NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 8, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, August 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
- 61
- 68
Down clues & answers
- 4
- 11
- 43
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
across
- 1. Empty spaces: GAPS
- 5. Writer Roald who created the Oompa-Loompas: DAHL
- 9. What a landscape painter paints: SCENE
- 14. Father of Thor: ODIN
- 15. Company name whose second letter is capitalized: EBAY
- 16. Photocopier cartridge: TONER
- 17. Saturn's second-largest moon: RHEA
- 18. Stoop: BEND
- 19. Birdlike: AVIAN
- 20. With 38-Across, a complaint: DOCIMADDICTEDTO
- 23. New World cat: OCELOT
- 24. HBO's "Real Time With Bill ___": MAHER
- 25. Drink named for a certain small stature: NEHI
- 27. Bergman who directed "Wild Strawberries": INGMAR
- 31. Smell, taste or touch: SENSE
- 35. Partner of legis. and jud.: EXEC
- 37. Plotter against Cassio in "Othello": IAGO
- 38. See 20-Across: TWITTER
- 40. With 57-Across, response to the complaint: SORRYIM
- 42. Prefix with -gramme: AERO
- 43. Attire for Antonius: TOGA
- 45. Without assistance: ALONE
- 46. Decorative pin: BROOCH
- 48. Shoreline structure: QUAY
- 50. Subject of a painting by Picasso or Rousseau: DREAM
- 52. Entrees brought out with carving knives: ROASTS
- 57. See 40-Across: NOTFOLLOWINGYOU
- 61. Situated near the upper part of the hip: ILIAC
- 62. Mid-March date: IDES
- 63. ___ fixation: ORAL
- 64. Capital of Belarus: MINSK
- 65. Gaelic speaker: CELT
- 66. 1960s secretary of state Dean: RUSK
- 67. Party throwers: HOSTS
- 68. Jazzy Fitzgerald: ELLA
- 69. Rented living qtrs.: APTS
down
- 1. Astronaut Cooper, informally: GORDO
- 2. On an ___ basis: ADHOC
- 3. Gun, in slang: PIECE
- 4. Symbol of slowness: SNAIL
- 5. Election year event: DEBATE
- 6. Not yet up: ABED
- 7. Use a whisk on: HANDMIX
- 8. Neighbor of ancient Phrygia: LYDIA
- 9. New York's ___ Island: STATEN
- 10. Beauty on display: COVERGIRL
- 11. Woman's name that means "eat" backward: ENID
- 12. Like Felix, but not Oscar: NEAT
- 13. Puzzler Rubik: ERNO
- 21. "Les Coquelicots" artist: MONET
- 22. Marx brother at a piano: CHICO
- 26. Tarzan or Buck Rogers, e.g.: HERO
- 28. It's sometimes held at a deli: MAYO
- 29. Not fer: AGIN
- 30. Terminus for all roads, in a saying: ROME
- 31. Wound for Cassio: STAB
- 32. Still-life pitcher: EWER
- 33. Actor Robert De ___: NIRO
- 34. Didn't compromise: STOODFAST
- 36. "Hairy man" in Genesis: ESAU
- 39. One of the Barrymores: ETHEL
- 41. Synthetic material: RAYON
- 44. Hunk on display: GQMODEL
- 47. Some pottery containers: CROCKS
- 49. Bygone record label: ARISTA
- 51. Fictional character who cried "Curiouser and curiouser!": ALICE
- 53. Ancient Greek marketplace: AGORA
- 54. Staple of IHOP booths: SYRUP
- 55. Breakfast side dish: TOAST
- 56. Is a sore loser, say: SULKS
- 57. "The Secret of ___" (1982 animated film): NIMH
- 58. Jumble: OLIO
- 59. Biscuit containers: TINS
- 60. Wishing place: WELL
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.