NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 29, 2012

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Sunday, July 29, 2012

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:01 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, July 29, 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.

140 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Saturday, July 28, 2012

across

1. Part of a certain log: STARDATE
9. Appliance maker that produced the first microwave oven for household use (1955): TAPPAN
15. Give lots of work ... or criticism: PILEITON
16. In: ATHOME
17. Dashing through the snow?: IDITAROD
18. Landmark also known as Kissavos: MTOSSA
19. Thick: FAT
20. Defiant retort: MAKEME
22. Mustang option: TTOP
23. Beat: FLOG
25. Like a game ending in double overtime, say: HARDWON
27. "Copper Canyon" and "Coroner Creek": OATERS
30. Discompose: ABASH
33. They may be empty in a vending machine: CALORIES
36. Journal keeper of fiction: CRUSOE
37. Straight: ALIGNED
38. Certain seal: SEACALF
39. Listing agent's principal: SELLER
40. Genre of Lauren Weisberger's "The Devil Wears Prada": CHICKLIT
41. So far: ASYET
42. Actress Sobieski: LEELEE
43. Aids for home parties: WETBARS
45. Draw, in a way: TOKE
49. Federal org. with compliance officers: OSHA
51. Like Jesus on the Shroud of Turin, many believe: IMAGED
54. ___ esprit: BEL
55. Capital of Iran's Fars province: SHIRAZ
57. Faithful practice: MONOGAMY
59. Peewee: LITTLE
60. How hair might fall out: INCLUMPS
61. Almost perfect, as a game: ONEHIT
62. Pen pal?: CELLMATE

down

1. Neaten (up): SPIFF
2. Start of a big wave?: TIDAL
3. O'Connor's successor: ALITO
4. No longer serving: Abbr.: RET
5. Geometry meas.: DIAM
6. ___ Plus (pharmacy purchase): ATRA
7. Really listened: TOOKHEED
8. Charms: ENDEARS
9. Under control: TAMED
10. Bygone N.Y.S.E. ticker symbol: ATT
11. Picture-hosting Web site: PHOTOBUCKET
12. Kind of drip: POSTNASAL
13. "Are not!" elicitor: AMSO
14. Spring's counterpart: NEAP
21. Title box choice: MRS
24. Reference program launched in 2005: GOOGLEEARTH
26. Top gun: WARACE
28. Actor Will of "Up All Night": ARNETT
29. Second-___: TIER
31. Cadenzas, e.g.: SOLI
32. Weight: HEFT
33. Sight along una calle: CASA
34. They may be pint-size with big heads: ALES
35. 100% pure: LILYWHITE
36. Put a cover on: CEIL
38. 1976 Hall & Oates hit: SHESGONE
40. Like many cookie jars: CERAMIC
42. Flight: LAM
44. "Les Pêcheurs de Perles" composer: BIZET
46. Start to care?: OBAMA
47. Combed, as hair: KEMPT
48. ___ Knox, co-star of Lon Chaney in "The Mummy's Tomb": ELYSE
49. Olympics locale where the first figure-skating triple jump was landed: OSLO
50. It's just over a foot: SHIN
52. Check within, say?: Abbr.: ENCL
53. Sweetums: DOLL
56. Fourth caliph in Sunni Islam: ALI
58. Jam (up): GUM

Hints and full breakdown for Jul 28

More daily puzzle hints

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.