NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 9, 2014
Saturday, August 9, 2014
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, August 9, 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
- 37
- 48
- 49
Down clues & answers
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, August 8, 2014
across
- 1. "___ Style," first video with a billion YouTube views: GANGNAM
- 8. Goes for enthusiastically: LEAPSAT
- 15. Home to "alabaster cities": AMERICA
- 16. Like Saudi Arabia: OILRICH
- 17. "Hmmmmm ..." [as hinted at by the three groups of black squares in the middle of the grid]: SOMETHINGSFISHY
- 19. It may contain mercury: ORE
- 20. One of its flavors is Mud Pie: EDYS
- 21. Starwort, e.g.: ASTER
- 22. Sounds from some mall temps: HOS
- 23. Those south of the border?: ESOS
- 25. ___ soup: MISO
- 26. Medical suffix: OSIS
- 28. Bests: ONEUPS
- 30. "___ am your father" (classic "Star Wars" line): NOI
- 31. Things that ties never have: LOSERS
- 33. Last part: TAILEND
- 35. Mythical predator: ROC
- 36. Vietnam's ___ Dinh Diem: NGO
- 37. Excellent, in slang: ALLTHAT
- 41. Quintet comprising "Ode to the West Wind": SONNETS
- 45. See 51-Across: LEE
- 46. "It was you," operatically: ERITU
- 48. Dictator's beginning: INRE
- 49. ___ angle: ATAN
- 51. With 45-Across, Thor's co-creator: STAN
- 52. Many a base player: CAD
- 53. Like 19-Across: MINED
- 55. No sophisticate: RUBE
- 57. Ovid's others: ALIA
- 58. Best Picture of 1954 [see 17-Across]: ONTHEWATERFRONT
- 61. Hardly the assertive type: DOORMAT
- 62. Gander: LOOKSEE
- 63. As part of a series: ENSUITE
- 64. A wild card is unlikely to beat one: TOPSEED
down
- 1. Hybrid on the road?: GASOHOL
- 2. Lovingly, on a music score: AMOROSO
- 3. Greek goddess of vengeance: NEMESIS
- 4. 170 is its max score: GRE
- 5. Minute beef: NIT
- 6. Really long?: ACHE
- 7. First: MAIDEN
- 8. Closes a session: LOGSOUT
- 9. Rostock bar stock: EIS
- 10. "Bravo" preceder: ALFA
- 11. Optical separator: PRISM
- 12. Like some famous frescoes: SISTINE
- 13. Secretary of state before Dulles: ACHESON
- 14. Neighbor of the Adam's apple: THYROID
- 18. Where Sotheby's is BID: NYSE
- 24. "NCIS" actor Joe: SPANO
- 27. Spanish muralist: SERT
- 28. They're clutched during some speeches: OSCARS
- 29. Sharp or flat: SIGN
- 32. Mies van der ___: ROHE
- 34. Anderson of "Nurses": LONI
- 37. Dessert preference: ALAMODE
- 38. Told, as a secret: LETINON
- 39. Rough housing: LEANTOS
- 40. Test the strength of, in a way: TITRATE
- 41. Where snowbirds flock: SUNBELT
- 42. Corral: ENCLOSE
- 43. Cadet, e.g.: TRAINEE
- 44. Under: SEDATED
- 47. Like a guitar string: TAUT
- 50. Indian chief, once: NEHRU
- 54. Prefix with john: DEMI
- 56. Suffix with switch: EROO
- 57. Refuges: ARKS
- 59. Southeast Asian temple: WAT
- 60. Metrosexual sort: FOP
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.