NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for June 18, 2012

Q: 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.

Q: 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.

Q: Which day is the hardest?

Saturday is generally the hardest, followed by Friday. Sunday is larger but closer to midweek difficulty.

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Monday, June 18, 2012

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, June 18, 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.

81 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Sunday, June 17, 2012

across

1. Grp. with an alphabet: NATO
5. Message from police HQ: APB
8. It makes bubbly bubbly: YEAST
13. Tar: SWAB
17. Eastern nurse: AMAH
18. Brooklyn, e.g., informally: BORO
20. Hoi ___: POLLOI
21. Mammy's place: TARA
22. Falter while imitating Jay-Z?: BUMBLERAP
24. Something thrown in "West Side Story"?: RUMBLEPUNCH
26. Underworld deity: OSIRIS
27. "Is that clear?": GETIT
29. Dickensian setting: LONDON
30. Trick-taking game: BELOT
31. Like pumice: IGNEOUS
33. Game-ending cry: GIN
34. See 107-Down: THAN
36. Sing high notes?: WARBLEONDRUGS
42. 1970s exile: SHAH
45. Noted 2011 TV retiree, popularly: REGIS
47. Reduce marks?: ERASE
48. Kind of column: OPED
49. Nesting site: EAVE
50. Wall Street type: TRADER
52. Develops slowly: GESTATES
54. Cry upon arriving at an earthquake site?: THERESTHERUBBLE
58. In a frenzy: AMOK
59. Dines on: HAS
60. X, on campuses: CHI
61. Bridge locale: NOSE
62. It may follow "forever and ever": AMEN
63. Didn't conceal one's smugness: GLOATED
67. Region of 70-Across for which a type of wool is named: KASHMIR
69. Animal stomach: CRAW
70. See 67-Across: ASIA
72. Suffix with ball: OON
73. "All systems go": AOK
76. Tuition and others: FEES
77. What the turnover-prone football player had?: DROPPINGTROUBLE
82. Fountain location: MALTSHOP
84. El Pacífico, e.g.: OCEANO
85. Ball-shaped part: PEEN
86. "Hmm ...": ISEE
87. Knock for ___: ALOOP
90. W.W. I battle locale: YPRES
91. A bad one may contain holes: PLOT
92. Shenanigans at the royal court?: NOBLENONSENSE
95. Not a lot: SOME
97. Mil. leader: CDR
98. Points in the right direction: ORIENTS
100. Ball partner: ARNAZ
104. Begin a tour: DEPLOY
108. He wrote "Knowledge is the food of the soul": PLATO
109. Senescence: OLDAGE
110. Nickname for a hard-to-understand monarch?: QUEENMUMBLE
114. Lens cover for a large telescope?: HUBBLECAP
116. Classical bow wielder: EROS
117. Eats up: ADORES
118. Outer: Prefix: ECTO
119. Blood rival: CRIP
120. Oxford profs: DONS
121. Feature of grocery purchases, often: NOTAX
122. Coral, e.g.: HUE
123. Numbers game: KENO

down

1. Bigwig: NABOB
2. Put a smile on: AMUSE
3. Source of the words "mulligatawny" and "catamaran": TAMIL
4. "Are you kidding me?!": OHBROTHER
5. Fives: ABES
6. ___ favor: POR
7. Fort ___, N.C.: BRAGG
8. Source of a viral outbreak: YOUTUBE
9. American ___: ELM
10. Robe for one tending a flock: ALB
11. Fa-la connector: SOL
12. Telephone system connectors: TIELINES
13. Taser, say: STUN
14. Airport security item: WAND
15. "Giovanna d'___" (Verdi opera): ARCO
16. German train track: BAHN
19. Dentist's directive: OPENWIDE
20. Record listing: PRIOR
23. Neighbor of Poland: Abbr.: LITH
25. The Atlantic, in a common phrase: POND
28. Quick preview: TEASER
31. Subject of Newton's first law of motion: INERTIA
32. Canon product, for short: SLR
33. "Have a look!": GOSEE
35. Where pieces are put together?: ARTSHOW
37. Most holes in one: EAGLES
38. Nomad: ROAMER
39. Baseball's Justin or B. J.: UPTON
40. Many a Silicon Valley hiree: GEEK
41. Radical '60s org.: SDS
42. Genesis son: SETH
43. "Ver-r-ry funny!": HAHA
44. Some Monopoly properties: Abbr.: AVES
46. Exasperated outburst: GAH
51. Cry just before disaster strikes: RUN
53. "The Magic Flute" protagonist: TAMINO
55. Mercedes-Benz luxury line: ECLASS
56. ___ choy (Chinese vegetable): BOK
57. Troop grp.: BSA
62. Lovingly, to a musician: AMOROSO
63. Fairy tale girl: GRETEL
64. Big game fish: TARPON
65. That, in Tijuana: ESO
66. Fiesta bowl?: DIP
68. Sex appeal: HOTNESS
69. A tabloid keeps tabs on one: CELEB
71. G.I.'s address: APO
73. Genesis son: ABEL
74. Promise, e.g.: OLEO
75. Alter ego who carries a notepad: KENT
76. Burkina ___: FASO
77. Sorrow: DOLOR
78. Arctic waters, on historical maps: ICYSEA
79. Mythical elixir of forgetfulness: NEPENTHE
80. Long-jawed fish: GAR
81. Where cheap seats are in a baseball stadium: UPPERDECK
82. Part of r.p.m.: Abbr.: MIN
83. Useful husband, say: HANDYMAN
88. Spanish bear: OSO
89. Befuddle: PERPLEX
93. Nobel Prize subj.: ECON
94. "Frasier" character: NILES
96. Outdoor promenade: MALL
99. iPod ___: TOUCH
101. Brooch feature, maybe: NACRE
102. Over: AGAIN
103. One of the Marx Brothers: ZEPPO
104. Threw out of a contest, informally: DQED
105. Prefix with zone: EURO
106. Lowly laborer: PEON
107. With 34-Across, what "<" means: LESS
109. Concerto soloist, perhaps: OBOE
111. Its stem is used in miso soup: UDO
112. Witticism: MOT
113. Cup holder?: BRA
115. Energy meas.: BTU

Hints and full breakdown for Jun 17

More daily puzzle hints

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.