NYT Mini Crossword Answers May 17, 2025

Across
1 “Link in ___” (promotional catchphrase on social media) (Answer: BIO)
🔗 3 letters, starts with B, ends with O
📱 Common in Instagram profiles
📄 Short for “biography”
📌 Where you share important URLs
💬 “Click the ___” call to action
🧑‍💼 Found in social media bios
🧬 Shares info about you
🎤 Artist’s page often has one
🌐 Often leads to Linktree
🔍 You might update this often

4 They’re ground in a coffee grinder (Answer: BEANS)
☕ 5 letters, starts with B, ends with S
🌱 Coffee starts here
🫘 Also found in chili
🔄 Whole before grinding
🍫 Cocoa ones too
🌍 Sourced from plantations
🌬️ Roasted and aromatic
📦 Sold by the pound
🧠 “Full of ___” pun

6 Bike riders’ headwear (Answer: HELMETS)
🚴 7 letters, starts with H, ends with S
🛡️ Used for head protection
🧠 Keeps you safe
🏍️ Bikers wear them
⚽ Not worn in soccer
🚓 Required by law in some states
🎮 Often seen in racing games
🛹 Skaters use these too
🧢 Not to be confused with caps

8 Variety of tomato whose name is also a meat (Answer: BEEFSTEAK)
🍅 9 letters, starts with B, ends with K
🥩 A tomato and a cut
🌱 Large and juicy type
🌮 Sliced for burgers
🧪 Heirloom variety
🌽 Found at farmer’s markets
🌶️ Not spicy
🍔 Great on sandwiches
🍽️ Name includes “beef”

10 Shoe spec that describes this puzzle? (Answer: EXTRAWIDE)
👟 9 letters, starts with E, ends with E
📏 Not narrow
📦 May be a shoe size
🧩 Pun on puzzle shape
🦶 Accommodates bigger feet
🏃 Found in sneakers
🛍️ Option when shopping online
📐 A generous fit
🧠 Clue’s double meaning

11 “Cha-ching, nothin’ to it!” (Answer: EASYMONEY)
💰 9 letters, starts with E, ends with Y
🎯 Earned with little effort
🤑 A scam’s promise
🎲 Quick gambling win
📈 Sudden profit
📚 Could be from flipping textbooks
🧾 “Get-rich-quick” target
🎮 Sometimes loot in games
💵 Sounds like a dream job

Down
1 Church spot where bats hang out (Answer: BELFRY)
🕍 6 letters, starts with B, ends with Y
🔔 Tower with bells
🦇 “Bats in the ___” idiom
🏰 Part of old churches
🎵 Where chimes may ring
👻 Often in haunted buildings
🛎️ Not a hotel bell
📚 Gothic architecture feature
💬 Slang for being crazy

2 The first three words of “Green Eggs and Ham,” straight from the narrator (Answer: IAMSAM)
📖 6 letters, starts with I, ends with M
👦 Book’s opening phrase
🟢 Dr. Seuss catchphrase
🗣️ Sam’s introduction
🍳 Title character’s words
🧠 Learners’ rhyme
📚 Famous early reader
🎤 Memorable and repeated

3 Boxing punch combo (Answer: ONETWO)
🥊 6 letters, starts with O, ends with O
👊 Jab-cross move
🥇 Basic fight combo
💥 Rapid strikes
🗣️ “Hit him with the ___!”
🎮 Fighting game input
⏱️ Happens fast
📈 Powerful momentum
🎬 Seen in action scenes

4 Purple slices in a salad (Answer: BEETS)
🥗 5 letters, starts with B, ends with S
🌱 Earthy root vegetable
💜 Often pickled
🍽️ Adds color to dishes
🧪 High in iron
🥄 Used in borscht
🧠 Good for the brain
🖌️ Can stain your hands

5 Oktoberfest glass (Answer: STEIN)
🍺 5 letters, starts with S, ends with N
🇩🇪 German beer mug
🪵 Sometimes made of wood
🎉 Used in festivals
🎁 Can be decorative
🖐️ Has a big handle
📦 Heavy and thick
🥇 Collector’s item

6 Prefix with decimal, in coding (Answer: HEXA)
🧮 4 letters, starts with H, ends with A
🔢 Means “six”
💻 Related to base-16
🔠 Often seen in color codes
📟 In hexadecimal
🔲 Prefix in hexagon
🎮 Used in cheat codes
🌐 Not common in everyday math

7 One-named hit singer with 1985’s “Smooth Operator” (Answer: SADE)
🎤 4 letters, starts with S, ends with E
🎶 1980s soul icon
👩 Smooth and sultry voice
🇳🇬 Born in Nigeria
🏆 Grammy winner
🧑‍🎤 Mononym
📻 “Your Love is King”
💿 Jazz-pop crossover

8 Spelling ___ (Answer: BEE)
🐝 3 letters, starts with B, ends with E
📚 Word competition
👧👦 Kids compete in this
🧠 Requires memory
📣 Judges call the words
🇺🇸 National event in D.C.
🎓 Academic contest
🎬 “Akeelah and the ___”

9 Paper with the answers (Answer: KEY)
📝 3 letters, starts with K, ends with Y
🔑 Unlocks correct answers
📘 Found in the back of books
🧪 Used by teachers
📚 Part of a test
🔠 Answer sheet
🔍 Helps when reviewing
💯 “Check with the ___”