NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 17, 2016

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, September 17, 2016

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:22 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, September 17, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

1
Educational foundations
2
Lend
3
One day's drive, maybe
4
N.F.C. South pro
5
They're graded in geology class
6
Spot for autograph seekers
7
Top
8
One who works a lot?
9
Bulldog rival
10
Spelling with lines
11
"Whew!," upon arriving home
12
Cry before rage-quitting
13
Plaster of paris, essentially
18
King James, e.g.
23
Country that's home to Dracula's Castle
25
Tickets, in slang
27
Pupil
30
They're often said to be sitting or moving
33
Claim
35
Angst-ridden and moody
36
Currency of Peru
37
Place to do some shots?
38
It has rules for writing
39
San Diego suburb known as the "Jewel of the Hills"
42
Wing it?
43
Get misty
44
Catch in a net
47
Deplete
48
One exposed by a flip-flop
51
Summer coolers
53
Counter orders?
57
Bitter ___
58
Card

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

WhatsApp X Reddit

Previous The Crossword answer

Friday, September 16, 2016

across

1. Handle things: COPE
5. Try out: TEST
9. Additional: OTHER
14. With nobody playing, say: ACAPPELLA
16. Retro stereo component: PHONO
17. Life preserver?: CEREALBOX
18. Katherine of NBC's "State of Affairs": HEIGL
19. Observes closely: TAKESNOTE
20. Girl adopted by Silas Marner: EPPIE
21. Anxious: INASTEW
22. Anti-___ League (Progressive Era organization): SALOON
24. Blade brand: ATRA
26. On the program: BILLED
28. Feels deep sympathy: ACHES
32. Site of Oscar Wilde's trials: OLDBAILEY
34. By and by: SOON
35. Sound effects pioneer Jack: FOLEY
36. Mandatory courses: CORE
37. Eponym of Bible history: KINGJAMES
39. Ehrich ___ a.k.a. Harry Houdini: WEISS
40. Was unconsciously disturbing?: SNORED
41. "I, Claudius" figure: NERO
43. Blathers: PRATES
45. Component of some biodiesels: CORNOIL
50. Ones coming ashore: SURFS
51. Put away for someone: ONRESERVE
53. Drafted: WROTE
54. One with changing needs: DIAPERBAG
55. It may be off the charts: ISLET
56. Like some physicians: ATTENDING
57. Fuses: MELDS
58. Person offering you a fortune: SEER
59. Command that a dog shouldn't follow: STAY

down

1. Section of a botanical garden: CACTI
2. School zone?: OCEAN
3. Top of the winter: PARKA
4. Swords, in Sèvres: EPEES
5. PC-linking program: TELNET
6. It's hard to find in a crowd: ELBOWROOM
7. 8:00-9:00 on TV, e.g.: SLOT
8. Proverbial certainty: TAXES
9. Shakespeare character who coins the term "primrose path": OPHELIA
10. Winner of back-to-back Best Rock Instrumental Grammys in 1980 and 1981: THEPOLICE
11. The ordinary folk: HOIPOLLOI
12. "Scientists dream about doing great things. ___ do them": James A. Michener: ENGINEERS
13. Capacity: ROLE
15. Gigli and pici, for two: PASTAS
23. "Dear ___" (1960s-'70s radio program): ABBY
25. Longtime "Voice of the New York Yankees": ALLEN
27. Easter stock: DYES
28. Does some grilling: ASKS
29. Quarters' quarters?: COINPURSE
30. Group that almost can't fail?: HONORROLL
31. Added to a plant: ENGRAFTED
33. Treat with violent disrespect: DESECRATE
35. Become dull: FADE
38. Lives the high life: JETSETS
39. Go downhill: WORSEN
42. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard: ROEPER
44. Soft options?: SODAS
46. Brainy high school clique: NERDS
47. Cosmic path: ORBIT
48. Former Trump Organization member: IVANA
49. Like Ziegfeld girls: LEGGY
50. Thick of things, in a manner of speaking: SWIM
52. Kid Cudi's "Day 'n' ___": NITE

Hints and full breakdown for Sep 16

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.