NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 2, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, October 2, 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
- 38
- 40
- 57
- 60
Down clues & answers
- 13
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, October 1, 2012
across
- 1. Muslim pilgrim's destination: MECCA
- 6. Indian prince: RAJA
- 10. Kemo ___: SABE
- 14. Map collection: ATLAS
- 15. "'Tis a pity": ALAS
- 16. Shortly, to a poet: ANON
- 17. Bloodhound's trail: SCENT
- 18. Move like a butterfly: FLIT
- 19. Watch chains: FOBS
- 20. Second first lady: ABIGAILADAMS
- 23. Daydream: REVERIE
- 25. Doctorate grillings: ORALS
- 27. Declare: AVER
- 28. American Dance Theater founder: ALVINAILEY
- 32. Mister : English :: ___ : German: HERR
- 33. Part of the eye around the pupil: IRIS
- 34. Football field units: Abbr.: YDS
- 35. Oscar-winning actor for "Little Miss Sunshine": ALANARKIN
- 40. K2 and Kilimanjaro: Abbr.: MTS
- 43. Pitcher Hershiser: OREL
- 44. Prefix with dynamic: AERO
- 48. Tennis champion with a stadium named after him: ARTHURASHE
- 52. ___ the Impaler: VLAD
- 53. Largest asteroid in the solar system: CERES
- 54. Digestion aids: ENZYMES
- 56. Achieved great fame ... or what 20-, 28-, 35- and 48-Across did?: MADETHEALIST
- 60. Erica who wrote "Fear of Flying": JONG
- 61. Winter frost: HOAR
- 62. ___ Circus (ancient Roman stadium): NEROS
- 65. Ye ___ Shoppe: OLDE
- 66. Part of the U.S. that's usually first with election returns: EAST
- 67. Some Scots: GAELS
- 68. One giving orders: BOSS
- 69. Alimony givers or receivers: EXES
- 70. Precipitation around 32 degrees: SLEET
down
- 1. Pas' mates: MAS
- 2. Catchall abbr.: ETC
- 3. Butcher's knife: CLEAVER
- 4. Down Under capital: CANBERRA
- 5. Up and about: ASTIR
- 6. San ___, Calif.: RAFAEL
- 7. "That's ___ ask": ALLI
- 8. First corner after "Go" in Monopoly: JAIL
- 9. Dashiell Hammett hound: ASTA
- 10. African big-game hunt: SAFARI
- 11. Deviation from the standard: ANOMALY
- 12. Winter Olympics vehicle: BOBSLED
- 13. Officer on a PT boat: Abbr.: ENS
- 21. Actress Scala: GIA
- 22. "___ say!": DOASI
- 23. Cheerleader's cheer: RAH
- 24. Garden of Eden woman: EVE
- 26. The "S" of GPS: Abbr.: SYS
- 29. Lab containers: VIALS
- 30. Like the verb "be" in many languages: Abbr.: IRR
- 31. Suffix with no-good: NIK
- 36. No-good sort: LOUSE
- 37. Airport info: Abbr.: ARR
- 38. Grant-giving org.: NEA
- 39. Special Operations warrior: NAVYSEAL
- 40. PC alternative: MAC
- 41. Vibrating effect: TREMOLO
- 42. Leaves high and dry: STRANDS
- 45. Target for a certain bark beetle: ELMTREE
- 46. Comic Charlotte: RAE
- 47. Gets too high, for short?: ODS
- 49. Property dividers that may need clipping: HEDGES
- 50. Card game for romantics?: HEARTS
- 51. Photo lab abbr.: ENL
- 55. Witty put-downs: ZINGS
- 57. "My country, 'tis of ___": THEE
- 58. April 1 news story, maybe: HOAX
- 59. Comfort: EASE
- 60. Occupation: JOB
- 63. Corrida cheer: OLE
- 64. Across-the-Atlantic flier of old, briefly: 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.