NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for June 24, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, June 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
- 29
- 39
Down clues & answers
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
across
- 1. Place for an oath: ALTAR
- 6. It's bugled on a base: TAPS
- 10. Elevs.: HGTS
- 14. Electron tube with two elements: DIODE
- 15. Loads: ALOT
- 16. Asia's shrunken ___ Sea: ARAL
- 17. "Sharp Dressed Man" band: ZZTOP
- 18. 1970 Kinks song: LOLA
- 19. TV explorer of note: DORA
- 20. Slapstick puppet show: PUNCHANDJUDY
- 23. Didn't bother: LEFTBE
- 26. Guthrie at Woodstock: ARLO
- 27. Baseball's Young and others: CYS
- 28. The Monkees' "___ Believer": IMA
- 29. Kind of tide: LEE
- 31. Impress permanently: ETCH
- 33. "I'm ready for anything!": SOCKITTOME
- 37. Centers of circles: FOCI
- 40. Room at the top of stairs: ATTIC
- 41. Mideast fed.: UAE
- 42. Tacitus or Tiberius: ROMAN
- 43. Not a mainstream religion: SECT
- 44. Go get some shuteye: HITTHESACK
- 46. Prefix with pad: HELI
- 48. Mermaid's realm: SEA
- 49. Mail carrier's assignment: Abbr.: RTE
- 50. State of shock: AWE
- 52. Custard ingredients: EGGS
- 55. Drink said to prolong life: ELIXIR
- 57. Yuletide tune: DECKTHEHALLS
- 60. Mercury or Saturn: MAKE
- 61. Wise to: INON
- 62. da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM: IAMBS
- 66. Tied: EVEN
- 67. Je ne sais ___: QUOI
- 68. Like redheads' tempers, supposedly: FIERY
- 69. Villain in 2009's "Star Trek": NERO
- 70. Bygone barrier breakers: SSTS
- 71. Mystery writer's award: EDGAR
down
- 1. Carpenter's tool with a curved blade: ADZ
- 2. Eight-times-married Taylor: LIZ
- 3. Tyke: TOT
- 4. Take on: ADOPT
- 5. Form of government Plato wrote about: REPUBLIC
- 6. Baby powder ingredient: TALC
- 7. Lei giver's greeting: ALOHA
- 8. ___ opposites: POLAR
- 9. Co-creator of the Fantastic Four: STANLEE
- 10. Journey to Mecca: HADJ
- 11. He said "Here's to our wives and girlfriends ... may they never meet!": GROUCHOMARX
- 12. Arriving after the bell, say: TARDY
- 13. Wows at a comedy club: SLAYS
- 21. Classic brand of hair remover: NEET
- 22. E, in Morse code: DOT
- 23. Simpson and Kudrow: LISAS
- 24. Ham it up: EMOTE
- 25. Magazine staffer: FACTCHECKER
- 30. It has many needles: ETUI
- 32. Bus. honchos: CFOS
- 34. Toy you might enjoy while running: KITE
- 35. Basis for a Quaker cereal: OAT
- 36. Citi Field team: METS
- 38. They have many needles: CACTI
- 39. Worker on a comic book: INKER
- 42. Actuality: REALLIFE
- 44. 140 and up, say: HIGHIQS
- 45. Cad: HEEL
- 47. Tennis umpire's cry: LET
- 50. Some Madison Ave. workers: ADMEN
- 51. Drive drunkenly, perhaps: WEAVE
- 53. The "Homo" in "Homo sapiens": GENUS
- 54. "Tell me": SHOOT
- 56. "In case you didn't hear me the first time ...": ISAID
- 58. Casino game with Ping-Pong-like balls: KENO
- 59. Spanish liqueur: ANIS
- 63. Computer unit, informally: MEG
- 64. Cup holder?: BRA
- 65. Leb. neighbor: SYR
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.