NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 14, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, May 14, 2016. 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
- 48
Down clues & answers
- 34
- 45
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, May 13, 2016
across
- 1. Bedroom set piece?: PAJAMABOTTOMS
- 14. Band with the 2012 double-platinum album "Night Visions": IMAGINEDRAGONS
- 16. Celebrity with the fashion line "V.": VANESSAWILLIAMS
- 18. Internet issue: EZINE
- 19. Hacking it: ABLE
- 20. One tailed in the sewers: RAT
- 21. Want: NEED
- 22. Flares: SPLAYS
- 24. "___ on my bed my limbs I lay" (line from Coleridge): ERE
- 25. Fill with horror: APPALL
- 27. It has a good resolution: HDTV
- 28. Lose energy: SAG
- 31. "Di quella pira," e.g.: ARIA
- 32. Tigerlike: FIERCE
- 34. "___ life belongs to those who live in the present": Wittgenstein: ETERNAL
- 36. Chinese province where a spicy cuisine originated: SICHUAN
- 37. Swear: ATTEST
- 38. Fitness center?: CORE
- 39. Half of a couple: MRS
- 40. Doesn't shut up: GABS
- 41. Targets of President Taft: TRUSTS
- 43. Big maker of 27-Acrosses: RCA
- 44. Souvenir item: TSHIRT
- 46. Unlikely swinger: PRIG
- 50. Org. with a name registration: AKC
- 51. Captain ___ (DC Comics superhero): ATOM
- 52. Lacking subtlety, say: CRUDE
- 53. Extra sauce order?: MAKEMINEADOUBLE
- 57. Match.com competitors: DATINGAGENCIES
- 58. Jibber-jabbers: TALKSNONSENSE
down
- 1. Jeremy of "Entourage": PIVEN
- 2. Leave speechless: AMAZE
- 3. Girl with a gun in an Aerosmith hit: JANIE
- 4. What a chair covers: AGENDA
- 5. ___ en scène: MISE
- 6. Puzzle hunt?: Abbr.: ANS
- 7. "___ dear ...": BEA
- 8. Big name in energy bars and smoothies: ODWALLA
- 9. Like some councils: TRIBAL
- 10. It may be running: TALLY
- 11. Checks out: OGLES
- 12. "J'accuse!" reply: MOI
- 13. Punch line instrument: SNAREDRUM
- 15. Little something for the road?: SMARTCAR
- 17. Piano-playing Cat: STEVENS
- 22. Sardine relative: SPRAT
- 23. Beach mold: PAIL
- 26. Slams: PANS
- 27. Snarky syllable: HEH
- 28. Distillery eponym Joseph: SEAGRAM
- 29. Mud spot?: ATTACKAD
- 30. Wreak vengeance on: GETBACKAT
- 32. "That's a ___!": FIRST
- 33. Celebrity whose name sounds like a drink: ICET
- 35. Thing, at bar: RES
- 36. Bad way to turn: SOUR
- 38. ___ Peninsula (2014 crisis site): CRIMEAN
- 41. Some beachwear: THONGS
- 42. Neat: SPRUCE
- 44. Source of the words "curry" and "pariah": TAMIL
- 45. Perform poorly: STINK
- 47. Apply, as Bengay: RUBIN
- 48. Lies around: IDLES
- 49. Chuckleheads: GEESE
- 52. Takes in: CONS
- 54. H: ETA
- 55. Opposite of hence: AGO
- 56. Place of corruption: DEN
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.