NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 8, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, May 8, 2007. 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
- 53
Down clues & answers
- 3
- 27
- 62
- 63
- 65
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, May 7, 2007
across
- 1. Base on balls: WALK
- 5. Lowly chess piece: PAWN
- 9. Afro-Brazilian dance: SAMBA
- 14. Nastase of tennis: ILIE
- 15. Feel sore: ACHE
- 16. "___ Gold" (1997 film): ULEES
- 17. See 18-Across: RACE
- 18. Grand ___ (annual French auto 17-Across): PRIX
- 19. "Carmen" composer: BIZET
- 20. "The Breakfast Club" actor: EMILIOESTEVEZ
- 23. Preceder of com or org: DOT
- 24. Desperately needing a map: LOST
- 25. Dangerous person: MENACE
- 28. Donkey: ASS
- 29. Officer's honorific: SIR
- 30. '60s war site: NAM
- 31. More work than required: EXTRAEFFORT
- 36. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA
- 37. "Um, excuse me": AHEM
- 38. "Foucault's Pendulum" author: ECO
- 39. The "A" in ABM: ANTI
- 40. "My mama done ___ me": TOL
- 41. It may come as a shock to a diver: ELECTRICEEL
- 45. Put to a purpose: USE
- 46. Accomplished: DID
- 47. French vacation time: ETE
- 48. Argentine grassland: PAMPAS
- 50. Be wide-open: GAPE
- 52. Salary: PAY
- 55. Domain ruled from Constantinople: EASTERNEMPIRE
- 58. Actor John of "The Addams Family": ASTIN
- 60. ___ California: BAJA
- 61. Pastel shade: AQUA
- 62. Michaels of "S.N.L.": LORNE
- 63. Brilliant display: RIOT
- 64. Bath fixtures: TUBS
- 65. Philadelphia N.H.L.er: FLYER
- 66. Burden of proof: ONUS
- 67. Radiator output: HEAT
down
- 1. Sent by telegraph: WIRED
- 2. 1836 battle site: ALAMO
- 3. Permissible: LICIT
- 4. Part of a hull: KEEL
- 5. Native American baby: PAPOOSE
- 6. Farm units: ACRES
- 7. Early form of bridge: WHIST
- 8. Cry at a motor vehicle bureau: NEXT
- 9. Undermine: SUBVERT
- 10. Green card holder: ALIEN
- 11. Floor between first and second: MEZZANINE
- 12. Spell-off: BEE
- 13. Winter hrs. in Bermuda: AST
- 21. Ingrid's role in "Casablanca": ILSA
- 22. Ruler of Qatar: EMIR
- 26. ___ blanche: CARTE
- 27. Communication that may have an attachment: EMAIL
- 28. Sleeve filler: ARM
- 29. Chimney sweep's target: SOOT
- 31. Devour hungrily: EATUP
- 32. South African native: XHOSA
- 33. Rocket data: TELEMETRY
- 34. Nourish: FEED
- 35. TV watchdog: Abbr.: FCC
- 39. Good card to have "in the hole": ACE
- 41. Lou Grant portrayer: EDASNER
- 42. Santa checks his twice, in song: LIST
- 43. Second airings: REPEATS
- 44. Topic of gossip: ITEM
- 49. Thomas who wrote "Common Sense": PAINE
- 50. Corn or oat: GRAIN
- 51. Pear variety: ANJOU
- 52. Tickle, as one's interest: PIQUE
- 53. Dutch-speaking Caribbean island: ARUBA
- 54. It makes dough rise: YEAST
- 56. Spanish river to the Mediterranean: EBRO
- 57. Trail: PATH
- 58. TV extraterrestrial: ALF
- 59. Note between fa and la: SOL
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.