NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 20, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, August 20, 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
- 16
- 22
- 46
- 48
Down clues & answers
- 51
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
across
- 1. Admirer of Beauty, with "the": BEAST
- 6. Sing like Ella Fitzgerald: SCAT
- 10. Genesis victim: ABEL
- 14. Longtime G.E. chief with the best seller "Jack: Straight From the Gut": WELCH
- 15. Mrs. Dithers in "Blondie": CORA
- 16. 1950s-'70s Yugoslav leader: TITO
- 17. Loud, as a crowd: AROAR
- 18. Place for a roast: OVEN
- 19. Not duped by: ONTO
- 20. "Huh?": YOUREBREAKINGUP
- 23. And others of the same sort: Abbr.: ETC
- 24. Circle section: ARC
- 25. Comment after 20-Across: CANYOUHEARMENOW
- 34. Not just once: AGAIN
- 35. Word from the crib: DADA
- 36. Etiquette maven Vanderbilt: AMY
- 37. Restrain, with "up": COOP
- 38. Andrea Bocelli deliveries: ARIAS
- 40. Sicilian spewer: ETNA
- 41. Male gobbler: TOM
- 42. Say "one club," say: OPEN
- 43. Like something communicated with a wink and a nod: TACIT
- 44. Comment after 25-Across: IDIDNTCATCHTHAT
- 48. MSN rival: AOL
- 49. Lode load: ORE
- 50. Comment after 44-Across: ILLTRYREDIALING
- 59. ___ Inn: DAYS
- 60. Wild cat: PUMA
- 61. Rodeo contestant: ROPER
- 62. Neutral shade: ECRU
- 63. The "U" in 21-Down: UNIT
- 64. Puccini opera: TOSCA
- 65. In the public eye: SEEN
- 66. Head of France?: TETE
- 67. Like a cigar bar: SMOKY
down
- 1. N.Y.C. theater district, for short: BWAY
- 2. One of the Saarinens of Finland: EERO
- 3. Baseball's Moises: ALOU
- 4. "The Lion King" villain: SCAR
- 5. Bases loaded: THREEON
- 6. Burn with an iron: SCORCH
- 7. Place to moor a boat: COVE
- 8. See 58-Down: AREA
- 9. Big mugs: TANKARDS
- 10. "A.S.A.P.!": ATONCE
- 11. Cherry variety: BING
- 12. Caesarean rebuke: ETTU
- 13. Chicago district, with "the": LOOP
- 21. Abbr. on an appliance sticker: BTU
- 22. "___ la Douce": IRMA
- 25. Desert flora: CACTI
- 26. "Ha! That's ___ one!": AGOOD
- 27. One of the Judds: NAOMI
- 28. Litter cry: YIP
- 29. Minneapolis suburb: EDINA
- 30. Fine bond rating: AAA
- 31. "But of course!": NATCH
- 32. ___ vincit amor: OMNIA
- 33. Jane of "Father Knows Best": WYATT
- 38. Well said: APTLYPUT
- 39. Tape deck button: REC
- 40. Have a bite: EAT
- 42. ___ about (roughly): ONOR
- 43. Opera, ballet and so on: THEARTS
- 45. Bygone Japanese car name: DATSUN
- 46. Until now: TODATE
- 47. Dernier ___: CRI
- 50. When 12-Down was uttered: IDES
- 51. Valentine decoration: LACE
- 52. Stringed instrument of old: LYRE
- 53. Letter in a mysterious inscription: RUNE
- 54. Throw off: EMIT
- 55. Appear ominously: LOOM
- 56. ___ facto: IPSO
- 57. Chicken part that's good for soup: NECK
- 58. With 8-Down, source of an ethical dilemma: GRAY
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.