NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 2, 2017

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Monday, October 2, 2017

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:09 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, October 2, 2017. 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.

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

Across clues & answers

1
Salmon or sole
5
Somersault
9
Rough on the eyes or ears
14
"Fancy seeing you here!"
15
Ages and ages
16
The same
17
Chicken pen
18
A B C D E F G
20
Fitting
21
Merriment
22
Longtime Time magazine rival, briefly
23
A B C D F
27
Opposite of 'neath
28
Slippery 1-Across
29
Hay storage areas
33
Plan that's "hatched"
36
Campbell's container
38
Narrow inlet
39
B C F H I K N O P S U V W Y
43
Have a bug, maybe
44
French affirmative
45
Stops
46
Bundles of hay
49
Strands in a cell?
51
Not the main choice: Abbr.
52
G R X
57
Taj Mahal material
60
"My Country, ___ of Thee"
61
Glass of "This American Life"
62
A B O
65
Jump in an ice rink
66
Cottage or cabin
67
___ of Sandwich
68
Gardening tools
69
Lecherous figure of myth
70
Eye affliction
71
Paul who sang "Eso Beso"

Down clues & answers

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Sunday, October 1, 2017

across

1. Draw in: ATTRACT
8. Tight garment: CORSET
14. Come before: PREDATE
21. Stingy sorts: CHEAPOS
22. Blogger's pick for a pic: AVATAR
23. Utility worker: LINEMAN
24. Falling down: TESTINGGRAVITY
26. Mean: AVERAGE
27. Very: Ger.: SEHR
28. Earth goddess: GAIA
29. G.P.A. killers: EFS
30. "Sprechen ___ Deutsch?": SIE
31. Robert of "The Sopranos": ILER
32. Speeding ticket: AWARDFORFASTDRIVING
37. Prep for the runway, maybe: DEICE
40. Ball ___: PEEN
41. Besmirch: TAR
42. Emotionally demanding: NEEDY
43. Climbing Mount Everest, e.g.: ORDEAL
45. Be Kind to Editors and Writers Mo. [for real!]: SEPT
48. Notable features of Stockholm and Amsterdam: CANALS
51. It "exists when one goes against one's conscience," per Pope Francis: SIN
52. Fire places: PITS
55. D.C. lobby for seniors: AARP
57. Locale for two of the Quad Cities: IOWA
58. Egyptian cobra: ASP
61. Lying: ECONOMICALWITHTHETRUTH
66. Heat, as to soften metal: ANNEAL
67. "u r hilarious!": LMAO
68. How scallops are often prepared: SEARED
69. French horticulturist after whom a variety of fruit is named: BOSC
72. Cause of insomnia, maybe: DRIP
74. Design detail: SPEC
77. Google ___: MAPS
78. Run too far or lift too much: OVERDO
81. Go over in blackjack: BUST
84. In working order: USABLE
87. Layoff: CAREERSHIFTOPPORTUNITY
94. Old sitcom character who was 229 years old: ALF
95. Utah's ___ Canyon: SEGO
96. Get 29-Across: FAIL
97. Railway offshoot: SPUR
98. "So that's it!": AHA
99. Florae and faunae: BIOTAS
101. Down: GLUM
103. Mariners: SEAMEN
105. TWA competitor: USAIR
108. Classic Jag: XKE
110. Who "can't buy you love" in an Elton John hit: MAMA
113. "There, there": ITSOK
114. Tax increase: BUDGETREINFORCEMENT
120. Cheers in un estadio: OLES
121. Canon camera: EOS
122. Take off quickly: JET
123. "If I ___ penny for every ...": HADA
124. Some W.S.J. topics: IPOS
128. Summer Olympics host after Barcelona: ATLANTA
130. Dead: POSTRETIREMENT
133. Custom-fits: TAILORS
134. Took off quickly: LITOUT
135. Pasta recipe phrase: ALDENTE
136. Show contempt for: SNEERAT
137. At the scene: ONSITE
138. "We should avoid doing that": LETSNOT

down

1. New Testament book: ACTS
2. Pilgrims' pronoun: THEE
3. Radio host John: TESH
4. Life in the big city, to some: RATRACE
5. Bee: Prefix: API
6. Dance with a kick: CONGA
7. John Irving protagonist portrayed by Robin Williams: TSGARP
8. Wine holders: CARAFES
9. Spermatozoa targets: OVA
10. Dance party enthusiast: RAVER
11. Wooden: STIFF
12. Worries no end: EATSAT
13. Five-point rugby play: TRY
14. Stripes mismatch, traditionally: PLAID
15. Amazon, e.g.: RIVER
16. Oklahoma City-to-Tulsa dir.: ENE
17. Develops (from): DERIVES
18. Charlotte ___, Virgin Islands: AMALIE
19. Very last part: TAGEND
20. Pep: ENERGY
25. André ___, 1947 Literature Nobelist: GIDE
30. Narrow waterway: STRAIT
33. Part of an accusation in Clue: WEAPON
34. Laker named to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016: ONEAL
35. Small anatomical container: SAC
36. Landing post-E.T.A.: INLATE
37. 12 cc, maybe: DOSE
38. Country star Church: ERIC
39. Alternative to a name: Abbr.: IDNO
44. Draw, as a scene: LIMN
46. Ratcheting wheel mechanism: PAWL
47. Adjust with Photoshop, maybe: TRIM
49. Japanese drama: NOH
50. Knocks over: AWES
53. Even: TIED
54. Trauma reminder: SCAR
56. School support grps.: PTAS
58. Corona, for one: AURA
59. Repeated cry at a dance class: STEP
60. Most profs: PHDS
62. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE
63. Out in court: ALIBI
64. Boost the horsepower of: HOPUP
65. Dish served with chopsticks in a bowl: RAMEN
69. Florida beach city, informally: BOCA
70. Like the head of a tennis racket: OVAL
71. Lowly worker: SERF
73. Bit of wind: PUFF
75. Those, in Tijuana: ESOS
76. Complaining fish?: CARP
79. "Hots": DESIRE
80. "Creme sandwich" introduced over a century ago: OREO
82. Animal depicted in Edwin Landseer's "The Monarch of the Glen": STAG
83. Work, work, work: TOIL
85. Air-conditioner fig.: BTUS
86. Entrap: LUREIN
88. Army NCO: SGT
89. Alien autopsies, crop circles and the like: HOAXES
90. Liquid-___: PLUMR
91. Pet food with a paw print logo: IAMS
92. Where to accent "Laotian": THEO
93. Pinstriper: YANK
99. Store blowout: BIGSALE
100. Suffix with brew: SKI
102. Underbrush clearer: MACHETE
104. Occasionally: ATTIMES
105. W.W. II shipping worries: UBOATS
106. Oman's leader, e.g.: SULTAN
107. Antarctic penguin: ADELIE
109. Officially prohibit: ENJOIN
111. Lamb, e.g.: MEAT
112. It goes up to about 1700: AMDIAL
115. Aquarium fish: TETRA
116. Swelter: ROAST
117. Holiday celebrations: FESTS
118. Holy Roman emperor called "the Great": OTTOI
119. Country rocker Steve: EARLE
125. One of the Ivies: PENN
126. Not conned by: ONTO
127. Let stand, editorially: STET
129. Neither's partner: NOR
130. U.N. observer since '74: PLO
131. Day-in-and-day-out pattern: RUT
132. D.C. summer setting: EDT

Hints and full breakdown for Oct 1

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.