NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 31, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, August 31, 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
- 17
- 25
- 59
- 66
Down clues & answers
- 10
- 14
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, August 30, 2013
across
- 1. First female candidate to win the Ames Straw Poll: MICHELEBACHMANN
- 16. War paths: STRATEGICROUTES
- 17. It airs in the morning, ironically: THELATELATESHOW
- 18. Case builders: Abbr.: ATTS
- 19. Copy from a CD: RIP
- 20. Understood: SEEN
- 21. Show featuring special agents: NCIS
- 22. Red Cloud, e.g.: SIOUX
- 24. Player of the bad teacher in "Bad Teacher": DIAZ
- 26. Rear: CAN
- 27. Possible rank indicator: EPAULET
- 29. Overseas relig. title: STE
- 30. Big name in car monitors: ONSTAR
- 32. Beat it: SCRAMMED
- 34. "Keep dreaming!": ASIF
- 36. Word after a splat: OOPS
- 37. Like some lovers' hearts: AFLUTTER
- 41. Strikes: XESOUT
- 45. She may be fawning: DOE
- 46. Colorful cover-ups: SERAPES
- 48. Brandy letters: VSO
- 49. Grilling test: ORAL
- 51. Misses abroad: Abbr.: SRTAS
- 52. Newborn abroad: BEBE
- 53. ___ Hedin, discoverer of the Trans-Himalaya: SVEN
- 55. Folman who directed the 2013 film "The Congress": ARI
- 56. Comcast Center hoopster: TERP
- 57. Alternative to a breakfast burrito: HUEVOSRANCHEROS
- 61. Big source for modern slang: URBANDICTIONARY
- 62. Some critical comments from co-workers: PEERASSESSMENTS
down
- 1. Yellowstone setting: Abbr.: MST
- 2. Odysseus, e.g.: ITHACAN
- 3. Dopes: CRETINS
- 4. Knocks off: HALTS
- 5. Control tower info: ETAS
- 6. Re-serve judgment?: LET
- 7. Female adviser: EGERIA
- 8. Ill-humored: BILIOUS
- 9. Norwegian Star port of call: ACAPULCO
- 10. Old oscilloscope part, briefly: CRT
- 11. Turns over in one's plot?: HOES
- 12. Was reflective: MUSED
- 13. Its adherents are in disbelief: ATHEISM
- 14. Formula one?: NEONATE
- 15. Neighbor of Victoria: Abbr.: NSW
- 21. Top kick, for one: Abbr.: NCO
- 22. Puck and others: SPRITES
- 23. Some exact likenesses: XEROXES
- 25. Part of Queen Elizabeth's makeup?: ZED
- 27. Certain league divisions: EASTS
- 28. Forerunners of discs: TAPES
- 31. Kind of cross: TAU
- 33. They may be returned with regrets: Abbr.: MSS
- 35. 458 Spider and F12 Berlinetta: FERRARIS
- 37. Production: ADO
- 38. Definitely: FORSURE
- 39. Give some space, say: LEAVEBE
- 40. Grind: RATRACE
- 42. Stormed: OVERRAN
- 43. Modern mouse hole?: USBPORT
- 44. Ring bearer, maybe: TOE
- 47. Emulates Homer: PAINTS
- 50. Actor Burton: LEVAR
- 52. Competitor of Lauren and Klein: BEENE
- 54. Numerical prefix: NONA
- 56. First name in footwear: THOM
- 57. "Two, three, four" lead-in: HUP
- 58. Org. with a clenched fist logo: SDS
- 59. Org. created right after the cold war: CIS
- 60. MS-DOS component: Abbr.: SYS
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.