NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 2, 2016

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Wednesday, March 2, 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 Wednesday, March 2, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

across

1. "Put a tiger in your tank" brand: ESSO
5. One watching very, very closely: HAWK
9. Egyptian vipers: ASPS
13. Theater ticket price factor: TIER
14. Bread spread: OLEO
15. Like the Parthenon: GREEK
16. Tri and tri again?: HEXA
17. Ooze: SEEP
18. Fine Cremona violin: AMATI
19. 2000-03 Disney Channel series with Shia LaBeouf: EVENSTEVENS
22. Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall": LPS
23. Pigeon's perch: LEDGE
24. High-stress hosp. area: ICU
25. Follower of wye: ZEE
26. Daredevil who survived more than 400 bone fractures: EVELKNIEVEL
31. Not socially acceptable: UNPC
35. Dawn goddess: EOS
36. Advil competitor: ALEVE
37. Oil-producing matter in shale: KEROGEN
39. User names on Twitter: HANDLES
41. Each and ___: EVERY
42. Extension for the White House website: GOV
43. Number two: Abbr.: ASST
44. Place to buy a Slurpee: SEVENELEVEN
48. Like most Twizzlers: RED
49. Accept, as losses: EAT
50. "Eek!": YIPES
55. Watergate monogram: RMN
56. 1950 Bette Davis film hinting at something found 15 times in this puzzle: ALLABOUTEVE
59. Chat up at a bar, say: HITON
61. Missing, militarily: AWOL
62. W.W. II British gun: STEN
63. 56-Down opener: ENERO
64. Some shortening: LARD
65. ___ Health magazine: MENS
66. Throws in: ADDS
67. Affirmations to captains: AYES
68. Art Deco designer of the 1920s and '30s: ERTE

down

1. Merman of song and stage: ETHEL
2. Forty-niner's tool: SIEVE
3. Birds-and-the-bees class: SEXED
4. Sumatran swinger, informally: ORANG
5. Chris Rock, for the 2016 Oscars: HOST
6. Sailor's heading: ALEE
7. Plantation pests: WEEVILS
8. Fraction of a ruble: KOPECK
9. Fjord vis-à-vis an ocean: ARM
10. Things that are rising globally, according to scientists: SEALEVELS
11. Personal annoyances: PETPEEVES
12. Super G needs: SKIS
15. "What a ___!": GAS
20. "Get it?": SEE
21. Certain rosary counter: NUN
25. Nintendo video game princess: ZELDA
27. Shape of some shirt necks: VEE
28. It's been a long time: EON
29. Sir ___ McKellen (Gandalf portrayer): IAN
30. For fear that: LEST
31. Luau music makers, for short: UKES
32. "Forget I said that": NEVERMIND
33. Stopped: PREVENTED
34. Hollowed out, as an apple: CORED
38. Ob-___: GYN
39. Kind of lane for car-poolers: HOV
40. "___ Maria": AVE
42. Quick vacation: GETAWAY
45. Prey for a barracuda: EEL
46. Syllables delivered with fingers in the ears: LALALA
47. Greenwich Village sch.: NYU
51. Response to "Who's there?": ITSME
52. Flying Pan: PETER
53. High jump or 4 x 100-meter relay: EVENT
54. Brains: SENSE
55. Cousin of an ostrich: RHEA
56. Year, in Uruguay: ANO
57. Snoozer: BORE
58. Bygone G.M. car, appropriately enough: OLDS
60. Surgery sites, briefly: ORS

Hints and full breakdown for Mar 1

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.