NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 9, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, October 9, 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
- 23
- 44
- 48
- 60
- 72
- 80
- 84
- 100
- 111
- 118
- 123
Down clues & answers
- 43
- 68
- 79
- 109
- 114
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, October 8, 2011
across
- 1. Accessories for some suits: BRASSNAMEPLATES
- 16. It's often popped on a shoulder: AUTOMOBILETRUNK
- 17. Assassinated leader called "the Liberator": TSARALEXANDERII
- 18. Part of many a chain: ISLE
- 19. Blow off: VENT
- 20. Go off: SNAP
- 21. Largest city in Nordrhein-Westfalen: KOLN
- 22. Like many dyed eggs: HIDDEN
- 24. They may be networked: PCS
- 25. Supermarket chain: IGA
- 26. Predecessor of Pope Hilarius: LEOI
- 28. It's often enough: ONCE
- 32. Kind of memory: FOND
- 34. Permanent, in a way: INKED
- 37. Unquestioning adherents: KOOLAIDDRINKERS
- 40. Stigma: STAIN
- 41. ___ nitrite: AMYL
- 42. Its minimum score is 60, briefly: PSAT
- 43. End of the lion: TAIL
- 45. ___ Lingus: AER
- 46. Old political inits.: SSR
- 48. Quality of the queen's jewels?: LUSTRE
- 50. Set, as the sun: SANK
- 54. Opposite of "Happily ...": ALAS
- 56. Quarter-millennium year: MCCL
- 57. Singer called "The Jezebel of Jazz": ODAY
- 58. Jails: LOCKSBEHINDBARS
- 62. Shows oneself: MAKESANENTRANCE
- 63. Responded to some rapping: ANSWEREDTHEDOOR
down
- 1. Certain fabric worker's work: BATIK
- 2. Richard ___, 2002 Pulitzer winner for the novel "Empire Falls": RUSSO
- 3. Ever: ATALL
- 4. Existentialist Kierkegaard: SOREN
- 5. Kind of request in Burns's "To a Mouse": SMA
- 6. ___-pros: NOL
- 7. Grandpa player in "Look Who's Talking," 1989: ABEVIGODA
- 8. Like some clothing ensembles: MIXEDANDMATCHED
- 9. Savanna grazer: ELAND
- 10. Big brand of writing instruments: PENTEL
- 11. The Taurus replaced it: LTD
- 12. "Xena: Warrior Princess" role: ARES
- 13. Parts of some pay-as-you-go plans?: TURNPIKES
- 14. "Giant Brain" of the 1940s: ENIAC
- 15. Sounds like a broken record: SKIPS
- 22. Sound investment: HIFI
- 23. 21-Across refusal: NEIN
- 27. Cleaning the mess?: ONKP
- 28. Stamps, say: OKS
- 29. With 50-Down, fair: NOT
- 30. Ones holding wraps in restaurants: COATRACKS
- 31. "Dream-Children" author, 1822: ELIA
- 33. What's caught during a tumble?: DRYERLINT
- 35. Long reign, e.g.: ERA
- 36. Reason for a late shift?: Abbr.: DST
- 38. Plant in the pea family: ANIL
- 39. "___ Pastore" (Mozart opera): ILRE
- 44. Like some vertebrae: LUMBAR
- 46. Hayek of Hollywood: SALMA
- 47. Hoops Hall-of-Famer Jerry: SLOAN
- 49. Where it's at: SCENE
- 50. See 29-Down: SOBAD
- 51. Fictional Sicilian town in a 1944 novel: ADANO
- 52. Member of a crack team?: NARCO
- 53. Bandleader with the hit "Three Little Fishies": KYSER
- 55. Twist: SKEW
- 59. From Bakersfield to L.A., say: SSE
- 60. Kind of power: NTH
- 61. "Forgot About ___" (2000 Grammy-winning rap): DRE
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.