October 28, 2019 NYT Clues Solutions | XWordHint

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

• Puzzle Overview & Difficulty
• Across Clues (37 clues)
• Down Clues (41 clues)
• Category Breakdown
• Complete Puzzle Statistics
• Pro Solving Tips
• Related Crossword Solutions

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Puzzle Overview & Difficulty Analysis

Date: Monday, October 28, 2019

Difficulty Level: Medium Tuesday Puzzle

Total Clues: 78 (37 Across, 41 Down)

Average Word Length: 4.8 letters

Master Today's Across: NYT Monday Puzzle October 28, 2019

No.	Clue	Letters
1A	1. Hollywood trophy	5
2A	6. Paleo diet restriction, informally	4
3A	10. Tiebreaker periods, for short	3
4A	13. Pinterest posting	5
5A	14. Skater Harding	5
6A	15. Minor criticism	3
7A	16. Look (at)	11
8A	18. "As I see things ...," in a text	3
9A	19. Pronoun for a yacht	3
10A	20. Facts and figures	4
11A	21. Cook under a hot flame	5
12A	23. Singer with the 2018 #1 hit "Thank U, Next"	12
13A	26. Giant in test prep	6
14A	29. Fallback option	5
15A	30. Sir ___ Newton	5
16A	31. All there mentally	4
17A	33. Chutzpah	4
18A	36. Reno's home: Abbr.	3
19A	37. "Address" for Springsteen's band	7
20A	40. Viscous substance	3
21A	41. Black-tie affair	4
22A	43. Sneaker named for a cat	4
23A	44. Like argon or neon	5
24A	46. The Hunter constellation	5
25A	48. Evil-repelling charm	6
26A	49. Locale for London's Royal Opera House	12
27A	53. What a crying emoji means	5
28A	54. Roald who created Willy Wonka	4
29A	55. Little mischief-maker	3
30A	58. Senator Cruz	3
31A	59. Safe ... or how the last words of 16-, 23- and 49-Across are made?	11
32A	63. Swellhead's problem	3
33A	64. Mind-boggling designs	5
34A	65. Barnyard honker	5
35A	66. Droop, as an old couch	3
36A	67. Ready for picking	4
37A	68. Wander off	5

Let's Solve the Across Clues Together!

Here are helpful hints to solve each clue. Remember, crossword puzzles are like word games - have fun with them!

Clue 1 Across: "1. Hollywood trophy"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about movies/film.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that an annual award by the academy of motion picture arts and sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
• Words that mean the same thing: Academy Award
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OSCAR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 2 Across: "6. Paleo diet restriction, informally"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: CARB

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 3 Across: "10. Tiebreaker periods, for short"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about abbreviation.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OTS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 4 Across: "13. Pinterest posting"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide; recorded by a camera on light-sensitive material
• Words that mean the same thing: photograph, picture, exposure
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: PHOTO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 5 Across: "14. Skater Harding"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TONYA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 6 Across: "15. Minor criticism"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a luminance unit equal to 1 candle per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NIT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 7 Across: "16. Look (at)"

Quick Info: This answer has 11 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TAKEAGANDER

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 8 Across: "18. "As I see things ...," in a text"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the united nations agency concerned with international maritime activities
• Words that mean the same thing: International Maritime Organization
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: IMO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 9 Across: "19. Pronoun for a yacht"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SHE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 10 Across: "20. Facts and figures"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn
• Words that mean the same thing: information, data point, datum
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: DATA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 11 Across: "21. Cook under a hot flame"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that cooking by direct exposure to radiant heat (as over a fire or under a grill)
• Words that mean the same thing: oven broil, bake, grilling
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: BROIL

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 12 Across: "23. Singer with the 2018 #1 hit "Thank U, Next""

Quick Info: This answer has 12 letters. It's a expert clue about celebrity/entertainment.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ARIANAGRANDE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 13 Across: "26. Giant in test prep"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: KAPLAN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 14 Across: "29. Fallback option"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: PLANB

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 15 Across: "30. Sir ___ Newton"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that (old testament) the second patriarch; son of abraham and sarah who was offered by abraham as a sacrifice to god; father of jacob and esau
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ISAAC

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 16 Across: "31. All there mentally"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
• Words that mean the same thing: reasonable
• The opposite would be: insane
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SANE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 17 Across: "33. Chutzpah"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that an open sore on the back of a horse caused by ill-fitting or badly adjusted saddle
• Words that mean the same thing: fret, impertinence, impudence
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GALL

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 18 Across: "36. Reno's home: Abbr."

