NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 24, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, September 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.
Across clues & answers
- 14
- 62
- 67
Down clues & answers
- 59
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, September 23, 2012
across
- 1. Lascivious: WOLFISH
- 8. They have flat tops: MESAS
- 13. Most excellent, in modern slang: BADDEST
- 20. Set forth: ENOUNCE
- 21. Kind of wine: BLUSH
- 22. Heir, usually: ALIENEE
- 23. French farewell: BONSOIR
- 24. *Male pattern baldness?: AIRLINETRAVEL
- 26. Content of a 2003 decryption: GENOME
- 28. With 78-Down, character commemorated in the answers to this puzzle's starred clues: ELIZA
- 29. Muddy: ROIL
- 30. Japanese consent: HAI
- 32. *Baying?: NIGHTOWLS
- 36. Transfers, as funds: REMITS
- 38. Title words before "Easy" for Linda Ronstadt and "Hard" for John Lennon: ITSSO
- 41. Coach: TRAIN
- 42. Walk in the park, say: AMBLE
- 44. Menu heading: SALADS
- 46. French 101 verb: ETRE
- 47. Thumbing of the nose: SNOOK
- 48. E-mail address ending: EDU
- 51. *Cardiologist's concern?: STATEOFTHEART
- 54. Bridge responses: AYEAYES
- 56. Sen. Daniel Inouye, for one: NISEI
- 57. Bridge response: IPASS
- 59. Hit on the noggin: BEAN
- 60. Saw to it: MADESURE
- 63. The Lion, not the Witch or the Wardrobe: ASLAN
- 65. Discovery medium: CABLE
- 66. Fingers: IDS
- 67. *Caries?: ARMTOTHETEETH
- 71. VCR button: REW
- 72. Pretty up: ADORN
- 74. Tony's relatives: OBIES
- 75. Occupants of the lowest circle of Dante's hell: TRAITORS
- 77. Zig or zag: SLUE
- 78. Had haddock, say: DINED
- 80. Dispenser item: STRAW
- 81. Citation: MENTION
- 83. *Marriage in 2004, divorce in 2011?: SEVENYEARITCH
- 90. Mix (in): ADD
- 91. Inventor after whom a Yale residential college is named: MORSE
- 93. Soviet author Ehrenburg: ILYA
- 94. View from a control tower: RUNWAY
- 95. Sweet drink: JULEP
- 96. They have pointed tops: PEAKS
- 98. Bel ___ cheese: PAESE
- 99. Twist spinoff: WATUSI
- 102. *Conduct classes?: OLDSCHOOL
- 106. "What ___ thou art, act well thy part": EER
- 107. Heaps: ATON
- 108. "God helps ___ ...": THOSE
- 110. Pitcher of coffee?: VALDEZ
- 113. *Petrified wood?: FORESTOFARDEN
- 118. Any of the Brontë sisters: POETESS
- 121. Necessitates: ENTAILS
- 122. Prime cut: TBONE
- 123. Steep slopes: ESCARPS
- 124. Application enclosures, often: RESUMES
- 125. Ecclesiastical council: SYNOD
- 126. Vituperates: RAILSAT
down
- 1. It's a trap: WEB
- 2. Singer whose name sounds like a cry: ONO
- 3. *Endless bagpipe tune?: LONGISLANDSOUND
- 4. Item in a box in the basement: FUSE
- 5. ___ a secret: INON
- 6. Heir, often: SCION
- 7. St. Benedict, e.g.: HERMIT
- 8. Kellogg offering, briefly: MBA
- 9. Clint : the Good :: ___ : the Ugly: ELI
- 10. South of Mexico: SUR
- 11. Heaps: ASLEW
- 12. Con man's plant: SHILL
- 13. "We Shall Overcome" singer: BAEZ
- 14. *Stable hands?: ALTARBOYS
- 15. Broadway bigwig: Abbr.: DIR
- 16. "This isn't going well at all!": DEARME
- 17. Poetic ending: ENVOI
- 18. Catch on: SEEIT
- 19. Squeals: TELLS
- 25. Passover month: NISAN
- 27. Snowy Floridian?: EGRET
- 30. Audible reproof: HISS
- 31. Rat-___: ATAT
- 33. Owns, in the Bible: HATH
- 34. It can be balanced and biased simultaneously: TIRE
- 35. Fit to serve: ONEA
- 37. Actress Sommer: ELKE
- 39. French composer of "Vexations": SATIE
- 40. 87-Down, e.g., by birth: ODESSAN
- 43. Extinct emu-like birds: MOAS
- 45. Frère's sibling: SOEUR
- 47. Parade figure, informally: STPAT
- 48. *Gold-plated forceps?: EYEBROWTWEEZERS
- 49. Man of the house?: DEALER
- 50. Onetime Time competitor, briefly: USNEWS
- 52. Tighten (up): FIRM
- 53. Works (up): RILES
- 55. See 103-Down: ABA
- 58. Work without ___: ANET
- 60. Corrupting atmosphere: MIASMA
- 61. Like many a ditz: ADDLED
- 62. Prime Minister David Cameron's alma mater: ETON
- 63. "There is ___ in the affairs of men ...": ATIDE
- 64. 1965 title role for Ursula Andress: SHE
- 65. Birdsong: CHIRRUP
- 68. Supersized: OBESE
- 69. Language from which "clan" comes: ERSE
- 70. Dweller along the Volga: TATAR
- 73. Abbr. after many an officer's name: RET
- 76. 2001-02 Nickelodeon sitcom: TAINA
- 78. See 28-Across: DOOLITTLE
- 79. Dictator's first words?: INRE
- 82. "Morning" person: IMUS
- 84. Bigwigs: VIPS
- 85. A.C. or D.C.: ELEC
- 86. When repeated, a child's taunt: NYAH
- 87. Comedian Smirnoff: YAKOV
- 88. Job for the Hardy Boys: CASE
- 89. Actress Martha who played Sinatra's love interest in "Some Came Running": HYER
- 92. "S.N.L." specialty: SPOOF
- 95. Gold prospector Joe with a state capital named after him: JUNEAU
- 97. "Days," for one: SOAPER
- 99. Nabisco offering: WAFER
- 100. Agreeing (with): ATONE
- 101. They may produce suits: TORTS
- 103. Early hurdles for 55-Down members: Abbr.: LSATS
- 104. Annual May event: DERBY
- 105. 2010 Nobelist Mario Vargas ___: LLOSA
- 109. "Bonanza" role: HOSS
- 111. Prefix with bel: DECI
- 112. Name dropper's notation?: ETAL
- 114. ___ card: SIM
- 115. Slip on: DON
- 116. Musician Brian: ENO
- 117. Springfield's Flanders: NED
- 119. Steamboat Springs, Colo., for one: SPA
- 120. European streaker, once, in brief: SST
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.