NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 24, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, March 24, 2008. 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
- 1
- 15
- 19
- 32
- 42
- 54
Down clues & answers
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, March 23, 2008
across
- 1. Track figure: TIPSTER
- 8. Din-din: EATS
- 12. Nautical line: TOWROPE
- 19. Ally makers: UNITERS
- 20. Search high and low: SCOUR
- 22. Like some grievances: UNAIRED
- 23. Home of the newspaper Haaretz: TELAVIV
- 24. Electrical engineers and news anchors?: CURRENTEVENTS
- 26. World travelers and wine connoisseurs?: EXOTICPORTS
- 28. Wrestling locale: MAT
- 29. Cheer greatly: ELATE
- 30. Some Millers: LITES
- 31. It may be pinched: TOE
- 32. Zealous: RABID
- 34. Business card abbr.: TEL
- 35. Oriole or Blue Jay, for short: ALER
- 36. Completely bungle: BLOW
- 38. Hercules or Ulysses: HERO
- 39. Eyed: OGLED
- 42. Classic Hans Christian Andersen story, with "The": REDSHOES
- 44. Geologists and music video producers?: ROCKBANDS
- 46. Meal crumb: ORT
- 47. Congestion site: SINUS
- 48. Some volcanic deposits: BASALTS
- 52. College students and mattress testers?: SPRINGBREAKS
- 57. Greeted: MET
- 58. Outdoor cover: TARP
- 59. Robert who introduced the term "cell" to biology: HOOKE
- 60. Where the antihelix is: EAR
- 61. Under: SEDATED
- 64. Itinerary word: VIA
- 65. Choir stands: RISERS
- 67. Despicable sort: CUR
- 69. Executed: DID
- 70. Stop: DESIST
- 72. The Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conf.: USC
- 73. Machinates: SCHEMES
- 76. Prominent D.C. lobby: NRA
- 78. Wallop: BASTE
- 79. Twelve ___: NOON
- 81. Supercool: RAD
- 82. Old West outlaws and aspiring thespians?: STAGECOACHES
- 85. Bit of gridiron equipment: KNEEPAD
- 87. Obviously sad: TEARY
- 88. Boffo: HIT
- 89. Beat-era musicians and orthopedists?: HIPJOINTS
- 91. Show on the small screen: TELECAST
- 96. Home of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge: MAINE
- 98. PC screens, for short: CRTS
- 99. Certain investigators, for short: FEDS
- 100. Champ just before 36-Down: ASHE
- 101. Tough spot: JAM
- 102. Lavishes gifts (on), say: DOTES
- 104. U.N. chief ___ Ki-moon: BAN
- 105. Desex: ALTER
- 106. Huge, in poetry: ENORM
- 109. Shak. is its most-quoted writer: OED
- 110. Fort Knox officials and pop singers?: GOLDRECORDS
- 113. Comedians and parade directors?: STRAIGHTLINES
- 116. Defeat in a derby: OUTRIDE
- 117. Office newbie: TRAINEE
- 118. "___ joking!": YOURE
- 119. Lettered top: DREIDEL
- 120. Set out: SALLIED
- 121. Cold war inits.: USSR
- 122. Activity in which spelling counts?: SORCERY
down
- 1. Like a guardian: TUTELAR
- 2. Kept from home: INEXILE
- 3. Flew: PILOTED
- 4. Bay ___ (residents of Massachusetts): STATERS
- 5. Walter ___, author of "The Hustler": TEVIS
- 6. Prince in "The Little Mermaid": ERIC
- 7. Answer: RSVP
- 8. Mortgagee's concern: ESCROW
- 9. Sharp: ACUTE
- 10. Craggy peaks: TORS
- 11. Boulogne-___-Mer, France: SUR
- 12. For all to play, in music: TUTTI
- 13. With 105-Down, a short play: ONE
- 14. Salon option: WAVE
- 15. Cambodian money: RIEL
- 16. Florid: ORNATE
- 17. Stroked: PETTED
- 18. Car with an innovative "rolling dome" speedometer: EDSEL
- 21. Ad-libs and such: REMARKS
- 25. Honcho: NABOB
- 27. Western tribe: OTOS
- 32. Stepped aside, in court: RECUSED
- 33. Gave: DONATED
- 36. 1976-80 Wimbledon champ: BORG
- 37. Not touch: LETBE
- 38. Sounds of anger or jubilation: HONKS
- 40. Factory shipments: Abbr.: GDS
- 41. Hurdle for some college srs.: LSAT
- 43. Sharpeners: HONERS
- 44. Estuary: RIA
- 45. Assist in shady doings: ABET
- 47. Blood ___: SERUM
- 49. Extravagant: LAVISH
- 50. Mournful: TRISTE
- 51. Sudden floods: SPATES
- 52. Much smaller now: SHRUNK
- 53. Exterminator's option: POISON
- 54. Gangster's gun: ROSCOE
- 55. Nickname once at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.: IKE
- 56. Hurried: RACED
- 57. Member of the familia: MADRE
- 62. Needing bleach, say: DINGY
- 63. Campaign feature: DEBATE
- 66. Eked (out): SCRAPED
- 68. Feels indignant about: RESENTS
- 71. Egg holder: SAC
- 74. Religious pilgrimage: HADJ
- 75. Rebounds and steals: STATS
- 77. Hurt so bad: ACHED
- 80. Fruit-flavored soda: NEHI
- 83. ___ Magica: ARS
- 84. "Essential" things: OILS
- 86. A.T.M. need: PIN
- 87. Without oomph: TIREDLY
- 90. Certain chamber group: OCTET
- 91. Oversee: TEND
- 92. Heat-related: CALORIC
- 93. On: ASTRIDE
- 94. Dog after the winter, e.g.: SHEDDER
- 95. How Calvin Coolidge spoke: TERSELY
- 96. You can say that again: MANTRA
- 97. Lacking scruples: AMORAL
- 99. Less accurate: FALSER
- 101. Kids: JESTS
- 103. Expressed delight: OOHED
- 104. Some South Africans: BOERS
- 105. See 13-Down: ACTER
- 107. Symbol of thinness: RAIL
- 108. Attire not for the modest: MINI
- 110. Striped animals: GNUS
- 111. Wands: RODS
- 112. Prefix with zone: EURO
- 114. "Imagine that!": GEE
- 115. Note to be used later: IOU
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.