NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for April 23, 2016

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, April 23, 2016

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:27 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, April 23, 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.

72 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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Previous The Crossword answer

Friday, April 22, 2016

across

1. Too-clever-by-half type: SMARTYPANTS
12. Important school fig.: GPA
15. Taunt to a head-turner: MADEYOULOOK
16. Head-butter: RAM
17. Make an Amazon visit, say: ORDERONLINE
18. Thoughtful gift?: ESP
19. Lady, for one: TITLE
20. What a pacer may be experiencing: EDGINESS
22. Project Mercury primate: ENOS
23. Still red, say: RARE
25. Flier not found in 49 states: NENE
26. Conform to the party line?: CONGA
27. Salon job, for short: PEDI
29. Hallmark occasion: BIRTHDAY
33. Chinese Fireball or Norwegian Ridgeback, in Harry Potter: DRAGON
35. Reproductive couple: OVARIES
36. Sharp shooter?: NAILGUN
37. Music style featuring accordions: ZYDECO
38. They play by themselves: SOLOISTS
39. Co-star of TV's "thirtysomething": OLIN
40. Trickery: WILES
41. A unit: EACH
43. Years abroad: ANOS
44. Moose predator: PUMA
48. Broad in tastes: CATHOLIC
50. Like silt vis-à-vis sand: FINER
51. Years ___: AGO
52. "Have some fun!": LIVEALITTLE
55. Fox coverage that may be controversial?: FUR
56. What shoulders are often used for: EMERGENCIES
57. Some M.I.T. deg. holders: EES
58. It has many cells: SPREADSHEET

down

1. Hit, old-style: SMOTE
2. Sausalito's county: MARIN
3. Increase: ADDTO
4. Casting needs: REELS
5. Roller on a carriageway: TYRE
6. ___-hoo: YOO
7. Many a Weird Al Yankovic title: PUN
8. Cause of a rash response?: ALLERGY
9. "Got me": NOIDEA
10. Pick up, as ice cubes: TONG
11. Crocheter's purchase: SKEIN
12. Title food in children's literature: GREENEGGS
13. Crashed: PASSEDOUT
14. Tour gear: AMPS
21. Relative of Sinhalese: NEPALI
23. Event with goat tying: RODEO
24. Santa ___ (weather phenomena): ANAS
26. Tony: CHIC
28. Holiday spots?: INNS
29. Doofus: BOZO
30. Lions, Tigers and Bears play in it: IVYLEAGUE
31. Cold remedies?: RADIATORS
32. Depression shared by soldiers: TRENCH
33. Hills' counterparts: DALES
34. Amazonas and Nilo: RIOS
36. Certain plea, for short: NOLO
38. Not faking it: SINCERE
40. Legal release: WAIVER
42. Bad things to find in theories: HOLES
44. Singer's concern: PITCH
45. Let loose: UNTIE
46. Row with many people: MELEE
47. "Give it ___!": AREST
48. Monk's on "Seinfeld," e.g.: CAFE
49. Definitely not step lively: LIMP
50. Bass parts: FINS
53. Turkish chief: AGA
54. Set the pace: LED

Hints and full breakdown for Apr 22

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.