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about abbreviation.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NEV

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 19 Across: "37. "Address" for Springsteen's band"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ESTREET

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 20 Across: "40. Viscous substance"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that any thick, viscous matter
• Words that mean the same thing: gunk, guck, goop
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GOO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 21 Across: "41. Black-tie affair"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a gay festivity
• Words that mean the same thing: jamboree, gala affair, blowout
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GALA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 22 Across: "43. Sneaker named for a cat"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that large american feline resembling a lion
• Words that mean the same thing: catamount, Felis concolor, mountain lion
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: PUMA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 23 Across: "44. Like argon or neon"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that unable to move or resist motion
• Words that mean the same thing: neutral, soggy, torpid
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: INERT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 24 Across: "46. The Hunter constellation"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that (greek mythology) a giant boeotian hunter who pursued the pleiades and was eventually slain by artemis; was then placed in the sky as a constellation
• Words that mean the same thing: Hunter
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ORION

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 25 Across: "48. Evil-repelling charm"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a trinket or piece of jewelry usually hung about the neck and thought to be a magical protection against evil or disease
• Words that mean the same thing: talisman
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: AMULET

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 26 Across: "49. Locale for London's Royal Opera House"

Quick Info: This answer has 12 letters. It's a expert clue about history.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: COVENTGARDEN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 27 Across: "53. What a crying emoji means"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: IMSAD

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 28 Across: "54. Roald who created Willy Wonka"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that tropical woody herb with showy yellow flowers and flat pods; much cultivated in the tropics
• Words that mean the same thing: cajan pea, red gram, Cajanus cajan
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: DAHL

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 29 Across: "55. Little mischief-maker"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
• Words that mean the same thing: scamp, gremlin, rapscallion
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: IMP

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 30 Across: "58. Senator Cruz"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing edwardian style clothes
• Words that mean the same thing: Teddy boy
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TED

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 31 Across: "59. Safe ... or how the last words of 16-, 23- and 49-Across are made?"

Quick Info: This answer has 11 letters. It's a expert clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OUTOFDANGER

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 32 Across: "63. Swellhead's problem"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others
• Words that mean the same thing: self-importance, self, egotism
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: EGO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 33 Across: "64. Mind-boggling designs"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OPART

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 34 Across: "65. Barnyard honker"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
• Words that mean the same thing: twat, goof, cuckoo
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GOOSE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 35 Across: "66. Droop, as an old couch"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a shape that sags
• Words that mean the same thing: swag, flag, droop
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SAG

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 36 Across: "67. Ready for picking"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used
• Words that mean the same thing: advanced, right, mature
• The opposite would be: green
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RIPE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 37 Across: "68. Wander off"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that an animal that has strayed (especially a domestic animal)
• Words that mean the same thing: ramble, digress, divagate
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: STRAY

  Great job if you got it right!

