NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 8, 2004

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, May 8, 2004

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, May 8, 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.

70 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

1
Fair
10
Paul Gallico title character
15
Peace Memorial Museum locale
16
Extinct Algonquian
17
A trust may reduce it
18
Dismay
19
"Hair" tune
20
Circulation aid
22
Grand Prix feature
23
Richard Gere title role of 2000
24
It turns out lts.
25
"Children of the Albatross" author
26
Stagnation
28
Abbr. before a number
29
It looks bad on the surface
30
Not flabby
31
Stand
33
Old-fashioned alternative
35
"Remain calm"
38
Rationed
42
Victim of Polyphemus, in myth
43
Name on an oval
44
Fillet
45
30-day span: Abbr.
46
Trash
47
Rapper MC ___
48
Port Huron Statement org.
49
Run into
52
A/C measure
53
Situation in which only 56-Across is occupied
54
Hardly relaxed
56
See 53-Across
57
Hard thing to fill
58
Takes nothing in
59
Discount clothing store chain

Down clues & answers

1
Tops
2
Meets
3
Crafty one?
4
Druggist for whom some commercial pills are named
5
It's not exact: Abbr.
6
Cuts
7
Number-starting prompt
8
Taliban mullah
9
Gush, in a way
10
Opposite of deplete
11
They may be put in stitches
12
Noted Chilean island
13
Ezra Pound, e.g.
14
Honorable start?
21
"Not with ___ the heart is broken": Emily Dickinson
23
Styled
27
They branch off
28
___ tree
29
Loser
31
Some office attire
32
Guys in promotion
34
Geological depression
35
Leave quickly
36
Totalitarian state in "1984"
37
Some playful pooches
39
Taqueria offering
40
Software developer's concern
41
What a loser may skip
44
Alaska's ___ National Park
46
Auto damage
47
"Good Times" star, on 70's TV
50
Place on duty
51
Surveyor's work
52
Landscaping screen
55
Host

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Previous The Crossword answer

Friday, May 7, 2004

across

1. Hold on (to): ADHERE
7. On a par with: ASGOODAS
15. Expensive wheels: BEEMER
16. Right on: SQUARELY
17. Bewitch: ENAMOR
18. Stop suddenly: QUITCOLD
19. Bumper cars and such: RIDES
20. Put down: QUASH
21. Put on: DON
22. Chapter 11 issue: DEBT
23. Albéniz's "Iberia," e.g.: SUITE
24. Game-ending word: MATE
25. E-mail suffix: EDU
26. Stock yards: STIES
27. Rocking toy, to a kid: HORSY
28. Old comics girl: ETTAKETT
30. Male delivery?: SON
31. Be indifferent about: NOTGIVEAHOOTFOR
36. Suffix with duct: ILE
37. Deep blue: SAPPHIRE
38. Volunteer's phrase: IWILL
41. Level connections: RAMPS
42. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS
43. "Caro ___" ("Rigoletto" aria): NOME
44. "Mmm, mmm, good!": YUMMY
45. Shower: PELT
46. Follow: DOG
47. Steinbeck characters: HOBOS
48. Vacation concern: HOTEL
49. Lyric sung three times in a row in the Beatles' "Michelle": ILOVEYOU
51. Beyond standard: DELUXE
52. Giving: GENEROUS
53. Rings: ARENAS
54. All it takes to convince you, in some ads: ONETASTE
55. Connection providers: MODEMS

down

1. South Dakota city: ABERDEEN
2. Kept from: DENIEDTO
3. Ram: HEADBUTT
4. Irish revolutionary Robert: EMMET
5. 1930's Royales: REOS
6. Go wrong: ERR
7. Unobtrusive: ASQUIETASAMOUSE
8. Weightlifting exercises: SQUATS
9. Pretense: GUISE
10. Promising words: OATH
11. Fictional ogre: ORC
12. Himalayan cedar: DEODAR
13. Gives out: ALLOTS
14. Gateway to Australia: SYDNEY
20. Rather: QUITE
23. Wozniak who co-founded Apple Computer: STEVE
24. Billing cycle: MONTH
26. Forte: SKILL
27. Gym game: HOOPS
29. Gazellelike: AGILE
30. Mawkish: SOPPY
32. Beer brand: HAMMS
33. Tweak: FINETUNE
34. Dentist's procedure: ORALEXAM
35. Fidgety: RESTLESS
38. Deep blue: INDIGO
39. Like a beret, usually: WOOLEN
40. "Later!": IMGONE
41. Waste: RUBOUT
44. They may give you many happy returns: YOYOS
45. Punted: POLED
47. Vindictive goddess: HERA
48. Paladin: HERO
50. Thoroughly investigate: VET
51. It's water resistant: DAM

Hints and full breakdown for May 7

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.