NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 7, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, August 7, 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
- 40
Down clues & answers
- 11
- 14
- 24
- 29
- 32
- 42
- 50
- 54
- 58
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
across
- 1. Capital on the Arabian Peninsula: SANA
- 5. Drone, e.g.: BORE
- 9. Recommended reading for www newbies: FAQS
- 13. Religious leader in a turban: IMAM
- 14. "___ blame you": IDONT
- 16. Lummox: LOUT
- 17. "Santa Baby" singer, 1953: KITT
- 18. Lose one's amateur standing: GOPRO
- 19. Give ___ of approval: ANOD
- 20. 1972 Charles Grodin film, with "The": HEARTBREAK
- 22. Drugs, informally: MEDS
- 23. Toil (away): SLAVE
- 24. Spice Girl Halliwell: GERI
- 26. 1984 Ralph Macchio film, with "The": KARATE
- 29. Below: UNDER
- 33. Three sheets to the wind: LIT
- 36. General whose name is associated with chicken: TSO
- 37. San ___, Tex.: ANGELO
- 38. Dijon seasons: ETES
- 40. Canadian lout: HOSER
- 42. Dos cubed: OCHO
- 43. "Il Postino" poet: NERUDA
- 45. Public health agcy.: CDC
- 46. Word that's missing from 20-, 26-, 48- and 59-Across and 9- and 39-Down: KID
- 47. Protein acid: AMINO
- 48. Willie Mays's sobriquet: SAYHEY
- 51. "Agreed!": DEAL
- 53. They all lead to Rome, in a saying: ROADS
- 56. TV viewer's vantage point: SOFA
- 59. 1965 Steve McQueen title role: CINCINNATI
- 63. Have too much of, briefly: ODON
- 64. Sainted ninth-century pope: LEOIV
- 65. Rio and Sedona: KIAS
- 66. Setting of many a Monet painting: PARC
- 67. 15 mg. of zinc, e.g.: USRDA
- 68. "Night" novelist Wiesel: ELIE
- 69. Henry who once headed the House Judiciary Committee: HYDE
- 70. Chinese weight: TAEL
- 71. Jane who loved Rochester: EYRE
down
- 1. Many a Punjabi: SIKH
- 2. French girlfriends: AMIES
- 3. ___ chart: NATAL
- 4. Train company with a portmanteau name: AMTRAK
- 5. Long-range German gun of W.W. I: BIGBERTHA
- 6. Stench: ODOR
- 7. Weapon in Clue: ROPE
- 8. Make sputtering mad: ENRAGE
- 9. 1984 Matt Dillon title role: FLAMINGO
- 10. Top status: AONE
- 11. Part of Q.E.D.: QUOD
- 12. Norms: Abbr.: STDS
- 15. Puff: TOKE
- 21. F.D.R. creation: TVA
- 25. Homer's outcome: RUN
- 27. Japan's largest active volcano: ASO
- 28. Opera about an opera singer: TOSCA
- 30. Kayo: DECK
- 31. K-12: ELHI
- 32. Crucifix: ROOD
- 33. River of Irkutsk: LENA
- 34. Agenda addition: ITEM
- 35. Hatcher of "Desperate Housewives": TERI
- 37. Malfoy, to Harry Potter: ARCHRIVAL
- 39. Nickname for Harry Longabaugh: SUNDANCE
- 41. Big name in ice cream: EDY
- 44. A deer, a female deer: DOE
- 48. Most cunning: SLIEST
- 49. Long, long time: EON
- 50. Munson, Maris or Mantle: YANKEE
- 52. Rights org.: ACLU
- 54. Like bread in the Lord's Prayer: DAILY
- 55. Way up, maybe: STAIR
- 56. Not yet a jr.: SOPH
- 57. Anita who was nicknamed the Jezebel of Jazz: ODAY
- 58. Crossing, of a sort: FORD
- 60. Charles of mysteries: NORA
- 61. Murderous suffix: CIDE
- 62. "Got it": ISEE
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.