Out there NYT Crossword Clue Answers are listed below and every time we find a new solution for this clue, we add it on the answers list highlighted in green. If you are presented two or more answers, then look at the most recent one which is the last row in the answers box. The solutions
in this page may answer other puzzle clues as well. This crossword clue might have a different answer every time it appears on a new New York Times Crossword Puzzle. OUT THERE Crossword Solution Today's puzzle is listed on our homepage along with all the possible crossword clue solutions. Open the link to go straight there
NYT Crossword Answers 09/08/22. Or you can simply search by typing the clue: When facing difficulties with puzzles or with our website go to page and leave us a message there. Would you like to improve your mental flexibility, learn a few interesting things every day and establish bragging rights among your friends? Solving crossword puzzles is like mental yoga — both challenging and relaxing at the same time. Plus, it’s fun, especially if you appreciate words and wordplay as much as I do. I believe that with patience and practice anyone can learn to solve crosswords. Once you master a few basic strategies, you’ll find that puzzle-solving is not only possible, but highly addictive. So let’s get solving! How to Get Started“Solving crosswords eliminates worries. They make you a calmer and more focused person.” – Will Shortz, New York Times crossword editor and NPR puzzle master. If you’ve ever picked up a crossword puzzle and said to yourself, “I am not smart enough” or “I don’t have a big enough vocabulary for this,” please allow us to let you in on a little secret: A crossword puzzle is not a test of intelligence, and solving is not really about the size of your vocabulary. Becoming a good solver is about understanding what the clues are asking you to do. You can absolutely learn to do that. We’re here to let you in on some of the rules that most clues follow, and to teach you how to read those clues so that they become easier to solve. It would be impossible to cover every instance of clueing, but we can get you up and running. We’ve even included some tips and encouragement from the puzzle pros to help keep you motivated, like our very funny friend, Megan Amram, a writer for television shows like “The Simpsons” and “The Good Place.” Ms. Amram is a devoted solver and has also made a puzzle that ran in The New York Times. “I understand how intimidating starting the crossword can be, but the bottom line is, believe in yourself. YOU ARE SMART ENOUGH TO DO THE PUZZLE. Look at me. I do The New York Times crossword puzzle every day, and I once tried to shoot a basket on the wrong hoop when I was on my 6th grade basketball team. Crossword puzzles are not about intelligence, they are about keeping your mind nimble and knowing what the sneaky trickster Will Shortz is asking of you. Show Will Shortz who's boss by attempting the puzzle!” — Megan Amram Got it? Now let’s get started. First, decide how you want to solve: Are you a print-only person? Do you enjoy the extra help that comes from playing on the web or on-the-go with the app? If you subscribe, you get access to all the daily puzzles and the archive. And once you log in, you can save your progress across all the digital platforms. A typical Monday clue will be very straightforward and drive you almost directly to the answer. Don’t believe us? Just to drive the point home, let’s take a look at the difference between a Monday clue and a late-week clue for a popular crossword entry. The Monday Clue: “Nabisco cookie,” “Cookie with creme filling” or “‘Twist, Lick, Dunk’ cookie” The Saturday Clue: “Snack since 1912,” “It has 12 flowers on each side” or “Sandwich often given a twist” The answer to all of these clues is the same: “OREO.” Those delicious sandwich cookies are so popular in crossword puzzles that they’ve been dubbed by some as the “official” cookie of the crossword. But we weren’t kidding you. There is a big difference between a Monday puzzle clue and a Saturday puzzle one. Late-week clues might require more specialized knowledge about these delicious treats. If you’re just getting started, make your life easy and solve as many Monday puzzles as you can. Eventually, you’ll be ready for more of a challenge, and that’s when you move on to the Tuesday puzzles. Practice Makes, If Not Perfect, a Much Better SolverOnce you’ve learned some of the shorter answers and how they are clued, you can almost be sure you’ll see them again. The brain works in weird and wonderful ways, and when you start solving crosswords consistently, you will feel really good when you can say, “Hey, I know that one!” “Do more puzzles. The more you solve, the better you’ll get. It’s also useful to read Wordplay and other puzzle blogs, which helped me internalize the tricks and tropes of crossword clues while I was learning the ropes.” -- Dan Feyer, seven-time champion of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament And don’t worry if you make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. That’s what erasers and the backspace key are for. It even happens to advanced solvers, so don’t let it get you down if you don’t know something or need to change an answer. “Try to solve as much as you can in each puzzle, and don't stress when you can't finish one. For the ones you don’t know, if it's something way out of your knowledge comfort zone, look it up and read a bit more about it. It's fun, really! There is no shame in missing an answer or not finishing the puzzle. The key is learning what you missed. The more puzzles you solve, the easier it gets.” — Howard Barkin, 2016 champion of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament Find Your ‘Gimmes’When you start a puzzle, get comfortable, pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage — it’s important to stay hydrated — and then scan the clue list before solving. Pick out the clues that are meant to be the easiest and tackle them first. See anything you definitely know? Those are your ‘gimmes.’ Are there any fill-in-the-blanks clues? Those are usually the easiest. Trust us: There’s no better boost to your solving ego than to be able to fill in a few entries right off the bat. You already know more than you think you do. To borrow a sports term, a puzzle or individual clue on topics that you know well is said to be “in your wheelhouse.” You’ll be able to find at least a few entries in each puzzle that you know. “Good crosswords connect to everything in life.” – Will Shortz Fill-in-the-blank clues tend to be easier because they have definite answers. Don’t believe us? Try these clues that are designed to be easy for most people: 1. Clue: “Winnie-the-___” Your brain knows the answer to this: It’s POOH, the “hunny”-loving bear from the stories by A. A. Milne Easy clues don’t even have to be fill-in-the-blanks. Your brain will fill them in even when there is no blank. 2. Clue: “Actor Brad of ‘12 Years a Slave’” Somewhere in your travels, your brain must have noticed that actor Brad PITT was in the award-winning movie “12 Years a Slave.” Once you have a few answers in the puzzle, sit back and congratulate yourself. You’re solving! Ready for another mini? It’s Not Cheating, It’s LearningTip: Don’t be afraid to look up answers. You’ll become a better solver for it. Let me say something that may be controversial, but it needs to be said: It’s O.K. to look something up when solving a crossword. Crosswords are ultimately learning tools, whether you’re learning some trivia or an interesting new word or phrase. When you look something up, you’re learning so you’ll know it for next time. Of course, some solvers may tell you that looking up the answer to a clue is “cheating,” but to us, that way lies frustration and a path to giving up. And that’s no fun. Crosswords are a game, and games are supposed to be fun. Still not sure looking things up is fair? Here is outright permission: “It’s your puzzle. Solve it any way you like.” — Will Weng, the second crosswords editor of The New York Times (1969 - 1977) Take a Break if You Get StuckWe’re big fans of the brain here, especially its incredible work ethic. But even brains get tired, so if you are stuck at some point in the puzzle, one of the best things you can do is put it down and take a break from it for a while. I’m not sure how this works, but your brain will continue working on the clue in the background while you go about your day. When you come back to it, you might be surprised at the “Aha!” moment you experience when you thought you didn’t know the answer. Solve With a FriendTip: Solving with another person can work to your advantage. Your wheelhouse might be stuffed with sports trivia. Your BFF’s wheelhouse might be crammed to the rafters with a deep knowledge of opera. Vive la différence, right? You know things your friend doesn’t know, and he or she knows things that you don’t know. That’s roughly twice as much stuff that you can solve, and it’s a good excuse to spend time together. In fact, you never know when it could lead to something more, like a marriage proposal. Sit Back and Enjoy Your AccomplishmentYay, you! You’ve started solving The New York Times Crossword! Solving a New York Times crossword is not easy, but it should be satisfying. Even if you only get a few answers the first few times, keep on solving. It just gets easier – and better – from there. But don’t limit yourself. Try to master the skills you need to get started, and then push yourself to go further into the week. That’s where all of that devious, delicious wordplay is tucked into the clues, and where the fun in solving crosswords lies. Are you ready to take your solving a step further? Words to KnowClue: A crossword clue is a hint that the solver must decipher to find the answer that is then entered into the puzzle grid. Clues are not necessarily dictionary definitions; they can involve puns, anagrams and other types of wordplay. Crossing: The intersection between an Across entry and a Down one. Crosswords are intended to play fair with solvers, so a difficult or obscure entry will ideally cross a more “gettable” one. Entry: The answer to a clue that solvers write into the crossword puzzle. Entries that are part of a theme are called — wait for it — theme entries. Fun fact: In a typical American-style crossword, an entry must have at least three letters. Fill: A general term for the words or phrases that fill a crossword. Fill-in-the-blank: A clue that contains a blank where the answer goes. One of the easiest types of clues to solve. Mini crossword: A 5x5 crossword offered by The New York Times. For comparison, the size of a Times daily crossword is 15x15 and the Sunday crossword is 21x21. A Step Further: How to Read Crossword CluesSome good news about crossword puzzles: A clue and answer pairing will always be fair, even if it takes solvers a while to see it. And who doesn’t love being set up to win, even if it’s after a mental tug-of-war? But how are you supposed to win? How are you supposed to beat your braggart of an officemate in a solving race? The key is to learn some easy-to-remember ways to read those devilish crossword clues. To keep things fair between constructor, editor and solver, most crossword clues follow certain predictable “rules.”We’re going to let you in on some of those rules and, if you practice using the Minis that are included in this guide, you will get a lot further in your solving. "Must Match" Clues
