NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 16, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, December 16, 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
- 43
- 49
Down clues & answers
- 5
- 10
- 13
- 23
- 32
- 44
- 46
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, December 15, 2011
across
- 1. Company's numero uno: BANANA
- 7. Bit of dance attire for Fred Astaire: HAT
- 10. Elite: TIER
- 14. Toyota sedan: AVALON
- 15. Recipient of three consecutive Hart Trophies: ORR
- 16. About: ASTO
- 17. Arsenal, so to speak: REPERTOIRE
- 19. Opening word of many an Italian letter: CARA
- 20. Kind of coach: Abbr.: ASST
- 21. Reveled in: ENJOYED
- 23. Bypass: EVADE
- 26. Bitter and sweet: TASTES
- 28. Key ___: FOB
- 29. With 30-Across, they started in 1969: SALT
- 30. See 29-Across: TALKS
- 34. Some shot targets: FLUS
- 36. User of night vision: OWL
- 37. One-named pop star: SELENA
- 38. Oil source: EAST
- 39. Midnight to 4 a.m., at sea: WATCH
- 41. In the 40s?: AGED
- 42. Whups: CREAMS
- 44. Debt doc: IOU
- 45. Harriet Beecher Stowe novel: DRED
- 46. ___ verte (green earth pigment): TERRE
- 47. Early 26th-century year: MMDI
- 48. Certain joint: ELL
- 49. Wrigley product: BIGRED
- 51. Certain gifts in "The 12 Days of Christmas": GEESE
- 53. Trademarked sanitary wipes: WETONES
- 56. Word with belt or tape: LOOP
- 58. Michigan college: ALMA
- 59. Boom-causing, perhaps: SUPERSONIC
- 64. Fabulist: LIAR
- 65. ___-pitch: SLO
- 66. What Cowboy legend Tom Landry sported: FEDORA
- 67. Often-flooded locale: LAND
- 68. Hit a low point: OUT
- 69. Starfish or sea cucumber, e.g.: FEEDER
down
- 1. Writing in a box: BAR
- 2. Many a Monopoly property: Abbr.: AVE
- 3. Pile: NAP
- 4. Following ___: ALEAD
- 5. Like the origin of the names for some days of the week: NORSE
- 6. Pantry problem: ANTS
- 7. ___ polloi: HOI
- 8. Check: ARREST
- 9. Nottingham's river: TRENT
- 10. Dish often served in a shell: TACOSALAD
- 11. "My word!": ISAY
- 12. To be, at the Louvre: ETRE
- 13. Way less traveled: ROAD
- 18. Capital whose name comes from an Algonquin word for "to trade": OTTAWA
- 22. Jump on a stage: JETE
- 23. Drug drawback: EFFECT
- 24. 1958 hit that won the first-ever Grammy for Song of the Year: VOLARE
- 25. Rehab candidate: ABUSER
- 27. Like the highest high: ALLTIME
- 29. Disseminates: SOWS
- 31. Fictional plantation owner: LEGREE
- 32. Kowtows, say: KNEELS
- 33. One way to ride a horse: SADDLE
- 35. Port alternative: STARBOARD
- 37. Feng ___: SHUI
- 40. Overindulge: CODDLE
- 43. Words after count or let: MEIN
- 47. "Star Trek" helmsman: MRSULU
- 50. Painter's preparation: GESSO
- 51. "Check it out": GOSEE
- 52. Lyric poem: EPODE
- 53. Tire part: WALL
- 54. "The South-Sea House" essayist: ELIA
- 55. No friend of the bootlegger: TMAN
- 57. "Carmina Burana" composer: ORFF
- 60. What a big hand often grabs?: POT
- 61. Make a little mistake: NOD
- 62. Source of heat: IRE
- 63. Brandy cocktail: CAR
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.