NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 9, 2014
Thursday, October 9, 2014
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, October 9, 2014. 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
- 42
- 47
- 53
- 61
Down clues & answers
- 1
- 5
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 15
- 27
- 28
- 34
- 40
- 44
- 47
- 48
- 57
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
across
- 1. Try to sink, maybe: RAM
- 4. "Rhyme Pays" rapper: ICET
- 8. Fantasy league figures: STATS
- 13. TBS competitor: USA
- 14. Knock silly: DAZE
- 15. "Ah, I didn't know what you were referring to": OHTHAT
- 17. Put on a blacklist: BAN
- 18. The Auld Sod: ERIN
- 19. Honest with: TRUETO
- 20. "Hot to trot" or "cold feet": IDIOM
- 22. Many a PX shopper: NCO
- 24. The Dow, for one: INDEX
- 25. "Amerika" novelist: KAFKA
- 26. Many, many moons: EON
- 27. Jeans brand: LEE
- 28. Shoreline raptor: ERNE
- 30. "The Rachael Ray Show" creation: MEAL
- 32. ___ Lanka: SRI
- 35. Father-and-son rulers of Syria: ASSADS
- 37. Homer Simpson's mother: MONA
- 38. One with a checkered existence?: CAB
- 39. Quickly write: JOT
- 40. "Foolish" singer, 2002: ASHANTI
- 42. Time to revel: EVE
- 43. First-goal link: AND
- 44. Jockey's control: REIN
- 45. Privy to a practical joke, say: INONIT
- 47. Pastrami go-with: RYE
- 48. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTD
- 49. Porn: SMUT
- 50. Onetime tribe of the Upper Midwest: SAC
- 52. Official with a whisk broom, for short: UMP
- 54. Positrons' places: ATOMS
- 57. All, in Alba: TUTTO
- 59. "___ your request ...": PER
- 60. Commerce pact signed by Clinton: NAFTA
- 61. Incite, as trouble: STIRUP
- 63. Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand: NEHI
- 65. Be sociable: MIX
- 66. Italian sandwich: PANINI
- 67. Slave away: TOIL
- 68. Gator's tail?: ADE
- 69. Marriott competitor: HYATT
- 70. Humane org.: SPCA
- 71. "N.Y. State of Mind" rapper: NAS
down
- 1. Inventor of a six-color puzzle: RUBIK
- 2. Carne ___ (Mexican dish): ASADA
- 3. Expansionist doctrine: MANIFESTDESTINY
- 4. Election loser's cry: IDEMANDARECOUNT
- 5. Vacation rental, maybe: CAR
- 6. Slate or Salon: EZINE
- 7. Text on tablets: TENCOMMANDMENTS
- 8. Elbow-bender: SOT
- 9. Big 1975 boxing showdown: THRILLAINMANILA
- 10. Carry ___ (sing on key): ATUNE
- 11. Darwin work ... with a hint to three consecutive letters in 3-, 4-, 7-, 9- and 11-Down: THEDESCENTOFMAN
- 12. Fill beyond full: SATE
- 16. Poison sci.: TOX
- 21. Gumbo need: OKRA
- 23. Result of a leadoff single: ONEON
- 29. Handy Scrabble tiles: ESSES
- 31. Nay sayers: ANTIS
- 33. Beatle George's sitar teacher: RAVI
- 34. "Fat chance!": IBET
- 35. Cracked a bit: AJAR
- 36. Maker of Aibo robotic pets: SONY
- 41. Ask, as for a loan: HITUP
- 46. Eke ___ living: OUTA
- 51. Skylit rooms: ATRIA
- 53. Before surgery, informally: PREOP
- 55. Crete's highest peak: MTIDA
- 56. Big band section: SAXES
- 57. Rx amt.: TSP
- 58. One of its symbols is the sego lily: UTAH
- 62. Indy service area: PIT
- 64. Sound from an 8-Down: HIC
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.