NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 3, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, December 3, 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
- 10
- 18
- 19
- 21
- 22
- 27
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 33
- 53
Down clues & answers
- 28
- 32
- 45
- 51
- 52
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, December 2, 2011
across
- 1. Cries from a litter: MEWS
- 5. Bazaar dish: SHISHKEBAB
- 15. End notes?: OBIT
- 16. "The Birdcage" drag queen player: NATHANLANE
- 17. Kind of boots popular in the '60s: GOGO
- 18. State capital with Yeager Airport: CHARLESTON
- 19. Old English: ANGLIC
- 21. Take a bath: LAVE
- 22. Chemical ending: IDE
- 23. Prospero's dukedom: MILAN
- 24. West Coast ZIP starter: NINE
- 25. "Dream on!": ASIF
- 26. Chophouse choice: BEEFSTEAK
- 28. Actress Gaynor: MITZI
- 29. "Cloak and Dagger" org.: OSS
- 30. Least powerful member of the board?: PAWN
- 31. Course using a fridge: HOMEEC
- 32. Earful for one getting an eyeful: DONTSTARE
- 34. Pieces of eight?: OCTETS
- 37. Hamlet's cousin: TOWN
- 38. Luck, old-style: HAP
- 41. Quaint ladies with buns, often: MARMS
- 42. Ones who may get you into hot water?: CANNIBALS
- 44. "Indeed": ITIS
- 45. Big burst: GALE
- 46. Crackers: NUTSY
- 47. Some washers and dryers: GES
- 48. Twain's "celebrated" frog: DANL
- 49. Thing spun by a spider: EGGSAC
- 50. Field of vision?: ORTHOPTICS
- 53. Currier and Ives product: Abbr.: LITH
- 54. Muckrakers?: STABLEBOYS
- 55. Opera star Pinza: EZIO
- 56. Savvy: HORSESENSE
- 57. Their arms are wet: SEAS
down
- 1. 1953 film classic with a Swahili title: MOGAMBO
- 2. Piano's 36, familiarly: EBONIES
- 3. Emulates a hula dancer: WIGGLES
- 4. Coll. founded by Norwegian immigrants: STOLAF
- 5. Grp. organizing '60s sit-ins: SNCC
- 6. "In your face!": HAH
- 7. Master of Disaster's ring rival: ITALIANSTALLION
- 8. Downsized: SHRANK
- 9. Downsize, in a way: HALVE
- 10. Stocking part: KNEE
- 11. Hollow center?: ELS
- 12. Fine, soft, sheer fabric: BATISTE
- 13. Coat by electrolytic action: ANODIZE
- 14. Of some good: BENEFIC
- 20. Here and there: INSPOTS
- 24. "She turned me into a ___!": Monty Python: NEWT
- 25. "Je vous ___": AIME
- 27. Salon offerings: TANS
- 28. Eastern daylight time?: MORNING
- 31. Best Supporting Actress for "Cactus Flower": HAWN
- 32. House party members, briefly: DEMS
- 33. Cosmetology concern: TONE
- 34. "No way!": OMIGOSH
- 35. Mollycoddle: CATERTO
- 36. Studio with a Pegasus logo: TRISTAR
- 38. Bowler's number: HATSIZE
- 39. Ancient French region: ALSATIA
- 40. Whack jobs: PSYCHOS
- 42. "No way!": CANTBE
- 43. Some mating calls: BUGLES
- 45. Opens wide: GAPES
- 48. James who was known as the Pineapple King: DOLE
- 49. They, in Rome: ESSE
- 51. N.F.L. ball carriers: HBS
- 52. Composer Coleman and others: CYS
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.