NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 19, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, December 19, 2005. 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
- 17
- 24
- 66
- 70
Down clues & answers
- 1
- 6
- 27
- 29
- 33
- 34
- 36
- 53
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, December 18, 2005
across
- 1. Takes off: SOARS
- 6. Blurted (out): SPAT
- 10. Track runner?: TRAM
- 14. Mona ___ smile: LISAS
- 19. Parts of hearts: ATRIA
- 20. Docent's offering: TOUR
- 21. Sarah Josepha ___, who wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb": HALE
- 22. Seven-time French Open winner: EVERT
- 23. Melodramatic: SOAPY
- 24. "The Aviator" actor, 2004: ALDA
- 25. Marine killer: ORCA
- 26. The Beatles, once: MANIA
- 27. "Have a nice weekend … heh-heh": HOMEWORKISDUEONMONDAY
- 31. Cousin of Muhammad: ALI
- 32. Babealicious: HOT
- 33. E'en if: THO
- 34. Part of a speller's clarification: ASIN
- 35. Having four sharps: INE
- 36. Cry of success: YES
- 37. Pound with a metric system?: EZRA
- 39. First name in modeling: TYRA
- 42. Cantillated: INTONED
- 44. "You, in the front row!": INEEDAVOLUNTEER
- 47. Cracked: AJAR
- 50. Family: KIN
- 51. Stamp letters: USDA
- 52. Controversial 50's event: ATEST
- 56. Element in magnetic alloys: COBALT
- 59. Caesarean delivery?: ETTU
- 61. Apples can be compared to them: IBMS
- 64. Quadrennial White House administration: OATH
- 65. "My lecture's done, but we still have five minutes": ANYQUESTIONS
- 68. Crowd attractor: SALE
- 70. Riddle-me-___: REE
- 71. Like some effects: DESIRED
- 72. Last lines: CODAS
- 74. The lonely goatherd, in a "Sound of Music" song: YODELER
- 76. Feminine suffix: ESS
- 77. Slate, e.g., for short: EMAG
- 79. "I can't read your handwriting!": NEXTTIMETYPE
- 81. Track event: MEET
- 83. Record problem: SKIP
- 85. Behind: REAR
- 86. Listening to Muzak, maybe: ONHOLD
- 87. German coal city: ESSEN
- 89. Uncle ___ rice: BENS
- 91. Inlet: RIA
- 93. Some bills: ONES
- 94. "Your grades aren't what they should be": SEEMEAFTERCLASS
- 100. Inhuman: BEASTLY
- 103. Meatloaf serving: SLAB
- 104. 50-Across's partner: KITH
- 105. Father or son Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath": TOM
- 108. It lacks 93-Across: ATM
- 109. Port container: CASK
- 111. Its musical ID is just the notes G, E and C: NBC
- 113. Brian of rock: ENO
- 114. Govt. org. with a flower in its logo: EPA
- 115. "If I could digress for a moment …": YOUDONTNEEDTOKNOWTHIS
- 121. Diplomat Deane of early America: SILAS
- 122. Start of a decision-making process: EENY
- 123. "Good ___!": IDEA
- 124. Netanyahu's successor: BARAK
- 125. Sharp: ALERT
- 126. Philosopher Descartes: RENE
- 127. Ending of many toothpaste names: DENT
- 128. Steamed: IRATE
- 129. Heads of états: TETES
- 130. River of W.W. I: YSER
- 131. Ziegfeld Follies costume designer: ERTE
- 132. Spaced (out): ZONED
down
- 1. Proceed nonchalantly: SASHAY
- 2. "High Spirits" star, 1988: OTOOLE
- 3. Literary dueler: ARAMIS
- 4. Opportune: RIPE
- 5. Pourer's request: SAYWHEN
- 6. Successful film franchise starting in 1979: STARTREK
- 7. San Francisco street named for a president: POLK
- 8. Not take for credit: AUDIT
- 9. Certain guilty pleasure: TRASHTV
- 10. Ten Commandments word: THOU
- 11. "For the ___ and radiant maiden": Poe: RARE
- 12. Reynolds Wrap maker: ALCOA
- 13. Isn't joking: MEANSIT
- 14. Sore throat remedy: LEMONTEA
- 15. One of six Russian rulers: IVAN
- 16. Submit: SENDIN
- 17. French satellite-launching rocket: ARIANE
- 18. Was a good dog, perhaps: STAYED
- 28. Go through slowly: OOZE
- 29. "Dig?": DOYOUUNDERSTAND
- 30. Dig: MINE
- 38. Cutting down, after "on": ADIET
- 40. Old literary inits.: RLS
- 41. Car maker whose name is Latin: AUDI
- 43. "___ take arms against a sea of troubles": Hamlet: ORTO
- 44. Like some Bedouins: IRAQI
- 45. Like Charlie Chaplin: ANTIC
- 46. Gets: NABS
- 47. Professors' environs: ACADEME
- 48. Objects of envy: JONESES
- 49. Black holes, e.g.: ABYSSES
- 53. In the initial phases: EARLYON
- 54. Index fingers, in a children's hand game: STEEPLE
- 55. Great American Ballpark team: THEREDS
- 57. Siren: LURE
- 58. Is multitudinous: TEEMS
- 60. Any of TV's Simpsons: TOON
- 62. Polite question: MAYI
- 63. Technique for viewing some slides?: SLOMO
- 66. Neb. neighbor: SDAK
- 67. Old German duchy name: SAXE
- 69. Fall locale: EDEN
- 73. Best replacement: STARR
- 75. Set of values: ETHOS
- 78. Ridicule: GIBE
- 80. Trojan horse: TRICK
- 82. Hardy girl: TESS
- 84. Some have black eyes: PEAS
- 88. Bottom lines: NETCOSTS
- 90. Vikings' org.: NFL
- 92. Turn off: ALIENATE
- 95. Verve: ELAN
- 96. Open case: MYSTERY
- 97. Good time to collect seashells: EBBTIDE
- 98. 27 for 56-Across, e.g.: Abbr.: ATNO
- 99. "That's ___!": SHOWBIZ
- 100. Serenades, as the moon: BAYSAT
- 101. Le soleil, par exemple: ETOILE
- 102. It works like a charm: AMULET
- 105. W.W. II conference site: TEHRAN
- 106. Endorphin, e.g.: OPIATE
- 107. Like raccoons: MASKED
- 110. Cap sites: KNEES
- 112. Spy's gizmo: CODER
- 116. Beard: DARE
- 117. Feminine suffix: ENNE
- 118. Appraiser: EYER
- 119. County of Dover, Delaware … or Dover, England: KENT
- 120. Relative of a potato: TARO
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.