NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 8, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, July 8, 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
- 14
- 27
- 31
- 36
- 85
- 100
- 108
- 115
- 121
- 127
- 131
Down clues & answers
- 52
- 94
- 96
- 103
- 109
- 118
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, July 7, 2012
across
- 1. [If ya get what I mean ...]: WINKWINK
- 9. Person in upper sales?: DEALER
- 15. All together: ASONEMAN
- 16. Title bandit in a Verdi work: ERNANI
- 17. "Ixnay": ITSANOGO
- 18. See 19-Across: CATNAP
- 19. Took an 18-Across: SLEPT
- 20. Long-___: AWAITED
- 22. Wife of Angel Clare, in literature: TESS
- 23. All together: INSUM
- 24. Lundi ___: GRAS
- 27. 100% reliable: ASGOODASGOLD
- 30. Like the Three Stooges: WACKY
- 32. Stream past Memphis: NILE
- 33. Through: VIA
- 34. Worthy of being tossed: JUNKY
- 35. Shooting spot: SET
- 36. Smart one?: ALECK
- 38. N.C.A.A.'s Conference ___: USA
- 39. Provider of some light fare: POPS
- 41. 1,000 liters: STERE
- 42. 1980s gangster sobriquet: THETEFLONDON
- 45. "Oh, O.K.": SURE
- 46. Kind of pressure: SINUS
- 47. Not be off: STAY
- 51. Kind of pressure: OSMOTIC
- 53. "Fingers crossed": IHOPE
- 54. Ibsen title heroine: GABLER
- 56. Danish ancestor: OLDNORSE
- 58. Yanks are part of it: ALEAST
- 59. Woody Allen film subjects: NEUROSES
- 60. Be taken for: PASSAS
- 61. Complement from the chef?: SIDEDISH
down
- 1. It's often tape-measured: WAIST
- 2. Agave fiber: ISTLE
- 3. Edges: NOSES
- 4. Hiker's purchase: KNAPSACK
- 5. Stopped working: WENT
- 6. Texter's P.O.V. preceder: IMO
- 7. Where Tara Lipinski upset Michelle Kwan: NAGANO
- 8. Has the material mastered: KNOWSONESONIONS
- 9. One with an important point?: DECIMAL
- 10. Form of "sum": ERAT
- 11. Insect pupa sold as turtle food: ANTEGG
- 12. Jeep alternative: LANDROVER
- 13. Disney doe: ENA
- 14. Reason to do patchwork?: RIP
- 21. What a dodger might face: AUDIT
- 23. 1982 Donald Fagen hit subtitled "What a Beautiful World": IGY
- 25. She asked "What IS an un-birthday present?": ALICE
- 26. Home to Ellsworth A.F.B.: SDAK
- 28. Means of audio-visual connection: SKYPE
- 29. N.Z. was a member of it: SEATO
- 30. Chinese martial arts, collectively: WUSHU
- 31. Many gastrointestinal tract residents: ANAEROBES
- 34. Extrudes: JUTS
- 35. Floor exercise maneuver: SPLIT
- 37. Preventer of photographic glare: LENSHOOD
- 40. In some way: OFSORTS
- 41. 1960s org. revived in 2006: SDS
- 43. Newtons per ampere-meter: TESLAS
- 44. Scientific research centers?: NUCLEI
- 48. Leotards cover them: TORSI
- 49. Areas for some kneelers: APSES
- 50. "Oh, for goodness' sake!": YEESH
- 52. Neighbor of Apache Junction: MESA
- 53. Apropos of: INRE
- 54. Orthodontist's concern: GAP
- 55. Copying: ALA
- 57. One not going out with a bang?: DUD
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.