NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 9, 2008

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:26 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, July 9, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

1
More fitting
6
Sound in a hatchery
10
Mexican muralist Orozco
14
"The ___!" (perturbed cry)
15
Major-league team member through 2004
16
Month before Nisan
17
"I'm ___ and didn't know it"
18
Stationer's unit
19
Year Cortés conquered Cuba
20
"Rhoda" and "Frasier"
22
Keen insight
24
Part of a heartbeat
25
Suffix with moon
26
Util. bill
27
Mathematician's "ta-da!"
28
15-Across now, informally
31
Where the cows come home
34
Words to a traitor
36
Glue
38
They're often twisted apart
40
Supermodel Carangi
41
More trustworthy
42
Long (for)
43
Growing room?
45
"___ boy!"
46
"My Gal ___"
47
Former Notebook maker
49
Final, e.g.
51
Sugar ___
53
Stimulus response
57
Centers
59
Like some missiles
60
First word of "The Raven"
61
Tickle Me Elmo maker
63
"The Secret Life of Walter ___"
64
Suffix with origin
65
"The first word of the answer to each of the six starred clues describes the number of that clue," e.g.
66
"That's ___!"
67
Pitcher Wilhelm
68
Chemical endings
69
Horne and Olin

Down clues & answers

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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

across

1. Option for a H.S. dropout: GED
4. Yaks: GABS
8. Ford misstep: EDSEL
13. Dispense, as milk: POUR
14. Surrounding glow: AURA
15. Throw water on: DOUSE
16. Big name in athletic shoes: AIRJORDAN
18. Still asleep: INBED
19. Site of a tkt. booth: STA
20. J. Edgar Hoover's org.: FBI
21. "Enough, you're killing me!": STOP
22. Prince: HEIRTOTHETHRONE
28. Singer Guthrie: ARLO
29. Electronics giant: SONY
30. Reader of omens: SEER
31. Supermodel Carol: ALT
34. Defendant's plea, for short: NOLO
36. Neither's partner: NOR
37. End of a Napoleonic palindrome: EREISAWELBA
40. Mensa figs.: IQS
42. "Wiseguy" actor Ken: WAHL
43. Mediterranean, for one: SEA
44. Boring routines: RUTS
46. Laments: RUES
48. Rock's Better Than ___: EZRA
52. Black-and-tan purebred: AIREDALETERRIER
56. Bush's "___ of evil": AXIS
57. Priestly vestment: ALB
58. Sgt. or cpl.: NCO
59. Three-card con: MONTE
61. Carrier with a shamrock logo: AERLINGUS
64. Slang: ARGOT
65. Bird with an olive branch: DOVE
66. Zaire's Mobutu ___ Seko: SESE
67. "Fargo" brothers: COENS
68. Singles: ONES
69. "What ___ the chances?": ARE

down

1. Possible result of iodine deficiency: GOITER
2. Provider of a pass abroad: EURAIL
3. Basketball's Erving, familiarly: DRJ
4. Greta of "Anna Christie," 1930: GARBO
5. I.R.S. scares: AUDITS
6. Article under a blouse: BRA
7. ___ Diego: SAN
8. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson: EDITH
9. Patrons of the arts, perhaps: DONORS
10. Court summons: SUBPOENA
11. Chicago-to-Pittsburgh dir.: ESE
12. Commanded: LED
13. Turkish pooh-bah: PASHA
17. Frequently, to a poet: OFT
21. Modes: STYLES
23. Engine sound: ROAR
24. Puff the Magic Dragon's frolicking place: HONALEE
25. Sufficient, for Shakespeare: ENOW
26. Prefix with con: NEO
27. "To ___ is human ...": ERR
32. Dr. Kildare player Ayres: LEW
33. Pageant toppers: TIARAS
35. Corrida cry: OLE
37. Alienate: ESTRANGE
38. Synagogue: SHUL
39. 1930s heavyweight champ Max: BAER
40. Tax planner's plan, for short: IRA
41. On the ___ vive: QUI
45. Church groundskeeper: SEXTON
47. Go hungry: STARVE
49. Clever comeback: ZINGER
50. Disqualify, as a potential juror: RECUSE
51. Got up from sleeping: AROSE
53. Removes excess poundage: DIETS
54. Monthly fashion issues: ELLES
55. Category in which the single-season record is 191: RBI
59. Bub: MAC
60. Gold, in Guadalupe: ORO
61. Hubbub: ADO
62. Long, long time: EON
63. Code-crackers' org.: NSA

Hints and full breakdown for Jul 8

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.