NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 27, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, December 27, 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
- 37
- 51
- 56
- 63
- 64
- 67
Down clues & answers
- 11
- 36
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, December 26, 2005
across
- 1. "A guy walks into a ___ …": BAR
- 4. State Farm competitor: AETNA
- 9. French artist Edgar: DEGAS
- 14. From ___ Z: ATO
- 15. Start of a weightlifting maneuver: SQUAT
- 16. ___ Gay (W.W. II plane): ENOLA
- 17. Wail: SOB
- 18. 1994 John Travolta film: PULPFICTION
- 20. Unordinary: SPECIAL
- 22. Mended, as socks: DARNED
- 23. Litter's littlest: RUNT
- 24. Boob tube, in Britain: TELLY
- 26. Damon of "Good Will Hunting": MATT
- 28. O3: OZONE
- 30. Suffix with Oktober: FEST
- 34. Swiss peak: ALP
- 35. Mouse catchers: TRAPS
- 36. Defense grp., 1954-77: SEATO
- 37. Dentists' focus: TEETH
- 39. Tire pressure measure: Abbr.: PSI
- 40. Varnish ingredient: RESIN
- 41. The "E" of EGBDF: EVERY
- 42. Sponsorship: AEGIS
- 44. "We Know Drama" cable channel: TNT
- 45. Actress Ward: SELA
- 46. British guns: STENS
- 47. McDonald's arches, e.g.: LOGO
- 48. Place: STEAD
- 50. Bridge guru Sharif: OMAR
- 52. Friend of Betty and Veronica, in the comics: ARCHIE
- 55. Wine server: STEWARD
- 58. "Queen of Hearts" vocalist, 1981: JUICENEWTON
- 61. Neither's partner: NOR
- 62. Place to exchange rings: ALTAR
- 63. Boutiques: SHOPS
- 64. "Little" car in a 1964 top 10 hit: GTO
- 65. Bridle straps: REINS
- 66. Competitive, as a personality: TYPEA
- 67. Mind-reading ability, for short: ESP
down
- 1. Low voice: BASS
- 2. Sitting on: ATOP
- 3. British leader from whom the "bobbies" got their name: ROBERTPEEL
- 4. Former defense secretary Les: ASPIN
- 5. Line that extends for 24,902 miles: EQUATOR
- 6. 1960's-80's rock group Jethro ___: TULL
- 7. Short snooze: NAP
- 8. Fed. law enforcement org.: ATF
- 9. Toy race car adornment: DECAL
- 10. Price to participate: ENTRYFEE
- 11. Enter: GOIN
- 12. Skin cream additive: ALOE
- 13. Hourglass fill: SAND
- 19. Doing nothing: IDLE
- 21. Last word from a director: CUT
- 24. Tournament favorite: TOPSEED
- 25. Coast Guard rank: ENSIGN
- 26. Pub buddies: MATES
- 27. Tylenol rival: ALEVE
- 29. Mexican revolutionary Emiliano: ZAPATA
- 31. City neighboring Newark, N.J.: EASTORANGE
- 32. Bee injury: STING
- 33. Kemo Sabe's sidekick: TONTO
- 35. "___ kingdom come …": THY
- 36. Some S.A.T. takers: SRS
- 38. Refuse holder: TRASHCAN
- 43. Heavy hydrogen, e.g.: ISOTOPE
- 46. Witnessed: SEEN
- 47. Perry Mason's profession: LAW
- 49. Stadium levels: TIERS
- 51. High-I.Q. set: MENSA
- 52. Open slightly: AJAR
- 53. Govern: RULE
- 54. Commercial prefix with bank: CITI
- 55. "Halt!": STOP
- 56. Goes bad: ROTS
- 57. Plunge: DROP
- 59. Guinness Book suffix: EST
- 60. "How come?": WHY
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.