NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 16, 2018
Sunday, December 16, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, December 16, 2018. 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
- 24
- 26
- 55
- 58
- 96
- 101
- 111
- 114
- 118
Down clues & answers
- 17
- 42
- 59
- 61
- 86
- 105
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, December 15, 2018
across
- 1. Athlete with the 1999 guide "Go for the Goal": HAMM
- 5. Folklore monster whose name means "goat-sucker": CHUPACABRA
- 15. Cream alternative: ECRU
- 16. What might precede a parachute jump: HESITATION
- 17. Captain Morgan and Admiral Nelson's: RUMS
- 18. "I got you": UNDERSTOOD
- 19. Dog jog: TROT
- 20. Attempts to remove some barriers: TRADETALKS
- 21. River with Victoria Falls: ZAMBEZI
- 23. Wave function symbol in quantum mechanics: PSI
- 24. Having someone's thoughts in mind?: ESP
- 25. Revolving toy: SITNSPIN
- 30. 1988 security guard comedy: RENTACOP
- 33. Stimulate: GOOSE
- 34. Prefix with god: DEMI
- 35. Jazzman Earl: HINES
- 37. Cardinal point?: CLAW
- 38. Put away for later: ONICE
- 40. Like agliata sauce: GARLICKY
- 42. Where you might go downstairs for drinks: HOTELBAR
- 44. Dir. that's also a suffix: ENE
- 45. [That makes me mad!]: GRR
- 46. Program opening?: CDDRIVE
- 50. Didn't think about: SUPPRESSED
- 55. Product with six fruity flavors: TRIX
- 56. #1 hit for the Jackson 5 and Mariah Carey: ILLBETHERE
- 57. Role for Hugh O'Brian on TV and Kevin Costner in film: EARP
- 58. Tailgaters' tote: BEERCOOLER
- 59. Shade akin to cerulean: AQUA
- 60. Enthusiast's purchase: SEASONPASS
- 61. Wet cloud: MIST
down
- 1. Bandwidth unit: HERTZ
- 2. Maker of the MDX and RDX: ACURA
- 3. 1983 comedy/drama about a stay-at-home dad: MRMOM
- 4. Remark of envy: MUSTBENICE
- 5. Arguing with God, for example: CHUTZPAH
- 6. One of several French kings: HENRI
- 7. ___-approved: USDA
- 8. Sort who entices others to follow: PIEDPIPER
- 9. Still: ATREST
- 10. Assigning stars to?: CASTING
- 11. Congratulatory start: ATTA
- 12. Science subj.: BIOL
- 13. Swindle: ROOK
- 14. Connectors: ANDS
- 22. Attendance abbr.: EST
- 25. One method of locating schools: SONAR
- 26. United, e.g.: SOCCERTEAM
- 27. Apt surname for an acupuncturist?: POLK
- 28. "By Jove!": ISAY
- 29. "What's ___?": NEW
- 30. Setting of a 2000s Comedy Central police show: RENO
- 31. Let off: EMIT
- 32. Locale for Cubans: CIGARSHOP
- 34. "Silly me!": DOH
- 36. Some Winter Olympians: SLEDDERS
- 39. Nickname of Doménikos Theotokópoulos: ELGRECO
- 41. Political designation: Abbr.: IND
- 43. Nova Scotia's Cape ___ Island: BRETON
- 46. Crop deity: CERES
- 47. Operation Red Dawn defender: IRAQI
- 48. Mono, e.g.: VIRUS
- 49. Overseas worker, perhaps: EXPAT
- 50. Some family folks, informally: SIBS
- 51. Nickname for Ulysses: ULEE
- 52. Entered response: PLEA
- 53. Some 58-Across contents, in brief: PBRS
- 54. Ward with many awards: SELA
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.