NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 8, 2015
Thursday, October 8, 2015
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, October 8, 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
- 1
- 17
- 45
- 58
- 65
Down clues & answers
- 4
- 10
- 32
- 35
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
across
- 1. Painter Chagall: MARC
- 5. Kevin who was the 2014 N.B.A. M.V.P.: DURANT
- 11. Record holders?: DJS
- 14. Vicinity: AREA
- 15. One way to be caught: INALIE
- 16. Basketball star ___ Ming: YAO
- 17. Amused the singer of "Raise Your Glass"?: TICKLEDPINK
- 19. Zero: NIL
- 20. Ore-Ida product: TATERTOTS
- 21. Bit of campfire entertainment: TALE
- 22. Time to rise, in poetry: MORN
- 23. Ruinous end: DOOM
- 25. Enchantment of the singer of "Raspberry Beret"?: PRINCECHARMING
- 31. What an unbelievable YouTube video might be: HOAX
- 32. Some military defenses, for short: ABMS
- 33. K.G.B. adversary: CIA
- 34. ___ port: USB
- 35. Favoring the singer of "Sunday Bloody Sunday"?: PROBONO
- 38. Easter egg container?: DVD
- 39. Red Lobster freebie: BIB
- 40. ___-Aid: KOOL
- 41. Cream and eggshell, for two: HUES
- 42. Medical procedure for the singer of "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free"?: STINGOPERATION
- 47. Source of ivory: TUSK
- 48. Tree of Life locale: EDEN
- 49. Loo: JOHN
- 51. Fast-food convenience: DRIVETHRU
- 56. It might puff you up: EGO
- 57. Coached the singer of "Kiss From a Rose"?: TRAINEDSEAL
- 59. 90° turn: ELL
- 60. Emmy-winning series set at the Sterling Cooper ad agency: MADMEN
- 61. Bit of fish food: ALGA
- 62. 26th of 26: ZEE
- 63. Word next to a coin slot: INSERT
- 64. Fraud fighters, for short: TMEN
down
- 1. LeBlanc of "Friends": MATT
- 2. Diva's delivery: ARIA
- 3. Four-sided fig.: RECT
- 4. Betty Crocker product: CAKEMIX
- 5. Coke Zero alternative: DIETRC
- 6. Ruined: UNDONE
- 7. Entranced: RAPT
- 8. Four of the 12 imams of Shia: ALIS
- 9. Diarist Anaïs: NIN
- 10. Shatner's "___War": TEK
- 11. Nickname for a high-achieving couple: DYNAMICDUO
- 12. One corner of a Monopoly board: JAIL
- 13. Filleted fish: SOLE
- 18. ___ Hubbard of Scientology: LRON
- 21. When doubled, a drum: TOM
- 23. "Aw, hell!": DAMN
- 24. Approximately: ORSO
- 25. Put forward: POSIT
- 26. Way into Wonderland: RABBITHOLE
- 27. Premium ___: CABLE
- 28. 27-Down offering: HBO
- 29. David of "Separate Tables": NIVEN
- 30. Travels (about): GADS
- 31. Central points: HUBS
- 35. U.P.S. truck contents: Abbr.: PKGS
- 36. Piece next to a knight: ROOK
- 37. "Alley ___": OOP
- 41. Doesn't say outright: HINTSAT
- 43. Mother superior, for one: NUN
- 44. Carl who directed "Oh, God!": REINER
- 45. Starting time: ADVENT
- 46. Ticked (off): TEED
- 49. "Oh, man!": JEEZ
- 50. Check out: OGLE
- 51. Many soccer coaches: DADS
- 52. Frost: RIME
- 53. Skipper's position: HELM
- 54. All the ___: RAGE
- 55. ___ Bator: ULAN
- 57. "That's not something I needed to know": TMI
- 58. Headed up: RAN
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.