NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 14, 2017
Sunday, May 14, 2017
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, May 14, 2017. 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
- 39
- 48
- 64
- 81
- 87
- 92
- 103
- 111
- 119
- 122
Down clues & answers
- 9
- 53
- 54
- 100
- 106
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, May 13, 2017
across
- 1. Tiny cheese sandwiches, of a sort: RITZBITS
- 9. A thread winds around it: SCREW
- 14. Nest-raiding insect: AMAZONANT
- 16. Surrender: WAIVE
- 17. Computer icon, e.g.: PICTOGRAM
- 18. Paid to play: ANTED
- 19. Pro's opposite, in slang: NOOB
- 20. Places frequented by Dorian Gray: OPIUMDENS
- 22. Dish made from 7-Down: POI
- 24. Nonnative plant?: SPY
- 25. Ironman race, briefly: TRI
- 28. Existing: INESSE
- 32. Threw: CAST
- 36. One likely to have a large collection of albums: RARESTAMPDEALER
- 39. Grammy-winning R. Kelly hit of 1996: IBELIEVEICANFLY
- 40. They're often upsetting: CINDERELLATEAMS
- 41. See 25-Down: KNEE
- 42. Flowers named after the Greek word for "star": ASTERS
- 43. Went nowhere: SAT
- 44. Abbr. by a blinking light: REC
- 46. ___ Yantra (sacred Hindu diagram formed by nine interlocking triangles): SRI
- 48. Stumble out of the gate, say: SLOWSTART
- 54. What ":" can mean: ISTO
- 57. Teachers of karma: LAMAS
- 58. High-quality window composition: LEADGLASS
- 61. Sphere: ARENA
- 62. "Wag the Dog" co-star, 1997: ANNEHECHE
- 63. Bat around: BANDY
- 64. "No need to elaborate": IGETTHAT
down
- 1. Strike: RAP
- 2. Declaration after looking at one's cards: IMIN
- 3. ___ stand: TACO
- 4. Band with the gold-certified albums "Tres Hombres" and "El Loco": ZZTOP
- 5. Ignorant middle class, per H. L. Mencken: BOOBOISIE
- 6. Fortune Global 500 bank: ING
- 7. Ingredient in 22-Across: TARO
- 8. Take a shot: SNAP
- 9. Inundate: SWAMP
- 10. Christmas decoration: CANDYCANE
- 11. Quinceañera, for 15-year-old girls: RITE
- 12. Neither up nor down: EVEN
- 13. Joins: WEDS
- 15. "Eww, stop!": TMI
- 21. They're old and tired: USEDCARS
- 23. Work together: INTERACT
- 25. With 41-Across, one bending unexpectedly?: TRICK
- 26. 1994 Peace Prize sharer: RABIN
- 27. Woman's name meaning "peace": IRENE
- 29. Some wasp nest sites: EAVES
- 30. Rid of impurities: SMELT
- 31. Tree-tapping spigot: SPILE
- 33. Some sporty Italian wheels: ALFAS
- 34. "The Simpsons" aunt: SELMA
- 35. Meeting on the DL: TRYST
- 37. Powerful tool for Dumbledore: ELDERWAND
- 38. Follows a healthful diet: EATSRIGHT
- 45. Try: ESSAY
- 47. ___ of Langerhans (part of the pancreas): ISLET
- 48. Cut of meat: SLAB
- 49. Boris Pasternak heroine: LARA
- 50. Parting of the clouds, maybe: OMEN
- 51. After: ALA
- 52. Baroque artist Guido: RENI
- 53. Strong, sharp smell: TANG
- 55. Instrument with a needle, for short: TACH
- 56. Plant watcher, for short: OSHA
- 59. River that forms part of the England/Wales boundary: DEE
- 60. Collected works: SET
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.