NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 7, 2021

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Thursday, January 7, 2021

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 1:29 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, January 7, 2021. 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.

76 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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Wednesday, January 6, 2021

across

1. Rubberneck: STOP
5. Stiffly formal: PRIM
9. Old Glory: STARS
14. No ___ traffic: THRU
15. Author Jaffe: RONA
16. Holy scroll: TORAH
17. Sold at Sotheby's, say: AUCTIONED
19. Scoundrel: ROGUE
20. Multivitamin fig.: RDA
21. Part of the Notre-Dame Cathedral destroyed by a 2019 fire: SPIRE
22. Remark from one who's obviously not going to call: IFOLD
23. Ancient Jewish ascetic: ESSENE
25. East Coast city on a western coast: TAMPA
27. City near Leeds with historic walls: YORK
29. Second-level: TIERTWO
33. Kind of sauce in Chinese cuisine: SWEET
36. Vivid colors: NEONS
38. The last one was named Louis: ROI
39. Breakfast grains: OATS
40. Portuguese greeting: OLA
41. Fully from, as a place: BORN
42. 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup champs: USA
43. Footwear fashion faux pas: SOCKS
45. Risk losing one's license, say: DRINK
46. 1950s-'60s entertainment group: RATPACK
48. Button on a deli scale: TARE
50. Country with 28 states: INDIA
52. Actor Poitier: SIDNEY
56. Proven to be reliable: TRIED
59. "Impractical Jokers" channel: TRUTV
61. Reproductive cells: OVA
62. Cowboy's lasso: RIATA
63. Sneaker insert: ODOREATER
65. Store hours word: UNTIL
66. Anxiety about being excluded from the fun, for short: FOMO
67. "Feel the ___" (bygone political slogan): BERN
68. Paradises: EDENS
69. The Jackson 5 had some big ones, informally: FROS
70. "Slow Churned" ice cream brand: EDYS

down

1. [See notepad]: STARE
2. Lands heavily: THUDS
3. Predators of penguins: ORCAS
4. ___ to shame: PUT
5. [See notepad]: PROPER
6. Rice-A-___: RONI
7. Not reacting: INERT
8. Raised one's spirits?: MADEATOAST
9. [See notepad]: STRIPES
10. Past the point of being a joke, say: TOOFAR
11. Best Picture winner directed by Ben Affleck: ARGO
12. Fidel's brother and successor in Cuba: RAUL
13. Take off: SHED
18. "Huh-uh!": ISNOT
24. Emoji that can mean "Get a load of this!": EYES
26. 60 secs.: MIN
28. "Quit fooling around!": KNOCKITOFF
30. Counselor Deanna on the U.S.S. Enterprise: TROI
31. Frayed so?: WORN
32. Pen sound: OINK
33. [See notepad]: SOUR
34. Third and fourth word in many limericks: WASA
35. French political division: ETAT
37. Game with antlers: ELK
41. [See notepad]: BRED
43. [See notepad]: SANDALS
44. Condition that can lead to repetitive behavior, for short: OCD
45. [See notepad]: DRIVE
47. Container at a bakery: PIETIN
49. Houston team: ASTROS
51. Enthusiasm: ARDOR
53. "Gotcha": NOTED
54. Each: EVERY
55. Exaggerated stories: YARNS
56. [See notepad]: TRUE
57. Orange discard: RIND
58. "No food for me, thanks": IATE
60. Italian man: UOMO
64. Former Japanese P.M. Shinzo ___: ABE

Hints and full breakdown for Jan 6

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.