NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 29, 1998

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

Friday, May 29, 1998

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:31 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, May 29, 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.

68 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, May 28, 1998

across

1. "Love handles": FLAB
5. Leave helpless with laughter: SLAY
9. Cornwall, for one: SHIRE
14. Cabin spot: LAKE
15. Give an edge to: HONE
16. Throw a party for, say: HONOR
17. With 29-, 46- and 59-Across, welcome after-dinner words: OURGUESTSPEAKER
20. Pizarro's quest: ORO
21. Priceless?: FREE
22. Careless: LAX
23. Indiscriminate: RANDOM
25. Boozehound: SOT
26. Former French coin: SOU
29. See 17-Across: ISAMANWHOHAS
33. "___ voltaje!" (Spanish warning): ALTO
36. Reply to the Little Red Hen: NOTI
37. Clear: ERASE
38. Kind of loser: BORN
39. 1983 Indy 500 winner Tom: SNEVA
41. State: AVER
42. The way of all flesh?: AGING
44. Burr-Hamilton event: DUEL
45. Hardy heroine: TESS
46. See 17-Across: TOBEONAPLANE
49. Amarillo-to-Dallas dir.: ESE
50. "Whew!": BOY
51. Sketch from scratch: REDRAW
55. Ring king: ALI
56. V.I.P. vehicle: LIMO
58. Chopper: AXE
59. See 17-Across: INTHIRTYMINUTES
64. Half a 60's-70's TV duo: ROWAN
65. France's Savoy ___: ALPS
66. Expensively finished: GILT
67. Radio features: KNOBS
68. "Surely you ___!": JEST
69. One of the Cartwright boys: HOSS

down

1. Absolutely astound: FLOOR
2. Author ___ Ingalls Wilder: LAURA
3. Headquarters for Ohio Edison: AKRON
4. Panhandle: BEG
5. Some W.W. II tanks: SHERMANS
6. Waste: LOSE
7. It's a start: ANTE
8. "You betcha!": YES
9. Put away, in a way: SHEATHE
10. Major prank: HOAX
11. Publicity, so to speak: INK
12. Fish eggs: ROE
13. Slip: ERR
18. Abduction sites, supposedly: UFOS
19. Winter truck accessory: PLOW
24. Quint's name: DIONNE
25. Whimper: SNIVEL
26. Get rid of a shadow: SHAVE
27. Travelers' stopovers: OASES
28. Computerphiles: USERS
30. When repeated, a Mamas and the Papas hit: MONDAY
31. Enjoyed immensely: ATEUP
32. Became a figure of speech?: ORATED
33. Diminish: ABATE
34. Corporate symbols: LOGOS
35. Extended family: TRIBE
40. Chicken Little, e.g.: ALARMIST
43. Mischievous sprites: GOBLINS
47. Film genre: NOIR
48. Eye-catching sign: NEON
52. Relationship: RATIO
53. Figure skating leaps: AXELS
54. Adam and Mae: WESTS
55. King in I Kings: AHAB
56. Singer Lovett: LYLE
57. Rascals: IMPS
59. Get one's goat: IRK
60. Québec vote: NON
61. Couple: TWO
62. ___ Mahal: TAJ
63. Terse "review": UGH

Hints and full breakdown for May 28

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.