NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 7, 1996

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Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Tuesday, May 7, 1996

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:44 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, May 7, 1996. The daily crossword is the classic: a 15×15 grid on weekdays and a larger Sunday puzzle, with difficulty rising from a gentle Monday to a fiendish Saturday. Hints come first and the solution stays hidden until you ask for it.

78 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Monday, May 6, 1996

across

1. Garden tools: HOES
5. Famous cookie maker: AMOS
9. Where to hang a hat: PEG
12. It's west of Ark.: OKLA
13. Nominates: NAMES
15. Wahine's dance: HULA
16. Financial district: WALLSTREET
18. Award for a sitcom: EMMY
19. Old cleaning substance: LYE
20. In tatters: TORN
21. Slip by: ELAPSE
23. Overly thin: BONY
24. Impish kid: BRAT
25. Yellow bird: CANARY
28. Snubbed: SLIGHTED
32. By oneself: ALONE
33. Announcer's cry at a soccer match: GOAL
34. Burn: CHAR
35. Item on a to-do list: TASK
36. Kind of juice: PRUNE
37. Minstrel's accompaniment: LUTE
38. Give off: EMIT
39. Split: REND
40. Mosaic components: TILES
41. Grudge carrier: SOREHEAD
43. Errand runners: GOFERS
44. Needing directions: LOST
45. Explore, as the Internet: SURF
46. Cell centers: NUCLEI
49. Lhasa___ (dog): APSO
50. Actress Dawber: PAM
53. Plowing unit: ACRE
54. She said "Mmmmmwah" at the end of her shows: DINAHSHORE
57. Smear: BLUR
58. Comic Kovacs: ERNIE
59. Fitzgerald who sang "A-Tisket, A-Tasket": ELLA
60. Wailing horn: SAX
61. Castle material: SAND
62. Irrelevant: MOOT

down

1. Sound from a coyote: HOWL
2. "You bet!": OKAY
3. Model Macpherson: ELLE
4. Actor Mineo: SAL
5. Cleopatra's love: ANTONY
6. Get hitched: MARRY
7. Augury: OMEN
8. "___you later!": SEE
9. Ship's engine part: PUMP
10. Street shaders: ELMS
11. Singer Marvin: GAYE
14. Free of germs: STERILE
15. Bronte hero: HEATHCLIFF
17. Warehouse: STORE
22. Fall behind: LAG
23. One with many bills: BANKTELLER
24. Insipid: BLAND
25. Actress Phoebe: CATES
26. Crockett's last stand, with "the": ALAMO
27. Plebe's answer: NOSIR
28. In good condition: SOUND
29. Greenland military base: THULE
30. Restaurant patron: EATER
31. Gown: DRESS
33. Like some grandparents: GREAT
36. Have the chair: PRESIDE
40. Bullring bulls: TOROS
42. Weed eliminator: HOE
43. Spoke effusively: GUSHED
45. Toledo's location: SPAIN
46. Catches red-handed: NABS
47. Bruins of the N.C.A.A.: UCLA
48. Pivotal point: CRUX
49. "___Karenina": ANNA
50. Informal shirt: POLO
51. Guthrie the younger: ARLO
52. Butcher's stock: MEAT
55. Tax people, for short: IRS
56. Haw's partner: HEM

Hints and full breakdown for May 6

More daily puzzle hints

How the week is built

Monday and Tuesday: straightforward definitions and familiar answers. These are the best days to learn.
Wednesday: a step up, often with a playful theme.
Thursday: the trick day, with rebus squares (several letters in one square) and answers that turn corners or skip squares.
Friday and Saturday: themeless and tough, with sly clues and long open sections.
Sunday: a bigger 21×21 grid with a theme, about as hard as a Wednesday or Thursday.

Crossword-solving habits worth building

Learn the common fill. Short vowel-heavy words such as ERA, OREO, ALOE and ETNA appear constantly because they help constructors connect sections.
Read clue signals. "?" means wordplay, "Abbr." means an abbreviation, "e.g." means an example of a category, and a foreign word in the clue hints at a foreign answer.
Find the theme. The longest answers usually share a gimmick; the title (on Sundays) or a "revealer" clue explains it.
Erase without fear. When crossings don't work, the wrong letter is usually in the answer you were most confident about.
Use targeted help. Reveal one letter here, or try our crossword solver with a pattern like ?R?S?.

The Crossword FAQ

When is the next crossword released?

Weekday puzzles go live at 10 p.m. Eastern Time the night before; weekend puzzles are released earlier in the evening.

What is a rebus square?

A square that holds more than one letter. Sometimes it holds a whole word or a symbol. They are most common on Thursdays.

Which day is the hardest?

Saturday is generally the hardest, followed by Friday. Sunday is larger but closer to midweek difficulty.

Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive.