NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 1, 1998

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Thursday, January 1, 1998

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:34 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, January 1, 1998. 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.

74 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.

WhatsApp X Reddit

Previous The Crossword answer

Wednesday, December 31, 1997

across

1. Use a postscript: ADD
4. Turkish Empire founder: OSMAN
9. Sail extender: SPRIT
14. Place to do some gamboling: LEA
15. ___ Island: RHODE
16. See 31-Down: ARENA
17. Campus climber: IVY
18. Workaholic's memoir?: LOVEOFLABOR
20. Greet the villain: BOO
21. Land of 47-Down: ERIN
22. Sites for rites: ALTARS
23. Exaggerate: INFLATE
25. Soft cheese: BRIE
26. Gaunt: BONY
27. Hardly boisterous: TAME
28. Nourished: FED
31. Marine ___: CORPS
33. Essential: NECESSARY
35. Ancient theaters: ODEA
36. Man of the casa: SENOR
37. 1982 sci-fi flick: TRON
38. Cargo quantities: BOATLOADS
40. "Don't You Know" singer: REESE
41. Where Mindy honeymooned: ORK
42. Fine things?: ARTS
43. ___ Alto: PALO
44. Pituitary hormone: ACTH
45. In 25 words or less: BRIEFLY
48. "My pleasure!": GLADTO
51. Unfruitful: ARID
52. Drone, e.g.: BEE
53. Seasoning specialist's memoir?: LIFEOFSPICE
55. Muldaur's "___ Woman": IMA
56. Tombstone brothers: EARPS
57. Former S.A.G. president: ASNER
58. 50 degrees, say: Abbr.: LAT
59. Chew the scenery: EMOTE
60. Cooper role: DEEDS
61. Fleur-de-___: LYS

down

1. Way out: ALIBI
2. English cattle breed: DEVON
3. Escaped con's memoir?: DAYOFBREAK
4. City liberated by Joan of Arc: ORLEANS
5. Unlikely nickname in the N.B.A.: SHORTY
6. Three-reeler, e.g.: MOVIE
7. Mideast's Gulf of ___: ADEN
8. Classical start: NEO
9. Military movements: SALLIES
10. Chatter: PRATE
11. First name in country music: REBA
12. "___ out?": INOR
13. Crewmen: TARS
19. Dell dweller: FARMER
24. Yankee junkball pitcher: LOPAT
25. Crunchy salad toppers: BACOS
27. Watches: TENDS
28. Clinton chef's memoir?: FAREOFBILL
29. Passion personified: EROS
30. Unit of force: DYNE
31. With 16-Across, where the Pistons used to play: COBO
32. Skunk's defense: ODOR
33. Not o'er: NEATH
34. Inscribed pillar: STELE
36. Somewhat: SORTOF
39. What some folks can't tolerate: LACTOSE
40. 1984 Super Bowl champs: RAIDERS
43. Did comparison shopping: PRICED
44. Skillful: ADEPT
45. Pickle juice: BRINE
46. Longtime SAC chief: LEMAY
47. "The Winding Stair" poet: YEATS
48. Exuberance: GLEE
49. Actor Neeson: LIAM
50. 70's do: AFRO
51. Church part: APSE
54. Woeful: SAD

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 31

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.