NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 15, 2008

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:25 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, October 15, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

across

1. Rolling Stones drummer Charlie: WATTS
6. Netting: MESH
10. One of the S's in U.S.S.: SHIP
14. ___ water (facing trouble): INHOT
15. Pollster Roper: ELMO
16. Sizable sandwich: HERO
17. Nancy Drew author Carolyn: KEENE
18. Y's guys?: ELIS
19. Epps of TV's "House": OMAR
20. With 59-Across, highway that goes through the 15 places indicated in this puzzle, in order, north to south: INTERSTATE
22. Ice Capades venue: RINK
23. Kind of deck for a fortuneteller: TAROT
24. Asset in answering the question "Does this dress make me look fat?": TACT
26. Bruce or Kravitz: LENNY
29. Traditional Christmas sentiment: PEACE
33. Needing directions: LOST
37. Con's opposite: PRO
38. "Dueling ___": BANJOS
39. Declare openly: AVOW
40. Longtime "S.N.L." announcer Don: PARDO
42. Lawman Wyatt: EARP
43. Do lexicographical work: DEFINE
45. Phoenix cager: SUN
46. Strong cart: DRAY
47. Harsh Athenian lawgiver: DRACO
48. Online health info site: WEBMD
50. Cole Porter's "Well, Did You ___?": EVAH
52. College town near Bangor: ORONO
56. Final Four org.: NCAA
59. See 20-Across: NINETYFIVE
63. Mideast missile: SCUD
64. ___-Tass news agency: ITAR
65. In the year ___ Lord ...: OFOUR
66. Movie lioness: ELSA
67. Nintendo rival: SEGA
68. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," e.g.: FABLE
69. Half of an E.P.A. rating: CITY
70. Before, once: ERST
71. Skedaddles: FLEES

down

1. User-edited online reference: WIKI
2. Concerning: ANENT
3. Letter before iota: THETA
4. Copier additive: TONER
5. Unsaturated alcohol: STEROL
6. Convene: MEET
7. Jazz's Fitzgerald: ELLA
8. Old Walter Berndt comic strip about a teen: SMITTY
9. Old Testament prophet: HOSEA
10. Abridged: SHORTENED
11. Hot-rod engine, briefly: HEMI
12. Tehran's land: IRAN
13. Much-criticized Congressional spending: PORK
21. Treeless plain: STEPPE
25. Expert with I.R.S. returns: CPA
27. Gun lobby inits.: NRA
28. Like Loki or Thor: NORSE
30. Slightly open: AJAR
31. Mrs. Dithers in "Blondie": CORA
32. Catch sight of: ESPY
33. Cheryl of TV's "Charlie's Angels": LADD
34. On the high side, as a guess: OVER
35. Couch: SOFA
36. Every 12 hours: TWICEADAY
38. Bit of wit: BONMOT
41. Make a knight: DUB
44. Follower of Oct.: NOV
48. Like sheets after bleaching: WHITER
49. Use a towel: DRYOFF
51. Biscotti flavoring: ANISE
53. Butcher's byproducts: OFFAL
54. Weeper of myth: NIOBE
55. Small egg: OVULE
56. Minute part of a min.: NSEC
57. 251, in old Rome: CCLI
58. Neighbor of Switz.: AUST
60. Carps, carps, carps: NAGS
61. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT
62. "___ Tu" (1974 hit): ERES

Hints and full breakdown for Oct 14

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.