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The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 11, 2011

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:06 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, October 11, 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.

74 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Monday, October 10, 2011

across

1. Scratch: MAR
4. Cries out loud: SOBS
8. Football team with a blue horseshoe on its helmet: COLTS
13. ___-Wan Kenobi: OBI
14. Annoying computer message: ERROR
16. Nail a test: ACEIT
17. Stogie holder: CIGARCASE
19. Letter after eta: THETA
20. Kitchen range: STOVE
21. Florida city on the Gulf: CAPECORAL
23. Singer Horne: LENA
25. "___ the Explorer" (Nickelodeon show): DORA
26. NBC skit show since '75: SNL
27. What a TV host often reads from: CUECARD
30. Type: ILK
32. "The buck stops here" pres.: HST
33. Place to hang a jacket: COATCLOSET
39. Words in an analogy: ISTO
41. Thurman of Hollywood: UMA
42. Pet lovers' org.: SPCA
43. Sign of alien life, some say: CROPCIRCLE
47. Chihuahua's bark: ARF
48. Tiny amount: TAD
49. Army do: CREWCUT
52. HBO alternative: SHO
55. Fishing sticks: RODS
58. "I cannot tell ___": ALIE
59. Fessed up: CAMECLEAN
62. Follow: ENSUE
65. Japanese port: OSAKA
66. The French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament played on this: CLAYCOURT
68. "On the ___ hand ...": OTHER
69. Completely dead, as an engine: KAPUT
70. "Here ___ Again" (1987 Whitesnake hit): IGO
71. Razz: TEASE
72. Projects for beavers: DAMS
73. Card below a jack: TEN

down

1. Footwear that may be worn with PJs: MOCS
2. Somewhat: ABIT
3. Verdi opera: RIGOLETTO
4. Venus's sister with a tennis racket: SERENA
5. "The Lord of the Rings" creature: ORC
6. Bric-a-___: BRAC
7. "'Tis a pity": SOSAD
8. Bit of razzing: CATCALL
9. Cinco + tres: OCHO
10. Lecherous looks: LEERS
11. Mythical giant: TITAN
12. Play for time: STALL
15. Seized vehicle: REPO
18. With: Fr.: AVEC
22. Clapton of rock: ERIC
24. Path of a fly ball: ARC
27. Trendy: CHIC
28. The Beatles' "Back in the ___": USSR
29. Gloomy: DOUR
31. Dramatic boxing results, briefly: KOS
34. "Mad Men" network: AMC
35. Soft powder: TALC
36. Astronaut's attire: SPACESUIT
37. Off-white shade: ECRU
38. President whose father co-founded Yale's Skull and Bones: TAFT
40. Choose (to): OPT
44. Auto maintenance: CARCARE
45. One who's worshiped: IDOL
46. ___ of Good Feelings: ERA
50. Chooses for office: ELECTS
51. Excessive lover of the grape: WINO
52. Get a move on: SCOOT
53. Waste maker, in a proverb: HASTE
54. Midwest city whose name is a poker variety: OMAHA
56. All 52 cards: DECK
57. Leafy course: SALAD
60. Just manages, with "out": EKES
61. California's ___ Valley: NAPA
63. Longing: URGE
64. School on the Thames: ETON
67. "Dee-lish!": YUM

Hints and full breakdown for Oct 10

More daily puzzle hints

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.