NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 23, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, October 23, 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
- 36
- 42
- 49
- 57
- 71
- 72
- 86
- 91
- 100
- 102
- 104
- 106
- 116
- 121
Down clues & answers
- 17
- 73
- 89
- 95
- 109
- 111
- 113
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, October 22, 2011
across
- 1. Treaty signer with Ger. in 1939: USSR
- 5. Horse of a sort: ARAB
- 9. Eddie Fisher's "Oh! My ___": PAPA
- 13. Campaign/election analyst ___ Silver: NATE
- 14. Oven brand: AMANA
- 15. Resting, say: ABED
- 16. Nickname since 1999: AROD
- 17. Exceedingly hard to see: FAINT
- 18. Really small amount: IOTA
- 19. Stage-sharing speaker: PANELIST
- 21. Oxen might be put in it: TANDEM
- 23. Find contest's meta-answer by reading ___ of these clues: THEFIRSTLETTERS
- 25. Tenth Commandment word: WIFE
- 26. Heraldic drawing: ARMS
- 27. Incline: SLANT
- 29. Seven ___ (Civil War battle site): PINES
- 31. Workers who play?: DJS
- 34. Enclosing fence: PALE
- 35. Equipped for a ride, perhaps: SHOED
- 36. Kite part: BEAK
- 37. Saddler's aid: AWL
- 38. Goes across: SPANS
- 39. Role for Young: WELBY
- 40. Insults playfully: GUYS
- 41. Diminutive battery size: AAAA
- 42. Solvers must ___ in the grids to determine the grids' proper order: FILLEVERYCIRCLE
- 49. Rat Island natives: ALEUTS
- 50. Expenses for globetrotters: AIRFARES
- 51. Anarchy: RIOT
- 52. Drunken jag: SPREE
- 54. Islander's need, maybe: BOAT
- 55. Not mad: SANE
- 56. Outer parts: PEELS
- 57. Real-time: LIVE
- 58. Day on old calendars: IDES
- 59. Exterior area: YARD
- 60. Ruptured couple: EXES
down
- 1. Suitable's opposite: UNAPT
- 2. "Princess" in its Hebrew translation: SARAH
- 3. Evade while being questioned: STONEWALL
- 4. Label anew: REDEFINE
- 5. Lay up: AMASS
- 6. Activist/singer Bonnie: RAITT
- 7. Former Texas governor Richards: ANN
- 8. Assaulted, in a way: BATTERED
- 9. Muralists' needs: PAINTS
- 10. One that might be humble: ABODE
- 11. Ustinov of "Topkapi": PETER
- 12. Second or sixth in a series: ADAMS
- 14. Lighted: AFIRE
- 20. Elevate: LIFT
- 22. Accepters of deposits: ATMS
- 24. Driving divisions: LANES
- 27. Évian, for one: SPA
- 28. Regulation: LAW
- 29. Astronomical appearance: PHASE
- 30. Nonneutral particle: ION
- 31. "Death of Sardanapalus" painter Eugène: DELACROIX
- 32. Hit that begins a one-two: JAB
- 33. It's what's up: SKY
- 35. Strip since 1961 that's printed in black and white: SPYVSSPY
- 36. Causing only minor irritation, say: BEARABLE
- 38. Raw beef fat: SUET
- 39. Oliver Twist, e.g.: WAIF
- 40. Seat cushions?: GLUTES
- 41. Spread: ACRES
- 42. Iranian tongue: FARSI
- 43. Narrative set in the Bronze Age: ILIAD
- 44. Genre film director Sergio: LEONE
- 45. Worth more to collectors, say: RARER
- 46. Output: YIELD
- 47. Run along: LEAVE
- 48. Democratic senator Kefauver: ESTES
- 53. Shepherd's pie tidbit: PEA
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.