NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 31, 1998

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Tuesday, March 31, 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 Tuesday, March 31, 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.

76 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, March 30, 1998

across

1. Major no-no: TABOO
6. Fruity pastry: TART
10. Superdeluxe: POSH
14. Primitive weapon: SPEAR
15. Brainstorm: IDEA
16. Have the throne: RULE
17. Rural dance: POLKA
18. Like a seven-footer: TALL
19. They give people big heads: EGOS
20. Fast-paced card game: CRAZYEIGHTS
23. Having three unequal sides, as a triangle: SCALENE
26. Act like aloe: SOOTHE
27. SOS lights: FLARES
28. Use an ax: HEW
29. German auto: AUDI
30. Austen novel made into a 1996 movie: EMMA
33. Most-wanted group of attendees: ALIST
38. Wear one's best: DRESSTOTHENINES
41. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE
42. Ewes' calls: BAAS
43. Chase Manhattan, e.g.: BANK
44. Proofs of age, for short: IDS
46. Dictation takers: STENOS
48. Esoteric: ARCANE
52. Kleptomaniac: STEALER
54. Gymnasts' quests: PERFECTTENS
56. Banned apple spray: ALAR
57. Pitcher Hershiser: OREL
58. Dueler's sword: SABER
63. Roman philosopher: CATO
64. "___ M for Murder": DIAL
65. Like some piano keys: EBONY
66. Larry King has a few: EXES
67. Award for Oprah: EMMY
68. Renter's paper: LEASE

down

1. Sugar amt.: TSP
2. Part of a milit. address: APO
3. Actress Barbara ___ Geddes: BEL
4. Acorn, eventually: OAK
5. Seer: ORACLE
6. Mythical giant: TITAN
7. In ___ (befuddled): ADAZE
8. Count (on): RELY
9. "Thy Neighbor's Wife" author: TALESE
10. Ragú competitor: PREGO
11. Should, with "to": OUGHT
12. Animal that sleeps upside-down: SLOTH
13. Literature Nobelist Hermann: HESSE
21. Bowler's button: RESET
22. Des Moines native: IOWAN
23. "Yellow-bellied coward" and others: SLURS
24. West Point drillee: CADET
25. Stand up: ARISE
27. Lose color: FADE
28. More than a tee-hee: HAHA
31. Sale scenes: MOBS
32. N.Y.C. subway manager: MTA
34. Newspaper no-no: LIBEL
35. Nonsensical: INANE
36. Man of La Mancha: SENOR
37. Head-shakers' syllables: TSKS
39. Paris bisector: SEINE
40. German industrial city: ESSEN
45. Read, as enemy messages: DECODE
47. Mortarboard part: TASSEL
48. With speed: APACE
49. "Take it easy": RELAX
50. Egg protector: CRATE
51. 60's-70's coifs: AFROS
52. Fulton's power: STEAM
53. What to watch the BBC on: TELLY
55. Quick haircut: TRIM
59. Pres. Lincoln: ABE
60. Showy scarf: BOA
61. Ems followers: ENS
62. Seedy loaf: RYE

Hints and full breakdown for Mar 30

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.