More Types of Crossword Clues
Remember, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from them and move on. Above all, have fun. Words to KnowConstructor: The person who creates the crossword puzzle. The constructor develops the theme if it’s a themed puzzle, fills the puzzle with interlocking words or phrases and writes the clues. In other countries, the constructor might be called a compiler or setter. Grid: The diagram of black and white squares that contains the entries. Most daily puzzles are 15 squares by 15 squares and most Sunday puzzles are 21 squares by 21 squares. Interlock: The crossing of entries inside the grid. An American-style crossword has “all-over interlock,” which means that no part of the grid can be completely cut off by the black squares. In theory, a solver should be able to solve from any section of a puzzle to another without having to stop. Word count: The word count is the number of answers in a crossword. In a New York Times crossword, a themed 15x15 square puzzle typically has no more than 78 answers. A 15x15 themeless puzzle has a maximum word count of 72 answers. A 21x21 Sunday puzzle usually has no more than 140 answers. Cracking the Harder Clues“It’s kind of fun to be pulled out of your comfort zone. Puzzles are a kind of nonthreatening way to remind us that there is still mystery in the world.” — Jason Silva, “Wonder junkie” and former host of NatGeo’s “Brain Games” The real fun and challenge of crossword solving lies in cracking the really tough clues. From being duped by magic tricks to pondering those brain-twisting crossword clues, why do humans so love being fooled? Is it the rush of the “Aha!” moment, when their expectations are defied? Of course, some solvers say simply that figuring out a really tricky clue makes them feel smart. And there is nothing wrong with that, especially when you’re learning how to decipher them. Here are some more clue types to conquer: More Clue Types
Still stuck? Here are the answers with the reasoning behind them: Answers
You Can Do It!Kudos to you for hanging in there with us! If you’ve been practicing, you should be able to tackle a midweek puzzle at least, if not a later-in-the-week puzzle. All it takes is dedication to solving and learning. Oh, and a willingness to have fun. Because as we said, crosswords are a game, and games are meant to be fun. Bonus: Crossword Themes“Discovering a crossword's theme is often half the fun of solving. And once you nail one answer in a puzzle's theme, figuring out the other long answers is usually much easier.” — Will Shortz There is so much more to a crossword puzzle than just a list of clues and space for you to write in the answers. We want you to be able to wring every drop of enjoyment out of your puzzle. That’s one reason you should know about crossword themes. A crossword theme is like bonus content; it is an extra puzzle-within-the-puzzle for you to solve. Not all crosswords have themes, but for those that do, finding them will help you be a better solver. That’s another good reason to know about them. What Is a Theme?Some crosswords contain a set of entries that all have something in common. Puzzle makers have a knack for spotting oddities in our language, and when they can put enough of the same kind of oddity together, they have developed a theme set. As the solver, you not only get to do the crossword puzzle, you also get to piece together the theme. The number of types of themes you might see in crosswords is nearly infinite, so we can’t describe them here. But most commonly they involve playing with words. They can use puns, anagrams, hidden words, common elements, letters added to familiar phrases to make new phrases, and much more. Some puzzle themes have visual themes. Be on the lookout for these, because they can be amazing. Why Is There a Theme?A theme is an extra bit of entertainment that can also be a solving aid. Once you understand the theme and can guess what the other theme entries might be, you will have a leg up on solving the rest of the puzzle. Think of it as the frame of a house; the crossword’s theme is the basis on which the rest of the puzzle is built. The entries BOULDER DAM, ROCK LOBSTER, PEBBLE BEACH and DUST JACKET all involve some sort of stone — and the size of the stone (BOULDER → ROCK → PEBBLE → DUST) gets smaller as you go from the top of the grid to the bottom. Below is how these answers were clued in this puzzle. The theme clues are pretty straightforward — fittingly for a Monday puzzle — although the clue for DUST JACKET is playing with us. Even so, it’s not that hard, especially if you work the crossings.
Most solvers don’t fill in a theme entry without first solving some of the crossings, so don’t worry if you don’t know them right off the bat. But do notice that these particular entries cover a range of topics: Topography, pop culture, sports and, well, a pun about book covers. There’s something for nearly everyone. In this puzzle, the black squares imitate the spiral shape of the halls of the Guggenheim Museum, and works of art that hang in the museum can be found throughout the puzzle by artist name, along with the name of the museum and other bonus theme content. The Times has even run puzzles where solvers had to write the theme outside the grid. Talk about thinking outside the box! If you’re feeling daring, you can try one of those here. There is so much wonderful variety in New York Times crossword themes. These examples are just to get you started, but once you dive in and start solving, prepare to be surprised by the incredible creativity of the puzzle makers. |