NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 20, 2004
Monday, December 20, 2004
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, December 20, 2004. 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
- 16
- 21
- 40
- 45
- 66
Down clues & answers
- 53
- 61
- 63
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, December 19, 2004
across
- 1. Subordinate ruler: SATRAP
- 7. Former rulers of Egypt: BRITISH
- 14. Came out of sleep, old-style: AWAKED
- 20. Put on the same level: EQUATE
- 21. Treeless plain: SAVANNA
- 22. It may be in a torpedo: SALAMI
- 23. Start of a verse: CUTTHEPAPERFOLDANDTIE
- 26. Fringe, maybe: TASSELS
- 27. "Ici on ___ français": PARLE
- 28. Hon: TOOTS
- 29. Take-home: NET
- 30. Was bright: SHONE
- 32. Code cracker's comment: AHA
- 34. Sentimental song: BALLAD
- 38. Slight manifestation: GLINT
- 39. Maligned: TRADUCED
- 44. ___ Cologne (skunk of old cartoons): ODIE
- 45. Climb: SHIN
- 46. Cast off: SHED
- 47. Fa followers: SOLA
- 48. Verse, part 2: SENTENCEDTOTHISJOBAMI
- 54. Hoary: OLD
- 55. Zero population: NOONE
- 56. Small goose: BRANT
- 57. Spray displayers: VASES
- 58. Word of possibility: MAY
- 59. Token taker: SLOT
- 60. One way off a ship: PLANK
- 61. Vestibule: ENTRY
- 62. Itsy-bitsy biter: GNAT
- 63. Record notation: CRIME
- 64. Paradigm of happiness: LARK
- 66. "___ figlia dell'amore" (Verdi quartet): BELLA
- 69. Walks heavily: SLOGS
- 70. Festive: GALA
- 71. Timberjack's tool: ADZ
- 74. Broadcasting: ONAIR
- 75. "Dred" novelist: STOWE
- 76. Life-or-death situation: PERIL
- 77. Manufacturing center?: CEE
- 78. Verse, part 3: WONDERCOULDALEGALCHAP
- 82. Livy's "Lo!": ECCE
- 83. Henri's high: HAUT
- 84. Diamond complement: NINE
- 85. Counseling, e.g.: HELP
- 86. Ice alternative: Var.: SHERBERT
- 88. Scooby Doo's co-creator: HANNA
- 90. In the habit of: USEDTO
- 92. Big mouth, slangily: YAP
- 93. "The Syncopated Clock" composer Anderson: LEROY
- 94. Had something: ATE
- 95. Lots: AHEAP
- 99. Sicilia, e.g.: ISOLA
- 101. Bern, Geneva and Zurich: CANTONS
- 106. End of the verse: FINDAWAYTOBEATTHEWRAP
- 111. Kindle: AROUSE
- 112. Resembling a chanterelle mushroom in flavor: NUTLIKE
- 113. Mimosa family member: ACACIA
- 114. Right from the factory: NEWEST
- 115. Soul: ESSENCE
- 116. Some speech sounds: NASALS
down
- 1. Shakers, e.g.: SECT
- 2. Cool shade: AQUA
- 3. Mild reproofs: TUTS
- 4. Loser's cry: RATS
- 5. She sprang from Zeus's head: ATHENA
- 6. Skinless: PEELED
- 7. Grp. associated with dens: BSA
- 8. Record store section: RAP
- 9. Correct ending: IVE
- 10. Big game fish: TARPON
- 11. Recent delivery: INFANT
- 12. Sound asleep?: SNORE
- 13. Kind of monitor: HALL
- 14. Hard-rock center: ASA
- 15. Classified: WANTAD
- 16. Gucci of fashion: ALDO
- 17. The Green Hornet's valet: KATO
- 18. Discharge: EMIT
- 19. Runs out of steam: DIES
- 24. W. Coast setting: PST
- 25. Sweetie pie: DEAREST
- 30. Base coach's urging: SLIDE
- 31. Not say directly: HINT
- 33. Pilgrimage to Mecca: HADJ
- 34. Abraham's ___ (heaven): BOSOM
- 35. Miss Quested of "A Passage to India": ADELA
- 36. Jitterbug variety: LINDY
- 37. Court call: LET
- 38. Capital of East Flanders: GHENT
- 39. Get lost in a brown study: THINK
- 40. Wachovia or Chase Manhattan, briefly: USBANK
- 41. Ocean liner?: COAST
- 42. Big name in bonding: ELMER
- 43. Chain component, perhaps: DAISY
- 45. Hotfoot it: SCOOT
- 46. 1953 film title hero: SHANE
- 49. Catch: ENSNARE
- 50. "Show Boat" heroine: NOLA
- 51. "Much ___!": OBLIGED
- 52. Colliery carriers: TRAMS
- 53. Covering everything: OVERALL
- 60. Move like a puma: PROWL
- 62. Suspended porch piece: GLIDER
- 63. Pull: CLOUT
- 64. Giant: LARGE
- 65. Inter ___: ALIA
- 66. Pitney's partner: BOWES
- 67. Tennyson's Arden: ENOCH
- 68. Medieval charging need: LANCE
- 69. Pub potable: STOUT
- 70. Davis of Hollywood: GEENA
- 71. Longed: ACHED
- 72. Ready to be played, in a way: DEALT
- 73. Herbert Marx, familiarly: ZEPPO
- 75. "Tosca" villain: SCARPIA
- 76. Roman encyclopedist: PLINY
- 79. Cassowary's cousin: RHEA
- 80. Latin word on a monument: ANNO
- 81. Subject of "The Motorcycle Diaries": CHE
- 87. Go around: BYPASS
- 88. Ancient serfs: HELOTS
- 89. Like farmland: ARABLE
- 90. West Jordan resident: UTAHAN
- 91. "Epistulae morales" writer: SENECA
- 93. Big name in computer software: LOTUS
- 94. Take steps: ACT
- 95. Diego Velázquez's "Lady With ___": AFAN
- 96. Take on: HIRE
- 97. Ample, poetically: ENOW
- 98. Together, in music: ADUE
- 100. End of a New Year's classic: SYNE
- 102. Start of a Christmas classic: TWAS
- 103. Ocean danger: ORCA
- 104. Catch but good: NAIL
- 105. Places to get steamed: SPAS
- 107. Slick: WET
- 108. A as in Austria: EIN
- 109. Org. that registers boxers: AKC
- 110. Something to drive off of: TEE
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.