NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 23, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, August 23, 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
- 16
- 27
- 34
Down clues & answers
- 1
- 8
- 15
- 24
- 27
- 37
- 38
- 42
- 49
- 54
- 56
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
across
- 1. Lovers' scrap: SPAT
- 5. Nanki-Poo's father: MIKADO
- 11. Cabinet dept.: AGR
- 14. Samovars: URNS
- 15. Artillery unit member: GUNNER
- 16. Some eggs: ROE
- 17. McGarrett's TV catchphrase: BOOKEMDANNO
- 19. Unit of RAM: MEG
- 20. Father figure?: PRIEST
- 21. By way of: VIA
- 22. 600-homer club member: SOSA
- 23. Alights: LANDS
- 24. Question for a hitchhiker: NEEDALIFT
- 26. Giant in Cooperstown: OTT
- 27. Eggs, in labs: OVA
- 29. Biblical landing spot: ARARAT
- 30. Putting a toe in the water, say: TEST
- 32. Hockey position: WING
- 35. Paris Métro station next to a music center: OPERA
- 36. Shout from the phone: ITSFORYOU
- 39. Resident of Medina: SAUDI
- 42. ___' Pea: SWEE
- 43. Type size: PICA
- 47. Cause of odd weather: ELNINO
- 49. Wrap up: END
- 51. ___ de plume: NOM
- 52. Chevy truck slogan, once: LIKEAROCK
- 55. John of London: ELTON
- 57. Ward (off): FEND
- 58. Sellout sign: SRO
- 59. World Cup chant: OLEOLE
- 60. Italian diminutive suffix: INO
- 61. Singles bar repertoire (and a hint to 17-, 24-, 36- and 52-Across): PICKUPLINES
- 63. Make darts, say: SEW
- 64. Cry after "Psst!": INHERE
- 65. For fear that: LEST
- 66. Farm brooder: HEN
- 67. Casually add: TOSSIN
- 68. Pseudocultured: ARTY
down
- 1. Side story: SUBPLOT
- 2. Apportion, as costs: PRORATE
- 3. Rubs oil on: ANOINTS
- 4. Clicked one's tongue: TSKED
- 5. Ones minding the store: Abbr.: MGMT
- 6. Birth control option, briefly: IUD
- 7. Scalawag: KNAVE
- 8. ___ Hall, Diane Keaton role: ANNIE
- 9. "Gracias" response: DENADA
- 10. Cortés's prize: ORO
- 11. Tall wardrobe: ARMOIRE
- 12. Succeeds in a big way: GOESFAR
- 13. Yachting event: REGATTA
- 18. "Happy Motoring" brand: ESSO
- 22. Top-notch, to a Brit: SLAPUP
- 24. Innocents: NAIFS
- 25. Suffix with buck: AROO
- 28. Bugs on a highway: VWS
- 31. Straightened (up): TIDIED
- 33. "___ what?": NOW
- 34. Rosetta stone language: GREEK
- 37. Yothers of "Family Ties": TINA
- 38. Kobe cash: YEN
- 39. Me-first: SELFISH
- 40. Property recipient, in law: ALIENEE
- 41. Hardly a celebrity: UNKNOWN
- 44. Chanter: INTONER
- 45. Least ruffled: COOLEST
- 46. General pardon: AMNESTY
- 48. "Twelfth Night" lover: ORSINO
- 50. Secluded valley: DELL
- 53. Violists' places: Abbr.: ORCHS
- 54. Burger go-withs: COKES
- 56. Hyams of 1920s-'30s films: LEILA
- 59. Shop window sign: OPEN
- 61. Word with boss or bull: PIT
- 62. New England state sch.: URI
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.