NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 12, 2016
Friday, August 12, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, August 12, 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
- 22
- 34
- 35
- 38
- 39
- 41
- 44
- 50
Down clues & answers
- 14
- 24
- 47
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, August 11, 2016
across
- 1. Capital south of Lake Volta: ACCRA
- 6. Qdoba offering: TACO
- 10. J. K. Rowling, by residence: SCOT
- 14. Show in syndication, say: REAIR
- 15. Without restraint: AMOK
- 16. Something that may crash and break: WAVE
- 17. [See circled letters]: CONFISCATE
- 19. Like Antarctica: ARID
- 20. Passed out: DEALT
- 21. ___ Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo: EDMOND
- 23. No one in particular: ANY
- 25. [See circled letters]: LIFEOFRILEY
- 28. Source of sake: RICE
- 30. Weight lifter: PULLEY
- 31. [See circled letters]: GOODGOLLY
- 33. Excites: WHETS
- 38. Winston's tormenter in "1984": OBRIEN
- 39. "Lincoln" or "Nixon": BIOPIC
- 40. "It is better to give than to receive," e.g.: TENET
- 41. [See circled letters]: FLIRTWITH
- 44. Irritation reaction: SNEEZE
- 46. Body ___: SLAM
- 47. [See circled letters]: SCRUTINIZES
- 52. Longtime resident of New York's Dakota apartments: ONO
- 53. Standout: PHENOM
- 54. Missing nothing on: ACING
- 56. Wise guy: YOGI
- 57. [See circled letters]: RUNTHROUGH
- 62. Band of brothers?: FRAT
- 63. Score of a lifetime?: OPUS
- 64. When José Martí was born: ENERO
- 65. One way to stand by: IDLY
- 66. T. rex, e.g.: DINO
- 67. Trunks, of a sort: NOSES
down
- 1. A shooting star has one: ARC
- 2. Co. leader: CEO
- 3. Halloween handout: CANDYCORN
- 4. Bursting (with): RIFE
- 5. Font akin to Helvetica: ARIAL
- 6. Possessed of savoir-faire: TACTFUL
- 7. No-holds-barred online Q&A: AMA
- 8. Disaster shelter sight: COT
- 9. Michael of "Caddyshack": OKEEFE
- 10. Wise guy: SWAMI
- 11. Air when it's cold outside?: CAROL
- 12. Sheepish: OVINE
- 13. Purchase in a bear market?: TEDDY
- 18. Don, as a chemise: SLIPON
- 22. Stephen Colbert forte: DRYWIT
- 23. Cant: ARGOT
- 24. Mythical eponym of element #41: NIOBE
- 26. Late start?: ELL
- 27. Northwest brew, familiarly: OLY
- 29. Singer Brickell who fronted the New Bohemians: EDIE
- 32. Exasperates: GETSTO
- 34. "___ tricks?": HOWS
- 35. Storied endings?: EPILOGUES
- 36. Captain of industry: TITAN
- 37. Jerk: SCHMO
- 39. Back of a gun barrel: BREECH
- 41. Reedy area: FEN
- 42. Biodegradable neckwear: LEI
- 43. "Oh, really?!": IZZATSO
- 45. Jerk: NIMROD
- 47. "Mission: Impossible" genre: SPYFI
- 48. Musical trio, often: CHORD
- 49. Uncommon?: REGAL
- 50. One of the seven principles of Kwanzaa: UNITY
- 51. Blue wail?: SIREN
- 55. Texting in a theater, e.g.: NONO
- 58. Reuters competitor: UPI
- 59. Creature of habit?: NUN
- 60. M.A. seeker's hurdle: GRE
- 61. Parts of a Santa Claus balloon: HOS
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.