NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 1, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, January 1, 2012. 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
- 42
- 63
- 64
- 76
- 83
- 117
Down clues & answers
- 20
- 33
- 41
- 51
- 55
- 88
- 90
- 95
- 100
- 111
- 113
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, December 31, 2011
across
- 1. Sign of engine trouble: SMOKE
- 6. What a 61-Across will be called for only a little while longer: MISS
- 10. One on a Liszt list: OPUS
- 14. Like some suits: CIVIL
- 15. "This shindig rocks!": ITSABLAST
- 17. Computer screenful: ICONS
- 18. Part of Melanesia: NEWGUINEA
- 19. Subject for a folder: ORIGAMI
- 21. Always or sometimes, say: ADVERB
- 22. Approvals: NODS
- 23. "The thoughtful soul to solitude retires" poet: OMAR
- 26. Gets set: GELS
- 27. "___ dunno ...": OHI
- 29. Sandy tract by the sea, to a Brit: DENE
- 31. They're often placed on parcels: REALESTATETAXES
- 39. Lawyer's setup?: PRIVATEPRACTICE
- 40. Righted wrongs: MADERESTITUTION
- 41. Picks a fight: STARTSSOMETHING
- 42. Rustle: STIR
- 43. Wiretapping grp.: NSA
- 44. Accessory that may have a state name on it: SASH
- 47. Old Testament "man of the field": ESAU
- 49. Lift, of a sort: TBAR
- 53. Like many garages: ONECAR
- 55. Excuse-interrupting comment: SPAREME
- 57. Occasion to put on sheets: TOGAPARTY
- 60. Primer option: LATEX
- 61. Shower head?: BRIDETOBE
- 62. Right wrongs: ATONE
- 63. Psychiatrist's appt.: SESS
- 64. Turnovers, e.g.: STAT
- 65. Posts: SENDS
down
- 1. Offshoot: SCION
- 2. Start that conveys very little?: MICRO
- 3. Like prickly pears: OVOID
- 4. Novelist whose character Adah speaks in palindromes: KINGSOLVER
- 5. Four-footed orphan of literature: ELSA
- 6. Half note, in Britain: MINIM
- 7. -nik kin: ITE
- 8. Yemen-to-Zimbabwe dir.: SSW
- 9. Continuing drama: SAGA
- 10. Food item often cut into rings: OLIVE
- 11. Setting for instruments: PANEL
- 12. ___ manual: USERS
- 13. Skewer: STAB
- 16. Belt tightenings: BUDGETCUTS
- 20. Like the best chicken or turkey, say: MOISTEST
- 24. Electrical accessories: ADAPTORS
- 25. Crop further: RETRIM
- 28. Feature of many a box of chocolates: HEARTSHAPE
- 30. Unclutter: NEATENUP
- 31. CD rate?: RPMS
- 32. "Hoc ___ in votis": ERAT
- 33. Slave singing several solos: AIDA
- 34. Red Sox anthem: TESSIE
- 35. "If things were to continue thus ...": ATTHATRATE
- 36. Number of one of the Olympics canceled due to W.W. II: XIII
- 37. Study of some bubbles?: Abbr.: ECON
- 38. Hong Kong's Hang ___ index: SENG
- 44. Large bore: SNORE
- 45. Umbrella: AEGIS
- 46. Oodles: SCADS
- 48. Heretofore: ASYET
- 50. Back with bread: BETON
- 51. Improve: AMEND
- 52. Curly-furred cats: REXES
- 53. Parlors with TV screens: Abbr.: OTBS
- 54. Experiment runners?: RATS
- 56. "Oh, cruel world ...": ALAS
- 58. Bushwa: ROT
- 59. Sched. letters: TBA
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.