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NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 22, 1997

Wednesday, January 22, 1997

By Last updated How we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, January 22, 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.

76 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

  1. 11
  2. 21

    First ___

  3. 32

    Boors

  4. 33
  5. 38

    Subsided

  6. 41
  7. 44

    Parry

  8. 52

    Veteran

  9. 62

    Patron

  10. 64

Down clues & answers

  1. 10

    Lorelei

  2. 11

    ___ Lama

  3. 18

    Yarns

  4. 24

    Sidekick

  5. 25

    Stumper

  6. 27

    Worn

  7. 28

    ___ mater

  8. 29

    Gossip

  9. 34
  10. 39

    Invited

  11. 42

    Ham it up

  12. 43

    Jerk

  13. 48

    Coming up

  14. 49

    Suppose

  15. 52

    H.S. exam

  16. 53

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Previous The Crossword answer

Tuesday, January 21, 1997

across

  • 1. Poland's Walesa: LECH
  • 5. Fine violin: STRAD
  • 10. With 39-Across, featured boxing match: MAIN
  • 14. "As Long ___ Needs Me" ("Oliver!" song): ASHE
  • 15. Two-door: COUPE
  • 16. Capital on a fjord: OSLO
  • 17. Gallows reprieve: STAY
  • 18. Quite healthy: ABLEBODIED
  • 20. Eternally, to poets: EER
  • 21. Downwind: ALEE
  • 22. "We ___ the World": ARE
  • 23. Not firsthand: RELAYED
  • 25. Biting: ACERBIC
  • 29. Patisserie employee: ICER
  • 30. Application information: FULLNAME
  • 31. Downhill runner: SLED
  • 33. Amusement park features: SLIDES
  • 35. Uncles and others: KIN
  • 36. Around: CIRCA
  • 38. "___ Ruled the World" (1965 hit): IFI
  • 39. See 10-Across: EVENT
  • 41. Rope-a-dope exponent: ALI
  • 42. Angers: UPSETS
  • 45. Angers: IRES
  • 46. Rural way: BACKROAD
  • 48. Comes to the rescue: AIDS
  • 50. Teaches the A B C's: SCHOOLS
  • 51. Self-defense art: JUJITSU
  • 54. Like some humor: WRY
  • 55. Kind of chop: PORK
  • 56. Kovic of "Born on the Fourth of July": RON
  • 57. "Designing Women" co-star: DELTABURKE
  • 61. Pinochle combo: MELD
  • 62. Food bar: OLEO
  • 63. An archangel: URIEL
  • 64. Baseball's Rose: PETE
  • 65. Talon: CLAW
  • 66. Litigants: SUERS
  • 67. Hullabaloo: STIR

down

  • 1. Light in a light show: LASER
  • 2. Lauder of cosmetics: ESTEE
  • 3. "The Most Beautiful Girl" singer: CHARLIERICH
  • 4. "Yo!": HEY
  • 5. Tackle box gizmos: SCALERS
  • 6. "And so ___": TOBED
  • 7. Hold sway over: RULE
  • 8. Imitate: APE
  • 9. Spectacular failure: DEBACLE
  • 10. Part of MOMA: MODERN
  • 11. "Unaccustomed ___ am...": ASI
  • 12. Spot in the mer: ILE
  • 13. Visual O.K.: NOD
  • 19. To avoid the alternative: ORELSE
  • 21. Parliamentary stand: AYE
  • 24. Current status: ACDC
  • 25. Tax filer's dread: AUDIT
  • 26. 1978 Gerry Rafferty hit: BAKERSTREET
  • 27. Ammonia-derived compound: IMINE
  • 28. Parts of dollars: CENTS
  • 30. Played a flute in a march: FIFED
  • 31. Temporary protectors: SCABS
  • 32. New Hampshire's state flower: LILAC
  • 34. Actress Bonet and others: LISAS
  • 37. Colorado city: AURORA
  • 40. "I saw," Caesar-style: VIDI
  • 43. Oedipus' foster father: POLYBUS
  • 44. Marine fishes: SAURELS
  • 47. Servilely defer (to): KOWTOW
  • 49. H-L connectors: IJK
  • 51. Wild card: JOKER
  • 52. Conductor Georg: SOLTI
  • 53. Secondary to: UNDER
  • 55. ___-dieu (pew part): PRIE
  • 57. Medic: DOC
  • 58. Angled annex: ELL
  • 59. Pasture: LEA
  • 60. It neighbors Braz.: URU
  • 61. AWOL hunters: MPS
Hints and full breakdown for Jan 21

More daily puzzle hints

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.