NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for June 15, 1997

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Sunday, June 15, 1997

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, June 15, 1997. 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.

142 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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Saturday, June 14, 1997

across

1. "Ciao": TATA
5. Lock part: HASP
9. Shirt name: IZOD
13. "No return": ASIS
14. More sound: SANER
15. Bibble: TOPE
16. Singer Joan: JETT
17. Yankee Conference locale: ORONO
18. "I will play the ___, and die in music": Emilia: SWAN
19. State Department department: AFRICANAFFAIRS
22. Drinking spot: OASIS
23. Glazed fabric: TILLET
24. Part of N.Y.C.: BOR
26. Assemble: MASS
28. Year in Claudius's rule: LII
29. Red ___: ANT
30. Bit of insincerity: LIPSERVICE
35. Come to: REACH
38. O.T. book: NEH
39. Don Jose, in "Carmen": TENOR
40. Item on a beach head?: BATHINGCAP
43. Circulation increaser: FAN
44. Akkadian god of heaven: ANU
45. Tightfitting: SNUG
47. Prefix with sphere: EXO
48. 1927 Peace Nobelist Ludwig: QUIDDE
51. Famous Roosevelt: GRIER
53. Printer's activity: RUNNINGPRESSES
56. Tucks away: EATS
57. Train track bar: IRAIL
58. Become unhinged: SNAP
60. Daughter of Oceanus: ASIA
61. Green shade: KELLY
62. Curtain shade: ECRU
63. "Boy, is it hot!": PHEW
64. Ancient meeting place: STOA
65. Smart: NEAT

down

1. Atlantic City casino, with "the": TAJ
2. Voyaging: ASEA
3. One way to retaliate: TITFORTAT
4. Kansas motto word: ASTRA
5. On one's case: HARASSING
6. Soon: ANON
7. Where a president presides: SENAT
8. Bio: PROFILE
9. Cry in a grade-B horror movie: ITSALIVE
10. Cry of delight: ZOWIE
11. Some 60's museum exhibits: OPART
12. Hollows: DENS
14. Party: SOCIAL
20. Pagan follower?: ISM
21. Vamp: FLIRT
24. Zinger: BARB
25. Liable to be called: ONEA
27. Builder's sheet: SPECS
31. James Hilton locale: SHANGRILA
32. Something drawn: INFERENCE
33. Soft-soap: COAX
34. "Diane" composer Rapee: ERNO
36. Woods sound, maybe: CHAINSAW
37. Language for 350 million: HINDI
41. Bores: NUDNIKS
42. 100%: PURELY
46. Grunts: GIS
48. Subdue: QUASH
49. Pull strings?: UNTIE
50. Florida bird: EGRET
52. City acquired by Prussia, 1802: ESSEN
53. Bring in: REAP
54. ___ Pinto (Texas county): PALO
55. 1986 #1 hit for Starship: SARA
59. Place: PUT

Hints and full breakdown for Jun 14

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.