NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 4, 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, October 4, 2015. 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
- 25
- 34
- 47
- 72
- 73
- 97
- 117
- 120
- 127
- 130
Down clues & answers
- 20
- 35
- 52
- 67
- 82
- 90
- 107
- 108
- 115
- 116
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, October 3, 2015
across
- 1. 1960-62 home of Lee Harvey Oswald: MINSK
- 6. Place for a link: CUFF
- 10. Craft for amphibious operations, for short: LSTS
- 14. Shadow, e.g.: SPYON
- 15. Sooner in history?: OKIE
- 16. In a row: ATIT
- 17. "He listens well who takes notes" writer: DANTE
- 18. A-1: FRONTPAGE
- 20. Word after better or behave: ONESELF
- 22. Signature attire for Archie: SWEATER
- 23. Wail producer: SAX
- 24. Honey bunch?: BEES
- 26. Like an outboard motor: ASTERN
- 27. Propriety: DECENCY
- 29. Sch. with a campus in Panama City: FSU
- 30. Hypothetical situation: SCENARIO
- 32. Infamous trial site: SALEM
- 34. Super-rare feat in baseball lore: QUADRUPLEPLAY
- 36. Gathers: CULLS
- 37. Cause of a bad-smelling refrigerator: SPOILAGE
- 38. Coat part: HEM
- 39. 1968 hit by the Dells whose title precedes "the time," "the place," "the girl" and "the face": THEREIS
- 40. Prohibition enforcer: RAIDER
- 43. Goose: TWIT
- 44. Metro line: Abbr.: RTE
- 47. "Aha!": IKNEWIT
- 49. Baleful affair?: HOEDOWN
- 51. It's not very funny anymore: STALEJOKE
- 53. What "check" could mean: NOBET
- 54. The "him" in the 1939 film line "I won't let you take him!": TOTO
- 55. Insurance company based in Pennsylvania: ERIE
- 56. Oil or ink additive: DRIER
- 57. Cry for silence and attention: OYES
- 58. Color akin to cyan: TEAL
- 59. Like the Sahara: SANDY
down
- 1. It ran on many clones: MSDOS
- 2. Close-Up competitor, once: IPANA
- 3. A Verizon forerunner: NYNEX
- 4. They often get smashed: SOTS
- 5. Lower-body exercise: KNEEBENDS
- 6. Morning buzz, maybe: COFFEERUSH
- 7. 2014 revolution site: Abbr.: UKR
- 8. Verizon service: FIOS
- 9. 1912 and 2013 World Series setting: FENWAY
- 10. Wash against: LAPAT
- 11. Capitol display: STATEFLAG
- 12. Semiprecious pendant option: TIGERSEYE
- 13. Chest protector: STERNUM
- 19. Some offensive N.F.L. players, briefly: TES
- 21. Old alternative to a Rabbit: LECAR
- 25. Scrap: SNIPPET
- 27. Pass out on game night?: DEAL
- 28. Shades are placed around it: COLORWHEEL
- 30. Diversion for a baby or a puppy: SQUEAKTOY
- 31. Wind up: CULMINATE
- 32. Trichoptilosis, familiarly: SPLITENDS
- 33. Bad-news lead-in: ALAS
- 35. Letters associated with animal sounds: EIEIO
- 36. Big name in environmental art: CHRISTO
- 39. 727, e.g.: TRIJET
- 41. Center of the Cyclades: DELOS
- 42. Pronoun in a rebus puzzle: EWE
- 44. Sidekick of 1960s TV: ROBIN
- 45. Coat material: TWEED
- 46. Password provision: ENTRY
- 48. Barreled: TORE
- 50. "I Married ___" (1987 ABC sitcom): DORA
- 52. Soul producer: KIA
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.