NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 23, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, October 23, 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
- 32
- 50
- 57
- 59
- 64
- 72
Down clues & answers
- 21
- 35
- 55
- 65
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
across
- 1. Actor Gerard of "Buck Rogers": GIL
- 4. Bit: TAD
- 7. Target of trimming: FAT
- 10. 12-Down from meditators: OMS
- 13. U.K. award: OBE
- 14. Catherine de' Medici is said to have eaten it at every meal: SPINACH
- 16. Losing line in tic-tac-toe: XOO
- 17. Words to a baby: PEEKABOOISEEYOU
- 20. One with a mister in Münster: FRAU
- 21. Ballot marker: XER
- 22. Another time, in "Li'l Abner": AGIN
- 23. Fjord explorers?: FINNS
- 25. Robert of "The Sopranos": ILER
- 27. Summon, with "for": SEND
- 28. Emulated Pacino in a "Scent of a Woman" scene: TANGOED
- 30. Adages: SAYINGS
- 32. With 33-Across, meeting with someone in person: FACE
- 33. See 32-Across: TIME
- 34. Straighten out: UNCURL
- 37. Reading for a king's herald: SCROLL
- 41. Body in a bed: SEA
- 42. Strong punch: SANGRIA
- 46. Vote on Scottish independence: NAE
- 47. Amiss: AWRY
- 49. Shakespearean title character: TIMON
- 50. Copper: CENT
- 51. Urban blight: SLUM
- 53. Ballot topic for decriminalization: POT
- 54. Subj. with Riemann sums: CALC
- 55. Factors in wine competitions: AROMAS
- 57. Some carnival rides: PONIES
- 59. 007 film of 1981: FORYOUREYESONLY
- 63. Vegan-friendly protein source: TOFU
- 64. "Impression, Sunrise" painter: MONET
- 65. Czolgosz who shot McKinley: LEON
- 66. Like some radios: AMFM
- 67. Form of 10-Down: OZONE
- 68. Uffizi display: ARTE
down
- 1. Die: GOPFFT
- 2. Largest airline of Spain: IBERIA
- 3. "I Hope You Dance" singer Womack: LEEANN
- 4. Org. with the Precheck program: TSA
- 5. "Dragnet" alert, briefly: APB
- 6. Compound containing 10-Down: DIOXIDE
- 7. Like Snow White, per the magic mirror: FAIREST
- 8. Some LG appliances: ACS
- 9. United States Constitution's first article: THE
- 10. Element #8: OXYGEN
- 11. Cattle yard 12-Down: MOOING
- 12. See 11-Down: SOUNDS
- 15. Coward who said "I love criticism just so long as it's unqualified praise": NOEL
- 18. A master of this really knows his chops: KUNGFU
- 19. Not so knotty: EASIER
- 24. Shoots up: SOARS
- 26. French for "grape": RAISIN
- 29. Lots of sparkle: ECLAT
- 31. Facility often referred to by its first letter: YMCA
- 34. Anytown, ___: USA
- 35. Anchor's place: NEWSROOM
- 36. "Carmina Burana" composer: CARLORFF
- 38. "I wonder what the word for 'dots' looks like in Braille," e.g.: ONELINER
- 39. Model of chivalry: LANCELOT
- 40. Rent: LET
- 43. Winter chill: NIP
- 44. Biotechnology output, for short: GMO
- 45. Poppycock: ROT
- 48. "The Mikado" maiden: YUMYUM
- 50. ___ oil: CANOLA
- 52. Image in Tiananmen Square: MAO
- 54. G.M. and G.E.: COS
- 55. Aqua Velva alternative: AFTA
- 56. Bare-chested sport: SUMO
- 57. Basketball legend Maravich: PETE
- 58. End of a Burns poem heard annually: SYNE
- 60. Cartoonist Chast: ROZ
- 61. Ambient music composer Brian: ENO
- 62. Urge: YEN
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.