NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 15, 2016
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, March 15, 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
- 23
- 36
- 63
Down clues & answers
- 33
- 39
- 49
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, March 14, 2016
across
- 1. "Away with you!": SCAT
- 5. Snide: CATTY
- 10. Skier's lift: TBAR
- 14. "Nah!": UHUH
- 15. Hawaiian hi: ALOHA
- 16. Southwest tribe: HOPI
- 17. Cheese in spinach pies: FETA
- 18. "Wilbur, get in the game!": PLAYWRIGHT
- 20. "Elijah, press your clothes!": IRONWOOD
- 22. Woman who lent her name to a business-locating "list": ANGIE
- 23. Philosopher Immanuel: KANT
- 24. 2005-08 position held by Barack Obama: Abbr.: SEN
- 26. Employees at the Times or Post, for short: EDS
- 27. Wuss: SISSY
- 30. Fought head to head, like bighorns: BUTTED
- 32. End of a univ. email address: EDU
- 33. "Eric, give some to us!": SHAREHOLDER
- 38. McEntire at the Grand Ole Opry: REBA
- 40. Manage to avoid: ELUDE
- 41. Glutton's desire: MORE
- 42. "Sally, keep up the fight!": BATTLEFIELD
- 45. Become the champ: WIN
- 46. Introduction: LEADIN
- 47. Possessed: OWNED
- 49. Ginger ___: ALE
- 51. Reverse of NNW: SSE
- 52. Clown's name: BOZO
- 54. Potato treat for Hanukkah: LATKE
- 56. "Larry, shoot!": FIREBIRD
- 60. "Emma, do that sexy dance!": GRINDSTONE
- 63. The "B" of Roy G. Biv: BLUE
- 64. Chevy that's now called the Sonic: AVEO
- 65. Slow, in music: LARGO
- 66. Arm or leg: LIMB
- 67. A.L. division for the Yankees: EAST
- 68. "Omigosh!": YIKES
- 69. Talks one's head off: YAPS
down
- 1. One practicing a mystical form of Islam: SUFI
- 2. Sonny's old singing partner: CHER
- 3. Chevy, e.g.: AUTO
- 4. "That was so nice of you!": THANKS
- 5. Rooster destined for dinner: CAPON
- 6. Apportion: ALLOT
- 7. Amphibian that doesn't really cause warts: TOAD
- 8. "Frailty, ___ name is woman!": Hamlet: THY
- 9. Deviate erratically from a course: YAW
- 10. Slender: THIN
- 11. Mired: BOGGEDDOWN
- 12. Crop-destroying insect: APHID
- 13. Bat mitzvahs and baptisms: RITES
- 19. Totaled, as a bill: RANTO
- 21. House Committee on ___ and Means: WAYS
- 24. Velvety leather: SUEDE
- 25. Merman in old musicals: ETHEL
- 27. Novak Djokovic, for one: SERB
- 28. Notion: IDEA
- 29. Easy-to-overlook details: SUBTLETIES
- 30. Boston pro on ice: BRUIN
- 31. Victim of a bark beetle barrage: ELM
- 34. Considers carefully, as advice: HEEDS
- 35. Title role for Michael Caine or Jude Law: ALFIE
- 36. Lake on Ohio's northern border: ERIE
- 37. Tear apart: REND
- 39. Chowed down: ATE
- 43. Cut with an intense light: LASED
- 44. Nod off: DOZE
- 48. Unsteady: WOBBLY
- 49. Organisms that cause red tide: ALGAE
- 50. Tadpole or caterpillar: LARVA
- 52. Spree: BINGE
- 53. Things to "Twist, Lick, Dunk" in a game app: OREOS
- 55. Tie that's hard to untie: KNOT
- 56. Decision point in a road: FORK
- 57. Largest pelvic bones: ILIA
- 58. Posterior: RUMP
- 59. Socialites having a ball: DEBS
- 61. Furtive: SLY
- 62. Mai ___ (bar order): TAI
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.