NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 23, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, March 23, 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
- 10
- 28
- 39
- 50
- 55
- 72
- 80
- 105
- 118
Down clues & answers
- 7
- 37
- 56
- 62
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 107
- 112
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, March 22, 2014
across
- 1. Passed in a blur, say: FLEWBY
- 7. Develops gradually: GESTATES
- 15. Smoking: REDHOT
- 16. Change-making: ALTERANT
- 17. Where to look for self-growth: INWARD
- 18. Obsolescent storage device: ZIPDRIVE
- 19. Historic first name in W.W. II: ENOLA
- 20. Locale of three presidential libraries: TEXAS
- 21. Fried: LIT
- 22. One often behind bars: ZOOEXHIBIT
- 24. Ditch: TOSS
- 25. Doesn't carry on: ENDS
- 26. Oxygen's lack: ODOR
- 27. Rescuer of Princess Peach: MARIO
- 28. Near: Fr.: PRES
- 29. Churchyard gravedigger: SEXTON
- 30. Signs of things to come: HERALDS
- 34. Truckloads: LEGIONS
- 35. Hard to grasp: OPAQUE
- 36. Remains after the aging process: LEES
- 37. Opposite of 28-Down: MINUS
- 38. Santa's reindeer, e.g.: TEAM
- 39. Some sharp words: SASS
- 43. Lou's "La Bamba" co-star: ESAI
- 44. Concord concoction: GRAPEJELLY
- 46. Many a "Meet the Press" guest, informally: POL
- 47. Swindler's moola: GRIFT
- 48. Hiked: UPPED
- 49. She had a single-season stint on "The View": ODONNELL
- 51. Many a worker at Union Pacific headquarters: OMAHAN
- 52. Like Enterprise vehicles: RENTABLE
- 53. Fired up?: ABLAZE
- 54. Best, as friends: TIGHTEST
- 55. One of Leakey's "Trimates": FOSSEY
down
- 1. Decorated band along a wall: FRIEZE
- 2. "Reality leaves a lot to the imagination" speaker: LENNON
- 3. He directed Bela Lugosi in "Bride of the Monster": EDWOOD
- 4. High rollers, in casino lingo: WHALES
- 5. Cheap, shoddy merchandise: BORAX
- 6. Financial statement abbr.: YTD
- 7. Outdoor wedding settings: GAZEBOS
- 8. Alchemist's offering: ELIXIR
- 9. Green party V.I.P.?: STPAT
- 10. Three Stooges creator Healy and others: TEDS
- 11. Concourse abbr.: ARR
- 12. Personalize for: TAILORTO
- 13. Picture: ENVISION
- 14. Troopers' toppers: STETSONS
- 20. Almanac info: TIDES
- 23. Large pack: HORDE
- 24. Get set to take off: TAXI
- 27. What an 18-Across's capacity is measured in, briefly: MEGS
- 28. Opposite of 37-Across: PLUS
- 29. Message sometimes written below "F": SEEME
- 30. Regular embarkation location: HOMEPORT
- 31. Series starter: EPISODEI
- 32. Left: RANALONG
- 33. "___ se habla español": AQUI
- 34. Did an entrechat: LEAPT
- 36. Flier: LEAFLET
- 38. Voice lesson subjects: TRILLS
- 39. Protection for flowers in bud: SEPALS
- 40. Socially dominant sorts: ALPHAS
- 41. Dirty rat: SLEAZE
- 42. Biggest city on the smallest continent: SYDNEY
- 44. Diving bird: GREBE
- 45. Mammoth: JUMBO
- 47. Cookout irritant: GNAT
- 50. ___ root (math quantity): NTH
- 51. Bungler: OAF
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.