NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 14, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, May 14, 2011. 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
- 29
- 30
- 31
Down clues & answers
- 10
- 15
- 21
- 28
- 36
- 50
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, May 13, 2011
across
- 1. [See blurb]: SUPERSTITION
- 13. Deal-making occasion, maybe: BUSINESSDINNER
- 15. Betty Crocker or Hungry Jack product: INSTANTPOTATOES
- 17. Mechanically: BYROTE
- 18. "Impossible": NOCANDO
- 19. Cancel: NEGATE
- 22. Bean, for one: ORSON
- 23. Ruhr rodent: MAUS
- 26. Like Bruckner's Symphony No. 7: INE
- 27. Day associated with an unlucky number: Abbr.: FRI
- 28. Certain ring-bearer: Abbr.: MRS
- 29. Hard to nail down: INDEFINABLE
- 34. Takes the bite out of?: DEFANGS
- 36. Germany vis-à-vis France, e.g.: EXENEMY
- 37. Open formally: CALLTOORDER
- 39. End of many a fuel source name: ANE
- 40. Compose: PEN
- 41. Mortar carrier: HOD
- 42. Poker: PROD
- 43. "Are you calling me ___?": ALIAR
- 46. Island whose name means, literally, "main land": HONSHU
- 48. Flatten: PANCAKE
- 50. Overtones: TINGES
- 54. Reading devices: OPTICALSCANNERS
- 57. Bridge workers, perhaps: DENTALSURGEONS
- 58. Wasn't quite as great as before: LOSTONESEDGE
down
- 1. Sch. syst. with a campus in Buffalo: SUNY
- 2. BOAC destination, in song: USSR
- 3. Climbers' gear: PITONS
- 4. Related on the mother's side: ENATE
- 5. Backing out of: RENEGINGON
- 6. Boomer that retired in the early '00s?: SST
- 7. It's more than a pinch: Abbr.: TSP
- 8. "What on earth have ___?": IDONE
- 9. One of the Jacksons: TITO
- 10. Trapped: INACORNER
- 11. Mike Myers or Dan Aykroyd, once: ONTARIAN
- 12. Bygone Dodges: NEONS
- 13. Lobster catcher?: BIB
- 14. Mulligan, say: REDO
- 16. Prince, e.g.: SON
- 20. "Hence ...": ANDSO
- 21. Basketball timeout sign: TEE
- 23. End of the 26th century: MMDC
- 24. Staging ___: AREA
- 25. Defunct sports org. with the Denver Gold and Chicago Blitz: USFL
- 27. Apparently stationary light sources, to astronomers: FIXEDSTARS
- 29. Plays with others, for instance: INTERACTS
- 30. Had for a meal: FEDON
- 31. Certain Wall Street type: BEAR
- 32. Alphabet run: LMNO
- 33. Saw: EYED
- 35. "Author! Author!" star, 1982: ALPACINO
- 38. A fraternity chapter: RHO
- 42. Made Berne burn?: PUNNED
- 43. Base letters: APO
- 44. Grp. in "Die Hard": LAPD
- 45. Pentium source: INTEL
- 46. "What do we have here?!": HELLO
- 47. Connector with a pivotal role: HINGE
- 49. Pitcher Jim who was a 16-time Gold Glove winner: KAAT
- 51. Popular Sporcle subj.: GEOG
- 52. Sea cliff dweller: ERNE
- 53. Draft org.: SSS
- 55. Passport application datum: Abbr.: SSN
- 56. Pool need: CUE
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.