NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 15, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, July 15, 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
- 29
- 53
- 72
- 78
- 103
- 105
- 106
Down clues & answers
- 3
- 10
- 11
- 20
- 52
- 53
- 56
- 71
- 97
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, July 14, 2012
across
- 1. Destination for many a quilter: CRAFTFAIR
- 10. One with a supporting role?: BRACE
- 15. Forty-niners' song: OHSUSANNA
- 16. Fresh: LIPPY
- 17. War with little or no active warfare: SITZKRIEG
- 18. River from the Graian Alps: ISERE
- 19. "Little" sister in "Hairspray": INEZ
- 20. Backpacker's bagful: GORP
- 21. Pirate's shoulder, stereotypically: PERCH
- 22. Land on the Arctic Circle: Abbr.: NOR
- 23. Nobelist Bloch or Lorenz: KONRAD
- 25. French town fortified by Charlemagne: STLO
- 26. City whose name means "eat": ESSEN
- 28. Absorb: SOPUP
- 30. Carrier whose theme is "Rhapsody in Blue": Abbr.: UAL
- 31. Head, or heading: Abbr.: DIR
- 33. Way out: RECOURSE
- 35. Went ballistic: HADAFIT
- 39. Inexperience: RAWNESS
- 40. Honor for an ace: AIRMEDAL
- 42. "How I Met Your Mother" guy: TED
- 43. Skipper's syllable: TRA
- 44. Add some stuffing to: REPAD
- 46. Is imminent: LOOMS
- 50. Persian language?: MEWS
- 52. Keep spinning, as yarns: RETELL
- 54. Stack of chips, sometimes: BET
- 55. Ticket specification: ADULT
- 57. Band parodied by Weird Al Yankovic's "Dare to Be Stupid": DEVO
- 58. Homeroom response: HERE
- 59. Report in the funny papers?: KAPOW
- 60. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" author: ERICCARLE
- 62. Expedite some union business?: ELOPE
- 63. Triumphantly boastful: COCKAHOOP
- 64. Racket-raising Richards: RENEE
- 65. Attire for Little Lord Fauntleroy: KNEEPANTS
down
- 1. 0, for 90 degrees: COSINE
- 2. Massive chargers: RHINOS
- 3. Goldilocks and others: ASTERS
- 4. Nap kin: FUZZ
- 5. "How could you?!": TSK
- 6. Red River city: FARGO
- 7. Parts of galvanic cells: ANIONS
- 8. Off: INERROR
- 9. Option for printing archival copies: RAGPAPER
- 10. It's hardly a trend: BLIP
- 11. Stops lying: RISES
- 12. Opening: APERTURE
- 13. Revival meeting?: CPRCLASS
- 14. Halloween costume parts: EYEHOLES
- 23. Assailant without a gun: KNIFER
- 24. Bit of old European money: DUCAT
- 27. Edible red ball: EDAM
- 29. Rice served after him: POWELL
- 32. Line-item veto target, often: RIDER
- 34. Command to return to a former state: UNDO
- 35. One may supply boaters: HATMAKER
- 36. Pet kept by Wilson, Harding and Coolidge: AIREDALE
- 37. Tap: DRAWUPON
- 38. Obsolescent music option: TAPEDECK
- 41. In a bit: LATERON
- 45. 38-Down, for one: DEVICE
- 47. Fairy king: OBERON
- 48. Red selection: MERLOT
- 49. Gets in hot water?: STEEPS
- 51. Geometry calculation: SLOPE
- 53. "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" writer: LOCKE
- 56. Too cute, in Cambridge: TWEE
- 58. "Good one!": HAHA
- 61. Restrict, in a way: CAP
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.