NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 5, 2015

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Saturday, December 5, 2015

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, December 5, 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.

70 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

1
Position papers?
2
In
3
The world's oldest one is in Tunisia
4
Winning blackjack combo
5
Full of gossip
6
Island whose battlefield area is a U.S. National Historic Landmark
7
Marine detector
8
Actress Marilu
9
Fox neighbor
10
___ board
11
Not to be shared with anyone
12
Neighbor of Georgia
13
Put on something old?
15
Partner of 33-Across
19
Cannon loader
23
Substitute, as words
26
Headed up
28
Warning in a school zone
30
Some hotel offerings
31
Cows
33
Step on French soil
34
___ Honor
35
Up to, with "of"
36
Gold leaf, e.g.
37
Triton's locale
39
Fall ___
40
Handles badly
41
Sixtysomethings, say
43
Rainy times
45
Colored sunfish
48
Otherwise
49
Economist Yellen
51
Result of a split decision?
53
Over-the-counter antacid
55
Victor at Fussell's Mill

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

WhatsApp X Reddit

Previous The Crossword answer

Friday, December 4, 2015

across

1. Big drop of water: FALLS
6. Putting out a lot: PROLIFIC
14. Superman, for one: ALIEN
15. Axe in a bathroom: DEODORANT
16. One showing resolution?: COMPUTERMONITOR
18. "Any ideas?": THOUGHTS
19. Some British autos: MGS
20. It's delivered freshly: SASS
21. School in development?: ROE
22. Lead-in to "la la": SHA
24. Where tequila originated: Abbr.: MEX
25. Start of a protest: BUT
27. B.C. setting: PST
30. Focus of industrial science: APPLIEDRESEARCH
36. Old nickname for China: CELESTIALEMPIRE
37. The Who's only U.S. top 10 hit: ICANSEEFORMILES
38. Scopes Trial city: DAYTONTENNESSEE
39. Lead-in to Balls or Caps: SNO
40. Enterprise letters: USS
41. Wander: GAD
42. "On Point" broadcaster: NPR
44. Sharp as a bowling ball: DIM
45. Enormous, informally: MEGA
49. Contents of some pockets: AIR
51. Opposite of a shaggy-dog story: ONELINER
53. Hardware manager: OPERATINGSYSTEM
57. Hoarders' disorders: RATSNESTS
58. Candy counter eponym: REESE
59. Immoderate behavior: EXCESSES
60. Made a bad call: ERRED

down

1. The right stuff?: FACTS
2. Coming or going acknowledgment: ALOHA
3. Line at the Oscars: LIMOS
4. Hare constellation: LEPUS
5. Figure-hugging: SNUG
6. Taken alone: PERSE
7. DVD trailer?: ROM
8. 2004-11 Lakers forward: ODOM
9. Like some roses and wineglasses: LONGSTEMMED
10. Partiers on March 17: IRISH
11. Broad and then some: FAT
12. Rescuer of Odysseus: INO
13. Snapper on a field: Abbr.: CTR
15. Trendy cleanses: DETOXDIETS
17. Pretty good poker hand: THREETENS
23. Taxing times: APRILS
24. Their state song is a waltz: MISSOURIANS
25. Property: BELONGINGS
26. Handles online: USERNAMES
28. Cliffside detritus: SCREE
29. ___ days (now): THESE
30. Vinegar and others: ACIDS
31. Praline ingredient: PECAN
32. Take selfish advantage of: PLAYON
33. Quitting time?: LENT
34. Actor Spall of "Life of Pi": RAFE
35. Egyptian bull god: APIS
43. Diagram grammatically: PARSE
44. Inadvisable behavior: DONTS
45. Skinflint: MISER
46. Rap response: ENTER
47. Featherbrains: GEESE
48. Piece-keeping?: ARMED
50. Map lines: Abbr.: RTES
52. Strings of yore: LYRE
53. Rock band?: ORE
54. Time of wide-ranging stability: PAX
55. It can reduce a sentence: ETC
56. Final finale in Britain?: ISE

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 4

More daily puzzle hints

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.