NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 10, 2016

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, December 10, 2016

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:19 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, December 10, 2016. 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

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

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Friday, December 9, 2016

across

1. Little rascals: SCAMPS
7. Man ___: FRIDAY
13. Joined the fray: HADATIT
15. Like some roars: LEONINE
16. Say, say, say?: ITERATE
17. Web feed?: INSECTS
18. Player of Molly on "Mike & Molly": MELISSAMCCARTHY
20. Some hosp. tests: MRIS
21. Excessively tan: BAKE
22. Like tritium and triplets: RARE
23. Thirsts: YENS
24. Suddenly changes direction: ZAGS
25. Received high marks: GOTAS
26. Change affiliations: REALIGN
28. Flask material: PYREX
29. Gist of a Dear John letter: ITSOVER
31. Mont Cervin and others: ALPES
34. Tennis star nicknamed Le Crocodile: LACOSTE
38. Unearthly: ALIEN
39. See 53-Across: PICK
40. Annoyance: PEST
42. Take off: SOAR
43. Sender of a billet-doux: BEAU
44. "Ish": ORSO
45. Where Roger Ebert's reviews appeared for 47 years: CHICAGOSUNTIMES
49. Gets one's feet wet: EASESIN
50. Team "spawned" in 1993: MARLINS
51. Certain trysts: NOONERS
52. "The great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition," per Adam Smith: SCIENCE
53. With 39-Across, teeth-cleaning aid: DENTAL
54. Registered, as a complaint: LODGED

down

1. Shake on the dance floor: SHIMMY
2. One serving a function: CATERER
3. Virginia Woolf's given name at birth: ADELINE
4. ___ Mayer, Yahoo C.E.O. beginning in 2012: MARISSA
5. Ed promoters: PTAS
6. Goes unused: SITS
7. Cross swords: FENCE
8. Gift on el 14 de febrero: ROSA
9. Mistakenly: INERROR
10. State for the record: DICTATE
11. One of the "Big Four" thrash metal bands: ANTHRAX
12. "All right already!": YESYES
14. Things steeped in tradition?: TEABAGS
15. Affection from a pooch: LICKS
19. Pair on Mississippi's state quarter: MAGNOLIAS
24. Dreaded dermal development: ZITS
25. Street cart offering: GYRO
27. Home security measure: LIEN
28. Hit with the bill?: PECK
30. Suckers: VACUUMS
31. Song sung to Lilo in "Lilo & Stitch": ALOHAOE
32. Intermediary: LIAISON
33. Kind of yield: PERCENT
35. Like a rained-on parade: SPOILED
36. Giving a name: TERMING
37. Pith: ESSENCE
38. Move up the ranks: ASCEND
39. Drones: PEONS
41. Got rid of: TOSSED
43. Female hip-hop fan: BGIRL
46. Between ports: ASEA
47. It reacts with H2SO4: NACL
48. The Magi, e.g.: TRIO

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 9

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.