NYT Mini Crossword Answers May 20, 2025

Across
1 “Pink ___ Club” (Chappell Roan hit) (Answer: PONY)
🐴 4 letters, starts with P, ends with Y
🎶 Title word in a Chappell Roan song
🏇 Small horse
🎠 Often seen on a carousel
🐎 Child’s first riding animal
🎀 Symbol of something dainty
🌸 Could come before “tail”
🎁 Toy often given to kids
👧 Featured in “My Little ___”
🐾 Can be a petting zoo animal

5 Instrument that might be made with a comb and wax paper (Answer: KAZOO)
🎵 5 letters, starts with K, ends with O
🎶 Makes a buzzing sound
🪄 DIY musical toy
🎤 Hummed into
😂 Often played for laughs
📯 Common in kids’ bands
🎺 Doesn’t need musical skill
😆 Goofy sound effect tool
📻 Not a real wind instrument
🪈 Popular at novelty stores

6 How bedtime stories are often read (Answer: ALOUD)
🗣️ 5 letters, starts with A, ends with D
📖 Storytime style
👂 Can be heard
🎤 Opposite of silent
📚 Common for kids’ books
👄 Spoken clearly
🎙️ Used in public speaking
🧠 Helpful for auditory learners
🎧 Related to audiobooks
👩‍👧 Parent-child bonding time

7 On edge (Answer: TENSE)
😬 5 letters, starts with T, ends with E
😟 Feeling nervous
🧠 Mental strain
⚠️ Preceding conflict often
😨 Tight, like a muscle
🧵 Opposite of relaxed
💥 Leads to snapping
💭 Can describe a mood
📖 Often in thriller plots
😤 Breathing fast

8 Short Instagram video (Answer: REEL)
📱 4 letters, starts with R, ends with L
📷 Found on Instagram
🎞️ Like TikTok, but Meta
🎬 Short-form content
🎥 Visual loop
🎵 Often includes music
👯 Dance trend hub
💡 Can go viral
📲 Swiped vertically
🎭 Comedy skits and tutorials

Down
1 Less colorful (Answer: PALER)
🧴 5 letters, starts with P, ends with R
🎨 Faded in tone
🧑‍🦲 Washed out complexion
🌫️ Not vivid
🩻 Lacking brightness
😷 Could indicate illness
👻 Like a ghost
🖌️ Lightened by mixing white
🧵 Used for skin tone description
📸 Overexposed photo result

2 Layer of the upper atmosphere (Answer: OZONE)
🌍 5 letters, starts with O, ends with E
☀️ Protects from UV rays
🌫️ Thin over Antarctica
🧪 A form of oxygen
🌐 Atmospheric layer
🧴 Referenced in sunscreen ads
🚫 Pollution harms it
📉 Scientists monitor it
🧊 Linked to CFCs
🔬 Found in stratosphere

3 Totally pointless (Answer: NOUSE)
🚫 5 letters, starts with N, ends with E
😑 Completely without value
🔄 No benefit
🧩 Not helpful at all
💬 A waste of words
🛑 Like a broken solution
🧠 Doesn’t make sense
📉 Ineffective effort
🧼 Like washing a clean dish
🗑️ Throwaway idea

4 Hit a high note in a high place, perhaps (Answer: YODEL)
⛰️ 5 letters, starts with Y, ends with L
🎤 Echo in the Alps
👄 Vocal flip
🧑‍🎤 Used in Swiss folk
🗣️ From chest to falsetto
🎶 Heard in “The Sound of Music”
🧭 Alpine musical tradition
🎙️ Lyrical leap
🐐 Goats might hear it
🧑‍🌾 Traditional from herders

5 Kit ___ bar (Answer: KAT)
🍫 3 letters, starts with K, ends with T
📦 Chocolate with four fingers
🎁 “Break me off a piece”
🍬 Crunchy treat
🧊 Found in vending machines
📺 Has catchy ads
🇯🇵 Comes in unique flavors abroad
📦 Red packaging
🎒 School lunch staple
🍴 Requires no utensils