diff --git a/src/themes/nyt.css b/src/themes/nyt.css
index 47be1055..a9677edf 100644
--- a/src/themes/nyt.css
+++ b/src/themes/nyt.css
@@ -17,6 +17,18 @@
   --radius-xl: 0;
   --radius-full: 0;
 
+  /* Hairlines, not strokes — controls match the rules between stories. */
+  --border-width: 1px;
+
+  /* Instrument Serif is a condensed display face: at the shared scale its
+     small sizes read a step smaller than other themes', so lift the low end. */
+  --text-2xs: 0.78rem;
+  --text-xs: 0.86rem;
+  --text-sm: 0.94rem;
+  --text-md: 1rem;
+  --text-base: 1.06rem;
+  --text-lg: 1.2rem;
+
   --color-text: light-dark(#121212, #e6e6e6);
   --color-text-secondary: light-dark(#5a5a5a, #ababab);
   --color-text-muted: light-dark(#767676, #8a8a8a);
@@ -53,6 +65,10 @@
   font-family: var(--font-body);
   font-weight: 400;
   line-height: 1.5;
+  /* Single weight, no small caps: never let the browser fake either — a
+     smeared faux bold or spindly faux small caps give the typeface away.
+     Hierarchy comes from size, italics and capitals instead. */
+  font-synthesis: none;
 }
 
 /* This theme squares everything off — opt the FAB into a square too (it keeps
@@ -114,28 +130,27 @@
   text-underline-offset: 2px;
 }
 
-/* ── Section labels — sentence case, no shouty caps ──────────────── */
+/* ── Kickers — section labels & badges in spaced capitals ───────── */
 [data-style="nyt"] .comment-section-title,
 [data-style="nyt"] .related-section-title,
 [data-style="nyt"] .form-page-eyebrow,
-[data-style="nyt"] .feed-sort-btn,
-[data-style="nyt"] .category-switcher-option,
-[data-style="nyt"] .follow-btn,
 [data-style="nyt"] .playlist-badge,
 [data-style="nyt"] .dump-card-private-badge,
 [data-style="nyt"] .notif-group-label,
-[data-style="nyt"] .dump-card-date,
-[data-style="nyt"] .journal-card-meta {
-  text-transform: none;
-  font-variant-caps: small-caps;
-  font-size: 90%;
-  letter-spacing: 0;
+[data-style="nyt"] .follow-btn {
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.08em;
 }
 
-[data-style="nyt"] .comment-section-title,
-[data-style="nyt"] .related-section-title,
-[data-style="nyt"] .form-page-eyebrow {
-  font-weight: 700;
+/* ── Datelines — the serif's real italic, in muted ink ────────────── */
+[data-style="nyt"] .dump-card-date,
+[data-style="nyt"] .journal-card-meta,
+[data-style="nyt"] .comment-time,
+[data-style="nyt"] .notification-time,
+[data-style="nyt"] .dump-edited-label {
+  text-transform: none;
+  letter-spacing: 0;
+  font-style: italic;
 }
 
 /* ── Lead note — a standfirst with an editorial drop cap ─────────── */
@@ -369,7 +384,10 @@
   border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;
   background: none;
   color: var(--color-text-muted);
-  padding: 0.2rem 0.15rem;
+  padding: 0.2rem 0.1rem;
+  margin: 0 0.3rem;
+  font-weight: 400;
+  letter-spacing: 0.1em; /* condensed caps need more air than the default */
 }
 [data-style="nyt"] .feed-sort-btn:hover {
   background: none;