NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 29, 2018
Saturday, December 29, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, December 29, 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
- 33
Down clues & answers
- 14
- 16
- 27
- 30
- 32
- 43
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, December 28, 2018
across
- 1. Dominant figure: LEADEROFTHEPACK
- 16. High-end Italian sports car: ALFAROMEOSPIDER
- 17. 1997 Notorious B.I.G. hit whose title lyric precedes "strictly for the weather": GOINGBACKTOCALI
- 18. Queen who styled herself as Isis, familiarly: CLEO
- 19. ___ Lopez opening (chess tactic): RUY
- 20. Some superhero attire: CAPES
- 21. Yankees All-Star pitcher Severino: LUIS
- 22. Chris of "The Good Wife": NOTH
- 24. Four-thirds of a dram: Abbr.: TSP
- 25. "___ time!": ITS
- 26. Brother-to-be: PLEDGE
- 29. Cosmetics company whose letters appear in left-to-right order in "cosmetics company": COTY
- 30. Electron particle emission: BETARAY
- 32. Relative of cashmere: ANGORA
- 34. Money replaced by euros: LIRE
- 35. Thrash: MAUL
- 36. Prepare for a bomb, say: GODEEP
- 38. Euphoria: ECSTASY
- 42. Court plea, briefly: NOLO
- 43. County east of Devon: DORSET
- 45. "If u ask me ...": IMO
- 46. America's busiest airport after ATL and LAX: ORD
- 47. ___ América (soccer tournament): COPA
- 48. Rose: GREW
- 49. Screw up: MISDO
- 51. New toy?: PUP
- 53. Legislative body of Russia: DUMA
- 54. "Gil Blas" author: ALAINRENELESAGE
- 58. Everywhere: ALLOVERCREATION
- 59. Things that contain 59-Across that contain 59-Across that ...: MATRYOSHKADOLLS
down
- 1. Online gamer's problem: LAG
- 2. Orate: ELOCUTE
- 3. "100 Years ... 100 Movies," e.g.: AFILIST
- 4. Many employees of the Lego company: DANES
- 5. So: ERGO
- 6. Seriously shortchange: ROB
- 7. ___ Little, "The Wire" character: OMAR
- 8. Prolific: FECUND
- 9. Event of 1964 and 2020: TOKYOGAMES
- 10. It's two hours behind Pacific: Abbr.: HST
- 11. Memorable time: EPOCH
- 12. 12 points, typographically: PICA
- 13. Many a battery charger: ADAPTOR
- 14. Instrument whose name comes from the Latin for "heavenly": CELESTA
- 15. Hard to eat quietly, in adspeak: KRISPY
- 21. ___ Dems (U.K. political party, informally): LIB
- 23. Highish bridge holding: TENACE
- 26. "Je vous en ___" (French for "You're welcome"): PRIE
- 27. City on the Mexican border: LAREDO
- 28. Things that amaze: EYEPOPPERS
- 29. Noted arms manufacturer: COLT
- 31. Designer Gucci: ALDO
- 33. Indicator of a coming storm: GUST
- 36. Friend of Tarzan: GORILLA
- 37. Tar: OLDSALT
- 39. Communication means since 1911: AIRMAIL
- 40. Hobbit corrupted by the Ring: SMEAGOL
- 41. "That HURTS!": YOW
- 42. Refusal with a contraction: NOMAAM
- 44. Lewdness: RAUNCH
- 47. Host Bert of old game shows: CONVY
- 48. Vim: GUSTO
- 50. Gucci competitor: DIOR
- 52. Corner office, maybe: PERK
- 53. Out of juice: DEAD
- 55. Car that went defunct in 1936: REO
- 56. Place to count sheep: LEA
- 57. Pair of nines?: ENS
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.