NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 18, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, July 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.
Across clues & answers
- 42
- 62
- 65
Down clues & answers
- 15
- 25
- 26
- 29
- 40
- 49
- 50
- 59
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
across
- 1. Karate school: DOJO
- 5. Pier: DOCK
- 9. "Look what I just did!": TADA
- 13. Grad: ALUM
- 14. Washington who was called "Queen of the Blues": DINAH
- 15. "Voulez-vous coucher ___ moi ce soir?": AVEC
- 16. Geographical formation whose name is Spanish for 9-Down: MESA
- 17. ___ Rizzo, "Midnight Cowboy" role: RATSO
- 18. What might take a stand outside a school?: BIKE
- 19. Dope fiend: POTHEAD
- 21. Burn without a flame: SMOLDER
- 23. Tap: FAUCET
- 25. New Year's ___: EVE
- 26. Baja bear: OSO
- 28. Land where the Danube flows: ROMANIA
- 30. Cleopatra's killer: ASP
- 33. Hold filler: CARGO
- 35. Mover's vehicle: VAN
- 36. Model ___ Nicole Smith: ANNA
- 37. Author of the book whose title is circled in the grid: ERNESTHEMINGWAY
- 41. "Yes, there is ____!": AGOD
- 42. "___ the fields we go ...": OER
- 43. Japanese port: OTARU
- 44. Right out of the box: NEW
- 45. With lack of distinctiveness: BLANDLY
- 48. Street cred: REP
- 49. "Get it?": SEE
- 50. Bonbons, e.g.: SWEETS
- 52. Musical instruments listed very late alphabetically: ZITHERS
- 56. Trouser measurements: INSEAMS
- 59. Latin love: AMOR
- 60. Straighten: ALIGN
- 62. Brickell who sang "What I Am": EDIE
- 63. China's ___ En-lai: CHOU
- 64. Keister: TUSHY
- 65. Groucho or Chico: MARX
- 66. "King ___": KONG
- 67. Send out: EMIT
- 68. "Don't leave!": STAY
down
- 1. Like morning grass, typically: DAMP
- 2. Dairy-free spread: OLEO
- 3. Temporarily: JUSTFORNOW
- 4. Nebraska home of Berkshire Hathaway: OMAHA
- 5. Crown: DIADEM
- 6. Prov. east of Manitoba: ONT
- 7. Mama ___ Elliot: CASS
- 8. Iranian Revolution leader: KHOMEINI
- 9. See 16-Across: TABLE
- 10. Gung-ho: AVID
- 11. Hockey feint: DEKE
- 12. Computer giant: ACER
- 14. ___ Malfoy (Harry Potter villain): DRACO
- 20. Continental coins: EUROS
- 22. Tube travelers?: OVA
- 24. Businesses where the customers call the shots?: TAVERNS
- 26. Indian ___: OCEAN
- 27. Beetle Bailey's boss: SARGE
- 29. '60s war locale: NAM
- 30. Camp David Accords party: ANWARSADAT
- 31. Capture: SNARE
- 32. Winner's demand: PAYUP
- 34. H.S. dropout's document: GED
- 36. F.B.I. employee: Abbr.: AGT
- 38. Abide: TOLERATE
- 39. "Isn't ___ bit like you and me?" (Beatles lyric): HEA
- 40. "The Highwayman" poet: NOYES
- 45. Hive member: BEE
- 46. One of the D's in D.D.E.: DWIGHT
- 47. 1950s-'60s comic Bruce: LENNY
- 49. Gesture accompanying "Beats me": SHRUG
- 51. Swarms: TEEMS
- 52. 2009 Cy Young Award winner Greinke: ZACK
- 53. "If you ask me," in textspeak: IMHO
- 54. Bugs Bunny or Tweety Bird: TOON
- 55. Dickensian setting: SLUM
- 57. Sorvino of "Mighty Aphrodite": MIRA
- 58. Very exciting: SEXY
- 61. "It ___" (formal acknowledgment): ISI
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.