NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 1, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, August 1, 2009. 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
- 42
- 50
- 52
Down clues & answers
- 11
- 21
- 24
- 29
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, July 31, 2009
across
- 1. "___ better be!": ITHAD
- 6. Factory staple: DIE
- 9. Abbr. in a "works cited" list: ETAL
- 13. "I'm not done yet!": THERESMORE
- 16. It's passed on: LORE
- 17. Oscar-nominated portrayer of Frida Kahlo: SALMAHAYEK
- 18. Discipline: AREA
- 19. Financial statement abbr.: YTD
- 20. Reason to make a prank call, maybe: DARE
- 21. What a player may mean by knocking on the table: IPASS
- 22. Relatively close: WITHINEARSHOT
- 26. Subject of the 1955 film "The Last Command": ALAMO
- 28. Baby shower gift: ONESIE
- 29. Band members with long necks?: SITARS
- 31. Many students on "Gilmore Girls": ELIS
- 32. It's 11 miles NNW of JFK: LGA
- 35. Something not on the menu: SPECIAL
- 37. Roll top?: SCHMEAR
- 39. Certain correlative: NOR
- 40. Really appeal to: GRAB
- 42. Early TV news commentator famous for doing Timex ads: SWAYZE
- 43. Heads up: CHAIRS
- 45. Makes scarce: HIDES
- 46. Where a fouled player might go: FREETHROWLINE
- 50. Crystallizes: JELLS
- 51. Passage blockers: NOES
- 52. Stars participate in it: Abbr.: NHL
- 55. Pendant option: OPAL
- 56. Comics character with a "gang": BAZOOKAJOE
- 59. Not be a nobody: RATE
- 60. Passage enabler: OPENSESAME
- 61. Not natural: DYED
- 62. Bond: WED
- 63. City in 1917 headlines: YPRES
down
- 1. Minute, informally: ITSY
- 2. "Not ___!": THAT
- 3. Wasn't full of holes: HELDWATER
- 4. The Adriatic vis-à-vis the Mediterranean: ARM
- 5. Red-handed: DEADTORIGHTS
- 6. Helen Thomas in the White House press corps, e.g.: DOYENNE
- 7. Boiling point?: IRE
- 8. Cry of surprise: EEK
- 9. March on: ELAPSE
- 10. It contains 613 mitzvot: TORAH
- 11. "... love's shadows ___ rich in joy!": Romeo: ARESO
- 12. ___ of all: LEAST
- 14. Onetime C.I.A.-backed foreign leader: SHAH
- 15. Plumber seen in an arcade: MARIO
- 21. Mayo sauce?: IRISHWHISKEY
- 23. Computer debut of 1998: IMAC
- 24. They might store electric charges: EELS
- 25. Nike rival: ASICS
- 26. Part of M.P.A.A.: Abbr.: ASSN
- 27. Slimming option, for short: LIPO
- 30. Fast Eddie's girlfriend in "The Hustler": SARAH
- 32. It might store an electric charge: LEYDENJAR
- 33. It's often piercing: GAZE
- 34. Vultures were sacred to him: ARES
- 36. Refuge: LAIR
- 38. Cardinal: MAIN
- 41. Like many beachgoers: BRONZED
- 43. Single-___: CELLED
- 44. Become rapturous: SWOON
- 46. Product of glacial erosion: FJORD
- 47. Square things: REPAY
- 48. Make rapturous: ELATE
- 49. Independent, noble types, it's said: LEOS
- 53. Typist's position: HOME
- 54. Remains: LEES
- 56. It comes after the last number: BOW
- 57. Troglodyte: APE
- 58. "My baby at my breast," in Shakespeare: ASP
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.