October 28, 2019 Down Hints: NYT Monday Crossword Guide

No.	Clue	Letters
1D	1. Chooses, with "for"	4
2D	2. Ousted Iranian ruler	4
3D	3. Soft drink in a red can	4
4D	4. Snacked on	3
5D	5. Monaco Grand Prix, e.g.	8
6D	6. Late-night host O'Brien	5
7D	7. In addition	3
8D	8. Bread for a Reuben sandwich	3
9D	9. 10-time Grammy winner Streisand	6
10D	10. Alternative to a bialy	10
11D	11. Lacking courage	5
12D	12. Didn't ask before taking	5
13D	14. "See ya!," for a Brit	4
14D	17. Pick up, as yards in football	4
15D	22. Tolled, as bells	4
16D	23. Pie ___ mode	3
17D	24. Sleeper's breathing problem	5
18D	25. Sheer delight	4
19D	26. Checker after reaching the other side of the board	4
20D	27. On the ocean	4
21D	28. Salivating animal in a classic conditioning study	10
22D	31. Attacked by hornets	5
23D	32. Elbow's place	3
24D	34. Folk tales	4
25D	35. Trent ___, former Senate majority leader	4
26D	38. Feature of a cheetah's coat	4
27D	39. Problems with glitchy livestreams	8
28D	42. Carpet measurement	4
29D	45. Mother Teresa, for one	3
30D	47. Opposite of alfresco	6
31D	48. Condition treated with Ritalin, in brief	4
32D	49. References, as prior court decisions	5
33D	50. Luxury Swiss watch	5
34D	51. Love to death	5
35D	52. Vessel in which to shoot the rapids	4
36D	55. Composer Stravinsky	4
37D	56. Flat-topped hill	4
38D	57. Gazelles, for cheetahs	4
39D	60. News inits. since 1958	3
40D	61. Light touch	3
41D	62. "What's ___ to like?"	3

Now Let's Solve the Down Clues!

Down clues go from top to bottom. Use the letters from your across answers to help!

Clue 1 Down: "1. Chooses, with "for""

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that select as an alternative over another
• Words that mean the same thing: opt, prefer, choose
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OPTS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 2 Down: "2. Ousted Iranian ruler"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that title for the former hereditary monarch of iran
• Words that mean the same thing: Shah of Iran
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SHAH

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 3 Down: "3. Soft drink in a red can"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about food & drink.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that carbon fuel produced by distillation of coal
• Words that mean the same thing: Coca Cola, nose candy, snow
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: COKE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 4 Down: "4. Snacked on"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
• Words that mean the same thing: run through, feed, use up
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ATE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 5 Down: "5. Monaco Grand Prix, e.g."

Quick Info: This answer has 8 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ROADRACE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 6 Down: "6. Late-night host O'Brien"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: CONAN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 7 Down: "7. In addition"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: AND

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 8 Down: "8. Bread for a Reuben sandwich"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the seed of the cereal grass
• Words that mean the same thing: rye whisky, Secale cereale, rye whiskey
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RYE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 9 Down: "9. 10-time Grammy winner Streisand"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: BARBRA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 10 Down: "10. Alternative to a bialy"

Quick Info: This answer has 10 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: __________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ONIONBAGEL

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 11 Down: "11. Lacking courage"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that people who are fearful and cautious
• Words that mean the same thing: cautious, unsure, faint-hearted
• The opposite would be: brave, bold
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TIMID

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 12 Down: "12. Didn't ask before taking"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
• Words that mean the same thing: steal, slip
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: STOLE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 13 Down: "14. "See ya!," for a Brit"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TATA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 14 Down: "17. Pick up, as yards in football"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a quantity that is added
• Words that mean the same thing: arrive at, win, profit
• The opposite would be: reduce, loss
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GAIN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 15 Down: "22. Tolled, as bells"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that sound loudly and sonorously
• Words that mean the same thing: reverberate, environ, phone
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RANG

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 16 Down: "23. Pie ___ mode"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ALA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 17 Down: "24. Sleeper's breathing problem"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that transient cessation of respiration
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: APNEA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 18 Down: "25. Sheer delight"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that great merriment
• Words that mean the same thing: hilarity, gloating, mirth
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GLEE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 19 Down: "26. Checker after reaching the other side of the board"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
• Words that mean the same thing: tycoon, magnate, Martin Luther King
• The opposite would be: female monarch, queen
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: KING

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 20 Down: "27. On the ocean"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about geography.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that in the direction of the sea
• Words that mean the same thing: seaward, seawards
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ASEA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 21 Down: "28. Salivating animal in a classic conditioning study"

