NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, January 27, 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
Down clues & answers
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, January 26, 2009
across
- 1. Bother persistently: NAGAT
- 6. Airing: ONTV
- 10. Zilch: NADA
- 14. Lots of screaming and shouting: FUROR
- 15. Gleeful giggle: HEHE
- 16. Plow team: OXEN
- 17. Distrustful: LEERY
- 18. Loretta of "M*A*S*H": SWIT
- 19. Alda of "M*A*S*H": ALAN
- 20. "Bad idea!": LETSNOTGOTHERE
- 23. Archibald or Thurmond of the N.B.A.: NATE
- 24. His and ___: HERS
- 25. 6-1, 3-6 and 7-5, in tennis: SETS
- 27. Race, as an engine: REV
- 30. Sunken ship's locale: SEABED
- 34. "Oh!" in Österreich: ACH
- 35. Steps between floors: STAIR
- 37. "My sweetie" in a 1957 hit for the Bobbettes: MRLEE
- 38. "Bad idea!": YOUMUSTBEJOKING
- 41. "___ River" (song from "Show Boat"): OLMAN
- 42. Passover meal: SEDER
- 43. Hush-hush org.: NSA
- 44. Offer advice from around a card table: KIBITZ
- 46. Barfly: SOT
- 47. Ice cream brand: EDYS
- 48. Babe in the woods: NAIF
- 50. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTD
- 52. "Bad idea!": IDIDNTHEARTHAT
- 58. Couturier Christian: DIOR
- 59. Elaborate April fool: HOAX
- 60. Hall's singing partner: OATES
- 62. Are, in Argentina: ESTA
- 63. "You're something ___!": ELSE
- 64. Center Shaquille: ONEAL
- 65. Kind of carpet: SHAG
- 66. Woodwind item: REED
- 67. Bothersome: PESKY
down
- 1. Org. for Patriots and Packers: NFL
- 2. Jean who wrote "The Clan of the Cave Bear": AUEL
- 3. Gardener's gift: GREENTHUMB
- 4. Arterial trunks: AORTAS
- 5. Romantic rendezvous: TRYST
- 6. Very: OHSO
- 7. Small salamander: NEWT
- 8. Chicken piece: THIGH
- 9. Presidential noes: VETOES
- 10. Two-by-two vessel: NOAHSARK
- 11. Car bar: AXLE
- 12. Letter starter: DEAR
- 13. One of the Brontë sisters: ANNE
- 21. "Phooey!": NERTS
- 22. Cause of a low Richter reading: TREMOR
- 25. Give the go-ahead: SAYOK
- 26. Undercooked meat danger: ECOLI
- 28. Has dinner: EATS
- 29. Aura, informally: VIBES
- 31. Social arrangements that don't always work out: BLINDDATES
- 32. ___-weensy: EENSY
- 33. Edgar who painted ballerinas: DEGAS
- 35. Beachgoer's acquisition: SUNTAN
- 36. Work over: REDO
- 39. Central street: MAINDRAG
- 40. Shortstop Derek: JETER
- 45. Instrument with 30+ strings: ZITHER
- 47. Flammable gas: ETHANE
- 49. Cello feature: FHOLE
- 51. Bend to go through a doorway, say ... or what may be in front of the door: STOOP
- 52. Fateful day in March: IDES
- 53. Satellite signal receiver: DISH
- 54. Letter after theta: IOTA
- 55. Lighten, as a burden: EASE
- 56. Pink-slipped: AXED
- 57. Wood for shipbuilding: TEAK
- 61. Wily: SLY
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.