NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 1, 2022

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, January 1, 2022

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 1:17 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, January 1, 2022. 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.

68 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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Friday, December 31, 2021

across

1. Colorful custardy confection: FRUITTART
10. Sudden inspirations: GASPS
15. Waltz onomatopoeia: OOMPAHPAH
16. Love: ADORE
17. Classic diner orders: TUNAMELTS
18. Apply, as ointment: RUBON
19. Kitchen brand whose name is an ambigram: OXO
20. Pit-___: APAT
21. More might come before it: ORLESS
22. Its employees might get under your skin: XRAYLAB
24. Thing with rings: TREE
25. Legal action: APPEAL
28. Some Disney-inspired Halloween costumes: ELSAS
30. "___ me!" (request to a fridge-goer): BEER
31. Like blue and green ski trails, vis-à-vis black diamonds: EASIER
33. Pep: VIM
36. Looks the other way: LETSTHINGSSLIDE
39. Modern ___: ERA
40. "A ___ place is in the House, and in the Senate" (bumper sticker): WOMANS
41. Actress Kendrick: ANNA
42. Sharon's predecessor as Israeli P.M.: BARAK
43. One of the Blues Brothers: ELWOOD
45. One of the Coen brothers: JOEL
48. Relative by marriage: STEPDAD
50. Where to do as others do, it's said: INROME
52. Stain: BLOT
53. Sprinkling: FEW
56. Canon competitor: LEICA
57. Street featured in Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (that's also 50-Across): VIAVENETO
59. Still sticky: TACKY
60. Make thin: ATTENUATE
61. Crushes it: SLAYS
62. Couple in the back of a car: REARTIRES

down

1. Snap: FOTO
2. Component of three of the five French "mother sauces": ROUX
3. "That's ... never gonna happen": UMNO
4. "Double" or "triple" drink: IPA
5. Actress Taylor of TV's "Bones": TAMARA
6. Agatha Christie novel named after Death's mount in Revelation: THEPALEHORSE
7. Make ___ for: APLAY
8. Danger for desert hikers: RATTLESNAKEBITE
9. Ending with four or six, but not five: THS
10. Teri of "Mr. Mom": GARR
11. Does laundry or pays bills, in modern lingo: ADULTS
12. Clearheaded: SOBER
13. Novel content: PROSE
14. Tell: SENSE
21. Couldn't let go of: OBSESSEDOVER
22. Group portrayed in "Slacker" and "Reality Bites," familiarly: XERS
23. Straighten: ALIGN
25. Proficient: ABLE
26. ___ review: PEER
27. One quadrillion: Prefix: PETA
29. Trio of horrors?: ARS
32. Target: AIMAT
33. Rosso o bianco: VINO
34. Driver's license fig.: IDNO
35. Ren Faire concession: MEAD
37. United competitor, once: TWA
38. "Heavens!": LAWD
42. Squarish: BLOCKY
44. Not yet manifest: LATENT
45. Spurns: JILTS
46. Longtime "Inside the N.B.A." commentator: ONEAL
47. Writer Jong: ERICA
49. South America's Río de la ___: PLATA
51. Eponym of the World Series M.V.P. award: MAYS
53. "Have no ___ of perfection - you'll never reach it": Dalí: FEAR
54. Suffix with towel: ETTE
55. Melancholiac's list: WOES
57. Dictionary abbr.: VAR
58. Rapa ___ (Easter Island): NUI

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 31

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.