Quick Info: This answer has 10 letters. It's a expert clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: __________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: PAVLOVSDOG

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 22 Down: "31. Attacked by hornets"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort
• Words that mean the same thing: pissed off, burn, roiled
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: STUNG

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 23 Down: "32. Elbow's place"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
• Words that mean the same thing: gird, limb, weapon system
• The opposite would be: disarm
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ARM

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 24 Down: "34. Folk tales"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
• Words that mean the same thing: traditional knowledge
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: LORE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 25 Down: "35. Trent ___, former Senate majority leader"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: LOTT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 26 Down: "38. Feature of a cheetah's coat"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a point located with respect to surface features of some region
• Words that mean the same thing: pip, smudge, fleck
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SPOT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 27 Down: "39. Problems with glitchy livestreams"

Quick Info: This answer has 8 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TIMELAGS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 28 Down: "42. Carpet measurement"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
• Words that mean the same thing: surface area, region, domain
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: AREA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 29 Down: "45. Mother Teresa, for one"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a woman religious
• Words that mean the same thing: conical buoy, nun buoy
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NUN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 30 Down: "47. Opposite of alfresco"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that located, suited for, or taking place within a building
• The opposite would be: outdoor
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: INDOOR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 31 Down: "48. Condition treated with Ritalin, in brief"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
• Words that mean the same thing: ADD, minimal brain dysfunction, minimal brain damage
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ADHD

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 32 Down: "49. References, as prior court decisions"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
• Words that mean the same thing: refer, acknowledgment, credit
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: CITES

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 33 Down: "50. Luxury Swiss watch"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the ending of a series or sequence; --revelation
• Words that mean the same thing: Z
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OMEGA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 34 Down: "51. Love to death"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that love intensely
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ADORE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 35 Down: "52. Vessel in which to shoot the rapids"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
• Words that mean the same thing: spate, lot, passel
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RAFT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 36 Down: "55. Composer Stravinsky"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about music.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: IGOR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 37 Down: "56. Flat-topped hill"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that flat tableland with steep edges
• Words that mean the same thing: table
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MESA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 38 Down: "57. Gazelles, for cheetahs"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
• Words that mean the same thing: predate, feed, raven
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: PREY

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 39 Down: "60. News inits. since 1958"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: UPI

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 40 Down: "61. Light touch"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the sound made by a gentle blow
• Words that mean the same thing: pink, intercept, exploit
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TAP

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 41 Down: "62. "What's ___ to like?""

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a hard clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that negation of a word or group of words
• Words that mean the same thing: non
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NOT

  Great job if you got it right!

Category Breakdown

Category	Number of Clues	Percentage
General Knowledge	53	67.9%
Short Answer	17	21.8%
Abbreviation	2	2.6%
Movies/Film	1	1.3%
Celebrity/Entertainment	1	1.3%
History	1	1.3%
Food & Drink	1	1.3%
Geography	1	1.3%
Music	1	1.3%

Complete Puzzle Statistics

Metric	Value
Across Clues	37
Down Clues	41
Total Clues	78
Average Answer Length	4.8 letters
Shortest Answer	3 letters
Longest Answer	12 letters

Fun Tips to Solve Crossword Puzzles!

• Start with short words first - they're usually easier!
• Look for clues with blanks to fill in - these are like fill-in-the-blank questions at school
• When letters cross, they must be the same in both words - this helps you check if you're right!
• Today is Monday, and these puzzles are usually medium level
• Most clues today are about general knowledge
• The average word today has about 4 letters
• Remember: It's okay to take breaks and come back later with fresh eyes!
• Ask someone for help if you need it - crosswords are more fun with friends!

More Crossword Resources

Explore more crossword solutions and helpful guides to improve your solving skills:

• June 02 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
• January 09 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
• March 03 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
• February 11 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
• April 13 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
• August 23 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
• February 21 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
• May 26 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
• September 17 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
• January 11 2024 NYT Clues Solutions

Disclaimer: Crossword clues are property of The New York Times. This educational content is designed to help puzzle enthusiasts improve their solving skills.

