NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 20, 1997
Monday, January 20, 1997
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, January 20, 1997. 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
- 23
- 45
Down clues & answers
- 13
- 23
- 47
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, January 19, 1997
across
- 1. Mogul capital of India: AGRA
- 5. Pundit: SWAMI
- 10. Dead duck: GONER
- 15. Torme forte: SCAT
- 19. Dinner's often on him: SLOB
- 20. "Les Miz" setting: SEWER
- 21. 1836 battle site: ALAMO
- 22. Like some traffic: THRU
- 23. Movie about a boy's Presidential aspirations?: HOPEDREAMS
- 25. ___ Drusilla (mother of Tiberius): LIVIA
- 26. Trigger puller?: REIN
- 27. Home of the Minotaur: CRETE
- 28. Tango maneuver: DIP
- 29. Places for races: OVALS
- 30. 95-Down finisher: ELSE
- 31. Cause of inflation?: AIR
- 32. Presidential biography by Noel Coward?: BLYTHESPIRIT
- 36. Italian wine region: ASTI
- 37. ___ Hall (historic Princeton site): NASSAU
- 39. Bank deposit: SILT
- 40. Great time: ERA
- 41. "That is to say...": IMEAN
- 42. Stuffed shirt: PRIG
- 44. "Dirty Hands" playwright: SARTRE
- 46. China setting: ASIA
- 47. Spruce: TIDY
- 50. Gulf: GAP
- 52. Christie's "___ M?": NOR
- 53. Country guitar player, e.g.: TWANGER
- 56. At bat stat: RBI
- 57. What the First Lady's critics did over a bottle of bathtub gin?: DISSEDHILLARY
- 61. Indianapolis's ___ Dome: RCA
- 62. Cliff hanger?: AERIE
- 64. Rembrandt van ___: RYN
- 65. Skittish: SPOOKY
- 66. Dreamscape artist: DALI
- 67. One of the Horae: IRENE
- 68. Current choice: ACDC
- 70. Exclusive: SOLE
- 71. Pickle flavoring: CUMIN
- 72. Basketball maneuver: PICK
- 73. Shelved for now: ONHOLD
- 75. Hollow: PIT
- 76. Pizazz: OOMPH
- 77. Gained a lap: SAT
- 78. Mathematical rules governing the Vice President's macarena?: ALGORERHYTHMS
- 81. Hard-rock connection: ASA
- 82. Turn into something big: ENLARGE
- 84. Memo starter: FYI
- 85. Prominent tower: AAA
- 86. Agonize: FRET
- 87. Rec center: YWCA
- 88. At the scene: ONSITE
- 91. 1984 Peace Nobelist: TUTU
- 93. Children's author Eleanor: ESTES
- 95. New Deal proj.: TVA
- 96. Narrowly defeats: NIPS
- 98. S.A.T. score: VERBAL
- 102. 60's draft deferment category: TWOA
- 103. Vice President's wife at the Starlight Diner?: THEBIGTIPPER
- 106. Belfast grp.: IRA
- 107. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Waite ___: HOYT
- 108. Basil's "Captain Blood" co-star: ERROL
- 109. Catch on: SEE
- 110. Pert: SASSY
- 112. Flood avoider: NOAH
- 113. Timex rival: SEIKO
- 114. Head and tail of the victorious First Cat?: SOCKSESSES
- 116. Avalon, for one: ISLE
- 117. Chihuahua bites: TACOS
- 118. Bye word: ADIEU
- 119. Atlantic City attraction: KENO
- 120. "Clueless" lead role: CHER
- 121. "___ Canyon": STEVE
- 122. Skein game?: GEESE
- 123. Contemporary of Garbo: STEN
down
- 1. Depth charge: ASHCAN
- 2. Extolment, in hymns: GLORIA
- 3. Cowboys: ROPERS
- 4. Be a partner in crime: ABET
- 5. Obsolete geog. abbr.: SSR
- 6. Like unkept yards: WEEDY
- 7. Stands by for: AWAITS
- 8. "Aida" setting: MEMPHIS
- 9. Returns home?: IRS
- 10. Lively dance in duple time: GALOP
- 11. "Sleuth" co-star: OLIVIER
- 12. Old 48-Down kingdom: NAVARRE
- 13. Iago's wife: EMILIA
- 14. Rake over the coals: ROAST
- 15. Arrive in droves: STREAMIN
- 16. Star of a sitcom in which the First Daughter learns syntax?: CHELSEAGRAMMAR
- 17. Whitney Houston's record label: ARISTA
- 18. Get, as a radio broadcast: TUNEIN
- 24. Prohibit: DEBAR
- 33. One of Nintendo's Mario Brothers: LUIGI
- 34. African antelope: ELAND
- 35. Detroit brew: STROHS
- 38. Scout: SPY
- 41. Essex exclamation: ISAY
- 43. Kitchen fixture: GASRANGE
- 45. Comings and goings: TRIPS
- 46. With a twist?: AWRY
- 47. Gallivant: TRAIPSE
- 48. Basque, e.g.: IBERIAN
- 49. Where the President went without collecting $200?: DIRECTLYTOYALE
- 51. Hitchcock classic: PSYCHO
- 53. Defiant words: TAKETHAT
- 54. Overshadow: ECLIPSE
- 55. Umbrella alternative: RAINHAT
- 57. Balmoral Castle river: DEE
- 58. Where Gideon defeated the Midianites: ENDOR
- 59. Off one's trolley: LOOPY
- 60. Humbert Humbert's obsession: LOLITA
- 63. Publicity: INK
- 66. Burns and Allen, e.g.: DUO
- 69. Staff leaders: CLEFS
- 71. Inc. listings: COS
- 73. "The Three Sisters" sister: OLGA
- 74. On the clothesline: DRYING
- 78. Moves like a comet: ARCS
- 79. Band command: HITIT
- 80. Purple shade: MAUVE
- 83. Into the wind: AWEATHER
- 86. It's a wrap: FUR
- 88. Not neat: OVERICE
- 89. 60-Down's creator: NABOKOV
- 90. Show piece?: EPISODE
- 92. Clipped: TERSE
- 93. Italian or Mexican, e.g.: ETHNIC
- 94. Rushing sound: SWOOSH
- 95. Terrorist tactic: THREAT
- 97. Coin of the realm: SPECIE
- 99. Actress Jacqueline: BISSET
- 100. Sleuth Lupin: ARSENE
- 101. Attacks violently: LAYSON
- 103. They're held for questioning: TESTS
- 104. Words of resignation: ILOSE
- 105. Short dogs, for short: PEKES
- 111. Grills: ASKS
- 114. Wilt: SAG
- 115. Good name for a lawyer?: SUE
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.