NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for April 15, 2016
Friday, April 15, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, April 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
- 16
- 33
- 50
- 62
Down clues & answers
- 21
- 26
- 32
- 36
- 51
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, April 14, 2016
across
- 1. Tablecloth material: LACE
- 5. Some spoonfuls: DOSES
- 10. Mull (over): CHEW
- 14. "My turn": IMUP
- 15. Space ___: OPERA
- 16. Naturalization requirement: OATH
- 17. Mathematician John portrayed in "A Beautiful Mind": NASH
- 18. Part of a classical education: LATIN
- 19. One-named singer born Christa Päffgen: NICO
- 20. Ziegfeld Follies costumer: ERTE
- 21. Fowl territory?: CHICKENR
- 23. Societal instability resulting from a breakdown in values: ANOMIE
- 25. He gave Odysseus a bag of winds: AEOLUS
- 28. Like traditional media, to some: LAMES
- 29. Original airer of "The Office": BBC
- 32. Sound from a haunted house: GROAN
- 33. CVS rival: RITEAID
- 36. Cannes condiment: SEL
- 37. Summer amusements ... or a literal description of three answers in this puzzle: WATERSLIDES
- 40. Employer whose workers don't discuss their jobs much, in short: CIA
- 42. Top choice in December?: DREIDEL
- 43. Nighttime irregularity: APNEA
- 46. ___ Clare, ward in Dickens's "Bleak House": ADA
- 47. Take the wrong way?: BOOST
- 51. Free-for-all: DONNYB
- 53. Small fry: MINNOW
- 54. Home of the Big House in college football: ANNARBOR
- 58. Piddling: MERE
- 59. Atmosphere: VIBE
- 61. Spacious: ROOMY
- 62. App purchaser: USER
- 63. Noodle concoction?: IDEA
- 64. Home for American alligators: BAYOU
- 65. Stocking material: SILK
- 66. Abbr. found on some corporate logos: ESTD
- 67. Gesture made with the thumb and nose: SNOOK
- 68. Decryption needs: KEYS
down
- 1. Hereditary: LINEAL
- 2. Site where cuneiform tablets were discovered: AMARNA
- 3. Made-to-order: CUSTOM
- 4. Transient things: EPHEMERA
- 5. Sweet, in Sorrento: DOLCE
- 6. Hawaiian seafood: OPAH
- 7. Radio listener grp.: SETI
- 8. ___ Blair, George Orwell's real name: ERIC
- 9. Decaf choice: SANKA
- 10. Sarah ___, protagonist of "The Terminator": CONNOR
- 11. It usually reveals more than you want: HAIRLOSS
- 12. Sentence shortener: ETC
- 13. Question suggesting "Never heard of 'em": WHO
- 22. Brain test, briefly: EEG
- 24. "Oh, really?": ISIT
- 26. OPEC member: Abbr.: UAE
- 27. High-profile gig for a musician, for short: SNL
- 29. He actually said "I really didn't say everything I said": BERRA
- 30. Headquartered: BASED
- 31. Lashes: CILIA
- 34. "TRUS___" (2016 political slogan): TED
- 35. Checked off the bucket list, say: DID
- 37. "Care to make it interesting?": WANNABET
- 38. "Entourage" actress Mazar: DEBI
- 39. SpaceX C.E.O.: ELONMUSK
- 40. Stinker: CAD
- 41. Angel's payoff, for short: IPO
- 44. Santa's reindeer, counting Rudolph: ENNEAD
- 45. Rand popular with the Tea Party: AYN
- 48. Newborn attire: ONESIE
- 49. In a bad way: SORELY
- 50. Moves behind?: TWERKS
- 52. Put-downs: BARBS
- 53. Iconic green poison symbol: MRYUK
- 55. Equine color: ROAN
- 56. Laddie: BOYO
- 57. Melville's second novel: OMOO
- 59. Battle: VIE
- 60. Subjects of some voting laws: IDS
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.