Last Updated: September 29, 2025 at 09:43 AM

December 20, 2019 NYT Clues Solutions | XWordHint

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

• Puzzle Overview & Difficulty
• Across Clues (37 clues)
• Down Clues (36 clues)
• Category Breakdown
• Complete Puzzle Statistics
• Pro Solving Tips
• Related Crossword Solutions

Related Puzzles

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• NYT Across Crossword September 18 2025
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• February 28 2023 NYT Clues Solutions

Puzzle Overview & Difficulty Analysis

Date: Friday, December 20, 2019

Difficulty Level: Moderate Wednesday Puzzle

Total Clues: 73 (37 Across, 36 Down)

Average Word Length: 5.6 letters

Across Clues Explained - Friday NYT Crossword December 20, 2019

No.	Clue	Letters
1A	1. Event for which participants may take the floor	5
2A	6. Pestered persistently	4
3A	10. Hindu love god	4
4A	14. Grand Prix site	6
5A	15. Boost at the gym	9
6A	17. Bugs	6
7A	18. Actress whose full name can be made from the letters of DO RE MI	9
8A	19. Alternative to white	3
9A	20. ___ Jahan, leader who commissioned the Taj Mahal	4
10A	22. This might be a bust	6
11A	23. Part of a dash	9
12A	26. Hoots	5
13A	27. Treatment that reduces wrinkles	9
14A	29. Boomsticks?	3
15A	31. Largest steel producer in the U.S.	5
16A	34. Kind of football played indoors	5
17A	35. Greek "Mother of the Gods"	4
18A	36. Inedible kind of orange	5
19A	37. Look after	4
20A	38. Hardly try anymore	5
21A	39. Column in a baseball box score	4
22A	40. Sportscaster Jim	5
23A	41. 50 Cent's "___ Control"	5
24A	42. Johnson's predecessor as British P.M.	3
25A	43. Some ranch cattle	9
26A	45. "X-Men" film spinoff starring Hugh Jackman	5
27A	47. Congressional campaign	9
28A	51. University near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains	6
29A	53. "Whip It" band	4
30A	54. 1/2 vis-à-vis 1/3, say	3
31A	55. In direct competition	9
32A	57. Home of the South by Southwest festival	6
33A	59. Big canned soup brand	9
34A	60. Irritates, with "on"	6
35A	61. Tricks	4
36A	62. Critic's award	4
37A	63. Best Play and others	5

Let's Solve the Across Clues Together!

Here are helpful hints to solve each clue. Remember, crossword puzzles are like word games - have fun with them!

Clue 1 Across: "1. Event for which participants may take the floor"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SITIN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 2 Across: "6. Pestered persistently"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
• Words that mean the same thing: hinge upon, drive, razz
• The opposite would be: walk
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RODE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 3 Across: "10. Hindu love god"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that hindu god of love and erotic desire; opposite of mara
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: KAMA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 4 Across: "14. Grand Prix site"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a constitutional monarchy in a tiny enclave on the french riviera
• Words that mean the same thing: Principality of Monaco
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MONACO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 5 Across: "15. Boost at the gym"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ENERGYBAR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 6 Across: "17. Bugs"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
• Words that mean the same thing: get at, get to, gravel
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ANNOYS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 7 Across: "18. Actress whose full name can be made from the letters of DO RE MI"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a expert clue about celebrity/entertainment.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: DEMIMOORE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 8 Across: "19. Alternative to white"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the seed of the cereal grass
• Words that mean the same thing: rye whiskey, Secale cereale, rye whisky
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RYE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 9 Across: "20. ___ Jahan, leader who commissioned the Taj Mahal"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that title for the former hereditary monarch of iran
• Words that mean the same thing: Shah of Iran
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SHAH

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 10 Across: "22. This might be a bust"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a sculpture representing a human or animal
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: STATUE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 11 Across: "23. Part of a dash"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: CARSTEREO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 12 Across: "26. Hoots"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a public act of violence by an unruly mob
• Words that mean the same thing: wow, bacchanalia, saturnalia
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RIOTS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 13 Across: "27. Treatment that reduces wrinkles"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: LASERPEEL

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 14 Across: "29. Boomsticks?"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that explosive consisting of a yellow crystalline compound that is a flammable toxic derivative of toluene
• Words that mean the same thing: trinitrotoluene
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TNT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 15 Across: "31. Largest steel producer in the U.S."

