NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 23, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, July 23, 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
- 31
- 35
Down clues & answers
- 53
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, July 22, 2012
across
- 1. During which: WHILST
- 7. Chooses: OPTSFOR
- 14. Unlike terra incognita, say: MAPPED
- 20. Olive oil alternative: CANOLA
- 21. Sexual drive: THEURGE
- 22. "Me! Me!": IDOIDO
- 23. Like the winner of the Miss Influenza pageant?: SICKANDTIARAED
- 25. "Blast!": DARNIT
- 26. Tiki bar order: MAITAI
- 27. Dons for the first time: TRIESON
- 29. Indulged in some capers?: ATE
- 30. Hovering falcon: KESTREL
- 33. Some cake slices: EIGHTHS
- 36. "I can see Mexico's southernmost state from this ship!"?: CHIAPASAHOY
- 41. Tapas bar order: SANGRIA
- 43. Quixote's pal: PANZA
- 44. Art philanthropist Broad: ELI
- 45. Lend for a short while: SPOT
- 47. Day during the dog days: HOTONE
- 50. When some coffee breaks begin: ATTEN
- 51. Bring in, as a big client: LAND
- 53. Like one who has gone green?: ILL
- 54. Rate setter, informally: THEFED
- 55. Scoundrel: RAT
- 57. Place to get a learner's permit, for short: DMV
- 58. Fall guys: GOATS
- 60. Some Kellogg grads: MBAS
- 61. Literally, "fire bowl": HIBACHI
- 65. Stand sales: ADES
- 67. ___ dish: SOAP
- 69. Before, to a poet: ERE
- 70. Article in Hoy: UNA
- 71. With 41-Down, Ford part: HAN
- 72. Like the Battle of Trafalgar: NAVAL
- 74. Kick oneself over: RUE
- 75. Kabayaki base: EEL
- 76. Entertainer with a Mandinka warrior haircut: MRT
- 77. French verb with a circumflex: ETRE
- 79. Pro accompanier?: RATA
- 80. Guts: INNARDS
- 82. Danish Nobelist: BOHR
- 84. Cousin to "Roger that": WILCO
- 86. Target of thieves who do card skimming: ATM
- 88. Some trailers: ADS
- 89. Vanidades magazine reader: LATINA
- 91. Words before and after "what": IAM
- 92. They vote first: YEAS
- 94. "Look who's back!": ITSME
- 98. Brings out: EDUCES
- 99. "___ like a Maelstrom, with a notch" (Emily Dickinson poem): TWAS
- 101. Old Polly Holliday sitcom: FLO
- 102. Company with the slogan "At the heart of the image": NIKON
- 103. Is mannerly: BEHAVES
- 105. Funding for a Spanish seafood dish?: PAELLAGRANT
- 108. Lucidness: CLARITY
- 110. "Babette's Feast" author: DINESEN
- 111. Gas pump abbr.: REG
- 112. North by northwest, e.g.: HEADING
- 115. For years on end: INAGES
- 120. Game whose lowest card is the 7: ECARTE
- 123. Far Easterners signed to a St. Louis ball team?: CARDINALASIANS
- 127. Bleach: WHITEN
- 128. Top to bottom, say: ANTONYM
- 129. Lick but good: LARRUP
- 130. Philosopher forced by Nero to commit suicide: SENECA
- 131. Kids' summer activity center: DAYCAMP
- 132. Like mushroom heads: SPONGY
down
- 1. Wee rooms, for short?: WCS
- 2. Onetime teen idol Corey: HAIM
- 3. Their empire was the Land of the Four Quarters: INCA
- 4. "The Avengers" villain: LOKI
- 5. Furniture piece: SLAT
- 6. Tomoyuki ___, creator of Godzilla: TANAKA
- 7. Mel who was portrayed in "Field of Dreams": OTT
- 8. N.L. East team, on scoreboards: PHI
- 9. Venice's La Fenice, for one: TEATRO
- 10. Fringed carriages: SURREYS
- 11. Easily injured: FRAIL
- 12. Double curve: OGEE
- 13. Some M&M's: REDS
- 14. Steam bath enjoyed just before bedtime?: MIDNIGHTSAUNA
- 15. Nabokov novel: ADA
- 16. ___ ejemplo: POR
- 17. Dos Equis-filled item at a birthday party?: PINATAOFBEER
- 18. Poet Sitwell: EDITH
- 19. Is grandmotherly, in a way: DOTES
- 24. Pump choice: DIESEL
- 28. Wine: Prefix: OEN
- 31. McDonald's offering since 1985: SALAD
- 32. Dashiell Hammett's last novel, with "The": THINMAN
- 34. "Rhoda" co-star David: GROH
- 35. "___ where it hurts": HITEM
- 36. Estate-planning pro: CPA
- 37. Place for a band: HAT
- 38. Gridiron stat.: INT
- 39. Hyundai model: AZERA
- 40. Style: PANACHE
- 41. See 71-Across: SOLO
- 42. World ___: ATLAS
- 46. Pork-on-a-stick?: PIGSATAY
- 48. Came close to: NEARED
- 49. Line in the 1950s: EDSELS
- 52. Scent coming from a Netflix envelope?: DVDAROMA
- 56. Answer to "Did you see which Greek goddess walked by?"?: THATWASATHENA
- 59. Doughnuts, mathematically: TORI
- 61. Kind of pie: HUMBLE
- 62. Foray: INROAD
- 63. Filthy kid's laconic question?: BATHTUBAGAIN
- 64. Calvary initials: INRI
- 66. Actress ___ Marie Saint: EVA
- 68. Like some Facebook friend requests: PENDING
- 73. Visa charge: LATEFEE
- 78. 1% group: ELITE
- 81. Moving: ASTIR
- 83. Baby food preparation device: RICER
- 85. Ravens' cries: CAWS
- 87. Store keepers?: MALLS
- 90. Soda with a Blue Cream flavor: NEHI
- 93. Sun, on the Riviera: SOLEIL
- 95. Jamaican music: SKA
- 96. Jamaican fellow: MON
- 97. Adenoidectomy specialist, for short: ENT
- 100. P.R. pro: SPINDOC
- 104. Eustacia ___, "The Return of the Native" woman: VYE
- 106. Chest pain: ANGINA
- 107. Historical records: ANNALS
- 108. Rappers' posses: CREWS
- 109. Café additive: LECHE
- 110. Like some tricks: DIRTY
- 113. Many a prep sch.: ACAD
- 114. Funny Carvey: DANA
- 116. "This is a priority!": ASAP
- 117. Copter's forerunner: GIRO
- 118. Make: EARN
- 119. Tight: SNUG
- 121. A U.P.S. driver may have one: Abbr.: RTE
- 122. Private eye: TEC
- 124. N.L. East team, on scoreboards: NYM
- 125. Stage item: AMP
- 126. Dangerous job: SPY
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.