NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 3, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, July 3, 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
- 19
- 21
- 52
Down clues & answers
- 24
- 35
- 43
- 48
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, July 2, 2012
across
- 1. Lighted sign over a doorway: EXIT
- 5. Dam on the Nile: ASWAN
- 10. Back of the neck: NAPE
- 14. Famous ___ cookies: AMOS
- 15. Stiller's partner in comedy: MEARA
- 16. Plow pullers: OXEN
- 17. "Bye for now": TATA
- 18. Like George W. vis-à-vis Jeb Bush: OLDER
- 19. Backside: HIND
- 20. French writer's apprehension by the police?: SARTRESARREST
- 23. 1970s TV's "___ Ramsey": HEC
- 24. Tech company spun off from Time Warner: AOL
- 25. French writer's state of drunkenness?: PROUSTSSTUPOR
- 32. Leafy vegetable: CHARD
- 33. "That's clear": ISEE
- 34. Offering from Lil Jon or Fat Joe: RAP
- 36. Pig sound: OINK
- 37. Abuses, as a fraternity pledge: HAZES
- 39. Rain gutter site: EAVE
- 40. Sack: BAG
- 41. Run a towel over: WIPE
- 42. Adjust, as a hem: ALTER
- 43. French writer's two-under-par holes?: LESAGESEAGLES
- 47. Burnt part: ASH
- 48. LeBron James's org.: NBA
- 49. French writer's boardwalk booth operator?: RACINESCARNIE
- 56. Actor Bridges of "The Big Lebowski": JEFF
- 57. Creme-filled cookies: OREOS
- 58. Prefix with disestablishmentarianism: ANTI
- 60. ___ of Sandwich: EARL
- 61. Swap: TRADE
- 62. Saddam Hussein's land: IRAQ
- 63. "Iliad" locale: TROY
- 64. Double curves: ESSES
- 65. "___ is more": LESS
down
- 1. Have a meal: EAT
- 2. Dec. 25: XMAS
- 3. Tiniest bit of the Greek alphabet?: IOTA
- 4. Former St. Petersburg royal: TSAR
- 5. Ovid's book of love poetry: AMORES
- 6. Choose: SELECT
- 7. Hunks of chewing tobacco: WADS
- 8. Locale: AREA
- 9. Gives an account: NARRATES
- 10. Useless: NOHELP
- 11. Germany, Italy and Japan, in W.W. II: AXIS
- 12. Cooped (up): PENT
- 13. Conclusion: END
- 21. Sound of a heavy fall: THUD
- 22. Womanizer: ROUE
- 25. Small lab container: PHIAL
- 26. Where cowboys once sang "Oh, give me a home": RANGE
- 27. Mork's birthplace, on TV: ORK
- 28. Small, medium and large: SIZES
- 29. NNW's opposite: SSE
- 30. Speechify: ORATE
- 31. Parties that might have glow-in-the-dark freebies: RAVES
- 32. Corn on the ___: COB
- 35. The "p" in r.p.m.: PER
- 37. It may be hit by a soprano: HIGHNOTE
- 38. Zoo animal that beats its chest: APE
- 39. 90° turn: ELL
- 41. "What ___ thinking?!": WASI
- 42. Actor John of "Sands of Iwo Jima": AGAR
- 44. Run-scoring hit that puts the batter out: SACFLY
- 45. Put in a secret language: ENCODE
- 46. Humiliates: ABASES
- 49. Backside: REAR
- 50. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO
- 51. Blunders: ERRS
- 52. Caribbean and Mediterranean: SEAS
- 53. Finger's tip: NAIL
- 54. Concerning, on a memo: INRE
- 55. Flight board postings, for short: ETAS
- 56. MetLife Stadium footballer: JET
- 59. Figs. for geniuses: IQS
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.