NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 23, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, May 23, 2005. 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
- 17
- 20
- 30
- 46
- 47
- 59
Down clues & answers
- 29
- 32
- 43
- 47
- 52
- 58
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, May 22, 2005
across
- 1. People with books, for short: CPAS
- 5. Have bills: OWE
- 8. Emanation: AURA
- 12. Woman in 20-Across: ACTRESS
- 19. Oar pin: THOLE
- 20. See 12-Across: PICTURES
- 22. Jeweled ornament: CORONET
- 23. 1962 hit that starts "Tho we gotta say goodbye for the summer …": SEALEDWITHAKISS
- 25. In parts: ASUNDER
- 26. Dernier ___: CRI
- 27. Museum people: CURATORS
- 28. Theodore Dreiser title character: CARRIE
- 30. "What's the ___?": USE
- 31. Miss: ERR
- 32. What a bypass may bypass: CITY
- 33. Art subject: NUDE
- 34. Get ___ deal: ARAW
- 35. Tennis ball feature: NAP
- 36. ___ noire: BETE
- 37. 1939 #1 hit for the Ink Spots: ADDRESSUNKNOWN
- 43. Needle-shaped: ACEROSE
- 45. Bettor's concern: SPREAD
- 46. Tasted: TRIED
- 47. Composer Ned: ROREM
- 48. Protected: ALEE
- 49. Do together: COACT
- 50. "___ no-o-o …": BUT
- 53. Birth announcement: ITSABOY
- 56. Kiss-offs: DEARJOHNLETTERS
- 60. Ticklee's cry: STOP
- 61. Bow low: SALAAM
- 63. Compass reading: ENE
- 64. Russian saint: OLGA
- 65. Whip: TAN
- 66. Disturb: RILE
- 67. Coffee choice: DECAF
- 69. 2002 Peace Nobelist: CARTER
- 71. Oscars phrase: THEENVELOPEPLEASE
- 76. Like I, to II: SENIOR
- 79. Wyoming peak: TETON
- 80. Pot over a fire: OLLA
- 81. Some hosp. cases: ODS
- 84. Pitcher Hershiser: OREL
- 85. Point on a line: Abbr.: STA
- 86. Mainstay: STAPLE
- 89. Unleash: FREE
- 90. Small area of land to build on: POSTAGESTAMPLOT
- 96. Lover of Héloïse: ABELARD
- 98. Presidential inits.: HST
- 99. Dog registry rejects: MUTTS
- 100. A Turner: LANA
- 101. Sort: GENRE
- 102. Kind of signal: SONAR
- 103. Firmly set: ROOTED
- 105. Sweet liqueur: SLOEGIN
- 107. Elvis Presley hit: RETURNTOSENDER
- 111. Go up: SHIN
- 112. Suffix with differ: ENT
- 113. Yaks: OXEN
- 114. Bundle up: BALE
- 115. Auto import: SAAB
- 116. Tour grp.: PGA
- 117. With 92-Down, "Treasure Island" pirate: BEN
- 118. "Dallas" role: PAMELA
- 121. Had as one's college: ATTENDED
- 125. Chariot add-on: EER
- 126. Cotton fabric: ETAMINE
- 128. 1976 comedy/action caper with Cybill Shepherd: SPECIALDELIVERY
- 131. Takes back: RECANTS
- 132. Call up: ASSEMBLE
- 133. Human tempters: EVILS
- 134. Locks: TRESSES
- 135. Start of something big: SEED
- 136. Bygone map letters: SSR
- 137. Hoover and others: DAMS
down
- 1. Gavel holder: CHAIRPERSON
- 2. Washington type: POL
- 3. "The Black Stallion" lad: ALEC
- 4. Lures: SEDUCES
- 5. Mind boggler: OPIATE
- 6. Grouchoesque: WITTY
- 7. Do likewise: ECHO
- 8. "Great" birds: AUKS
- 9. Atlantic Ten sch.: URI
- 10. Safe, now: RESCUED
- 11. Syrian presidential family: ASSADS
- 12. Rent-___: ACAR
- 13. So, in Sorrento: COSI
- 14. "So ___": TRUE
- 15. Harry Potter's best friend: RON
- 16. Multiday race: ENDURO
- 17. Vacillate: SEESAW
- 18. Deposited here and there: STREWN
- 19. Some roofing: TERRACOTTA
- 21. Old hand: TAR
- 23. Film planner: SCENARIST
- 24. Correspond: WRITE
- 29. Overlay: RESTON
- 33. Org. concerned with barrels: NRA
- 34. Plus: AND
- 36. Hit's opposite: BOMB
- 37. Cop ___: APLEA
- 38. Winning an Olympic gold medal, for some: DREAM
- 39. Forest animals: DEER
- 40. Orsk's river: URAL
- 41. "Well done!": NICE
- 42. See 73-Down: KETT
- 44. Get in return: REAP
- 45. Emmy-winning Thompson: SADA
- 49. Bargain-basement: CHEAP
- 50. Wallop: BELT
- 51. Longing: URGE
- 52. Peter, for one: TSAR
- 54. Basket material: OSIER
- 55. Institution since 1701: YALE
- 57. Way off base?: JEEP
- 58. A while ago: ONCE
- 59. Sped: TORE
- 62. Spring season: LENT
- 66. Fraternity letter: RHO
- 67. Put on: DON
- 68. Hit's opposite: FLOP
- 69. Biblical spy: CALEB
- 70. ___ rule: ASA
- 71. Start to fall: TILT
- 72. Third pieces: VESTS
- 73. With 42-Down, old Paul Robinson comic: ETTA
- 74. Topsoil: LOAM
- 75. First Lady of Jazz: ELLA
- 76. Frosh outranker: SOPH
- 77. Love: EROS
- 78. Snug retreat: NEST
- 81. Fruit refuse: ORANGEPEELS
- 82. Pocket pistols: DERRINGERS
- 83. Settled: SEDENTARY
- 86. Ticket: SLATE
- 87. Colorant: TONER
- 88. Not much: ATAD
- 89. Take off: FLEE
- 91. Love: AMOR
- 92. See 117-Across: GUNN
- 93. Caroline du Sud, e.g.: ETAT
- 94. Photographer's equipment: STROBE
- 95. Plug away: PLOD
- 97. Austrian-born composer Wellesz: EGON
- 102. Bright light: SUN
- 103. Slide back: RELAPSE
- 104. Half and half: ONE
- 105. Retreat from the 102-Down: SHADE
- 106. Maligned: LIBELED
- 107. Legal scholar Bork: ROBERT
- 108. Seat of Devon county, England: EXETER
- 109. Card holding: TENACE
- 110. Some dance numbers: SALSAS
- 111. Shop tool: SANDER
- 115. Markets: SELLS
- 118. Stickers: PINS
- 119. Put in to get in: ANTE
- 120. Event in a hall: MESS
- 121. Handled perfectly: ACED
- 122. Tiny ___: TIM
- 123. Certain computer keys: TABS
- 124. Vain sort: DIVA
- 127. Some household heads: MAS
- 129. Suffix with Japan: ESE
- 130. Energy plus: VIM
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.