NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 14, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, September 14, 2011. 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
- 22
- 30
- 47
- 49
Down clues & answers
- 11
- 12
- 26
- 44
- 54
- 65
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
across
- 1. Nile bird: IBIS
- 5. A ditz hasn't one: CLUE
- 9. ___ Downs: EPSOM
- 14. "High Hopes" lyricist: SAMMYCAHN
- 16. Slightest amount: TRACE
- 17. Guilty plea, say: ADMISSION
- 18. Lilylike garden plant: HOSTA
- 19. It might make the nose wrinkle: SMELL
- 20. Singer with the #1 R&B hit "I Feel for You": CHAKAKHAN
- 22. Suffix with ox- or sulf-: IDE
- 23. "Paper Moon" father and daughter: ONEALS
- 24. Biscotti flavor: ANISE
- 26. Like Batman, the Lone Ranger, etc.: MASKED
- 29. Hagen of stage and screen: UTA
- 30. Japan's "way of the gods" religion: SHINTO
- 32. Eurasian duck: SMEW
- 36. Pre-K child: TOT
- 37. Scam ... or an apt title for this puzzle?: CONGAME
- 39. Useless tic-tac-toe line: OXO
- 40. Certain blood type, for short: ONEG
- 42. Economist Friedman: MILTON
- 43. Suffix with no-good: NIK
- 44. ___ Pieces: REESES
- 46. Aides: Abbr.: ASSTS
- 48. Dead Sea Scrolls ascetic: ESSENE
- 51. Grafton's "___ for Outlaw": OIS
- 52. He was Sonny to Marlon Brando's Vito: JAMESCAAN
- 56. Chilly: ALGID
- 58. 54-Down by Verdi: ERITU
- 59. Allowed to wander, as a chicken: FREERANGE
- 61. Handle the fixin's for a party, say: CATER
- 62. Boxer who almost upset Joe Louis in 1941: BILLYCONN
- 63. "I'm done!": THERE
- 64. Jonas who developed a polio vaccine: SALK
- 65. Formerly, once: ERST
down
- 1. "A miss ___ good ...": ISAS
- 2. Sport with a birdie: BADMINTON
- 3. Having no delay: IMMEDIATE
- 4. Says "Cheese!": SMILES
- 5. Hypo meas.: CCS
- 6. Nonclerical: LAIC
- 7. "Looks like I goofed": UHOH
- 8. City of central Sicily: ENNA
- 9. Gaseous hydrocarbon: ETHANE
- 10. Sneakers brand sported by Abdul-Jabbar: PROKEDS
- 11. The younger Obama girl: SASHA
- 12. Of base 8: OCTAL
- 13. Intends: MEANS
- 15. Fashion monogram: YSL
- 21. Indiana University campus site: KOKOMO
- 24. Grand Theft ___: AUTO
- 25. Upper-left key: ESC
- 26. Cooper cars: MINIS
- 27. Protractor measure: ANGLE
- 28. Field goal percentages and such: STATS
- 31. Class for cooking, sewing, etc.: HOMEEC
- 33. Priest's honorific: MONSIGNOR
- 34. Illuminated notices above theater doors: EXITSIGNS
- 35. Stir-fry vessels: WOKS
- 38. Bambi's aunt: ENA
- 41. Welcomer at Walmart, e.g.: GREETER
- 45. Make certain: ENSURE
- 47. Give comfort to: SOLACE
- 48. Give the heave-ho: EJECT
- 49. Politico Palin: SARAH
- 50. Strike down: SMITE
- 53. Place for B-2s and B-52s: Abbr.: AFBS
- 54. Operatic highlight: ARIA
- 55. Dudley Do-Right's heartthrob: NELL
- 56. Mission conclusion?: ARY
- 57. Car ding: DENT
- 60. Yellowstone beast: ELK
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.