NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 5, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, March 5, 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.
Across clues & answers
- 18
- 24
- 37
- 52
- 63
- 66
Down clues & answers
- 34
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
across
- 1. Archenemy of the Fantastic Four: DRDOOM
- 7. Tech product introduced in '81: IBMPC
- 12. Rapper with the 2002 #1 hit "Always on Time": JARULE
- 13. Make into cornrows: BRAID
- 14. Like 50/50 vis-à-vis 60/40: EVENER
- 15. Merits: EARNS
- 16. With 23-Down, what 27-Across/32-Down is often credited with: DISCOVERING
- 18. Song girl who's "sweet as apple cider": IDA
- 21. Chicago-to-Tampa dir.: SSE
- 22. Sup: DINE
- 23. Coup d'___: ETAT
- 24. Yellowfin tuna, on menus: AHI
- 25. On vacation: AWAY
- 26. Trumpet: BLARE
- 27. With 32-Down, person associated with the scene depicted in this puzzle's grid: BENJAMIN
- 30. Silences: QUELLS
- 31. Added slyly, as a comment: EDGEDIN
- 32. Mink, e.g.: FURCOAT
- 33. Young chap: LAD
- 34. What Command-P means on a Mac: PRINT
- 35. With 44-Down, advice to 27-Across/32-Down?: GOFLY
- 38. Herringlike fish: SHAD
- 39. Towel holders: RODS
- 43. Continental coin: EURO
- 44. "Absolutely right!": AMEN
- 45. "Yeah, right!": IBET
- 46. Suffix with señor: ITA
- 47. Real stinker: SKUNK
- 48. Milan's La ___: SCALA
- 49. Martial arts instructor: SENSEI
- 51. Veteran: OLDTIMER
- 53. Cope: HACKIT
- 54. Say wrongly: MISSTATE
- 55. Military command: ATEASE
- 56. Precursor to talk shows for Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, in short: SNL
- 57. River of W.W. I: YSER
down
- 1. Provided the music for a party, informally: DJED
- 2. Enraptured: RAVISHED
- 3. Order often "on the side": DRESSING
- 4. Post office scale unit: OUNCE
- 5. Yellow spread: OLEO
- 6. Game show maven Griffin: MERV
- 7. Spanish or Portuguese: IBERIAN
- 8. Opposite of dense: BRAINY
- 9. River of W.W. I: MARNE
- 10. Worrisome engine sound: PING
- 11. Some 60-mo. investments: CDS
- 17. Buzz Aldrin's real first name: EDWIN
- 18. Writer Calvino: ITALO
- 19. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" girl: DARLA
- 20. "This is only ___": ATEST
- 23. See 16-Across: ELECTRICITY
- 24. $5 bill, informally: ABE
- 25. Surrounded by: AMID
- 26. Seriously overcook: BURN
- 28. Dessert brand once pitched by Bill Cosby: JELLO
- 29. The Beatles' "___ in the Life": ADAY
- 30. British pound, informally: QUID
- 32. See 27-Across: FRANKLIN
- 34. Sports wonders, say: PHENOMS
- 35. Dancer in a kimono: GEISHA
- 36. Best in an annual Nathan's contest, say: OUTEAT
- 37. Site of 27-Across/32-Down's ambassadorship: FRANCE
- 38. The Mustangs of the American Athletic Conf.: SMU
- 40. 2000s White House family: OBAMAS
- 41. Remove, as spam: DELETE
- 42. One not blinking, perhaps: STARER
- 44. See 35-Across: AKITE
- 47. Dos x tres: SEIS
- 48. A, B and F, e.g., in D.C.: STS
- 50. Jamaican music genre: SKA
- 52. Fast way to connect, briefly: DSL
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.