NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 4, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, December 4, 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
- 28
- 52
- 54
- 63
- 68
- 105
- 108
- 110
- 120
- 121
- 122
- 125
Down clues & answers
- 12
- 24
- 42
- 59
- 91
- 98
- 111
- 112
- 114
- 115
- 117
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, December 3, 2011
across
- 1. Timberlands, e.g.: SNOWBOOTS
- 10. Cow: DAUNT
- 15. Chocolate source: CACAOTREE
- 16. G.P.A. helper: EASYA
- 17. Grammy-winning pianist born in the U.S.S.R.: EMANUELAX
- 18. Makes it: LASTS
- 19. Cooler: PEN
- 20. Onetime fad doll: TROLL
- 21. Implied: TACIT
- 22. Just so: TOAT
- 24. Big name in tableware: ONEIDA
- 26. East End abode: OME
- 27. Split: ENDIT
- 29. Bank: SAVE
- 30. O, e.g.: ALER
- 31. Realized: REAPED
- 33. Unafraid: FEARLESS
- 35. Ryan of "Boston Public": JERI
- 37. Weapon of old: SNEE
- 38. Saqqara attractions: PYRAMIDS
- 42. One of a familiar septet: EUROPE
- 46. Go-getter: DOER
- 47. Contractors usually have them: VANS
- 49. Briefly visit: POPIN
- 50. "Pore ___ Is Daid" ("Oklahoma!" song): JUD
- 51. Marsh denizens: HERONS
- 53. Ship: SEND
- 54. Bright spots: ATRIA
- 56. Nice place for studying?: ECOLE
- 58. PX shopper: NCO
- 59. Unstable particles: MUONS
- 60. One who storms off, maybe: SORELOSER
- 62. "The Other Side of Oz" autobiographer: EBSEN
- 63. U.C. Irvine athletes: ANTEATERS
- 64. Biblical spot?: SEEST
- 65. Polite acceptance: YESPLEASE
down
- 1. Symbol of power: SCEPTER
- 2. "Like what, say": NAMEONE
- 3. Song that ends "Protégera nos foyers et nos droits": OCANADA
- 4. Weary-looking: WAN
- 5. Spell: BOUT
- 6. County NE of El Paso: OTERO
- 7. Group that sang the 1962 hit "The Wah Watusi," with "the": ORLONS
- 8. Tasseographer's bit: TEALEAF
- 9. Tabloid topics: SEXLIVES
- 10. Source of some blues: DELTA
- 11. Tiny battery: AAAA
- 12. 2000 terrorist target: USSCOLE
- 13. Popular news site, with ".com": NYTIMES
- 14. Sommeliers, at times: TASTERS
- 23. Place of change?: TIPJAR
- 25. Silas of the Continental Congress: DEANE
- 28. Overflow: TEEM
- 30. Some Oldsmobiles: ALEROS
- 32. ___ home: DRIVE
- 34. Start another tour: REUP
- 36. "It seems to me ...": IDARESAY
- 38. "The Children of Men" novelist: PDJAMES
- 39. Company sold in 2006 for $1.65 billion - 21 months after it was founded: YOUTUBE
- 40. Aid when going to court: REDROSE
- 41. Syrupy treat: SNOCONE
- 43. Far-out locale: OPENSEA
- 44. They're gripping: PINCERS
- 45. O.K.: ENDORSE
- 48. Derisive acts: SNORTS
- 51. Wants: HASNT
- 52. Drop off: SLEEP
- 55. California's Mission Santa ___: INES
- 57. Commercial name that means, literally, "skyward": ELAL
- 61. Taxonomic suffix: OTE
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.