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NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 16, 2004

Saturday, October 16, 2004

By Last updated How we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, October 16, 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. 1

    Grease

  2. 5

    Move quickly, as clouds

  3. 9

    Doesn't crack under pressure

  4. 14

    Big name in frozen confections

  5. 15

    Sushi selection

  6. 16

    Initials

  7. 17

    They're concerned with shooting stars

  8. 19

    One might make arrangements for them

  9. 20

    Site of some famous hangings

  10. 21

    Thoughts

  11. 23

    Romantic interlude

  12. 24

    Where the Dionne quints were born

  13. 25

    Land in le Pacifique

  14. 27

    Yeats subject

  15. 28

    She played Mrs. Garrett on both "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life"

  16. 31

    Dog treats

  17. 34

    Proof of purchase

  18. 35

    Ritual garment

  19. 36

    A motorist may drive in it

  20. 38

    Home of the Missouri State Fair

  21. 40

    Ore ending

  22. 41

    Minimal change

  23. 43

    You may be stopped for doing it

  24. 44

    Boomer's kid, informally

  25. 45

    Not had by

  26. 46

    Old flying option

  27. 47

    Portable service station?

  28. 50

    Suspects in many murder mysteries

  29. 54

    Moonshine

  30. 55

    Fin-de-siècle feeling

  31. 56

    Really take to task

  32. 57

    April or May

  33. 59

    Bone of contention

  34. 60

    Erudition

  35. 61

    Within the hour, maybe

  36. 62

    Title character of a Prokofiev favorite

  37. 63

    Greek war goddess

  38. 64

    Some medicines

Down clues & answers

  1. 1

    15th-century painter of "The Adoration of the Magi"

  2. 2

    "Pick ___ ..."

  3. 3

    Square things

  4. 4

    End point

  5. 5

    "Come ___?" (Italian greeting)

  6. 6

    It was largely destroyed by a 1650 earthquake

  7. 7

    Free to do with as one wishes

  8. 8

    Tasty tidbits

  9. 9

    Potluck array

  10. 10

    Rain forest ruminant

  11. 11

    Handel or Bach piece

  12. 12

    Choice meat cuts

  13. 13

    Lottery runner: Abbr.

  14. 18

    Scream elicitor

  15. 22

    Lurches

  16. 26

    Lifeblood

  17. 29

    Hit the roof?

  18. 30

    You may bid on it

  19. 31

    Brand pitched by a rabbit

  20. 32

    Émile Zola's "La ___ humaine"

  21. 33

    How bruschetta is served

  22. 37

    Mat

  23. 39

    Sensors in nature

  24. 42

    Mechanical twisting

  25. 48

    Result

  26. 49

    Comfy bathrobe

  27. 51

    Poppycockish

  28. 52

    Reporter's starting point, perhaps

  29. 53

    Italian province

  30. 54

    Identi-Kit selection

  31. 56

    Dead letters?

  32. 58

    Home to Regulus

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Previous The Crossword answer

Friday, October 15, 2004

across

  • 1. Spare parts: PINS
  • 5. Choice in hair removal: NEET
  • 9. Plant problem: EDEMA
  • 14. Record problem: SKIP
  • 15. Cole Porter's "Well, Did You ___!": EVAH
  • 16. Now alternative: NEVER
  • 17. Like some town ordinances: ANTINOISE
  • 19. Ran over: SPILT
  • 20. "Kiss of the Spider Woman" Tony winner: TERRENCEMCNALLY
  • 22. Certifies: SWEARSTO
  • 23. Chum in chaps: PARD
  • 24. Statute, in Soissons: LOI
  • 25. Levi Stubbs's group, with "the": FOURTOPS
  • 29. Girls, e.g.: SHES
  • 32. It's not bought: GIFT
  • 34. Grinding stuff: EMERY
  • 35. Purring, say: CONTENT
  • 37. Have dishes delivered: ORDERIN
  • 39. "... has ___ and hungry look": Julius Caesar: ALEAN
  • 40. It's spoken in Stornoway: ERSE
  • 42. Tiny time period: Abbr.: NSEC
  • 43. Like some provinces: MARITIME
  • 45. Recipe spec.: AMT
  • 47. Cubism pioneer Juan: GRIS
  • 48. Makes waves: SPLASHES
  • 53. Scary weather phenomenon: ELECTRICALSTORM
  • 56. Like some signs and statistics: VITAL
  • 57. Tubes in an oven: MANICOTTI
  • 58. Dedicatee of a piano classic: ELISE
  • 59. Hebrew leader?: ALEF
  • 60. Film part: REEL
  • 61. Shoe store stock: LACES
  • 62. Hand over: CEDE
  • 63. More: ELSE

down

  • 1. Hurdles for jrs.: PSATS
  • 2. "___ it!" ("Didn't fool me!"): IKNEW
  • 3. Saltpetre: NITRE
  • 4. One way to get up and around?: SPIRALSTAIRCASE
  • 5. Attention-grabbing advertisement: NEONSIGN
  • 6. Not allow to stay: EVICT
  • 7. Let up: EASEOFF
  • 8. The other side: THEM
  • 9. In a net, e.g.: ENSNARED
  • 10. Part of a mall: DEPARTMENTSTORE
  • 11. Saints they ain't: EVILDOERS
  • 12. Cartoonist Lazarus: MELL
  • 13. Pretentious: ARTY
  • 18. Octavia's offer?: NERO
  • 21. Important chip, briefly: CPU
  • 26. People of the Platte: OTOS
  • 27. ___-dieu: PRIE
  • 28. Match, informally: SYNC
  • 29. One may take you in: SCAM
  • 30. Overseas greeting: HOLA
  • 31. Go-go: ENERGETIC
  • 33. One counted in an express checkout: ITEM
  • 36. Licenses: ENTITLES
  • 38. Actual: REALLIFE
  • 41. Downsize, e.g.: RESCALE
  • 44. Acre's place: Abbr.: ISR
  • 46. Like some pronouns: Abbr.: MASC
  • 49. Having multiple sections: PANED
  • 50. Airport shuttle stop: HOTEL
  • 51. Some Deco pieces: ERTES
  • 52. Use one's zygomatic muscles: SMILE
  • 53. First name in stunts: EVEL
  • 54. Wallace of Reader's Digest: LILA
  • 55. Apple variety: IMAC
Hints and full breakdown for Oct 15

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.