NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 21, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, October 21, 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
- 25
- 33
- 48
- 51
- 53
Down clues & answers
- 45
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, October 20, 2011
across
- 1. Steamy places: SPAS
- 5. "EastEnders" network: BBC
- 8. Toothpaste ingredient: BWNER
- 12. Some soot: LAMPBW
- 14. Fellah or fedayee: ARAB
- 16. The Venerable ___ (old English historian): BEDE
- 17. Then, to Thierry: ALORS
- 18. Insincere flattery, in slang: BANANAOIL
- 20. Request to an interviewee: BESEATED
- 22. "Harry and Tonto" star: CARNEY
- 23. "___, 'tis true I have gone here and there": Shak.: ALAS
- 24. Burlesque bit: SKIT
- 25. 1980s Rowan Atkinson sitcom series set in various historical periods: BWADDER
- 28. Material you might look through: VEIL
- 29. Every last bit: ALL
- 32. Items wrapped in friction tape: WIRES
- 33. Many arcade-goers: TEENS
- 34. Gift upon arrival, maybe: LEI
- 35. Winged god: AMOR
- 36. Like zebra crossings: BWANDBW
- 37. Livery delivery: FOAL
- 38. Follow a pattern, say: SEW
- 39. Jimmy of "The West Wing": SMITS
- 40. Title role for Joe Pesci: VINNY
- 41. House sitter?: HEN
- 42. Mates: PALS
- 43. Best Supporting Actress nominee for "Five Easy Pieces": KARENBW
- 44. Sticks out: JUTS
- 45. Eat in style: DINE
- 46. Biased: ASLANT
- 49. Pod-bearing plant: BEANTREE
- 53. Started one's shift: CLOCKEDIN
- 55. Hunger enhancer, sometimes: AROMA
- 56. Typical romance novel love interest: HUNK
- 57. "What rotten luck!": RATS
- 58. Nest-building pests: BWANTS
- 59. It's whipped to make mousse: EGGBW
- 60. Bud drinker?: BEE
- 61. Former life: PAST
down
- 1. Sarcophagus lid: SLAB
- 2. Like Death's horse: PALE
- 3. One of the Minor Prophets: AMOS
- 4. Butter knife, e.g.: SPREADER
- 5. Nurslings: BABES
- 6. Fastener in a punched hole: BRAD
- 7. Pink-slip: CAN
- 8. Famously polite Old West stagecoach robber: BWBART
- 9. Unreactive element: NEON
- 10. Sedgwick in Warhol films: EDIE
- 11. Bank: RELY
- 13. January department store events: BWSALES
- 15. Iconic AC/DC album with the song "You Shook Me All Night Long": BACKINBW
- 19. Filed things: NAILS
- 21. Organic sealant: TAR
- 24. Bird feeder tidbits: SEEDS
- 25. Cover-up: BWWASH
- 26. Mann of rock: AIMEE
- 27. Go under: DROWN
- 28. Volcano features: VENTS
- 29. Unlucky in love, say: ALONE
- 30. Country singer Rimes: LEANN
- 31. Untainted by corruption: LILYBW
- 33. Call option?: TAILS
- 36. Some nerve tissue: BWMATTER
- 37. It's worthy of condemnation: FIRETRAP
- 39. Gumption: SPUNK
- 40. Woman of letters?: VANNABW
- 43. Sorento manufacturer: KIA
- 44. Star of 2010's "Gulliver's Travels": JACKBW
- 45. Packed with ideas, as an essay: DENSE
- 46. Soreness: ACHE
- 47. Shot of liquor: SLUG
- 48. Protracted: LONG
- 49. Snack: BITE
- 50. Novelist Jaffe: RONA
- 51. First-aid experts, briefly: EMTS
- 52. Defender in a bridge column: EAST
- 54. Lightly apply: DAB
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.