NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 31, 2006

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Thursday, August 31, 2006

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:38 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, August 31, 2006. 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.

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

Across clues & answers

1
Person of letters?
7
Picker-uppers
15
Pique
16
Prairie State
17
Peanut brittle base
18
Puts faith in
19
Preceders of G
20
Pusan soldier
22
Pair of filmmaking brothers
23
Perfidious clerk in "David Copperfield"
24
Practically no time
27
Pamphlet with a "Draw Me" challenge
29
Pageantry
33
Phoenix neighbor
35
Paternity identifier
36
Personal: Prefix
37
Pretty souvenir
41
Play's ___'acte
42
"Protect mine innocence, ___ fall into the trap …": "King Henry VIII"
43
Portree's isle
44
Port-of-call call
45
Pay no heed to smoking rules
48
Parisian thought
49
Paulina's "other"
53
Paper towel-touting waitress
57
Pisa monk's title
58
Peter Sellers parodied him in "Murder by Death"
59
Pair on a head
62
"Princess Ida" follow-up operetta, with "The"
64
Pacific wriggler
65
PC info
66
Pulsating sound, informally
67
Potato, meat and sauce dish

Down clues & answers

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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

across

1. Twain family name: FINN
5. ___ fatale: FEMME
10. "The Simpsons" brainiac: LISA
14. Cheese named for a historic French region: BRIE
15. Common cell phone feature: ALARM
16. Windows alternative: UNIX
17. With 37- and 60-Across, a musing: IALWAYSTHOUGHTI
20. Allergy-prone: SNEEZY
21. "Cool!": NEATO
22. "Satisfied?": HAPPY
25. Went too far on a trip, in brief: ODED
27. Moon vehicle, for short: LEM
28. Not bought, say: ONLEASE
31. One who settles down in a rush?: ELOPER
33. Gaze: PEER
34. Tolkien creature: ENT
36. Teacher's org.: NEA
37. See 17-Across: WASINDECISIVE
42. Sugar suffix: OSE
43. King of the ring: DON
44. Kaput: DEAD
46. One waving a loaded gun, e.g.: MENACE
49. Kids' racers: GOKARTS
51. Spell: HEX
52. Winner of a 1925 intercollegiate crossword championship: YALE
54. Stop, at sea: AVAST
55. "Later": ADIOS
57. Grads: ALUMNI
60. See 17-Across: BUTNOWIMNOTSURE
65. "O-o-oh!": ISEE
66. 1940's All-Star Buck: ONEIL
67. Big name in shirts: IZOD
68. "And there you have it!": TADA
69. Chutzpah: NERVE
70. Haberdashery display: TIES

down

1. "The Silence of the Lambs" grp.: FBI
2. A Gershwin: IRA
3. Zero: NIL
4. Anchor, e.g.: NEWSPERSON
5. Mystery novelist Kellerman: FAYE
6. Besides that: ELSE
7. Kind of ball: MATZO
8. Evil side of literature?: MRHYDE
9. Modern rock genre: EMO
10. Winter Olympics event since 1964: LUGE
11. More than puff: INHALE
12. Kid watcher: SITTER
13. Given: AXIOM
18. Novelist Seton: ANYA
19. Brings to ruin: UNDOES
22. Event with gals in ponytails: HOP
23. Over again: ANEW
24. "Put me in, coach!," e.g.: PLEA
26. Weather phenomenon: ELNINO
29. Noted Roman tragedian: SENECA
30. Extreme: END
32. Dropped by: PAIDAVISIT
35. "Excellent adventure" taker of film: TED
38. Words after "because": ISAYSO
39. Piece of machinery: COG
40. Wang of fashion: VERA
41. Downs: EATS
45. Summer clock setting: Abbr.: DST
46. Her looks could kill: MEDUSA
47. Left: EXITED
48. "Seinfeld" role: ELAINE
50. "Do what is right, though the world may perish" writer: KANT
51. Wont: HABIT
53. Bull who's a glue mascot: ELMER
56. Draft status: ONEA
58. Educ. institution: UNIV
59. C.I.A. worry: MOLE
61. Took a seat?: WON
62. Compact submachine gun: UZI
63. Noted 1973 Supreme Court ruling, informally: ROE
64. Ones getting to work on Time?: Abbr.: EDS

Hints and full breakdown for Aug 30

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.