NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 5, 2004
Thursday, August 5, 2004
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, August 5, 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.
Across clues & answers
- 29
- 55
- 69
Down clues & answers
- 24
- 31
- 37
- 43
- 46
- 51
- 52
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, August 4, 2004
across
- 1. Variety of guitar: DOBRO
- 6. Walked (on): TROD
- 10. Touches with a live wire: ZAPS
- 14. Volcanic creation: ISLET
- 15. Part to play: ROLE
- 16. Jacques's steady: AMIE
- 17. Make smooth: PLANE
- 18. Crude org.: OPEC
- 19. Mushroom cap part: GILL
- 20. Hand raiser's declaration: SOHELPMEGOD
- 23. ___ de guerre: NOM
- 24. Far from haute cuisine: GLOP
- 25. 1945 John Wayne western: DAKOTA
- 27. Hand raiser's shout: WEREOVERHERE
- 32. The Louisville Lip: ALI
- 33. Freedom from hardship: EASINESS
- 37. "Tell Laura ___ Her" (1960 hit): ILOVE
- 40. Burrowing insect: ANT
- 41. "I mean it!": NOLIE
- 42. Leeway: LATITUDE
- 44. Not healthy: ILL
- 45. Hand raiser's cry: THROWTHEBALL
- 50. Fountain basin feature: MOSAIC
- 53. Violinist Leopold: AUER
- 54. Yes, to 16-Across: OUI
- 55. Hand raiser's request: CHECKPLEASE
- 61. Girl in Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5": RITA
- 63. "Dies ___": IRAE
- 64. Confident way to solve crosswords: ININK
- 65. Not completely closed: AJAR
- 66. "Don't look at me!": NOTI
- 67. Griffin of the N.B.A.: EDDIE
- 68. Bird that "at heaven's gate sings," in Shakespeare: LARK
- 69. Within the hour: SOON
- 70. Rough tools: RASPS
down
- 1. Stock market turns: DIPS
- 2. Parliament city: OSLO
- 3. Not piquant: BLAH
- 4. Take back: RENEGE
- 5. Opera with "Ave Maria": OTELLO
- 6. ___ l'oeil: TROMPE
- 7. Part of a climber's gear: ROPE
- 8. Couturier Cassini: OLEG
- 9. Figures out: DECODES
- 10. Quick sidestep: ZAG
- 11. Protein acid: AMINO
- 12. Person who sits in front of a cabin: PILOT
- 13. City famously visited by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965: SELMA
- 21. Motion picture angle: Abbr.: POV
- 22. "Beyond the Sea" singer, 1960: DARIN
- 26. Numbers game: KENO
- 27. Banshee's cry: WAIL
- 28. "___ Enchanted" (2004 film): ELLA
- 29. Gasser: RIOT
- 30. Ask for more issues: RENEW
- 31. Beaver, e.g.: HAT
- 34. "Dream Children" essayist: ELIA
- 35. Threshold: SILL
- 36. Peddle: SELL
- 38. Short biography: VITA
- 39. Body of good conduct: ETHIC
- 40. Hurry-scurry: ADO
- 43. Waifs: URCHINS
- 46. Adopt, as a pet: TAKEIN
- 47. March sound: HUP
- 48. Harder to grasp: EELIER
- 49. "Beverly Hills 90210" girl: BRENDA
- 50. Fable conclusion: MORAL
- 51. Board used in "The Exorcist": OUIJA
- 52. It was played by George Harrison: SITAR
- 56. Suffix with sock: EROO
- 57. Denouncer of Caesar, 63 B.C.: CATO
- 58. Supports: AIDS
- 59. Use scissors: SNIP
- 60. Squeezes (out): EKES
- 62. Torah holder: ARK
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.