NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 4, 2007

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:30 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, December 4, 2007. 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.

78 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

Monday, December 3, 2007

across

1. Part of a molecule: ATOM
5. Supply-and-demand subj.: ECON
9. Pepsi and RC: COLAS
14. Prom night transportation: LIMO
15. Furry tunneler: MOLE
16. Face-to-face exams: ORALS
17. Alda of "What Women Want": ALAN
18. Othello's false friend: IAGO
19. White-plumed wader: EGRET
20. Profanity, e.g.: STRONGLANGUAGE
23. 2007 film "___ and the Real Girl": LARS
24. "Bonanza" star Greene: LORNE
25. Sit behind bars: DOTIME
28. Memorial designer Maya ___: LIN
29. Cowboy boot attachment: SPUR
32. Madonna title role: EVITA
33. Flies off the handle: RAGES
35. Mail carrier's beat: Abbr.: RTE
36. 1995 Woody Allen comedy: MIGHTYAPHRODITE
39. Number before "ignition ... liftoff!": ONE
40. Bank robber's job: HEIST
41. Dressed to the ___: NINES
42. Arctic floater: BERG
44. Suffix with meth-: ANE
45. "No Exit" playwright: SARTRE
46. Becomes frayed: WEARS
48. Hand protector: MITT
49. Classic "Jeopardy!" category: POTENTPOTABLES
54. Henhouse perch: ROOST
55. Earthenware jar: OLLA
56. College in New Rochelle, N.Y.: IONA
57. From days of yore: OLDEN
58. Bring up, as children: REAR
59. Be certain about: KNOW
60. Saltine brand: ZESTA
61. Home of the invaders in Wells's "The War of the Worlds": MARS
62. Snaky swimmers: EELS

down

1. Self-pitying cry: ALAS
2. Pinball foul: TILT
3. Sharif of "Doctor Zhivago": OMAR
4. Monument carved from a single stone: MONOLITH
5. Settler from a foreign land: EMIGRE
6. Snowman's eyes: COALS
7. Olympic gymnast Korbut: OLGA
8. Nighttime advertising sign, maybe: NEONLIGHT
9. ___ de Lion, epithet for Richard I: COEUR
10. Church hymn accompaniers: ORGANS
11. Easily read type: LARGEPRINT
12. Away from the wind: ALEE
13. Lander at J.F.K., once: SST
21. Football's Broadway Joe: NAMATH
22. Dead duck: GONER
25. Brit's service discharge: DEMOB
26. Sheeplike: OVINE
27. Golfer named A.P. Male Athlete of the Year four times: TIGERWOODS
28. Senior moment, e.g.: LAPSE
30. Pure-and-simple: UTTER
31. Witherspoon of "Walk the Line": REESE
33. Cloudburst: RAINSTORM
34. Beethoven specialty: SONATA
37. Have a hankering: YEARN
38. Off-road two-wheeler: DIRTBIKE
43. Gird oneself: GETSET
45. Indian instruments: SITARS
47. Prudential rival: AETNA
48. Grinding tooth: MOLAR
49. Extremity of the earth: POLE
50. "Not guilty," for one: PLEA
51. Companionless: LONE
52. Hydroxyl-carbon compound: ENOL
53. Toothed tools: SAWS
54. Peri Gilpin's "Frasier" role: ROZ

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 3

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.