NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 19, 2016
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, October 19, 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
- 21
- 53
Down clues & answers
- 43
- 47
- 54
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
across
- 1. Plumbing problem: CLOG
- 5. Gulf of ___ (arm of the Red Sea): AQABA
- 10. Progeny: Abbr.: DESC
- 14. Flying start?: AERO
- 15. Stock of words, informally: VOCAB
- 16. Country's McEntire: REBA
- 17. 1961-75: VIETNAMERA
- 19. Asia's disappearing ___ Sea: ARAL
- 20. ___ Master's Voice: HIS
- 21. Reprimand to a dog, maybe: BADGIRL
- 23. Prank: ANTIC
- 26. Cigarette stat: TAR
- 28. Manipulators: USERS
- 29. Public transportation system in the capital of Catalonia: BARCELONAMETRO
- 32. Carnival city, casually: RIO
- 33. Time of one's life?: AGE
- 34. I-85 and I-77 to get from Atlanta to Cleveland, e.g.: Abbr.: RTE
- 35. National Historic Landmark in Pearl Harbor: ARIZONAMEMORIAL
- 42. Tattoo parlor supply: INK
- 43. Egg: Prefix: OVO
- 44. Rap's Dr. ___: DRE
- 45. Marvel Comics superhero wielding a nearly indestructible shield: CAPTAINAMERICA
- 50. Ralph ___ Emerson: WALDO
- 51. Wine: Prefix: OEN
- 52. What birds of prey do: SWOOP
- 53. Clarinet need: ONEREED
- 55. "___ Little Teapot": IMA
- 56. Roasted: Fr.: ROTI
- 57. What 50-Across is ... or a clue to 17-, 29-, 35- and 45-Across: MIDDLENAME
- 63. Belarussian, e.g.: SLAV
- 64. Change from "I do" to "I don't"?: ANNUL
- 65. Illusionist Henning: DOUG
- 66. 3M product: TAPE
- 67. Guess things: JEANS
- 68. Additionally: ALSO
down
- 1. Cleveland player, for short: CAV
- 2. Hawaiian shirt go-with: LEI
- 3. Bank deposit?: ORE
- 4. "Wuthering Heights" genre: GOTHIC
- 5. Actress Gardner and others: AVAS
- 6. Iranian holy city: QOM
- 7. Top fighter pilot: ACE
- 8. Singer Streisand: BARBRA
- 9. Rhyme scheme in the last verse of a villanelle: ABAA
- 10. "The Fast and the Furious" racer: DRAGSTER
- 11. More spooky: EERIER
- 12. Italian restaurant chain: SBARRO
- 13. "Safe!" and "You're out!": CALLS
- 18. French city named after the Greek goddess of victory: NICE
- 22. As a result of: DUETO
- 23. Start of a magician's cry: ABRA
- 24. Commercial alternative to waxing: NAIR
- 25. Enterprise counselor: TROI
- 26. Attire for Atticus: TOGA
- 27. Tentacled marine creature: ANEMONE
- 30. Sri ___: LANKA
- 31. 1983 Michael Keaton comedy: MRMOM
- 36. Obsolescent data storage device: ZIPDRIVE
- 37. En pointe, in ballet: ONTOE
- 38. ___ Spiegel, co-founder of Snapchat: EVAN
- 39. Prefix with -syncratic: IDIO
- 40. Gas brand rendered in all capital letters: ARCO
- 41. ___ of faith: LEAP
- 45. Olive oil alternative: CANOLA
- 46. Pub fixture: ALETAP
- 47. What I may stand for?: IODINE
- 48. Salinger title girl: ESME
- 49. Neighbor of Tanzania: RWANDA
- 50. Razzie Award word: WORST
- 54. Key with four sharps: Abbr.: EMAJ
- 55. Woes: ILLS
- 58. Subject for Watson and Crick: DNA
- 59. Grayish-brown: DUN
- 60. The "A" of AIM: AOL
- 61. Followers of lambdas: MUS
- 62. Id's counterpart: EGO
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.