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NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for November 18, 1998

Wednesday, November 18, 1998

By Last updated How we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, November 18, 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

  1. 15

    Red shade

  2. 17
  3. 19
  4. 23

    Sphere

  5. 36
  6. 44

    Valley

  7. 46

    Young man

  8. 51
  9. 68

    Whirlpool

  10. 69

    Moist

Down clues & answers

  1. 2

    Apiece

  2. 4

    "Cool!"

  3. 5

    Obstinate

  4. 7

    Downtime

  5. 13
  6. 22

    Ham it up

  7. 25
  8. 29

    Not up

  9. 32
  10. 39

    Some jets

  11. 41

    Busybody

  12. 49
  13. 52

    Split

  14. 55

    Alum

  15. 56

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Previous The Crossword answer

Tuesday, November 17, 1998

across

  • 1. Carried on: WAGED
  • 6. "Think Fast, Mr. ___" (1937 mystery): MOTO
  • 10. Dour: GLUM
  • 14. Single-handedly: ALONE
  • 15. "...and make it snappy!": ASAP
  • 16. Field of work: LINE
  • 17. Poles, e.g.: SLAVS
  • 18. Fingerprint or dropped handkerchief, say: CLUE
  • 19. Kimono sashes: OBIS
  • 20. Oppose: LOCKHORNSWITH
  • 23. Some ancient writings: PAPYRI
  • 25. Exploit: USE
  • 26. Just-passing grade: DEE
  • 27. Gone by: AGO
  • 28. Mournful cries: YOWLS
  • 31. Drudges: PLODS
  • 33. Dinner at boot camp: MESS
  • 35. The Baltic, e.g.: SEA
  • 36. Home on the farm: STY
  • 37. Wall Street fixture: STOCKEXCHANGE
  • 42. Exclamations of regret: AHS
  • 43. Bud's pal: LOU
  • 44. Empty, in math: NULL
  • 46. "Amerika" author: KAFKA
  • 49. Film critic Jeffrey: LYONS
  • 51. The Greatest: ALI
  • 52. Lofty lyric: ODE
  • 53. Utter: SAY
  • 55. Asian capital: TEHRAN
  • 57. Like some tenors: BARRELCHESTED
  • 61. Mean one: OGRE
  • 62. Compote fruit: PEAR
  • 63. Fine suit material: TWILL
  • 66. Property claim: LIEN
  • 67. Island dance: HULA
  • 68. Bequeath: LEAVE
  • 69. Lavish affection (on): DOTE
  • 70. Site of Iowa State: AMES
  • 71. Bud Grace comic strip: ERNIE

down

  • 1. Is no longer: WAS
  • 2. "Is that ___?": ALL
  • 3. Kicker's target: GOALPOST
  • 4. Accredited diplomat: ENVOY
  • 5. Catch sight of: DESCRY
  • 6. Jet speed measure: MACH
  • 7. Capital near the 60th parallel: OSLO
  • 8. Ford debut of 1988: TAURUS
  • 9. Makes the first bid: OPENS
  • 10. Gentle firelight: GLOW
  • 11. Psychic energy, to Freud: LIBIDO
  • 12. Married: UNITED
  • 13. Interlocks: MESHES
  • 21. Newsstands: KIOSKS
  • 22. Nasal partitions: SEPTA
  • 23. Tennis's Shriver: PAM
  • 24. Census data: AGES
  • 29. Teeny: WEE
  • 30. Without strict oversight: LAXLY
  • 32. Boston suburb: LYNN
  • 34. Overcharge, slangily: SOAK
  • 36. Railroad switches: SHUNTS
  • 38. Many a climactic movie scene: CHASE
  • 39. Dove's cry: COO
  • 40. Protector: GUARDIAN
  • 41. Raines of 40's-50's film: ELLA
  • 45. Author ___ Yutang: LIN
  • 46. German goblin: KOBOLD
  • 47. Slow ballet dance: ADAGIO
  • 48. Animal that drives rabbits from their burrows: FERRET
  • 49. Lecture hall: LYCEUM
  • 50. Not demand everything one wants: SETTLE
  • 54. Beginning: ALPHA
  • 56. Tree cutter: HEWER
  • 58. Actor Auberjonois: RENE
  • 59. Sound in body: HALE
  • 60. Times to live through: ERAS
  • 64. 56, to Flavius: LVI
  • 65. Grant's opposite: LEE
Hints and full breakdown for Nov 17

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.