NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 9, 2002
Thursday, May 9, 2002
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, May 9, 2002. 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.
Across clues & answers
- 13
- 43
- 60
- 68
Down clues & answers
- 10
- 22
- 48
- 53
- 58
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, May 8, 2002
across
- 1. They may be jerked: SODAS
- 6. Leisurely time to arrive at work: TENAM
- 11. Sounds at a masseur's: AHS
- 14. Ten sawbucks: CNOTE
- 15. Deposed leader, perhaps: EXILE
- 16. Web search result: HIT
- 17. Cereal for squirrels?: ACORNFLAKES
- 19. Ethyl ender: ENE
- 20. Distribute anew: REDEAL
- 21. Vicente Fox's country: Abbr.: MEX
- 22. Miami-___ County: DADE
- 23. See 34-Down: STAR
- 25. Evaluated: SIZEDUP
- 27. Like the lunar surface: CRATERED
- 31. Enrapture: SEND
- 32. Down for the count: OUT
- 33. Become established: SETIN
- 35. Jocks' antitheses: NERDS
- 38. Tuck away: STOW
- 40. Hunk of fairway: DIVOT
- 42. Shade of red: BEET
- 43. Sunni's belief: ISLAM
- 45. Expressed orally: PAROL
- 47. The Mustangs' sch.: SMU
- 48. Wasn't straight: LIED
- 50. Prepares for a rough ride: STRAPSIN
- 52. Olympics vehicle: BOBSLED
- 55. Clinton's birthplace: HOPE
- 56. Oodles: ALOT
- 57. "A jealous mistress": Emerson: ART
- 59. Tens, perhaps: IDEALS
- 63. Natural leader, in astrology: LEO
- 64. Perfumed actress?: AROMADOWNEY
- 66. One who can't pass the bar?: SOT
- 67. Penalized: FINED
- 68. Advance in age: GETON
- 69. Silvery-gray: ASH
- 70. Most mall rats: TEENS
- 71. Site of two famous banks: SEINE
down
- 1. Lasting impression: SCAR
- 2. "___ bitten ...": ONCE
- 3. "I ___ it!": Red Skelton: DOOD
- 4. Motionless: ATREST
- 5. Legislative houses: SENATES
- 6. Business card abbr.: TEL
- 7. Physical, e.g.: EXAM
- 8. Some sneaks: NIKES
- 9. Joan's "Dynasty" role: ALEXIS
- 10. ___ amis: MES
- 11. Futuristic woman's chapeau?: AHEADDRESS
- 12. Yoga practitioner: HINDU
- 13. Hardly cheap: STEEP
- 18. Erupted suddenly: FLARED
- 22. Star in Cygnus: DENEB
- 24. Fix, as a pool cue: RETIP
- 26. Buddhist sect: ZEN
- 27. "___ fan tutte": COSI
- 28. Where wheels roll: RUTS
- 29. Island's source of revenue?: ATOLLBOOTH
- 30. Temperamental types: DIVAS
- 34. With 23-Across, a guiding light: NORTH
- 36. Prefix with god: DEMI
- 37. Leave speechless: STUN
- 39. Place for a spare tire?: WAIST
- 41. Doughnut-shaped: TOROID
- 44. Sportscaster Allen: MEL
- 46. Mini-pooches: LAPDOGS
- 49. Snookums: DEARIE
- 51. Kind of league: PEEWEE
- 52. Corkwood: BALSA
- 53. Dinner substitutes: OLEOS
- 54. Hive member: DRONE
- 58. Some feds: TMEN
- 60. Opposed to: ANTI
- 61. Boxer Spinks: LEON
- 62. New Year's word: SYNE
- 64. Time in 65-Down: AFT
- 65. Want ___: ADS
More daily puzzle hints
- WordleGuess the five-letter word in six triesGuide & tips
- ConnectionsSort 16 words into four hidden groupsGuide & tips
- StrandsFind the themed words hidden in a letter gridGuide & tips
- Spelling BeeMake words from seven letters around a center letterGuide & tips
- Mini CrosswordA bite-size crossword you can finish over coffeeGuide & tips
- Connections: Sports EditionConnections with a sports-only word poolGuide & tips
- Letter BoxedChain words around a square using all 12 lettersGuide & tips
- Midi CrosswordThe mid-size crossword between the Mini and the dailyGuide & tips
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.