NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 24, 2012

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Friday, August 24, 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 Friday, August 24, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

1
Category on Craigslist
12
Unspoken agreement
14
They're rarely played nowadays
16
How rainfall may be measured
17
Imbecilic
18
Boston landmark, with "the"
19
Needle point?: Abbr.
20
Some Toyotas
25
Subject of the book "Red Moon Rising"
29
Early "cure" for tuberculosis
31
Like Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock
32
Puts barricades around
36
"Eureka" and "Excelsior"
37
Heaps
39
Key abbreviation
40
CD-___
41
Sulfide-containing group
46
"Honest to God!"
50
Microsoft Windows game
52
Openly attack en masse
53
Home of Sun Bowl Stadium

Down clues & answers

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

WhatsApp X Reddit

Previous The Crossword answer

Thursday, August 23, 2012

across

1. Director Roth: ELI
4. Biblical word on a wall: MENE
8. Something hidden, perhaps: AGENDA
14. Edna Ferber novel: CIMARRON
16. Multitude: LEGION
17. Effrontery: HAPZTUHC
18. A speedster may do it: EIGHTY
19. About: ORSO
20. Lug: PELHCS
22. N.L. East city: Abbr.: ATL
23. Bat wood: ASH
24. AOL, for one: ISP
27. Mères' charges: BEBES
31. Buddyroo: PAL
33. Gossip: ATNEY
35. Still: EVENSO
37. ___ sleep: REM
39. Fails to be: ISNT
40. Title on certain language videos ... with a hint to entering six answers in this puzzle: LEARNINGYIDDISH
43. Digging: INTO
44. Cuisine whose staple food is sticky rice: LAO
45. Competition for truckers: ROADEO
46. Butterfingers: ZTULK
48. Walk-___: ONS
50. Liquid fat: OLEIN
51. Gift that's hard to believe: ESP
52. Kind of card: ATM
54. Slalom path: ESS
56. Offer unwanted advice: ZTIBIK
58. "Now!": ASAP
62. So very very: ALLTOO
66. Shoot the breeze: EZOOMHCS
68. Genre for Q-Tip: HIPHOP
69. Bubble makers: AERATORS
70. Size up: ASSESS
71. Concordes, e.g.: SSTS
72. Lick, say: WET

down

1. Parrot: ECHO
2. "A ___ should have a good memory": Quintilian: LIAR
3. Some World of Warcraft figures: IMPS
4. Villain player in "Rocky III": MRT
5. Go off: ERUPT
6. Worthless, as an assistant: NOHELP
7. Abbr. on a business letter: ENCL
8. Smart ___: ALECS
9. Woman with many fans?: GEISHA
10. Item in a spoon race: EGG
11. Fed. research org.: NIH
12. Modern address feature: DOT
13. "___ advice?": ANY
15. Kind of dye: AZO
21. ___ Joel Osment of "The Sixth Sense": HALEY
22. Part of A.M.A.: Abbr.: ASSN
24. Like some pitched balls: INSIDE
25. Martial arts instructor: SENSEI
26. Popular programming language: PYTHON
27. Locale of some Mayan ruins: BELIZE
28. Caterers' bookings: EVENTS
29. Ragged: BEATUP
30. Sign up: ENROL
32. .93% of the earth's atmosphere: ARGON
34. Like some pools: TIDAL
36. It may be struck in a field: OIL
38. It spent 5,519 days in orbit: MIR
41. Biblical woman who changed her name to Mara: NAOMI
42. Ski-___: DOOS
47. Buzzers: KAZOOS
49. Grabs: SEIZES
53. Sporty car roofs: TTOPS
55. Article of female tennis attire: SKORT
57. Arthur and Benaderet: BEAS
58. Qty.: AMT
59. Look pregnant: SHOW
60. Israeli port: ACRE
61. "Hey you!": PSST
62. Cry made with a raised index finger: AHA
63. Fleur-de-___: LIS
64. CD predecessors: LPS
65. Café alternative: THE
67. Alliance created in '48: OAS

Hints and full breakdown for Aug 23

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.