NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 18, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, May 18, 2012. 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
- 39
- 42
- 62
Down clues & answers
- 1
- 11
- 26
- 38
- 46
- 53
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, May 17, 2012
across
- 1. Cheap wheels, perhaps: USEDCAR
- 8. Afghan power: TALIBAN
- 15. Wigged out: GONEAPE
- 16. Going-away request: WRITEME
- 17. Jazz trumpeter Sandoval and others: ARTUROS
- 18. Peter and Annette of film: OTOOLES
- 19. 1960s teaching focus: NEWMATH
- 20. Response to a polite refusal / (next line) It's spelled out in a Tammy Wynette hit: IINSIST
- 21. "Steady ___ goes": ASSHE
- 24. Looks for oneself, in a way: EGOSURFS
- 29. ___ motel: NOTELL
- 31. What a walk in the ballpark will get you / (next line) It's spelled out in an Aretha Franklin hit: ONEBASE
- 32. First satellite to transmit a phone call through space, 1962: TELSTAR
- 36. Cold showers: SLEETS
- 40. Help board a plane, say: ASSISTON
- 42. Young partner / (next line) It's spelled out in a Travis Tritt hit: ERNST
- 43. Connecticut city on the Quinnipiac River: MERIDEN
- 47. Hard work: TRAVAIL
- 51. Pull off: EXECUTE
- 52. It's not for big shots: MINICAM
- 53. Electrical device that may blow: SPEAKER
- 54. Paul Anka hit with a rhyming title: ESOBESO
- 55. Salsa quality: HOTNESS
- 56. Beginning: GENESIS
down
- 1. Like part of Lake Victoria: UGANDAN
- 2. Not losing well: SORE
- 3. Interweave: ENTWIST
- 4. Te ___: DEUM
- 5. Niña or Pinta: CARAVEL
- 6. "There's ___ of gold ...": APOT
- 7. Do some farrier's work on: RESHOE
- 8. Club not seen much nowadays: TWOIRON
- 9. Class for budding painters: ARTI
- 10. Den member: LIONCUB
- 11. Midori and Lance: ITOS
- 12. Creed: BELIEFS
- 13. ___ Straw Poll: AMES
- 14. Get a home in order: NEST
- 22. A bit, informally: SORTA
- 23. Gown go-with: HEELS
- 25. Enter the draft, maybe: GOPRO
- 26. Matches: SEES
- 27. Hot Wheels product: RACER
- 28. Small paving stones: SETTS
- 30. Military transports: Abbr.: LSTS
- 33. It runs by the White House: ESTREET
- 34. Mr. Ellington, in a 1977 song: SIRDUKE
- 35. Sorry bunch?: ATONERS
- 37. Asian land where French is widely spoken: LEBANON
- 38. Makes a 43-Down of: ENLACES
- 39. Fire starter?: STELMOS
- 41. Nog flavorer: NUTMEG
- 43. Netting: MESH
- 44. Big show: EXPO
- 45. Confident cry: ICAN
- 46. Nantes seasons: ETES
- 48. "All ___!" (court cry): RISE
- 49. General feeling: VIBE
- 50. Former capital of Romania: IASI
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.