NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 26, 2004
Sunday, December 26, 2004
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, December 26, 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
- 27
- 32
- 33
- 45
- 55
- 72
- 96
- 101
- 102
- 105
- 106
Down clues & answers
- 13
- 17
- 29
- 32
- 33
- 39
- 50
- 51
- 87
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, December 25, 2004
across
- 1. Sch. with a Jack Benny Award for comedy: UCLA
- 5. College application parts: ESSAYS
- 11. Stole: FUR
- 14. What Mao Zedong once led: PEASANTARMY
- 16. Purpose: USE
- 17. Continental breakfast items: CROISSANTANDJAM
- 19. Lines in some grids: Abbr.: STS
- 20. Irrational numbers, in math: SURDS
- 21. Much more than respect: DEIFY
- 22. "Diff'rent Strokes" actress: RAE
- 23. Kid: RIB
- 24. Campaign activities: PARTISANTACTICS
- 33. Shakespearean character who asks, "Do you love me, master?": ARIEL
- 34. Break: STOP
- 35. Moralist's target: SMUT
- 36. Home of the River of No Return: Abbr.: IDA
- 37. Czar attribute: SILENTC
- 40. Org. known for strikes: PBA
- 41. Reply of innocence: NOTI
- 43. Hide: MASK
- 44. Trap at a ski lodge, say: ICEIN
- 46. Mt. Markham's range: TRANSANTARCTICS
- 49. Farm female: DAM
- 50. Secures: HAS
- 51. Charlton Heston title role: ELCID
- 54. Faked out, in hockey: DEKED
- 57. The person in question?: WHO
- 60. Tums alternative: ROLAIDSANTACIDS
- 63. "Patriot Games" villains: Abbr.: IRA
- 64. Holiday gift-giving pool … or a feature of 14-, 17-, 24-, 46- and 60-Across?: SECRETSANTA
- 65. Logical conclusion: QED
- 66. Muddles: MESSES
- 67. Raft: BEVY
down
- 1. Short lines at a store: Abbr.: UPCS
- 2. Part of C.P.A.: Abbr.: CERT
- 3. Big tin exporter: LAOS
- 4. "___ Lay Me Down" (1995 hit): ASI
- 5. Supervenes: ENSUES
- 6. Commendation: STAR
- 7. Bank deposit: SAND
- 8. Fine ___: ARTS
- 9. Singer Sumac: YMA
- 10. Business agent: SYNDIC
- 11. Digital camera brand: FUJI
- 12. Colorado academy grp.: USAF
- 13. ___ Martin cognac: REMY
- 15. Goes hard at: ASSAILS
- 18. Some are outstanding: DEBTS
- 22. Mail no.: RTE
- 23. Unblinking: RAPT
- 24. Make up: PAINT
- 25. Fire: ARDOR
- 26. Calf catcher: RIATA
- 27. Lion in Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia": ASLAN
- 28. Big blast, briefly: NTEST
- 29. Maker of light trucks?: TONKA
- 30. Architect of M.I.T.'s Green Building: IMPEI
- 31. Like some measures: CUBIC
- 32. Nixon cabinet member Maurice: STANS
- 38. Prayer leader: IMAM
- 39. Flying noisemakers: CICADAS
- 42. British Commonwealth member: INDIA
- 45. Coupon amt.: CTS
- 47. Bit of inhumanity: SADISM
- 48. Country singer Akins and others: RHETTS
- 51. LaSalle of "ER": ERIQ
- 52. Shared knowledge: LORE
- 53. Not bare: CLAD
- 54. Some mil. awards: DSCS
- 55. Body parts that may be bent: EARS
- 56. Body part that may be bent: KNEE
- 57. ___ list: WINE
- 58. Plasma medium?: HDTV
- 59. Key opening?: OSAY
- 61. Wallace of "E.T.": DEE
- 62. Hack: CAB
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.