NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 7, 2015
Saturday, March 7, 2015
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, March 7, 2015. 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
- 20
- 39
Down clues & answers
- 14
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, March 6, 2015
across
- 1. Colts' division, for short: AFCSOUTH
- 9. "Murder in the Kitchen" writer: TOKLAS
- 15. Dip for mozzarella sticks: MARINARA
- 16. "A cozy lie," per Susan Sontag: SANITY
- 17. Upper cut?: PRIMERIB
- 18. Paxil alternative: PROZAC
- 19. Line at a movie premiere, maybe: LIMOS
- 20. Fancy food container: TIN
- 22. Part of the Hollywood crowd?: EXTRA
- 23. FiveThirtyEight owner: ESPN
- 24. Senile sort: DOTARD
- 26. Fire starter?: AIM
- 27. Fire safety?: TENURE
- 28. Toy company acquired by Mattel in 1997: TYCO
- 29. Urban phenomenon: SPRAWL
- 33. Violet, for 12-Down: EYECOLOR
- 35. Classic work of fiction that popularized the Three Laws: IROBOT
- 36. "That's enough!": NOMORE
- 37. One unable to adapt: DINOSAUR
- 40. Squirts: TWERPS
- 41. Almond-ish hue: ECRU
- 42. Bistro orders: CREPES
- 44. Lead (out): SEE
- 45. Be in harmony: CONCUR
- 46. Labradoodle, e.g.: MUTT
- 50. Budget alternative: ALAMO
- 52. In place: SET
- 53. King Julien of the "Madagascar" films, e.g.: LEMUR
- 54. Crosses in a zoo: LIGERS
- 56. "I'll see you then!": ITSADATE
- 58. Garland of old: ANADEM
- 59. Love handles?: PETNAMES
- 60. First of the five stages of grief: DENIAL
- 61. Schwarzenegger movie with an oxymoronic title: TRUELIES
down
- 1. Enough: AMPLE
- 2. Actress Anna of "Mom": FARIS
- 3. Form ringlets in: CRIMP
- 4. Bespectacled chipmunk: SIMON
- 5. Register space: ONES
- 6. Grp. once led by Nasser: UAR
- 7. Moon photographed by Voyager 2 in 1989: TRITON
- 8. Regular: HABITUE
- 9. Unit of volume: Abbr.: TSP
- 10. Stroked: OARED
- 11. Washington's first secretary of war: KNOX
- 12. "Success is a great deodorant" speaker, informally: LIZTAYLOR
- 13. Onetime 2600 Jr. maker: ATARICORP
- 14. Divine trees in the "Book of the Dead": SYCAMORES
- 21. Hardly: NARY
- 24. Fast-food chain with the slogan "Unfreshing believable": DELTACO
- 25. Come again?: REENTER
- 27. Pairings: TWOS
- 28. "Personally ...": TOME
- 29. Alternative to soup at a restaurant: SIDESALAD
- 30. Expedia competitor: PRICELINE
- 31. Former Air America radio host: RONREAGAN
- 32. "___ Ben Adhem": ABOU
- 34. Daunts: COWS
- 38. Some Bronze Age artifacts: URNS
- 39. It often says "Thank You": RECEIPT
- 43. It helps when you get down to the short strokes: PUTTER
- 45. Jazz fusion artist with an "Elektric Band": COREA
- 46. It's an honor: MEDAL
- 47. Supposed "fifth taste": UMAMI
- 48. Alexander the Great, to Aristotle: TUTEE
- 49. Lock: TRESS
- 51. Start to care?: MEDI
- 53. Bike ___: LANE
- 55. Letters on some racks: SML
- 57. Bassist Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival: STU
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.