NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 20, 1998

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Friday, March 20, 1998

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:32 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, March 20, 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.

72 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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Thursday, March 19, 1998

across

1. Socked away: STASHED
8. Nickname in magazine publishing: HEF
11. Live longer?: AGE
14. Drive back and forth: COMMUTE
15. Secretive org.: IRA
16. Abbr. on highway overpasses: MAX
17. School phrase with a clue to this puzzle's theme: AMOAMASAMAT
19. Dadaist Jean: ARP
20. Auto pioneer Karl: BENZ
21. Prom rental: LIMO
22. Texas leaguer?: ASTRO
24. With 12-Down, a "Tootsie" co-star: TERI
26. Magic charm: AMULET
28. Cry in Kronenberg: ACH
30. Mare fare: OATS
32. Pays for more Time: RENEWS
35. Kind of call: CLOSE
37. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA
39. Take a turn around the track, maybe: TROT
40. Rapids transit?: RAFT
41. 10 out of 10: IDEAL
42. Character: ROLE
43. To be, for students of 17-Across: ESSE
44. City WSW of Warsaw: LODZ
45. Faux pas: GAFFE
46. Sudden growths: SPURTS
48. Porgy's woman: BESS
50. Cincy player: RED
51. "Bonanza" setting: NEVADA
53. Relaxation: EASE
55. Congratulations: KUDOS
57. Old one: Ger.: ALTE
59. Slip ___ (err): ACOG
62. ___ turning point: ATA
63. 1981 Ross/Richie #1 hit: ENDLESSLOVE
66. Word before team: YAY
67. Poet Hughes: TED
68. Hot and dry: SAHARAN
69. Fun house cries: OHS
70. It's a mess: STY
71. Silly talk: TWADDLE

down

1. Healing sign: SCAB
2. Heavy reading?: TOME
3. Long time metaphor: AMONTHOFSUNDAYS
4. Sun block?: SMAZE
5. Be busy, as a bee: HUM
6. And others: ETALIA
7. He loved Lucy: DESI
8. Words mouthed to a TV camera: HIMOM
9. Particular time: ERA
10. Femme ___: FATALE
11. It's on public file: AMATTEROFRECORD
12. See 24-Across: GARR
13. Big showcase: EXPO
18. Verdi opera: AMASKEDBALL
23. Nissan model: SENTRA
25. School starters?: ROE
27. Russian river: URAL
28. Farmland: ACRES
29. Handshake: CLASP
31. Spat: TODO
33. Author Tom or Thomas: WOLFE
34. Charger: STEED
36. Two-track: STEREO
38. Bring down the house?: RAZE
41. Mrs. Victor Laszlo: ILSA
45. Govt. property overseer: GSA
47. Tellies: TVSETS
49. Go up and down: SEESAW
52. Pop: DADDY
54. Bar creation: SALAD
55. Send to the canvas: KAYO
56. Young legacy?: UTAH
58. Try: TEST
60. Roundish: OVAL
61. It may be dominant: GENE
64. Bring in: NET
65. ___ Na Na: SHA

Hints and full breakdown for Mar 19

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.