NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 16, 2008

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, August 16, 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 Saturday, August 16, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

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Friday, August 15, 2008

across

1. Chutzpah: BRASS
6. Block boundaries: Abbr.: STS
9. Self-defense, e.g.: PLEA
13. Detector of some potentially dangerous waves: EARTHQUAKEALARM
17. Question of concern after someone has had a bad experience: AREYOUDOINGOKAY
18. Mauna ___: KEA
19. Row in a garden: PEAS
20. Corps groups: CADETS
21. "Children of Men" star Clive: OWEN
22. Bosox nickname: YAZ
23. Toyota sedan: AVALON
26. Words before an attempt: HEREGOES
31. Tide, at times: RISER
32. Arizona's ___ Peak National Observatory: KITT
33. Juvenile development: ACNE
34. Rapidly increasing pace: EXPONENTIALRATE
37. Younger brother of George W. and Jeb: NEIL
38. Lids around lochs: TAMS
39. Alvin of the American Dance Theater: AILEY
40. Over: ONCEMORE
42. Michael who played Cochise on TV: ANSARA
43. Young or wee follower: UNS
44. 1923 A.L. M.V.P.: RUTH
45. Japanese pilgrimage destination: MTFUJI
49. Put out: SORE
50. Far Eastern affirmative: HAI
53. Where moles might be found: CIAHEADQUARTERS
56. Creator of big suits?: ATTORNEYGENERAL
57. Have a little something: NOSH
58. A famous one begins "How sleep the brave ...": ODE
59. Very dark: SABLE

down

1. Rail part: BEAK
2. Like a perfect game: RARE
3. See 8-Down: AREA
4. Big mess: STY
5. Like clichés: SHOPWORN
6. Arab League member: SUDAN
7. Town near the D. H. Lawrence Ranch: TAOS
8. With 3-Down, slopes: SKI
9. Don't tread lightly: PLOD
10. It has a large bed: LAKE
11. "Sicut ___ in principio" (doxology phrase): ERAT
12. Sondheim's "Multitudes of ___": AMYS
14. Powerful piece: QUEEN
15. Wikipedia alternative: ENCARTA
16. Like curious onlookers: AGAZE
21. Enthusiastic cry of support: OLEOLE
22. Mysterious sightings: YETIS
23. "Thy servants ___ spies": Genesis 42:11: ARENO
24. Soap staple: VIXEN
25. Food glaze: ASPIC
26. You don't say it when you stand: HITME
27. Loud: GARISH
28. City just NE of Citrus County: OCALA
29. Word said upon arrival: ENTER
30. Words said upon departure: SEEYA
32. Lumber features: KNARS
35. Ian Fleming or James Bond: ETONIAN
36. Power outage backups: LANTERNS
41. Woman of La Mancha: MUJER
42. Distinctive qualities: AURAE
44. Compact material: ROUGE
45. Big name in footwear: MCAN
46. He broke with Stalin in 1948: TITO
47. Domino, e.g.: FATS
48. "This doesn't look good": UHOH
49. Wallpaper meas.: SQYD
50. Kind of garden: HERB
51. Asia's ___ Sea: ARAL
52. Dot in a 10-Down: ISLE
54. "___ vindice" (Confederacy motto): DEO
55. Society affair: TEA

Hints and full breakdown for Aug 15

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.