Saturday, May 9, 2026 |

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Katie Hoody’s New York Times crossword — Amy’s recap

NY Times crossword solution, 5/9/26 – no. 0509

This constructor’s Boswords Spring Themeless League puzzle (with Stormy division clues) kicked my butt so I approached this one with trepidation. Whew! This one took a little more than half as long as that Boswords puzzle. Felt like a typical Saturday NYT rather than a killer.

Fave fill: ALCHEMISTS, KINDA SORTA MAYBE, SCARY MOVIE, MAKEUP GAME, STRAWBERRY SHAKE, ROOFTOP BAR, ARI SHAPIRO, WENT ON TOUR. Not keen on arbitrary YOU’RE EARLY, plural ARFS, the ESTER-ARIL one-two crosswordese punch, LEO I (both a pope and a Roman emperor at the same time?).

Five more things, including some great clues:

• 52D. [Won land], KOREA. Won is a noun here, the unit of currency in South KOREA.
• 60D. [Certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, in brief], LEED. Does this still exist?
• 34A. [Like something no money can buy], FREE. If someone else bought it to give it to you, then “like something no money can buy” doesn’t really apply, does it?
• 51A. [Great find in the candy aisle, by the sound of it], SKOR. “Score!”
• 65A. [Postponed court date?], MAKEUP GAME. Not a courtroom but a tennis, basketball, volleyball, etc., court.

3.75 stars from me.