NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 1, 2014

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Saturday, February 1, 2014

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:52 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, February 1, 2014. 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.

70 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

1
Her 1994 memoir has the chapter "Desert Storm"
12
Plant visitor
15
What watts and volt-amperes have
16
Elementary education, briefly
17
High interest?
18
Choice for a portrait
19
U.K. honours
20
What you may open the door for
21
Aftermath
22
Fun time
23
Toddler coddler
24
Display options, briefly
25
Serpent with a Zulu name
26
Zany
28
On track to win
31
Use pumice on, perhaps
33
He wrote of a "vorpal blade"
35
Gets to a seat, say
36
Member of the German Expressionist group Die Brücke
38
Sky boxes?
39
Exhibit explainer
40
Strawberry, for one
42
Tom Clancy's "Every ___ Tiger"
43
Polaris or Procyon
44
Persian language unit?
47
"The Wizard of Oz" farmhand
48
Psychoanalyst Melanie
49
Hometown of the mathematician Fibonacci
50
Much like
51
Words accompanying a low bow
53
X or Y lead-in
54
Uno's alternative
55
Suzanne, e.g.: Abbr.
56
Light insufficiently

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Friday, January 31, 2014

across

1. "No more wasting time!": LETSDOTHISTHING
16. Pixar, e.g.: ANIMATIONSTUDIO
17. Was just getting started: HADALONGWAYTOGO
18. Some foreign friends: AMICI
19. Union ___: Abbr.: STA
20. Breathers: LUNGS
21. "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der ___: BEEK
22. It's a state: BEING
24. Unduplicated: SOLE
25. ___ Toy Barn ("Toy Story 2" setting): ALS
26. Parked cars: VALETED
28. A Kennedy: TED
29. Fix: NEUTER
31. Makes a fuss over, with "on": DOTES
33. What Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue has a lot of: ADPAGES
35. Marker's mark maker: FELTTIP
39. Bottom line?: XAXIS
41. Cruise: VOYAGE
42. Professional org. with a "healthy" balance sheet: AMA
45. Musical instrument for a geisha: SAMISEN
47. MASH unit: COT
48. Pioneering map publisher William: RAND
50. 1998 film in which Donny Osmond has a singing role: MULAN
51. One on the staff?: NOTE
52. Thin as ___: ARAIL
54. Romanian capital: LEU
55. Albert's sitcom co-star: GABOR
56. Numbats: BANDEDANTEATERS
59. Washington report starter: ICANNOTTELLALIE
60. Charm: CASTONESSPELLON

down

1. Caribbean capital, to locals: LAHABANA
2. Cloisonné, e.g.: ENAMELED
3. Sets things straight: TIDIESUP
4. Trash talk: SMACK
5. "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening" artist: DALI
6. Tribe of Chief Shaumonekusse: OTO
7. It hangs around trees: TINSEL
8. Immobilized: HOGTIED
9. Needing: INWANTOF
10. Grp. that's got your number?: SSA
11. Texting ta-ta: TTYL
12. Many Rwandans: HUTUS
13. Defensive reply: IDONOT
14. Nitpick: NIGGLE
15. Gave a boost: GOOSED
22. Practice test?: BAREXAM
23. Square things: GETEVEN
26. Setting for "Ocean's 11": VEGAS
27. Actor Alain: DELON
30. Strain: TAX
32. Home for E. B. White's Wilbur: STY
34. Pose as: SIMULATE
36. "Live más" sloganeer: TACOBELL
37. Classic song that begins "When my baby / When my baby smiles at me": IGOTORIO
38. "CSI" star William: PETERSEN
40. Few of them were made after 1929: SILENTS
42. Source of the word "admiral": ARABIC
43. One of two in a rumba: MARACA
44. Pineapples: Sp.: ANANAS
46. Prepares, as some mushrooms: SAUTES
49. "If I ___ Have You" (2001 Best Original Song Oscar winner): DIDNT
51. Kind of star: NATAL
53. "Leading With My Chin" memoirist: LENO
55. Air force?: GALE
57. Slip into: DON
58. Grp. with the 1971 gold album "Pictures at an Exhibition": ELP

Hints and full breakdown for Jan 31

More daily puzzle hints

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.