NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 24, 2017
Sunday, December 24, 2017
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, December 24, 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.
Across clues & answers
- 35
- 40
- 43
- 72
- 83
- 90
- 109
- 125
- 127
Down clues & answers
- 27
- 29
- 47
- 64
- 101
- 112
- 118
- 120
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, December 23, 2017
across
- 1. Bygone can opener: RINGTAB
- 8. Provincial despots: SATRAPS
- 15. He wrote "In wildness is the preservation of the world": THOREAU
- 16. Much of a marmoset's diet: TREESAP
- 17. Honor for Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan, but not Roger Moore or Daniel Craig: SEXIESTMANALIVE
- 19. Drug sought by Roy Cohn in "Angels in America": AZT
- 20. York successor: TUDOR
- 21. Alternative to Tide: ALL
- 22. G.I. food packs: MRES
- 23. Daring deed: GEST
- 24. ___ Riddle of the Harry Potter books: TOM
- 25. Lip: RIM
- 26. Spreadsheet command: SORT
- 27. Certain swab sample: SALIVA
- 30. Rudy Giuliani or Fiorello La Guardia: ITALIANAMERICAN
- 33. They're called up: INDUCTEES
- 34. Hip-hop performer who was 2016's Best New Artist Grammy winner: CHANCETHERAPPER
- 40. Accumulated, with "up": RACKED
- 41. Times of fitful sleep, maybe: EVES
- 42. CVS offerings: RXS
- 43. Magazine for entrepreneurs: INC
- 44. Stupefied: AWED
- 45. Name often said before this clue's number: COLT
- 46. I: EGO
- 47. Certain aisle terminus: ALTAR
- 49. Dish that's out of this world?: UFO
- 50. Hollywood V.I.P.: STUDIOEXECUTIVE
- 55. Flat figures: TENANTS
- 56. "She's Like the Wind" and others: SIMILES
- 57. Without proof: ONTRUST
- 58. Sample group?: TASTERS
down
- 1. Some football linemen: Abbr.: RTS
- 2. "Shh, something's coming!": IHEARIT
- 3. Product once known as "The Miracle Cream of Baltimore": NOXZEMA
- 4. Boiled breakfast dish: GRITS
- 5. Kickoff aid: TEE
- 6. Some batteries: AAS
- 7. Shade of light brownish-gray: BUTTERNUT
- 8. Köln or Nürnberg: STADT
- 9. It flows near the Piazzale Michelangelo: ARNO
- 10. Hightail it: TEAR
- 11. Th.D.'s field: REL
- 12. Like the Golden Horde: ASIATIC
- 13. Meringue-based dessert named for a ballerina: PAVLOVA
- 14. Prestigious women's college in Atlanta: SPELMAN
- 18. Male grooming aid: MUSTACHEWAX
- 22. Pre-op procedure: MRI
- 23. Said "I dare you" to, say: GOADED
- 26. To this day: SINCE
- 27. Come to a boil: SEERED
- 28. Purviews: AREAS
- 29. Discuss thickness with a doctor?: LISP
- 31. Association: LINK
- 32. Place known to natives as Chomolungma ("goddess mother of the world"): MTEVEREST
- 34. Dumps one's complaints on: CRIESTO
- 35. Maneuver on a surfboard: HANGTEN
- 36. Import: ACCOUNT
- 37. Quick biography: PROFILE
- 38. Dear departed?: EXLOVER
- 39. Alphabet trio: RST
- 44. Arms race event, for short: ATEST
- 45. Get the job done: CUTIT
- 47. Japanese native: AINU
- 48. A bunch: LOTS
- 51. Give: Sp.: DAR
- 52. George Tenet's "At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the ___": CIA
- 53. Toastmasters' stumbles: UMS
- 54. Slalom maneuver: ESS
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.