NYT Mini Crossword Answers May 11, 2025

Across
1 Piece of bacon (Answer: STRIP)
5 letters, starts with S, ends with P
Thin and crispy when cooked
Common at breakfast
Often sizzles in a pan
Long and narrow shape
Also means to remove
Can refer to military ranking decorations
May describe cleaning away paint
Found on certain clothing designs

6 Renter’s contract (Answer: LEASE)
5 letters, starts with L, ends with E
Signed for an apartment
Often 6 or 12 months
Agreement between tenant and landlord
Has a start and end date
May include monthly rent
Legal document
Gives access to a property
Requires signatures

7 Country whose national bird is the peacock (Answer: INDIA)
5 letters, starts with I, ends with A
Located in South Asia
Bollywood’s home
Famous for spicy cuisine
Origin of yoga
Home to the Taj Mahal
Large tech industry
1.4 billion+ population
Huge cricket fanbase

8 Layers of paint (Answer: COATS)
5 letters, starts with C, ends with S
Applied with brushes or rollers
Used on cars
Needed for strong coverage
Homophone also means winter wear
Applied to walls
Often need multiple
Related to nail polish

9 Make a mistake (Answer: ERR)
3 letters, starts with E, ends with R
Opposite of getting it right
Might be human to do
Can be corrected
May result in judgment
Root of “error”
Happens in experiments
Sometimes seen in sports reviews

Down
1 Piece of toast (Answer: SLICE)
5 letters, starts with S, ends with E
Cut from a loaf
Buttered in the morning
May be topped with jam
Popped out of a toaster
One of a pizza
Part of a cake
Used metaphorically for time (e.g., slice of life)

2 Kind of saxophone played by Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane (Answer: TENOR)
5 letters, starts with T, ends with R
Deeper than alto, higher than baritone
Common in jazz solos
Also a male vocal range
Coltrane’s main instrument
Rich, warm tones
Between baritone and alto

3 Weather forecast tool, either way you look at it (Answer: RADAR)
5 letters, starts with R, ends with R
Tracks storms
A palindrome
Used in aviation
Found on police speed traps
Seen on news graphics
Predicts rainfall
Uses radio waves

4 “___ just me …?” (Answer: ISIT)
4 letters, starts with I, ends with T
Common in rhetorical questions
Often said during confusion
Seeking reassurance
Spoken in disbelief
Questioning one’s perception
Often followed by “or…”

5 Pod group (Answer: PEAS)
4 letters, starts with P, ends with S
Found in a shell
Common side dish
Used in baby food
“Two in a pod” expression
Can be split or whole
Sold frozen or canned