NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 29, 2016
Monday, February 29, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, February 29, 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
- 15
- 45
- 52
Down clues & answers
- 29
- 40
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, February 28, 2016
across
- 1. Make less dangerous, in a way: DECLAW
- 7. Sleep lab study: APNEA
- 12. Some school edicts: BANS
- 16. Small invention: FIB
- 19. Eagle constellation: AQUILA
- 20. Signature Michael Jackson wear: GLOVE
- 21. Runway model?: AIRPLANE
- 23. Fly swatter?: BUZZERBEATER
- 25. "It seems to me ...": IDARESAY
- 26. Attack order: SIC
- 27. Rationale: BASIS
- 28. Trickle: OOZE
- 30. "The Good Wife" figures: Abbr.: ATTS
- 31. Confer: POWWOW
- 34. Drool from both sides of the mouth?: DOUBLEDRIBBLE
- 38. Screams bloody murder: HOWLS
- 40. Brought up: BRED
- 41. Narrow lead in baseball: ONERUN
- 42. Quaker of note?: ASPEN
- 45. In base 8: OCTAL
- 47. Sound near a spittoon: PTUI
- 50. Brooding music genre: EMO
- 51. Tip of an épée?: POINTGUARD
- 53. Sci-fi film with a 2010 sequel: TRON
- 54. Brings in: REAPS
- 56. Palindromic girl: ANA
- 57. ": DITTO
- 58. Busted timer?: SHOTCLOCK
- 60. Illicit sum: RANSOM
- 62. Anderson of "WKRP": LONI
- 64. Historic siege site: ALAMO
- 65. Legendary siege site: TROY
- 66. Desi Arnaz?: BALLHANDLER
- 70. Unsteady gait: LIMP
- 74. Cutting edge: BLADE
- 76. Karaoke bar sight: MIKE
- 77. Key of Brahms's Symphony No. 4: EMINOR
- 79. Winning an Oscar for "Norma Rae"?: FIELDGOAL
- 81. One of the Gabor sisters: MAGDA
- 84. Prompt: CUE
- 85. Actress Thomas: MARLO
- 87. Reclined: LAIN
- 88. Acrophobe's term for a route through the mountains?: NOLOOKPASS
- 90. Encouraging word: OLE
- 91. Fire place?: HELL
- 92. Attended: WASAT
- 93. Soothes: EASES
- 94. One of the Furies: ALECTO
- 97. Asian territory in Risk: SIAM
- 99. Round after the quarters: SEMIS
- 101. Lament from an unlucky shrimper?: NOTHINGBUTNET
- 105. Devotee: VOTARY
- 108. Fallout from the 2000 election?: CHAD
- 109. "My bad!": OOPS
- 110. Put off: DEFER
- 112. Short flight: HOP
- 114. Nougaty treats: MARSBARS
- 116. Writing "30 and single" when it's really "50 and married," e.g.?: PERSONALFOUL
- 120. Reduces to smithereens: ATOMIZES
- 121. Cropped up: AROSE
- 122. Canadian smacker: LOONIE
- 123. Morning condensate: DEW
- 124. Chichi: TONY
- 125. Cantina appetizers: TAPAS
- 126. Go through: EXPEND
down
- 1. Applies gingerly: DABS
- 2. Outfit: EQUIP
- 3. World Heritage Site in the Andes: CUZCO
- 4. Oft-married Taylor: LIZ
- 5. Keg contents: ALE
- 6. Archer's battle weapon: WARBOW
- 7. Forever: AGES
- 8. Like lumberjack jackets: PLAID
- 9. O.K.: NOTSOBAD
- 10. Time for last-minute planning: EVE
- 11. Oxygen-dependent bacterium: AEROBE
- 12. Card table cloth: BAIZE
- 13. Not fully independent: AIDED
- 14. Piece corps, briefly?: NRA
- 15. Almost dislocate: SPRAIN
- 16. Violation of Yom Kippur?: FASTBREAK
- 17. Batting .200, maybe: INASLUMP
- 18. Queen ___ (pop music nickname): BEY
- 22. Don't bother: LETBE
- 24. Give a tongue-lashing: BAWLOUT
- 29. Veteran: OLDPRO
- 32. A question of time: WHEN
- 33. Is unacceptable: WONTDO
- 35. Virtual address: URL
- 36. Père d'un prince: ROI
- 37. 1961 space chimp: ENOS
- 39. Improvise, in a way: SCAT
- 42. Isolated: APART
- 43. Echolocator: SONAR
- 44. Softly: PIANO
- 46. "Three Billy Goats Gruff" villain: TROLL
- 48. Smash up: TOTAL
- 49. "You win!": UNCLE
- 52. Stabilizer of a ship's compass: GIMBAL
- 53. "Use your head!": THINK
- 54. CD-___: ROM
- 55. Ground beef contaminant: ECOLI
- 58. Mobile home resident?: SNAIL
- 59. Rio Grande city: LAREDO
- 61. "Downton Abbey" daughter: SYBIL
- 63. "Jeez!": OHMAN
- 67. Flummox: ADDLE
- 68. De jure: LEGAL
- 69. Showroom models: DEMOS
- 71. Residents of 3-Down: INCAS
- 72. Trackpad alternative: MOUSE
- 73. Lean on: PRESS
- 75. Astral lion: LEO
- 78. Achieve success: MAKEIT
- 79. Rug dealer's special?: FREETHROW
- 80. Prepares for a Mr. Universe competition, say: OILSUP
- 82. "___ the day!" (cry repeated in Shakespeare): ALAS
- 83. Settled the score: GOTEVEN
- 85. Ghostly sound: MOAN
- 86. Apportion: ALLOCATE
- 88. Say "When I met the Dalai Lama last year," say: NAMEDROP
- 89. "Qué ___?": PASA
- 91. Sugar: HON
- 92. Goth-looking, in a way: WAN
- 95. It's hard to get across: CHASM
- 96. Morsel: TIDBIT
- 98. 1994 bomb based on an "S.N.L." character: ITSPAT
- 100. Something to boost: MORALE
- 102. Bridge whiz: GOREN
- 103. Domineering: BOSSY
- 104. Actress Thompson of "Creed": TESSA
- 106. River along Avignon: RHONE
- 107. "Wanna play?": YOUIN
- 111. Anti bodies?: FOES
- 113. Petitioned: PLED
- 114. Whacked: MAD
- 115. Kind of dye: AZO
- 117. The Depression, for one: ERA
- 118. Smoked deli purchase: LOX
- 119. Popinjay: FOP
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.