items before walking through a scanner : TSA BIN

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

53 Prey for an osprey : EEL

The osprey is also known as the sea hawk or fish eagle. Osprey nests are large heaps of sticks usually built in forks of trees and rocky outcrops. I’ve seen quite a few osprey nests built on the tops of light poles and utility poles. A pair of mating ospreys is known as a duet.

59 Exam whose score can’t be argued, ironically : LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

61 Quick chats? : IMS

Even though instant messaging (sending and receiving IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties. The “AOL Instant Message” service was known as AIM.

64 Greta of “Past Lives” : LEE

Actress Greta Lee is perhaps best known to TV audiences for playing Stella Bak, a news division president on “The Morning Show”. She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the 2023 romantic drama film “Past Lives”.