NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 7, 2014
Sunday, December 7, 2014
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, December 7, 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
- 5
- 35
- 47
- 68
- 76
- 80
- 90
- 107
Down clues & answers
- 24
- 30
- 44
- 56
- 89
- 101
- 106
- 110
- 111
- 112
- 113
- 116
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, December 6, 2014
across
- 1. Site of a 1789 rebellion: HMSBOUNTY
- 10. Nickname for a lanky guy: SLIM
- 14. Classic brewing ingredient: EYEOFNEWT
- 15. It can wrap things up: TWINE
- 16. Nursery bagful: PLANTFOOD
- 17. Gap competitor: HANDM
- 18. Chided, with "off": TOLD
- 19. "No Exit" has one: ACT
- 20. Cloth with tears in it?: HANKIE
- 21. Enterprise adversary: AVIS
- 22. Dimwitted title character of a 2001 comedy: ZOOLANDER
- 24. Burrow, say: DEN
- 25. Deodorant brand: MENNEN
- 26. Middle marker?: IDES
- 28. Boon: GODSEND
- 29. Four-time Pro Bowler Michael: VICK
- 30. It might give you a buzz: ALARM
- 33. Score in Italy: VENTI
- 34. Meh: SOSO
- 35. Gives one's approval: BLESSES
- 40. Law enforcers, slangily: POPO
- 41. Puma, for one: BIGCAT
- 42. Dig: JAB
- 45. Bygone Asian dynast: KIMJONGIL
- 47. "The Bicycle Thief" setting: ROME
- 48. Giant article of clothing?: JERSEY
- 49. Like soon-to-be-frescoed plaster: WET
- 50. Contend: AVER
- 51. Number one number two: ADAMS
- 52. Songlike: CANTABILE
- 54. Ends of some board meetings?: MATES
- 55. Some end-of-the-year dramas, informally: OSCARBAIT
- 56. Bygone bomber whose name is a call in bingo: BTEN
- 57. First Fox show to finish in Nielsen's top 20 for a season: THEXFILES
down
- 1. The "Harry Potter" books, e.g.: HEPTAD
- 2. "Darling": MYLOVE
- 3. Give no escape: SEALIN
- 4. Investment category: BONDS
- 5. "Jesters do ___ prove prophets": "King Lear": OFT
- 6. Serene: UNFAZED
- 7. Some righties, for short?: NEOCONS
- 8. Like most semaphore flags: TWOTONE
- 9. Abbr. among stock listings: YTD
- 10. Elegant pool maneuvers: SWANDIVES
- 11. Job-hunter's aid: LINKEDIN
- 12. Glancing: INDIRECT
- 13. Twitter trending topic, maybe: MEME
- 15. Other ___: THAN
- 20. Assistance: HAND
- 23. Author Deighton: LEN
- 25. What everyone has at birth: MOM
- 27. One of a sporting pair: SKI
- 28. Union attendants: GROOMSMEN
- 30. Death on the Nile creator?: ASP
- 31. Considered: LOOKEDAT
- 32. What Eliza didn't do for 'enry 'iggins?: ASPIRATE
- 33. One calling the shots?: VET
- 35. Certain street dancer, in slang: BBOY
- 36. Director Justin of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise: LIN
- 37. Mixture brushed onto pastry dough before baking: EGGWASH
- 38. "The poetry of reality," per Richard Dawkins: SCIENCE
- 39. Gandhi marched to the sea to protest one: SALTTAX
- 42. Full of high spirits: JOVIAL
- 43. 2001 French film that was nominated for five Academy Awards: AMELIE
- 44. Green ___: BERETS
- 46. The new girl on TV's "New Girl": JESS
- 47. Wedding party, sometimes: RABBI
- 48. Hinge holder: JAMB
- 52. Something that may be rolled out for company: COT
- 53. Newfoundland cry: ARF
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.