Unravel the Toughest Puzzles with Ease
Welcome to the inaugural edition of this New York Times Crossword clues and answers guide, where I go through the puzzle and pull out all the answers to the toughest questions the NYT has for you. And they are really tough, as you probably know by now, depending on the day. Today we will begin with the Sunday, May 4 puzzle. But first:
How to Play the NYT Crossword
Well, the first step here is that if you’re doing this online and not in the newspaper, you will need a full all-access subscription to the New York Times, which allows you to play online and it gives you access to all archives of all puzzle games on the site.
Past that, well, it’s a crossword. You will be given clues stretching on both directions on the board and find the letters that fill out the entire thing correctly. Clues can be tough on their own, but with multiple answers potentially in the same lettercount, they can be downright diabolical.
The puzzle has a timer to see how you’re doing for your personal bests, and don’t forget about the “Rebus” button which turns some squares into two letter spaces, which is always a nightmare. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. And with that, here’s today’s puzzle.
Across Clues and Answers
1) Things hidden after purchasing a premium account, maybe - ADS
4) Follower of a bit? - MUCH
8) Bank robber’s accessory - MASK
12) "The Wild Duck" playwright - IBSEN
17) Egg ___ yung - FOO
18) Big name in deodorant - ARRID
20) Contents of a blog - POSTS
21) Handle - SEETO
22) Product that "can cut a slice of bread so thin you can almost see through it!," in old ads - GINSUKNIFE
24) Try to open, as a gift - RIPAT
Down Clues and Answers
1) Currency unit of Kabul - AFGHANI
2) Enthusiastic reply to "Want to?" - DOIEVER
3) Poems also fancily known as quatorzains - SONNETS
4) Barely managing - MAKINGDO
Editorial Standards
Embarrassing Clue - How did that go for you? Some really tough ones in there, and I was embarrassed I thought “May the fourth be with you” was “live long and prosper” because that was the only sci-fi phrase that came to mind. To be fair, that’s not exactly in the movies.
Favorite Clue - I really enjoyed the “companion who takes your breath away” being a blow-up doll, extremely clever.
Hardest Clue - Always a lot to choose from here, but it’s almost always something with a Rebus, which in this case was the ginsu knife from the old TV ads, as sometimes it will be used to make something plural, but not in this case, and you needed it to face the base word in. Very tough.
