NYT Crossword Answers for Dec. 12, 2024

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THURSDAY PUZZLE — This is Daniel Bodily’s 12th crossword in The New York Times and, in my opinion, his puzzles just keep getting better. I really enjoyed this one, not because it was difficult, but because I had so much fun solving it and discovering the theme.

I predict that some commenters will say that the puzzle was too easy for a Thursday. While the clues are fairly gentle for a Thursday grid, remember that other parts of a crossword may be tough for some. Not everyone sees things or processes information in the same way. Some may have been stuck on the theme, for example, while others may have needed time to figure out the visual elements that were included.

Let’s be gentle with each other and enjoy this clever puzzle together.

Today’s Theme

I will admit that I originally thought this was a football-themed puzzle and that the highlighted numbers were plays being called (“16! 22! 51! Hike!”). Feel free to chortle in amusement, because everything I know about football I learned from cartoons.

Then I solved my first theme answer at 19A by using the crossings and said, “Huh. The [Part of a bat that produces the best contact] is certainly not SWEET SIXTEEN!” I was pretty sure the answer was really SWEET SPOT. It was at that moment that my eyes spotted the first highlight at 16A and lo, the entry was SPOT. The number that is spelled out in the theme answer refers to the highlighted circle.

Another example is 36A’s [Get serious hang time, as a skateboarder], which, when solved, is CATCH TWENTY-TWO. Now look at 22A, another highlighted number: The answer is AIR, and CATCH AIR is another phrase for soaring through the air while skateboarding.