NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 24, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, August 24, 2013. 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
- 21
- 40
- 59
Down clues & answers
- 38
- 39
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, August 23, 2013
across
- 1. Human-powered transport: PEDICAB
- 8. Lingerie enhancements: BRAPADS
- 15. Japanese "thanks": ARIGATO
- 16. Consumed: EATENUP
- 17. Like some Mideast ideology: PANARAB
- 18. Grammy-winning singer from Barbados: RIHANNA
- 19. "___ me later": ASK
- 20. Barrister's deg.: LLB
- 21. Belief opposed by Communists: TSARISM
- 22. Hammer and sickle: TOOLS
- 24. Small arms: INLETS
- 25. "Be right there": JUSTASECOND
- 29. Labor outfits: UNIONSHOPS
- 30. Bubbly brand, for short: MOET
- 34. Oral reports?: BURPS
- 35. Des Moines-to-Cedar Rapids dir.: ENE
- 36. It's known to locals as Cymraeg: WELSH
- 37. "Money" novelist, 1984: AMIS
- 38. Orange entree, informally: MACNCHEESE
- 40. Not take a back seat to anyone?: RIDESHOTGUN
- 41. Diner freebies: STRAWS
- 45. Fisherman's Wharf attraction: SEALS
- 46. Young colleen, across the North Channel: WEELASS
- 48. Browns' home, for short: CLE
- 49. Bring to a boil?: IRE
- 52. By the boatload: APLENTY
- 53. Wastes: RUBSOUT
- 55. Cubs' home: BEARDEN
- 56. Improbable victory, in slang: EPICWIN
- 57. Potentially embarrassing video: SEXTAPE
- 58. Mezzo-soprano Troyanos: TATIANA
down
- 1. Quebec preceder, to pilots: PAPA
- 2. Meaningful stretches: ERAS
- 3. Soft touch?: DINK
- 4. Supermarket inits.: IGA
- 5. Some bank offerings: CARLOANS
- 6. Totally flummoxed: ATALOSS
- 7. Spring figure?: BOBBLEHEAD
- 8. Pitcher Blyleven with 3,701 strikeouts: BERT
- 9. Oatmeal topping: RAISINS
- 10. Close: ATHAND
- 11. Unit of wisdom?: PEARL
- 12. "Little Girls" musical: ANNIE
- 13. Actress Kirsten: DUNST
- 14. Hits with some trash: SPAMS
- 22. Sporty auto options: TTOPS
- 23. Torch carriers: SCONCES
- 25. Capital of South Sudan: JUBA
- 26. Old one: UNUM
- 27. Her voice was first heard in 2011: SIRI
- 28. It's already out of the bag: OPENSECRET
- 30. Parts of a school athletic calendar: MEETS
- 31. Designer Cassini: OLEG
- 32. "Mi casa ___ casa": ESSU
- 33. Segue starter: THEN
- 36. Everything, with "the": WHOLEBIT
- 38. Trip: MISSTEP
- 39. Fried tortilla dish: CHALUPA
- 40. Landlocked African land: RWANDA
- 41. Collectors of DNA samples: SWABS
- 42. Hides from Indians, maybe?: TEPEE
- 43. Chill: RELAX
- 44. All-points bulletin, e.g.: ALERT
- 47. Final word in a holiday tune: SYNE
- 49. Locale for many political debates: IOWA
- 50. Perdition: RUIN
- 51. Site of the Bocca Nuova crater: ETNA
- 54. Poli ___: SCI
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.