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NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for April 24, 2004

Saturday, April 24, 2004

By Last updated How we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, April 24, 2004. 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

  1. 1
  2. 4

    Bondsman

  3. 19

    Retract

  4. 22

    Web-___

  5. 25

    Spring

  6. 30

    Zap

  7. 38

    Speed

  8. 41
  9. 52

    Yields

  10. 53

    Overlong

  11. 59
  12. 60
  13. 61

    Sharp

Down clues & answers

  1. 3

    Cleared

  2. 4

    Alter

  3. 7

    Angle

  4. 15

    Scholar

  5. 28

    Brings in

  6. 37
  7. 43
  8. 55

    Creeper

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Previous The Crossword answer

Friday, April 23, 2004

across

  • 1. Interest amounts: ACCRUALS
  • 9. Show astonishment: GOGGLE
  • 15. Bargain for leniency: COPAPLEA
  • 16. Unlikely to judge: AMORAL
  • 17. Exit indicator, e.g.: ROADSIGN
  • 18. "Grand" place: BAHAMA
  • 19. Cab alternatives: ELS
  • 20. ___ Sea, near the Greater Barsuki Desert: ARAL
  • 22. London production: NOVEL
  • 23. Don't dawdle: LOSENOTIME
  • 26. "Whew!": OHMAN
  • 29. Drop-off point: EDGE
  • 30. Nevada's second-largest county: ELKO
  • 33. Gob: SEADOG
  • 35. First name in Hollywood dirt: RONA
  • 37. Rehearsed: PAT
  • 38. Get to know: MAKEFRIENDSWITH
  • 41. Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne's "___ Never Forgotten": IVE
  • 42. Kind of bean: FAVA
  • 43. Opposite of fluster: SOOTHE
  • 44. Tax, in Britain: CESS
  • 46. Symbol of domination: FIST
  • 48. G.I.'s reply: NOSIR
  • 49. Ashen: WHITEFACED
  • 52. Noted diamond family: ALOUS
  • 54. Casa part: SALA
  • 55. End of a parent's order: NOW
  • 58. #39 in a series: CARTER
  • 60. Final proposals: ULTIMATA
  • 63. Protect: INSURE
  • 64. Makes a party to: LETSINON
  • 65. Excavate: DEEPEN
  • 66. Do some courtroom work: TRYACASE

down

  • 1. Some of a lot: ACRE
  • 2. Hip: COOL
  • 3. They often fill out schedules: CPAS
  • 4. 90's kids' catchword: RAD
  • 5. Good times: UPS
  • 6. Criminal's creation: ALIAS
  • 7. Stowe villain: LEGREE
  • 8. Source of some serious shaking: SANANDREASFAULT
  • 9. Tittle-tattle: GAB
  • 10. Rial spender: OMANI
  • 11. "Get out of here!": GOHOME
  • 12. Quarrying locales: GRAVELPITS
  • 13. Pathetic: LAME
  • 14. It's known for its security: ELAL
  • 21. What some surfers do: LOGON
  • 23. Put on cargo: LADE
  • 24. Switch words: ONOFF
  • 25. Inclines: TENDS
  • 26. With 52-Down, microscopic staining compound: OSMIC
  • 27. Pitch: HEAVE
  • 28. Aggravates: MAKESWORSE
  • 31. Blues singer McDonald: KATHI
  • 32. Survey category: OTHER
  • 34. Payola: GRAFT
  • 36. Not separately: ASONE
  • 39. Wallflower producers?: IVIES
  • 40. Club option: WOOD
  • 45. "Zip it!": SHUTUP
  • 47. More fanciful: TALLER
  • 50. Alpine river: ISERE
  • 51. Malicious: CATTY
  • 52. See 26-Down: ACID
  • 53. Track assignment: LANE
  • 55. Baby spoiler, perhaps: NANA
  • 56. Platte River people: OTOS
  • 57. Draw to a close: WANE
  • 59. Cartoon canine: REN
  • 61. "What ___ Man?" ("Pal Joey" tune): ISA
  • 62. Hearing aid, briefly: MIC
Hints and full breakdown for Apr 23

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.