NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 25, 2016

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Thursday, February 25, 2016

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, February 25, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

across

1. Lofty in thought or manner: LIME
5. Like the area between city and farm: URBAN
10. Puts down by force: DUES
14. Apple originally marketed to schools: EMAC
15. Blackmore's Doone: LORNA
16. M.I.T. part: Abbr.: INST
17. M.I.T. part: Abbr.: TECH
18. Make impure: TAINT
19. City on the Arno: PISA
20. S.U.V. named for a lake: TAHOE
22. Football legend Amos Alonzo ___: STAGG
24. Number of states that border the Mississippi: TEN
25. Composer of music "as ignorable as it is interesting": ENO
26. D-Day vessels, for short: LSTS
28. With all judges present: ENBANC
30. Greet, as the new year: RINGIN
32. Popular Bach piece for the lute: BOURREE
33. Twinings in London is one: TEAHOUSE
36. Super Bowl highlights, to many: ADS
37. Goes underwater ... or a hint to the answers on the perimeter of this puzzle: SUBMERGES
40. "Six-pack" muscles: ABS
42. Talent show judge, often: PANELIST
45. LP protectors: SLEEVES
48. Bow respectfully: SALAAM
50. Fruitcake fruit: CITRON
51. Eartha who sang "C'est Si Bon": KITT
53. Mani-pedi spot: SPA
54. Mens ___ (criminal intent): REA
55. "Star Wars" droid, informally: ARTOO
57. Upper reaches of space: ETHER
59. "You've Got a Friend ___": INME
61. Yoga posture: ASANA
63. Diva ___ Te Kanawa: KIRI
64. Wasabi ___ (bar snack): PEAS
65. Politico lampooned by Fey: PALIN
66. Sign to heed: OMEN
67. Underlying theme: TEXT
68. Take away: TRACT
69. Become less intense: SIDE

down

1. Renter from a renter: LETTER
2. "This is no joke!": IMEANIT
3. Speed of sound: MACHONE
4. Guitar amp effect: ECHO
5. Extreme: Abbr.: ULT
6. Comedians' shindig: ROAST
7. Yanks' allies in W.W. I and II: BRITS
8. Visitor to Siam, on stage and film: ANNA
9. "Explorer" channel: NATGEO
10. Stock market fluctuation: DIP
11. Acrobat's wear: UNITARD
12. Dead Sea Scrolls sect: ESSENES
13. Meat of the matter: STANCE
21. College benefactor Yale: ELIHU
23. Serengeti antelope: GNU
27. Hoity-toity sort: SNOB
29. Rio's land, to natives: BRASIL
31. Thigh-slapper: GASSER
32. Capital on the Aare: BERN
34. World Series game sextet: UMPS
35. Triton's domain: SEA
38. Tale of adventure: GEST
39. Send over the moon: ELATE
40. Property recipient, in law: ALIENEE
41. Loser to VHS: BETAMAX
43. Sushi bar option: SASHIMI
44. Like the pointed end of a pencil: TAPERED
45. The "2" in the formula for water, e.g.: SCRIPT
46. U.S. broadcaster overseas: VOA
47. Totally absorbed: ENRAPT
49. U.S.S. Nautilus, for one: MARINE
51. Eucalyptus-munching animal: KOALA
52. Column style: IONIC
56. Central figure in a Mussorgsky opera: TSAR
58. Ring stoppages, for short: TKOS
60. Guinness suffix: EST
62. Formicide's target: ANT

Hints and full breakdown for Feb 24

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.