NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 20, 2001

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Thursday, December 20, 2001

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:09 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, December 20, 2001. 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

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Wednesday, December 19, 2001

across

1. Mrs. Lincoln's maiden name: TODD
5. Looked over larcenously: CASED
10. Move sideways: CRAB
14. Old name in railroads: ERIE
15. In reserve: ASIDE
16. No-goodnik: HEEL
17. Bohr's study: ATOM
18. Haloes: RINGS
19. Stocking shade: ECRU
20. Beginning of a quotation: COURAGEISFEAR
23. Frost production: POETRY
25. Formerly, formerly: ERST
26. Conglomerate in White Plains, N.Y.: ITT
27. Military store: ARSENAL
29. Cossack's turf: STEPPES
31. Stan who created Spider-Man: LEE
32. Rat's place: LAB
34. Gen. McAuliffe's retort: NUTS
35. Quotation, part 2: HOLDINGON
39. Fictional hunchback: IGOR
41. Cross shape: TAU
42. Match: SEE
45. Shook hands with: GREETED
48. Indicated: BESPOKE
51. Ages and ages: EON
52. Roy G. Biv septet: HUES
54. Gadabout: ROAMER
55. End of the quotation: ONEMOREMINUTE
58. Faith healer's directive: RISE
59. Quartz varieties: OPALS
60. Break one's back: TOIL
63. "The Waltons" actor: GEER
64. Hostess Mesta: PERLE
65. Long ago: ONCE
66. Villa d'___: ESTE
67. Not sitting well?: ANTSY
68. Have to have: NEED

down

1. Society affair: TEA
2. Leftover morsel: ORT
3. Bishop's domain: DIOCESE
4. Bump down: DEMOTE
5. Roomy bag: CARRYALL
6. Where Marco Polo traveled: ASIA
7. Scorch: SINGE
8. Landscaping tools: EDGERS
9. "Avast!": DESIST
10. White hat wearer: CHEF
11. Register printout: RECEIPT
12. Does a greenskeeper's task: AERATES
13. Says suddenly: BLURTS
21. Coffee ___: URN
22. Kind of pool: STENO
23. Bud: PAL
24. You can dig it: ORE
28. Little kiltie: LAD
30. Bit of Cerf humor: PUN
33. 0 or 1, digitally: BIT
35. Clod chopper: HOE
36. Garden products brand: ORTHO
37. Collar: NAB
38. Dairy animal: GUERNSEY
39. O. Henry twists: IRONIES
40. Subject of a DNA map: GENESET
42. Important sort: SOMEONE
43. Barely manage, with "out": EKE
44. Ballad's end?: EER
45. With 50-Down, speaker of the quotation: GEORGE
46. Satellite of Jupiter: EUROPA
47. Dredge: DEEPEN
49. Trifling amount: SOU
50. See 45-Down: PATTON
53. Like some bombs: SMART
56. Insignificant: MERE
57. Troubles: ILLS
61. Hotel sign: ICE
62. Called the shots: LED

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 19

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.