NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 12, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, January 12, 2008. 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
- 20
- 57
- 58
Down clues & answers
- 39
- 43
- 51
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, January 11, 2008
across
- 1. Kind of year: SOLAR
- 6. Fed up with: TIREDOF
- 13. It can be scary to go under this: KNIFE
- 14. Key: OPERATIVE
- 16. How some ashes are scattered: ATSEA
- 17. GQ figure: MALEMODEL
- 18. Detente: THAW
- 19. Dried out: SERE
- 20. Sound of contempt: SNORT
- 21. Indication of feigned fright: EEK
- 22. They act on impulses: SYNAPSES
- 24. Like smooth-running engines: LUBED
- 26. Black birds: DAWS
- 27. Airport uniform abbr.: TSA
- 30. Mathematician famous for his incompleteness theorems: GODEL
- 31. Pasta choice: ZITI
- 32. One guarded in a soccer game: SHIN
- 33. What you take when you do the right thing: MORALHIGHGROUND
- 36. Co-worker of Dilbert: ASOK
- 37. Start of the Boy Scout Oath: ONMY
- 38. Innovative chair designer: EAMES
- 39. Innovative: NEW
- 40. Natural fluid containers: SACS
- 41. Backyard Jul. 4 event: BARBQ
- 42. Decision time: ZEROHOUR
- 44. Fill-in: SUB
- 46. "Bummer": AWGEE
- 49. Shortened word on a yellow street sign: XING
- 50. It follows Shevat: ADAR
- 51. "Win some, lose some": THATSLIFE
- 53. Historic capital of Scotland: SCONE
- 54. Concerning: RELATEDTO
- 55. "Outta sight!": OHWOW
- 56. "Outta sight!": AWESOME
- 57. ___ Landing (Philadelphia area): PENNS
down
- 1. Pass superficially (over): SKATE
- 2. Free: ONTHELOOSE
- 3. Ditsy waitress player on "Mad About You": LISAKUDROW
- 4. Rough estimate: AFEW
- 5. "Guilty," in a Latin legal phrase: REA
- 6. Exchange of thoughts?: TELEPATHY
- 7. Burn up: IRE
- 8. Name of 11 ancient kings: RAMSES
- 9. Some collars: ETONS
- 10. "White Flag" singer, 2003: DIDO
- 11. Recovered from: OVER
- 12. Believed: FELT
- 14. Sign: OMEN
- 15. Transition to a heliocentric model of the universe, e.g.: PARADIGMSHIFT
- 19. Late rocker Barrett: SYD
- 22. Auction: SELL
- 23. Draft: SWIG
- 25. Nut cracker, perhaps: BEAK
- 27. Negative sign: THUMBSDOWN
- 28. Requirement: SINEQUANON
- 29. They make connections: ANDS
- 30. Fed: GMAN
- 31. Sunburn preventer: ZINCOXIDE
- 32. Really take off: SOAR
- 34. Winter coat?: HOAR
- 35. Moon unit?: REAR
- 40. Minds: SEESTO
- 41. Drive nuts: BUG
- 42. Some sisters: ZETAS
- 43. ___ cat: ONEO
- 45. Practices zymurgy: BREWS
- 46. Toiletry brand introduced in 1977: ATRA
- 47. Nail-biter's cry: WHEW
- 48. Loud outburst: GALE
- 50. Long: ACHE
- 52. Moon unit: LEM
- 53. Bribe: SOP
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.