NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 23, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, February 23, 2015. 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.
Across clues & answers
- 27
- 51
- 65
- 66
Down clues & answers
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, February 22, 2015
across
- 1. Furnishes: AFFORDS
- 8. Bit of body art, for short: TAT
- 11. "St. ___ Fire" (Brat Pack film): ELMOS
- 16. Book reviewer?: CPA
- 19. Expel, as from a club: DRUMOUT
- 20. Historical chapter: AGE
- 21. Turnpike turnoffs [intimidate, in a way]: RECATCHAS
- 23. Narrator of "Amadeus" [go to bed]: SAENDRI
- 24. Pet food brand [recover lost ground]: PURINASTAREOW
- 26. Compassionate [finally become]: TLIEERHEARTED
- 28. City of Light creator at the 1893 World's Fair: TESLA
- 29. Welles of "The Third Man": ORSON
- 30. Dunderhead: ASS
- 31. Attaches, in a way: SEWSON
- 32. Barbershop sound: SNIP
- 36. Dealer's enemy: NARC
- 38. Ridicule: TWIT
- 41. Country with the longest coastline: CANADA
- 44. Comic strip dog: ODIE
- 45. Skateboarder's safety item [salaam]: ELACTPAD
- 51. Goodbyes [abate]: ARUNUS
- 52. Flagman?: REF
- 53. Point at the ceiling? [misbehave]: STALBOWITE
- 55. She's not light-headed [amass]: BDIEETTE
- 57. Embarrassing putts to miss: TAPINS
- 59. Cosmic balance?: LIBRA
- 60. Lit group: SOTS
- 61. Film library unit: REEL
- 63. Guy's partner: GAL
- 64. Storied voyager: SINBAD
- 65. What each group of circled words in this puzzle does: GOESUPANDDOWN
- 69. Dark looks: SCOWLS
- 73. Get some Z's: NAP
- 74. Subtle emanation: AURA
- 75. Concert poster info: DATE
- 79. Comic actress Catherine: OHARA
- 80. Four-legged orphans: DOGIES
- 83. Activity done in front of a mirror [clearly define]: PRIMUSEG
- 85. Office trash [resign]: WARIDEAPER
- 87. Start of many rapper names: LIL
- 89. Upset stomach [consume]: NAPINA
- 90. Loud and harsh [start crowding the crotch]: STSTEPNT
- 91. ___ Tree State (Maine): PINE
- 92. Like March Madness teams: SEEDED
- 93. Contentment: EASE
- 95. Theater giant?: IMAX
- 96. Establishes: SETS
- 97. Release tension, possibly: EXHALE
- 102. Big tank: VAT
- 104. What sarongs lack: SEAMS
- 108. Finnish outbuilding: SAUNA
- 109. Control of one's actions [fall in great quantities]: SELFRESTANTET
- 114. Granite dome in Georgia [moderate]: SCROPMOUNTAIN
- 117. Converses à la Tracy and Hepburn [pay in advance]: BRAINRS
- 119. Athens landmark [arise]: ATONEOLIS
- 120. Retro music collection: LPS
- 121. Do without a radiator: AIRCOOL
- 122. Over there: YON
- 123. Brought on: LEDTO
- 124. Stan of Marvel Comics: LEE
- 125. Lectures: TALKSTO
down
- 1. Super Bowl highlights, to some: ADS
- 2. House on campus: FRAT
- 3. Precamping purchase: FUEL
- 4. Luxury hotel chain: OMNI
- 5. Barrel racing venue: RODEO
- 6. Printmaker Albrecht: DURER
- 7. Mixes up: STIRS
- 8. Appetizer with puréed olives: TAPENADE
- 9. Fuego extinguisher: AGUA
- 10. Balustrade location: TERRACE
- 11. Physicist Rutherford after whom rutherfordium is named: ERNEST
- 12. Radiation shield material: LEAD
- 13. Hosts, for short: MCS
- 14. Muesli tidbit: OAT
- 15. Electoral map division: STATE
- 16. Setting for a castle: CHESS
- 17. Painter Uccello: PAOLO
- 18. City on the Nile: ASWAN
- 22. They're all in the same boat: CREW
- 25. "___ Late" (Ricky Nelson hit): ITS
- 27. Banquet V.I.P.'s: HONOREES
- 31. Wild guess: STAB
- 32. Strikers' replacements: SCABS
- 33. "Taxi" character Elaine: NARDO
- 34. Greenlandic speaker: INUIT
- 35. Glazier's supply: PANES
- 37. Estrangement: RIFT
- 39. Detach (from): WEAN
- 40. Misfortunes: ILLS
- 42. Fitting: DUE
- 43. Team with a mascot named Orbit: ASTROS
- 46. Firth of "The King's Speech": COLIN
- 47. Mattress size: TWIN
- 48. Mr. ___ (soft drink): PIBB
- 49. Gillette brand: ATRA
- 50. Like a dull party: DEAD
- 53. Go across: SPAN
- 54. Actress Swinton: TILDA
- 56. Hanes purchase, informally: TEE
- 58. Slack-jawed: AGAPE
- 62. Big leap forward: LUNGE
- 64. Courters: SWAINS
- 65. Woodsy picnic spot: GLADE
- 66. Brace: PAIR
- 67. Divided houses: DUPLEXES
- 68. #4 for the Bruins: ORR
- 69. Plants in a field: SOWS
- 70. I.M.'ing session: CHAT
- 71. Longship propellers: OARS
- 72. Summons, e.g.: WRIT
- 75. Bamboozles: DUPES
- 76. Brief digression: ASIDE
- 77. Fundamental principle: TENET
- 78. Quaint oath: EGADS
- 80. Writer Richard Henry ___: DANA
- 81. Goes (for): OPTS
- 82. Nickname for a lanky cowboy: SLIM
- 84. ___ Jemison, first African-American woman in space: MAE
- 86. Sport with double touches: EPEE
- 88. To one way of thinking: INASENSE
- 91. Unseen danger: PITFALL
- 94. Nevertheless: EVENSO
- 97. English assignment: ESSAY
- 98. Knife brand: XACTO
- 99. Iroquoian tribe: HURON
- 100. Before long: ANON
- 101. Boutonniere's place: LAPEL
- 103. Keyboard abbr.: ALT
- 105. Swinging occasion?: ATBAT
- 106. "West Side Story" heroine: MARIA
- 107. Unfriendly dog sound: SNARL
- 109. One of a bridge foursome: SUIT
- 110. Smelly: RIPE
- 111. Check mark: TICK
- 112. Book of Mormon prophet: ENOS
- 113. Brisk pace: TROT
- 115. Brother of Shemp: MOE
- 116. Getting on: OLD
- 118. ___-pitch: SLO
More daily puzzle hints
- WordleGuess the five-letter word in six triesGuide & tips
- ConnectionsSort 16 words into four hidden groupsGuide & tips
- StrandsFind the themed words hidden in a letter gridGuide & tips
- Spelling BeeMake words from seven letters around a center letterGuide & tips
- Mini CrosswordA bite-size crossword you can finish over coffeeGuide & tips
- Connections: Sports EditionConnections with a sports-only word poolGuide & tips
- Letter BoxedChain words around a square using all 12 lettersGuide & tips
- Midi CrosswordThe mid-size crossword between the Mini and the dailyGuide & tips
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.