NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 21, 2012

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Friday, December 21, 2012

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:59 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, December 21, 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.

72 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

Thursday, December 20, 2012

across

1. Hair-raising: SCARY
6. Secretive org.: CIA
9. Cause of everything going up?: ARSON
14. Hip: AUCOURANT
16. Range: GAMUT
17. Gamer's midday meal?: XBOXLUNCH
18. Quick online message: ENOTE
19. Spot: ESPY
20. Dancer/choreographer Michio: ITO
21. Villains in the "28-Down" films, e.g.: SICKOS
22. Working hours for director Shyamalan?: MNIGHTSHIFT
24. Fourth-largest city in the Americas: LIMA
27. Use, as dishes: EATON
28. Nasal spray brand: SINEX
29. Restaurant's after-dinner selection: TEAS
31. Red wing?: GOP
34. N.Y.C. subway line in one's imagination?: ATRAINOFTHOUGHT
38. Atomic: WEE
39. Fishes or cuts bait, say: OPTS
40. They take a beating: DRUMS
41. Centipede creator: ATARI
44. Stops in the country: INNS
45. Bozo in a big Mercedes?: SCLASSCLOWN
50. Peppermint ___: PATTIE
51. Hearth's content: ASH
52. End of many company names: SONS
56. Santa ___: ANITA
57. With 63-Across, extra holiday pay ... or what's in 17-, 22-, 34- and 45-Across?: CHRISTMAS
59. Noodle dish: RAMEN
60. Upper: STIMULANT
61. Some hard-to-wrap presents: SLEDS
62. Starting O, maybe: TIC
63. See 57-Across: BONUS

down

1. Old German duchy name: SAXE
2. Team supposedly cursed by a billy goat: CUBS
3. Rent-___: ACOP
4. Classic theater name: ROXY
5. Actor Brynner: YUL
6. "Pretty, pretty please?": CANTI
7. Sporting a fake nose and glasses, maybe: INCOG
8. Sporting figure: Abbr.: ATH
9. Discriminatory, in a way: AGEIST
10. Spanish spread: RANCHO
11. Proof positive: SMOKINGGUN
12. Lacking: OUTOF
13. Cloud producer, for short: NTEST
15. Total: RUIN
21. Narc's discovery: STASH
22. Conservative skirt: MAXI
23. Early races: HEATS
24. Diet, commercially: LITE
25. As it happens: INREALTIME
26. "Give ___ buzz": MEA
28. See 21-Across: SAW
29. The weather, commonly: TOPIC
30. Newt, once: EFT
32. ___ law: OHMS
33. Liq. measures: PTS
35. Like 36-Down, e.g.: NORSE
36. Frigg's husband: ODIN
37. It may fill a niche: URN
42. Inked up: TATTED
43. Japanese or Javanese: ASIANS
45. Trades one-twos, say: SPARS
46. Ear part: CANAL
47. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner: LAHTI
48. Umpire of Hamlet's fencing match with Laertes: OSRIC
49. Impulse: WHIM
52. French town in '44 news: STLO
53. Gulf land: OMAN
54. Part of a sitcom sign-off: NANU
55. Big "birds" of old: SSTS
57. Ill. hours: CST
58. Fill-in: SUB

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 20

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.