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NUCOR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 16 Across: "34. Kind of football played indoors"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a particular environment or walk of life
• Words that mean the same thing: orbit, bowl, area
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ARENA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 17 Across: "35. Greek "Mother of the Gods""

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that fertility goddess in ancient greek mythology; wife of cronus and mother of zeus; identified with roman ops and cybele of ancient asia minor
• Words that mean the same thing: nandu, Pterocnemia pennata, Rhea americana
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RHEA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 18 Across: "36. Inedible kind of orange"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a member of the siouan people formerly living in missouri in the valleys of the missouri and osage rivers; oil was found on osage lands early in the 20th century
• Words that mean the same thing: Osage River
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OSAGE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 19 Across: "37. Look after"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason
• Words that mean the same thing: intellect, bear in mind, head
• The opposite would be: forget
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MIND

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 20 Across: "38. Hardly try anymore"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the shore of a sea or ocean
• Words that mean the same thing: seacoast, slide, sea-coast
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: COAST

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 21 Across: "39. Column in a baseball box score"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
• Words that mean the same thing: guide, ply, running play
• The opposite would be: idle, malfunction
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RUNS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 22 Across: "40. Sportscaster Jim"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about sports.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NANTZ

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 23 Across: "41. 50 Cent's "___ Control""

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OUTTA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 24 Across: "42. Johnson's predecessor as British P.M."

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the month following april and preceding june
• Words that mean the same thing: whitethorn, Crataegus laevigata, English hawthorn
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MAY

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 25 Across: "43. Some ranch cattle"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that long-horned beef cattle formerly common in southwestern united states
• Words that mean the same thing: longhorn, Texas longhorn
• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: LONGHORNS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 26 Across: "45. "X-Men" film spinoff starring Hugh Jackman"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a hard clue about celebrity/entertainment.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a mountain peak in the st. elias range in the southwestern yukon territory in canada (19,850 feet high)
• Words that mean the same thing: Mount Logan
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: LOGAN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 27 Across: "47. Congressional campaign"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SENATEBID

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 28 Across: "51. University near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about geography.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: FURMAN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 29 Across: "53. "Whip It" band"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: DEVO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 30 Across: "54. 1/2 vis-à-vis 1/3, say"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that (old testament) adam's wife in judeo-christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; god created eve from adam's rib and placed adam and eve in the garden of eden
• Words that mean the same thing: eventide, evening, even
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: EVE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 31 Across: "55. In direct competition"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MANOAMANO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 32 Across: "57. Home of the South by Southwest festival"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that state capital of texas on the colorado river; site of the university of texas
• Words that mean the same thing: capital of Texas
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: AUSTIN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 33 Across: "59. Big canned soup brand"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: PROGRESSO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 34 Across: "60. Irritates, with "on""

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a frame of iron bars to hold a fire
• Words that mean the same thing: fret, eat into, rankle
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GRATES

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 35 Across: "61. Tricks"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
• Words that mean the same thing: catch, bugger off, beget
• The opposite would be: end, leave
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GETS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 36 Across: "62. Critic's award"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about history.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
• Words that mean the same thing: wizard, hotshot, maven
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: STAR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 37 Across: "63. Best Play and others"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that catch sight of
• Words that mean the same thing: espy, spot, spy
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ESPYS

  Great job if you got it right!

