NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 29, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, December 29, 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
- 10
- 27
- 30
- 38
- 60
Down clues & answers
- 10
- 26
- 31
- 53
- 58
- 61
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, December 28, 2014
across
- 1. Where it's lonely at, it's said: THETOP
- 7. Semi parts: CABS
- 11. Powder holder: KEG
- 14. It shrinks in the light: PUPIL
- 19. Pass on, as stories: RETELL
- 20. Modern juice ingredient: ALOEVERA
- 22. Striped beast: OKAPI
- 23. Mrs. King on TV's "Scarecrow and Mrs. King": AMANDA
- 24. Imports: MEANINGS
- 25. Host Jay and family: LENOS
- 26. Su____ic: MISSINGPERSON
- 28. Political capital?: PEE
- 30. Antimalarial agent: DDT
- 31. Result of a burn: PEEL
- 32. Ob____ly: DELETEDSCENE
- 35. "Game of Thrones" airer: HBO
- 37. Din: ROAR
- 40. Italian tourist destination: LIDO
- 41. Sultanate next to an emirate: OMAN
- 42. "Friday the 13th" sequel subtitled "Jason Lives": PARTVI
- 44. Bad-tempered, in Shakespeare: CURST
- 48. Something banned by international treaty: LANDMINE
- 50. ____t: UNUSEDMINUTES
- 53. Sign of summer: LEO
- 54. Fish-and-chips fish: COD
- 55. Bygone sports cars: MGS
- 56. Call for: NEED
- 57. Arrive casually, informally: BOPIN
- 59. They may be checked for checks: IDS
- 61. Opposite of "Brr!": IMHOT
- 63. Grp. with auditors: IRS
- 65. Checkout headache: LINE
- 66. Pack, as a car: LOADUP
- 70. D-Day locale: CAEN
- 71. Lo____y: DROPPEDCALL
- 74. Soave, e.g.: VINO
- 75. Last: ENDURE
- 77. Masked "bandit": COON
- 78. W.W. II domain: Abbr.: ETO
- 79. They start in middle school: TEENS
- 80. Ransom specification: SUM
- 81. Soda nuts: KOLAS
- 83. Manhattan neighborhood east of N.Y.U.: NOHO
- 85. Anne Hathaway's persona in 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises": CAT
- 86. Sternward: AFT
- 89. "I've got good news and bad news" speaker: DOC
- 91. Li____nt: FORFEITEDGAME
- 94. It's often face-down in a jewelry store: PRICETAG
- 97. Ibis relative: STORK
- 98. Messed (up): LOUSED
- 99. Spices (up): PEPS
- 100. Part of town: AREA
- 102. Get back (to): RSVP
- 104. Flight board abbr.: ETD
- 105. Ca____t: STRIPPEDBARE
- 110. One of a Latin trio: AMAS
- 112. It may follow you or me: TOO
- 113. It may be smoked in England: EEL
- 114. Wor____er: ABANDONEDSHIP
- 120. Eggs, e.g.: OVALS
- 122. Like oysters as an appetizer, often: EATENRAW
- 124. "That's completely wrong, you idiot!": NONONO
- 125. Change, as a password: RESET
- 126. 1976 hit for Hall & Oates: SHESGONE
- 127. Curved fasteners: UBOLTS
- 128. Some Deco works: ERTES
- 129. "How pathetic": SAD
- 130. Book of Mormon book: ENOS
- 131. Not marry Mr. Right, say: SETTLE
down
- 1. Ride around some parking lots: TRAM
- 2. Half-: HEMI
- 3. H's: ETAS
- 4. Sawbucks: TENSPOTS
- 5. Song on a reunion tour, maybe: OLDIE
- 6. Virgin offering: PLANERIDE
- 7. Group of like-minded thinkers: CAMP
- 8. Boat direction: ALEE
- 9. Executive group: BOARD
- 10. Pick up on: SENSE
- 11. Relative of a pound: KENNEL
- 12. Energy unit: ERG
- 13. It's on the right when you're driving: GASPEDAL
- 14. Ends of the world: POLES
- 15. Luau staple: UKE
- 16. Plague, e.g.: PANDEMIC
- 17. Apple picker's pick?: IPODNANO
- 18. Didn't just talk: LISTENED
- 21. Instrument in Vermeer's "The Music Lesson": VIOL
- 27. Shine, in product names: GLO
- 29. "Modern Family" co-star: EDONEILL
- 33. Preposition between two times: TIL
- 34. .biz alternative: COM
- 35. Fill-in-the-blanks activity: HANGMAN
- 36. Like some cotton: BRUSHED
- 38. Jefferson Airplane genre: ACIDROCK
- 39. Operate: RUN
- 42. Exfoliation tool: PUMICE
- 43. Let it all out: VENT
- 45. Chafe: RUB
- 46. E____hen: STOLENART
- 47. Unenthusiastic: TEPID
- 49. Birdbrain: DODO
- 51. Yom Kippur War politician: MEIR
- 52. Partial translation of "Auld Lang Syne": SINCE
- 58. Ones who are never out of order?: NEATNIKS
- 60. Except: SAVE
- 62. Duty: ONUS
- 64. "Scary Movie," e.g.: SPOOF
- 67. Like many toy trucks: DIECAST
- 68. Anonymous: UNNAMED
- 69. Up on things: POSTED
- 71. Mailing to a record exec, once: DEMOTAPE
- 72. Preppy wear: POLOS
- 73. Hot goods: LOOT
- 76. Like talking in a theater, e.g.: RUDE
- 79. Flap: TODO
- 82. Destination between LAX and Sea-Tac: SFO
- 84. Some computer aids: HELPMENUS
- 86. Modern place to buy games: APPSTORE
- 87. Stew about: FRETOVER
- 88. Sirloin cut: TIPROAST
- 90. Negligent: CARELESS
- 92. Drop the ball: ERR
- 93. "So much for that": GUESSNOT
- 95. Hit TV series set in Las Vegas: CSI
- 96. High school makeup test, for short?: GED
- 101. Tapered off: ABATED
- 103. Airport shuttle, maybe: VAN
- 106. Rats and gnats: PESTS
- 107. What you might get by breaking 4-Down: ABES
- 108. 0-100, e.g.: RANGE
- 109. Classic example of corporate malfeasance: ENRON
- 111. Building block: ADOBE
- 115. "Hawaii Five-O" crime-fighter, informally: DANO
- 116. Isn't square, say: OWES
- 117. News anchor Lester: HOLT
- 118. I.M.F. part: Abbr.: INTL
- 119. Ask: POSE
- 121. Rebel leader: LEE
- 123. "I knew it!": AHA
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.