0404-09 New York Times Crossword Answers 4 Apr 09

This is the solution to the crossword published in the New York Times today. If you are doing the New York Times crossword in any other publication, you are working on the syndicated puzzle.

Today’s syndicated solution is in the blog here.

6 thoughts on “0404-09 New York Times Crossword Answers 4 Apr 09”

  1. Can anyone explain the theme of this puzzle to me? I solved it, but can’t figure out what “last letters” means.

  2. First of all, congrats on solving the puzzle.

    The theme is very devious, and gave lots of people problems. You have to think in terms of OPPOSITES (as you would have noted in the longer clues that you solved).

    If you read not the last letters, but the first letters of each clue, there’s a message …

    ANY CLUE FOR A WORD OF EIGHT OR MORE LETTERS IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE WORD TO BE ENTERED

    Pretty devious, huh? :o)

    Thanks for stopping by the blog.

    Bill

  4. I solved it very quickly, but still cannot figure out the trick, I have read first and last letters, and it still is not evident to me. Can you spell it out a little more clearly? Thank you, usually I get it if I just let it roll around in my mind, but not this one.
    Mary Fran

  5. Hi Mary Fran,

    I think you might be mixing up clues and answers.

    The Message is in the first letter of the CLUES. If you take the first letter of each and every clue, across and down, that spells out the message I mentioned in a prior post.

    Then, according to the message, the clues for the longer answers (8 letters or more) are tricks. You write in a word that is the opposite to that suggested by each of these clues.

    I hope that’s clearer.

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