Down Clues Decoded - Friday NYT Crossword December 20, 2019

No.	Clue	Letters
1D	1. "Crime and Punishment" heroine	5
2D	2. Private	5
3D	3. This is the way	3
4D	4. Hostile look	8
5D	5. Snacks	6
6D	6. Nervous witnesses in mystery novels, often	11
7D	7. "Blastoff!" preceder	3
8D	8. Left side, informally	4
9D	9. Country with hundreds of islands in the Red Sea	7
10D	10. Former world capital whose name means "capital city"	5
11D	11. "Ah, yes, I'd been meaning to tell you ..."	9
12D	12. Total mess	9
13D	13. What "r" might signify	3
14D	14. Singer Anthony	4
15D	16. Online service introduced in 2004	5
16D	21. Frequent subject of headlines in The Onion	7
17D	24. Difficult journeys	5
18D	25. "Let me in!"	11
19D	28. Site for some celebratory dances	7
20D	30. Bye line?	4
21D	31. Nothing special, with "the"	4
22D	32. Nothing special, with "the"	9
23D	33. "Really, now? Really!?"	9
24D	35. Electrify	5
25D	38. Features on topographic maps	8
26D	40. Walk-ons, often	7
27D	43. Kendrick of rap	5
28D	44. Absolutely destroy	6
29D	46. Pirates' potables	5
30D	48. 1970s first lady	5
31D	49. Elite eight	5
32D	50. Homes in the woods	4
33D	52. Early illustrator of Uncle Sam	4
34D	55. No. that's converted for electric cars	3
35D	56. Org. that shares its HQ with Cyber Command	3
36D	58. Drain	3

Now Let's Solve the Down Clues!

Down clues go from top to bottom. Use the letters from your across answers to help!

Clue 1 Down: "1. "Crime and Punishment" heroine"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SONYA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 2 Down: "2. Private"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that located inward; - leonard bernstein; - david denby; - a.r.gurney,jr.
• Words that mean the same thing: intimate, internal, privileged
• The opposite would be: outer
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: INNER

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 3 Down: "3. This is the way"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that an adherent of any branch of taoism
• Words that mean the same thing: Taoist
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TAO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 4 Down: "4. Hostile look"

Quick Info: This answer has 8 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ICYSTARE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 5 Down: "5. Snacks"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that (yiddish) a snack or light meal
• Words that mean the same thing: snack, nosh
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NOSHES

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 6 Down: "6. Nervous witnesses in mystery novels, often"

Quick Info: This answer has 11 letters. It's a expert clue about literature.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: REDHERRINGS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 7 Down: "7. "Blastoff!" preceder"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
• Words that mean the same thing: ane, 1, unrivalled
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ONE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 8 Down: "8. Left side, informally"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: DEMS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 9 Down: "9. Country with hundreds of islands in the Red Sea"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a hard clue about geography.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that an african country to the north of ethiopia on the red sea; achieved independence from ethiopia in 1993
• Words that mean the same thing: State of Eritrea
• The word looks like this: _______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ERITREA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 10 Down: "10. Former world capital whose name means "capital city""

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a hard clue about geography.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a city in central japan on southern honshu; a famous cultural center that was once the capital of japan
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: KYOTO

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 11 Down: "11. "Ah, yes, I'd been meaning to tell you ...""

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a expert clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ABOUTTHAT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 12 Down: "12. Total mess"

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MARESNEST

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 13 Down: "13. What "r" might signify"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters
• Words that mean the same thing: exist, be, comprise
• The opposite would be: differ
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ARE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 14 Down: "14. Singer Anthony"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about celebrity/entertainment.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that made from residue of grapes or apples after pressing
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MARC

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 15 Down: "16. Online service introduced in 2004"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GMAIL

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 16 Down: "21. Frequent subject of headlines in The Onion"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: AREAMAN

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 17 Down: "24. Difficult journeys"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that work doggedly or persistently
• Words that mean the same thing: footslog, peg away, keep one's shoulder to the wheel
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SLOGS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 18 Down: "25. "Let me in!""

