NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 9, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, February 9, 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
- 15
- 24
- 49
- 56
- 61
- 63
Down clues & answers
- 37
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
across
- 1. Flimflam: FRAUD
- 6. Char, as a steak: SEAR
- 10. Handy roll-outs at sleepovers: COTS
- 14. ___ on (sentence shortener): ANDSO
- 15. SeaWorld performer: ORCA
- 16. Some: AFEW
- 17. Throat lozenge for low-voiced opera stars?: BASSRELIEF
- 19. See 43-Across: NCAA
- 20. Museum piece: RELIC
- 21. Certain weasel: STOAT
- 22. Course with many unknowns: Abbr.: ALG
- 25. Cause of a sexual harassment complaint?: MIDASSTOUCH
- 28. Dorm-mates, e.g.: ROOMIES
- 30. Social finale?: ITE
- 31. Way to go: Abbr.: RTE
- 32. Its logo includes its name in blue letters in a yellow oval: IKEA
- 33. Is miserly: STINTS
- 35. Talk about pitchers and quarterbacks?: DISCUSSTHROWERS
- 41. Pullman features: BERTHS
- 42. Class with a skeleton in the closet?: Abbr.: ANAT
- 43. The Cavaliers of the 19-Across: UVA
- 45. Mate's approval: AYE
- 46. "Far out!": AWESOME
- 49. Pub with no karaoke?: SINGLESSBAR
- 52. Kitchen meas.: TSP
- 53. Grad students' grillings: ORALS
- 54. Dodges, perhaps: AUTOS
- 56. Woodsy scent: PINE
- 57. Admission provider for a kissing booth?: BUSSTICKET
- 62. Flair: ELAN
- 63. 1968 winner of the 43-Down: ASHE
- 64. Give birth, as a whale: CALVE
- 65. Eliot who pursued Capone: NESS
- 66. Top dog: HEAD
- 67. Home of Middle East University: AMMAN
down
- 1. Terrif: FAB
- 2. Coded material: RNA
- 3. Some Super Bowl highlights: ADS
- 4. Red state, once: USSR
- 5. "The Sound of Music" tune: DOREMI
- 6. Some foods for growing babies: SOLIDS
- 7. Co-anchor Hill of "The Early Show": ERICA
- 8. Crackerjack pilot: ACE
- 9. U.K. military arm: RAF
- 10. Main section of a long poem: CANTO
- 11. "No way!": OFCOURSENOT
- 12. Precursor to a memorable Boston party: TEAACT
- 13. Wrap in bandages: SWATHE
- 18. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE
- 21. Exec's note taker: STENO
- 22. Lifeless: ARID
- 23. Crafty Norse god: LOKI
- 24. Loses it: GOESBANANAS
- 26. Foes of the Jedi: SITH
- 27. Commotion: STIR
- 29. Ceremonial rod: MACE
- 33. Urban grid: Abbr.: STS
- 34. Start of a Clement Moore classic: TWAS
- 36. Range extending from the Arctic to Kazakhstan: URALS
- 37. Eye annoyance: STYE
- 38. "___ the Boss" (Mick Jagger album): SHES
- 39. Crashes into: RAMS
- 40. Fred Astaire move: STEP
- 43. Annual tournament played in N.Y.C.: USOPEN
- 44. Manly: VIRILE
- 46. Mistreated: ABUSED
- 47. James with an electrical unit named after him: WATT
- 48. Beethoven's Third, popularly: EROICA
- 50. Valleys: GLENS
- 51. One of the Obamas: SASHA
- 55. Con game: SCAM
- 57. Cantankerous cry: BAH
- 58. "What's the ___?": USE
- 59. Alphabetic trio for fliers: KLM
- 60. Powerful Perón: EVA
- 61. Sum of the first three prime numbers: TEN
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.