NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 24, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, January 24, 2009. 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
- 19
- 20
- 33
Down clues & answers
- 12
- 30
- 50
- 57
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, January 23, 2009
across
- 1. Creek Confederacy tribe: ALABAMA
- 8. "The Appeal" novelist: GRISHAM
- 15. Two-time foreign minister of the U.S.S.R.: MOLOTOV
- 16. Clio maker: RENAULT
- 17. Film with the line "By the authority vested in me by Kaiser William II, I pronounce you man and wife. Proceed with the execution": THEAFRICANQUEEN
- 19. Equipment for strokes: OARS
- 20. ___ lot (was telling): SAIDA
- 21. Observing things: EYES
- 22. Home of Sault Ste. Marie: Abbr.: ONT
- 23. Recipient of a trade discount: RETAILER
- 25. Withdraw: SECEDE
- 26. Not be generous: SKIMP
- 30. King of Naples in "The Tempest": ALONSO
- 33. One way to recoil: INHORROR
- 35. Sported: WORE
- 36. Ill-gotten: DIRTY
- 38. Prefix with marine: AERO
- 39. Jesus, Mary or Joseph: NAZARENE
- 41. Like some DVDs in DVD players: PAUSED
- 43. Burning evidence: SMOKE
- 44. Evidence that one is an alien: ACCENT
- 46. Opening for an anchor: TOPSTORY
- 48. Toy store inits.: FAO
- 51. Asian au pair: AMAH
- 54. Have ___ (not be trapped): ANOUT
- 55. U.S. org. with over 39 million members: AARP
- 56. Fantastic flight: MAGICCARPETRIDE
- 59. Cheat: FLEECER
- 60. August: EXALTED
- 61. Ignition problem: MISFIRE
- 62. Big East team with six N.I.T. basketball championships: STJOHNS
down
- 1. Childish comeback: AMTOO
- 2. "I Know Who Killed Me" actress, 2007: LOHAN
- 3. Word often preceded by a color: ALERT
- 4. Givers of unfriendly hugs: BOAS
- 5. Justice Dept. division: ATF
- 6. A ham might use it: MORSECODE
- 7. Focus on one's approach, say: AVIATE
- 8. Inclination: GRADIENT
- 9. Kind of artery: RENAL
- 10. Govt. probe: INQ
- 11. Frank request: SAUERKRAUT
- 12. U.S. military chopper: HUEY
- 13. One way to turn a ship: ALEE
- 14. Chain links?: Abbr.: MTNS
- 18. George H. W. Bush, once: CIADIRECTOR
- 23. Apt., e.g.: RES
- 24. Panamanian pronoun: ESO
- 25. Lifter: SNEAKTHIEF
- 27. Ticks off: IRES
- 28. Glutton's desire: MORE
- 29. Driving tool: PROD
- 30. Beards: AWNS
- 31. The good earth?: LOAM
- 32. Pasta eaten with a spoon: ORZO
- 34. Web connection means: HYPERTEXT
- 37. Trapped: INASNARE
- 40. Franklin contemporary: REO
- 42. Word with longer or minute: ANY
- 45. Body types: COUPES
- 47. Apparently anxious person: PACER
- 48. Hill in Nashville: FAITH
- 49. "As You Like It" setting: ARDEN
- 50. Subjective pieces: OPEDS
- 51. Switch letters: AMFM
- 52. Where Bambara is spoken: MALI
- 53. All ___ (words on a game box): AGES
- 55. One of a comic-strip married couple: ARLO
- 57. Third-century year: CCI
- 58. Atlantic City hot spot, with "the": TAJ
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.