NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 23, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, August 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
- 20
- 52
- 79
- 82
- 117
- 119
- 121
- 122
Down clues & answers
- 6
- 39
- 49
- 57
- 70
- 83
- 85
- 91
- 101
- 105
- 107
- 109
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, August 22, 2015
across
- 1. Spring performances?: IRISHJIGS
- 10. Disney World's 27,000+: ACRES
- 15. 1960s pop idol: DAVYJONES
- 16. Rump alternative: CHUCK
- 17. Subject for a makeup class: EYESHADOW
- 18. Vacation rental: CANOE
- 19. J.F.K.'s U.N. ambassador: AES
- 20. The Spanish word "nación" has two: ENES
- 21. "___ Gets Drafted" (Disney short): DONALD
- 22. Hoodoo: JINX
- 23. Chills, so to speak: LOUNGES
- 24. Female helicopter pilot from Hasbro: GIJANE
- 27. New York Post headline writer, often: PUNNER
- 28. Like hives: ABUZZ
- 29. Shooter with a spark: FLINTLOCK
- 32. Pioneering automaker: BENZ
- 33. End: CEASE
- 34. "What-ev-er you say ...": SURE
- 35. What bows were once examples of: ETIQUETTE
- 37. One fixing flats?: TUNER
- 38. Sunday talk show guest: PUNDIT
- 39. Dairy giant: BORDEN
- 40. Having lost a winter coat?: SHEARED
- 42. Magician's word: POOF
- 43. Besmirched: TARRED
- 44. Flames on ice, e.g.: TEAM
- 45. Fell for a trick: BIT
- 48. It doesn't require a paper ballot: EVOTE
- 49. "Can you believe that?!": WHATAJOKE
- 51. To whom Prospero says "Thou liest, malignant thing!": ARIEL
- 52. One playing to the balcony?: SERENADER
- 53. Hot deli orders: MELTS
- 54. Colorful item in a jar: JELLYBEAN
down
- 1. One may get carried out: IDEA
- 2. Comedian once called the Female Bob Hope: RAYE
- 3. "A Little Bitty Tear" singer, 1962: IVES
- 4. Awacs component: Abbr.: SYS
- 5. "It's red magic time!" sloganeer, once: HJHEINZ
- 6. Part of J. K. Rowling's "J. K.": JOANNE
- 7. Search facilitator: INDEX
- 8. Bygone compacts: GEOS
- 9. Hartford-to-New Haven dir.: SSW
- 10. Eyewitness's offering: ACCOUNT
- 11. Keep flipping on the couch?: CHANNELSURF
- 12. Not pass the bar?: RUNAGROUND
- 13. Place to learn leçons: ECOLE
- 14. Programs, informally: SKEDS
- 21. "Stay, O Sweet" writer: DONNE
- 22. Benny Goodman led one: JAZZQUARTET
- 23. Rainer of "The Great Ziegfeld": LUISE
- 24. Sitcom teacher of Vinnie and Boom Boom: GABE
- 25. "Fat chance": IBET
- 26. Aromatherapy option: JUNIPEROIL
- 27. Oliver of stage and screen: PLATT
- 29. Rank: FETID
- 30. One of the Northwest Territories' official languages: CREE
- 31. Typeface projection: KERN
- 33. Turned over: CEDED
- 36. Is shown, as a film: UNREELS
- 37. One drink, to a designated driver: TOOMANY
- 39. Inn in an inlet, say: BOATEL
- 40. Old-fashioned letter opener: STEAM
- 41. Le ___, France: HAVRE
- 42. Fine example: PEARL
- 44. Final word of "O Canada": THEE
- 45. Seem to indicate: BODE
- 46. Company with "Long live the home" ads: IKEA
- 47. Arctic ___: TERN
- 49. Paper with a "Mansion" section, for short: WSJ
- 50. Bit of snark: JAB
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.