NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 3, 2014

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, May 3, 2014

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:50 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, May 3, 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

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, May 2, 2014

across

1. Modern traffic director?: CLICKBAIT
10. Punk theme: ANGST
15. London's ___ Barnett School: HENRIETTA
16. News anchor O'Donnell: NORAH
17. One who's not out all night?: INSOMNIAC
18. Steer: DRIVE
19. T-Pain and Ice-T output: RAPS
20. Time's 1963 Man of the Year, informally: MLKJR
22. Pick up: NAB
23. John or James: APOSTLE
26. Fashion designer Marshall: LEANNE
28. Et ___: CETERA
29. Back: AGO
31. Ship captained by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón: NINA
32. West of Nashville: DOTTIE
34. "Martin Chuzzlewit" villain: JONAS
35. Silver screen name?: FIVETHIRTYEIGHT
39. "___ Pleasure" (Charlie Chaplin movie): ADAYS
40. Fixed, as lining: RESEWN
41. Abdominal and lower-back muscles, collectively: CORE
42. Embarrassed: RED
43. Unleashes on: LETSAT
47. Writes a Dear John letter, say: ENDSIT
49. Novelist Isabel: ALLENDE
50. Where one might take a bullet: Abbr.: STA
51. Some seaweeds: KELPS
54. Actor Franco of "Now You See Me": DAVE
55. Skateboard trick named after its originator: OLLIE
57. Not reserved: OUTSPOKEN
60. Female lead in "Brigadoon": FIONA
61. They'll never hold water: STRAINERS
62. Big celebrations: FESTS
63. Paid a visit: STOPPEDBY

down

1. President beginning in 1995: CHIRAC
2. Delaware Valley Indians: LENAPE
3. Hip place: INSPOT
4. Strabismus: CROSSEDEYES
5. 1901 Kipling book: KIM
6. Big ___: BEN
7. Words before "to be born" and "to die" in Ecclesiastes: ATIME
8. Not this type?: Abbr.: ITAL
9. Change course at sea: TACK
10. Physicist ___-Marie Ampère: ANDRE
11. Common conjunction: NOR
12. Looking sheepish, say: GRINNING
13. Southern city that's the setting for "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil": SAVANNAH
14. Beauty's partner: THEBEAST
21. Celeb who got the 2,500th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013: JLO
24. Easy runs: TROTS
25. Trellis strip: LATH
27. Messiah: ANOINTEDONE
29. Hung out to dry: AIRED
30. Groks: GETS
33. Kind of pump: TIRE
34. Beauty: JEWEL
35. Goes head to head: FACESOFF
36. "Trust me": IDONTLIE
37. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" writer/star: VARDALOS
38. "Go, team, go!," e.g.: YELL
42. GPS line: Abbr.: RTE
44. Wove (through): SNAKED
45. Sooner or later: ADVERB
46. Wee: TEENSY
48. U.S. chain stores since 1985: IKEAS
49. Cartoon dog: ASTRO
52. Setback: LOSS
53. It's by no means a long shot: PUTT
56. Football stat: Abbr.: INT
58. Scammer's target: SAP
59. Mark on a card: PIP

Hints and full breakdown for May 2

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.