NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 23, 2007

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Friday, February 23, 2007

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:35 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, February 23, 2007. The daily crossword is the classic: a 15×15 grid on weekdays and a larger Sunday puzzle, with difficulty rising from a gentle Monday to a fiendish Saturday. Hints come first and the solution stays hidden until you ask for it.

72 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Thursday, February 22, 2007

across

1. Secretarial jottings: Abbr.: APPTS
6. Lee with an Oscar: ANG
9. It's held in a hold: CARGO
14. "The Rain in Spain" composer: LOEWE
15. Pal of Eeyore: ROO
16. ___ the hole: ACEIN
17. Stage part: APRON
18. Cooperation roadblock: EGO
19. Provocative military move, briefly: NTEST
20. Quest for a stereotypical Jewish mother?: MISSIONOFGUILT
23. A tiny bit: ONEIOTA
24. Prefix with -cide: ECO
25. What the dry cleaner might say after losing a garment?: DRESSUNKNOWN
31. Recesses: APSES
34. Characters in a frat house?: PSIS
35. Author who inspired a Baltimore team's nickname: POE
36. Stuns: ZAPS
37. Setting of many a Stephen King novel: MAINE
39. Bathe: LAVE
40. Results of oogenesis: OVA
41. Freeman's opposite: SERF
42. Having a bottom: SOLED
43. Reactions to poetry?: VERSEEFFECTS
47. Check-box option: YES
48. "Huh ...?!": WHATTHE
52. Like 20-, 25- and 43-Across?: COMMERCIALFREE
56. Stock at hardware stores and garden shops: BULBS
57. Spigot holder: URN
58. Stack, in a way: LAYER
59. Running rampant: ARIOT
60. Kind of nut: LUG
61. Cause of a food safety warning: ECOLI
62. ___ Park: MENLO
63. George Strait's "All My ___ Live in Texas": EXS
64. Packed: DENSE

down

1. 1960 John Wayne saga, with "The": ALAMO
2. Make a brief call: POPIN
3. By itself: PERSE
4. Stories often have them: TWOSIDES
5. Promgoers: SENIORS
6. Some rings: ARENAS
7. Scrubbed: NOGO
8. Anachronism, e.g.: GOOF
9. Losers to the Rangers for the 1994 Stanley Cup: CANUCKS
10. Sound stage shout: ACTION
11. Draw (in): REEL
12. Heart: GIST
13. Home of Bruce Peninsula Natl. Park: ONT
21. Suffix with Capri: OTE
22. Spirit: GENIE
26. Spruce (up): SPIFF
27. Org. with many captains: USN
28. Word with black or fire: OPAL
29. Knitted: WOVE
30. Lack: NEED
31. Sea of ___ between Russia and Ukraine: AZOV
32. Tar, maybe: PAVE
33. Duke it out: SPAR
37. 1980's attorney general: MEESE
38. It might mean "I have to go out!": ARF
39. Was shamed: LOSTFACE
41. Apparently does: SEEMSTO
42. Not going anywhere: STALLED
44. Sign: SYMBOL
45. Wealthy TV family: EWINGS
46. Chinese tea: CHA
49. Wear for a moment: TRYON
50. They can be spiked: HEELS
51. Like some coincidences: EERIE
52. Solution: CURE
53. "Thirtysomething" actor: OLIN
54. Call the shots: RULE
55. Heart: CRUX
56. "Pow!": BAM

Hints and full breakdown for Feb 22

More daily puzzle hints

How the week is built

Monday and Tuesday: straightforward definitions and familiar answers. These are the best days to learn.
Wednesday: a step up, often with a playful theme.
Thursday: the trick day, with rebus squares (several letters in one square) and answers that turn corners or skip squares.
Friday and Saturday: themeless and tough, with sly clues and long open sections.
Sunday: a bigger 21×21 grid with a theme, about as hard as a Wednesday or Thursday.

Crossword-solving habits worth building

Learn the common fill. Short vowel-heavy words such as ERA, OREO, ALOE and ETNA appear constantly because they help constructors connect sections.
Read clue signals. "?" means wordplay, "Abbr." means an abbreviation, "e.g." means an example of a category, and a foreign word in the clue hints at a foreign answer.
Find the theme. The longest answers usually share a gimmick; the title (on Sundays) or a "revealer" clue explains it.
Erase without fear. When crossings don't work, the wrong letter is usually in the answer you were most confident about.
Use targeted help. Reveal one letter here, or try our crossword solver with a pattern like ?R?S?.

The Crossword FAQ

When is the next crossword released?

Weekday puzzles go live at 10 p.m. Eastern Time the night before; weekend puzzles are released earlier in the evening.

What is a rebus square?

A square that holds more than one letter. Sometimes it holds a whole word or a symbol. They are most common on Thursdays.

Which day is the hardest?

Saturday is generally the hardest, followed by Friday. Sunday is larger but closer to midweek difficulty.

Can I see past crossword answers?

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