NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 27, 2016

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Thursday, October 27, 2016

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:21 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, October 27, 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.

78 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

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

across

1. Places for hosp. scrubs: ORS
4. Arab Spring country: LIBYA
9. Overcaffeinated: WIRED
14. Bring home: NET
15. "Too rich for me": IMOUT
16. Month after diciembre: ENERO
17. Blacktop material: TAR
18. Source of start-up cash, perhaps: BANKLENDING
20. ___ Cup: AMERICAS
22. Makes up (for): ATONES
23. Prefix with science or intellectual: PSEUDO
24. Hot 17-Across, e.g.: GOO
25. Guava or papaya: TROPICALFRUIT
32. Certain pool sites, for short: YMCAS
34. Robin Hood, notably: THIEF
35. Verbal zinger: MOT
36. Countess's man: EARL
37. Basic spreadsheet function: SUM
38. Like much Gene Wilder humor: ZANY
39. Roll call vote: AYE
40. Port of Iraq: BASRA
42. Like cobra/mongoose encounters, to cobras: FATAL
43. "Fast Times" school: RIDGEMONTHIGH
46. Indian bread: NAN
47. Running by itself: ONAUTO
50. Low-altitude clouds: STRATI
53. Certain Indonesian: SUMATRAN
55. Not dress overmodestly ... or what 18-, 25- and 43-Across each do?: SHOWSOMELEG
57. G.I. fare: MRE
58. Figure head?: TOTEM
59. "Meet the Press" feature: PANEL
60. ___ rule: ASA
61. Glove material: SUEDE
62. It's a blessing: GRACE
63. Zippo: NIL

down

1. Ready to pour: ONTAP
2. Enlarges, as a hole: REAMS
3. Good rep: STREETCRED
4. Sexual appetites: LIBIDOS
5. Sgt. Friday catchphrase: IMACOP
6. ___ fide: BONA
7. Big laughs: YUKS
8. NATO part: Abbr.: ATL
9. Exploded: WENTOFF
10. Like winter soccer, most likely: INDOOR
11. Rider's handful: REIN
12. Fish-eating raptor: ERNE
13. Feet, slangily: DOGS
19. Sea ___ (12-Down): EAGLE
21. Like Mayberry: RURAL
26. "For real!": ITSSO
27. Butter maker: CHURN
28. Shoot for: AIMAT
29. "Kill Bill" co-star: UMATHURMAN
30. Inner Hebrides isle: IONA
31. Texter's "ciao": TTYL
32. Wine bottle datum: YEAR
33. "Please?": MAYI
38. Restaurant guide name since 1979: ZAGAT
40. "No clue": BEATSME
41. Prenatal test, for short: AMNIO
42. Acquire by deceit: FINAGLE
44. Chewed like a chipmunk: GNAWED
45. Onetime for-girls-only course, for short: HOMEEC
48. Sets of foot bones: TARSI
49. Tatum who won an Oscar at 10: ONEAL
50. J.F.K. landers until 2003: SSTS
51. G: THOU
52. Tedious way to learn: ROTE
53. Blacken on a grill: SEAR
54. Neighbor of the funny bone: ULNA
56. High fig. for a hybrid car: MPG

Hints and full breakdown for Oct 26

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.