Quick Info: This answer has 11 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: OPENTHEDOOR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 19 Down: "28. Site for some celebratory dances"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ENDZONE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 20 Down: "30. Bye line?"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: TATA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 21 Down: "31. Nothing special, with "the""

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical
• Words that mean the same thing: average
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NORM

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 22 Down: "32. Nothing special, with "the""

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: USUALFARE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 23 Down: "33. "Really, now? Really!?""

Quick Info: This answer has 9 letters. It's a expert clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: CANYOUNOT

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 24 Down: "35. Electrify"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that become active
• Words that mean the same thing: awaken, turn on, bestir
• The opposite would be: cause to sleep, calm
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: ROUSE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 25 Down: "38. Features on topographic maps"

Quick Info: This answer has 8 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
• Words that mean the same thing: contour line, contour, conformation
• The word looks like this: ________
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: CONTOURS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 26 Down: "40. Walk-ons, often"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NONAMES

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 27 Down: "43. Kendrick of rap"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: LAMAR

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 28 Down: "44. Absolutely destroy"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that (usually plural) a destructive action
• Words that mean the same thing: scourge, lay waste to, harry
• The word looks like this: ______
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: RAVAGE

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 29 Down: "46. Pirates' potables"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that rum cut with water
• Words that mean the same thing: grog
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: GROGS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 30 Down: "48. 1970s first lady"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: BETTY

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 31 Down: "49. Elite eight"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that old world vine with lobed evergreen leaves and black berrylike fruits
• Words that mean the same thing: Hedera helix, English ivy, ivy
• The word looks like this: _____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: IVIES

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 32 Down: "50. Homes in the woods"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the habitation of wild animals
• Words that mean the same thing: hideout, hideaway, den
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: DENS

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 33 Down: "52. Early illustrator of Uncle Sam"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that united states political cartoonist (1840-1902)
• Words that mean the same thing: Thomas Nast
• The word looks like this: ____
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NAST

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 34 Down: "55. No. that's converted for electric cars"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: MPG

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 35 Down: "56. Org. that shares its HQ with Cyber Command"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that the united states cryptologic organization that coordinates and directs highly specialized activities to protect united states information systems and to produce foreign intelligence information
• Words that mean the same thing: National Security Agency
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: NSA

  Great job if you got it right!

Clue 36 Down: "58. Drain"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

• This could be something that a watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant
• Words that mean the same thing: cosh, saphead, muggins
• The word looks like this: ___
• Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
• Ready for the answer? Click here!

  The answer is: SAP

  Great job if you got it right!

Category Breakdown

Category	Number of Clues	Percentage
General Knowledge	54	74.0%
Short Answer	10	13.7%
Celebrity/Entertainment	3	4.1%
Geography	3	4.1%
Sports	1	1.4%
History	1	1.4%
Literature	1	1.4%

Complete Puzzle Statistics

Metric	Value
Across Clues	37
Down Clues	36
Total Clues	73
Average Answer Length	5.6 letters
Shortest Answer	3 letters
Longest Answer	11 letters

Fun Tips to Solve Crossword Puzzles!

• Start with short words first - they're usually easier!
• Look for clues with blanks to fill in - these are like fill-in-the-blank questions at school
• When letters cross, they must be the same in both words - this helps you check if you're right!
• Today is Friday, and these puzzles are usually moderate level
• Most clues today are about general knowledge
• The average word today has about 5 letters
• Remember: It's okay to take breaks and come back later with fresh eyes!
• Ask someone for help if you need it - crosswords are more fun with friends!

More Crossword Resources

Explore more crossword solutions and helpful guides to improve your solving skills:

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• September 20 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
• June 02 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
• April 14 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
• NYT Across Crossword September 18 2025
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• February 28 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
• November 27 2021 NYT Clues Solutions

Disclaimer: Crossword clues are property of The New York Times. This educational content is designed to help puzzle enthusiasts improve their solving skills.

Last Updated: September 28, 2025 at 06:47 AM