NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 17, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, May 17, 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
- 51
Down clues & answers
- 12
- 26
- 43
- 44
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
across
- 1. Hawaiian entree: MAHIMAHI
- 9. "___-Koo" (old ragtime standard): HITCHY
- 15. Emphatic call from the flock: AMENAMEN
- 16. And so on: ETALIA
- 17. Honoring at a banquet, say: TOASTING
- 18. Scotland's Loch ___: LOMOND
- 19. Natal native: ZULU
- 20. 50th state's bird: NENE
- 22. Kind of sandwich: PITA
- 23. First-year J.D. student: ONEL
- 24. Street child: GAMIN
- 25. Like the area around an erupting volcano: ASHY
- 26. Rock layers: STRATA
- 28. Tennis whiz: ACER
- 30. One in la familia: TIA
- 31. One concerned about charges: TORERO
- 33. Alter: AMEND
- 35. Assumes, as costs: ABSORBS
- 38. The Lizard constellation: LACERTA
- 40. Ones on the move: GOERS
- 41. President ___: PROTEM
- 43. Bow shape: ARC
- 44. Redheaded boy of 1960s TV: OPIE
- 46. Bouquets: AROMAS
- 50. Hard to find in Latin?: RARA
- 52. Cure again, as leather: RETAN
- 54. All-night party: RAVE
- 55. Sacked out: ABED
- 56. "The Heat ___": ISON
- 57. Modern home of ancient Elam: IRAN
- 58. Batman's home: GOTHAM
- 60. Being borrowed by: ONLOANTO
- 63. Pupil surrounder: AREOLA
- 64. 1997 Carrey comedy: LIARLIAR
- 65. Spanky or Alfalfa: RASCAL
- 66. Words after "Que": SERASERA
down
- 1. Seder servings: MATZOS
- 2. Check figure: AMOUNT
- 3. Doctor, ideally: HEALER
- 4. Asbestos, for one: INSULATOR
- 5. Dojo floor covering: MAT
- 6. Burgundy bud: AMI
- 7. Skin colorer: HENNA
- 8. Former world heavyweight champion Johansson: INGEMAR
- 9. ___ Curtis, onetime cosmetics giant: HELENE
- 10. "How was ___ know?": ITO
- 11. Home of MacDill Air Force Base: TAMPA
- 12. Part of many a convent: CLOISTER
- 13. Comment made while elbowing someone: HINTHINT
- 14. "And so on": YADAYADA
- 21. Violinmaker Amati: NICOLO
- 24. Raiment: GARB
- 27. Many a classical sculpture: TORSO
- 29. Soapbox derby entrant: RACER
- 32. Glimpses: ESPIES
- 34. Some anniversary events: MEMORIALS
- 35. Petri dish gel: AGARAGAR
- 36. South Pacific island: BORABORA
- 37. Generates, as fluids: SECRETES
- 39. ___ early age: ATAN
- 42. Modernizes, as a factory: RETOOLS
- 45. First: PRIMAL
- 47. 1964 Hitchcock thriller: MARNIE
- 48. 2009 James Cameron blockbuster: AVATAR
- 49. Madrid madam: SENORA
- 51. Like some committees: ADHOC
- 53. Musical with the song "N.Y.C.": ANNIE
- 59. Indicator of how something is done: ALA
- 61. Actress ___ Park Lincoln: LAR
- 62. ___ pro nobis: ORA
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.