NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 16, 2015
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, December 16, 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
- 32
- 41
Down clues & answers
- 4
- 22
- 29
- 37
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
across
- 1. Something a software developer develops: APP
- 4. Perp pursuer: COP
- 7. Bully's response: SAYSME
- 13. ___ Majesty: HER
- 14. Monomaniacal mariner: AHAB
- 16. Hullabaloo: CLAMOR
- 17. Item on a chairlift: SKI
- 18. "Ain't happening": NOGO
- 19. They may be involved in close shaves: RAZORS
- 20. How a lot of Generation X's music was released: ONCD
- 22. Buddy of "The Beverly Hillbillies": EBSEN
- 24. "... ___ lack thereof": ORA
- 25. Lures: DECOYS
- 27. Gets the picture: SEES
- 28. Palindromic bird: TIT
- 29. Verdi opera based on a Shakespeare play: OTELLO
- 30. Grecian subject of a Keats poem: URN
- 31. At the home of: CHEZ
- 32. They often line up near WRs on a football field: TES
- 33. Open-mouthed: AGAPE
- 35. Slime: GOO
- 36. Invites to one's home: HASIN
- 38. Sprinted: RAN
- 39. Two cents, so to speak: INPUT
- 42. Neurotic condition, for short: OCD
- 43. Completely: INALL
- 45. Spanish "that": ESA
- 46. Not for sure: IFFY
- 48. Hallucination producer: LSD
- 49. Absolutely ate up: ADORED
- 51. Just-made: NEW
- 52. Dandelion, e.g.: WEED
- 53. "O" follower: CANADA
- 54. MouthHealthy.org grp.: ADA
- 55. Capital on the Red River: HANOI
- 57. 1990s Senate majority leader Trent: LOTT
- 58. "The Jazz Singer" star: JOLSON
- 60. "The Greatest Generation" subj.: WWII
- 62. Punch line?: OOF
- 64. Iris part: AREOLE
- 65. Child's punishment, maybe: NOTV
- 66. Diamond stat: RBI
- 67. Like sailing ships: MASTED
- 68. Amal Clooney ___ Alamuddin: NEE
- 69. ___ ed: SEX
down
- 1. Tonsil-checking sounds: AHS
- 2. Twinings product in an orange box: PEKOETEA
- 3. Elton John's dedicatee for "Candle in the Wind 1997": PRINCESSOFWALES
- 4. Classic board game with a Peppermint Forest: CANDYLAND
- 5. "Well, whaddya know!": OHO
- 6. Web ___: PAGE
- 7. One at a multiplex: SCREEN
- 8. Mathematician Turing and others: ALANS
- 9. Nickname on the 1960s-'80s Red Sox: YAZ
- 10. Don Juan types: SMOOTHOPERATORS
- 11. "Tuesdays With ___" (Mitch Albom best seller): MORRIE
- 12. Fake: ERSATZ
- 15. Moves like a buoy in the ocean ... or a hint to the circled parts of this puzzle?: BOBSUPANDDOWN
- 21. Rank above maj.: COL
- 23. 2014 Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper film: SERENA
- 25. "The lady ___ protest too much": DOTH
- 26. Soak, in dialect: SOG
- 31. Dupe: CON
- 34. Out of bed: ARISEN
- 35. 1980 one-woman comedy produced by Lorne Michaels: GILDALIVE
- 37. Frigid: ICY
- 40. Was: USEDTOBE
- 41. "There, look what I did!": TADA
- 44. Fond du ___, Wis.: LAC
- 46. Stuck: INAJAM
- 47. Hat for Frank Sinatra: FEDORA
- 48. Didn't stand up straight: LEANED
- 50. Singer Yoko: ONO
- 52. Complete: WHOLE
- 56. "Victory is mine!": IWON
- 59. Drunkard: SOT
- 61. Suffix with Manhattan or Brooklyn: ITE
- 63. Repair: FIX
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.