NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 17, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, February 17, 2016. 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
- 19
- 57
- 63
- 64
Down clues & answers
- 21
- 38
- 42
- 46
- 51
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
across
- 1. Record label for Bing Crosby's "White Christmas": DECCA
- 6. Greek R's: RHOS
- 10. Mets' home before Citi Field: SHEA
- 14. "Too rich for my blood": IMOUT
- 15. Ice dam site: EAVE
- 16. Brick carriers: HODS
- 17. Banned wrestling hold: FULLNELSON
- 19. Dr. ___, Austin Powers's foe: EVIL
- 20. Andrea ___, ship that sank in 1956: DORIA
- 21. Big concert venue: ARENA
- 22. Together, musically: ADUE
- 25. Aid in accomplishing a goal: ACTIONPLAN
- 28. The Sunflower State: KANSAS
- 30. Actress Thompson of "Family": SADA
- 31. Guest you might not want to stay for too long: INLAW
- 32. Pop singer from 27-Down: DONHO
- 34. Inits. on an airport uniform: TSA
- 37. "Don't give up the fight!": STICKTOYOURGUNS
- 40. Workplace often surrounded by trailers: SET
- 41. Seize (from): WREST
- 42. Gives stars to, say: RATES
- 43. ___ to middling: FAIR
- 44. Actress Anderson of "Baywatch": PAMELA
- 45. Risk everything: GOFORBROKE
- 50. Slippery: EELY
- 51. Gold star or silver medal: AWARD
- 52. Realty listing data: BATHS
- 54. The "B" in Roy G. Biv: BLUE
- 55. Carved decoration on a ship's prow ... or a hint to the first word of 17-, 25-, 37- and 45-Across: FIGUREHEAD
- 60. Something you can see through: LENS
- 61. "Dark Sky Island" singer, 2015: ENYA
- 62. "May the ___ be with you": FORCE
- 63. Coup d'___: ETAT
- 64. Indian royal: RANI
- 65. Many a middle-schooler: TWEEN
down
- 1. "What's the ___?": DIF
- 2. Bird that can run up to 30 m.p.h.: EMU
- 3. One of 15 in a typical weekday crossword: Abbr.: COL
- 4. Dead-end street: CULDESAC
- 5. 1 for hydrogen or 2 for helium: Abbr.: ATNO
- 6. Linotype machine, nowadays: RELIC
- 7. Starts, as a big job: HASAT
- 8. Egg: Prefix: OVO
- 9. Rand Paul or Marco Rubio: Abbr.: SEN
- 10. Everest guide: SHERPA
- 11. Homely home: HOVEL
- 12. Minneapolis suburb: EDINA
- 13. Symbol of Jesus Christ in the "Narnia" series: ASLAN
- 18. Historical periods: ERAS
- 21. Only country in which Catalan is the official language: ANDORRA
- 22. Half of S.W.A.K.: AKISS
- 23. Who wrote "Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass on": DANTE
- 24. Dark: UNLIT
- 26. "All ___ lost": ISNOT
- 27. Honolulu's island: OAHU
- 29. All thumbs: AWKWARD
- 32. Red Sox Hall-of-Famer Bobby: DOERR
- 33. Yiddish cries: OYS
- 34. Private pupil: TUTEE
- 35. Part of a fishing line to which a hook is attached: SNELL
- 36. Analyze, as ore: ASSAY
- 38. Oakland paper, for short: TRIB
- 39. Where you might hear "Ding ding ding!": GAMESHOW
- 43. Setting for "Little Red Riding Hood": FOREST
- 44. Czech form of the French "Pierre": PETR
- 45. One of seven in a Hawthorne title: GABLE
- 46. Small hooter: OWLET
- 47. Animals, collectively: FAUNA
- 48. Delivery person?: OBGYN
- 49. Island neighbor of 27-Down: KAUAI
- 53. Test by lifting: HEFT
- 55. "Oh, ___ cryin' out loud!": FER
- 56. "___ perfect world ...": INA
- 57. Before, poetically: ERE
- 58. Star pitcher: ACE
- 59. Cub Scout group: DEN
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.