NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for November 20, 2016
Sunday, November 20, 2016
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, November 20, 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
- 29
- 36
- 37
- 72
- 73
- 85
- 87
- 97
- 115
- 117
- 118
- 120
- 122
Down clues & answers
- 28
- 40
- 64
- 105
- 108
- 112
- 118
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, November 19, 2016
across
- 1. Skated on thin ice: RANARISK
- 9. Scrap: SETTO
- 14. Blips: ANOMALIES
- 16. Square: UNHIP
- 17. Title for the leader of Chile or South Korea: MADAMEPRESIDENT
- 19. Blip on a radar screen: PLANE
- 20. Miss, abroad: Abbr.: SRTA
- 21. His gravestone says simply "PLAYWRIGHT": INGE
- 22. Counterpart to 24-Across: YANG
- 24. Counterpart to 22-Across: YIN
- 25. It's a must: NEED
- 26. Precursor of rocksteady: SKA
- 28. Org. featured in 2014's "Cesar Chavez": UFW
- 30. Dish made with mayo: SLAW
- 32. Former minority whip in both the House and Senate: LOTT
- 34. It seeks pledges annually: FRAT
- 36. App tappers: STYLI
- 39. Like neat freaks: ULTRAFASTIDIOUS
- 42. Hindi for "palace": MAHAL
- 43. "A storm's a-brewin'": UHOH
- 44. Logical connector: ERGO
- 45. Lady of Camelot: ENID
- 47. Event requiring an S.E.C. filing: IPO
- 48. Cognizance: KEN
- 49. Subj. of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976: PCBS
- 51. Arabic patronymic part: IBN
- 53. Alternative to a tap: PSST
- 56. Author whose "Earth's Children" series has sold more than 45 million copies: AUEL
- 57. "Paul Bunyan's toothpicks": LOGS
- 59. Italian sausage ingredient: ANISE
- 62. Where East meets West?: NBAALLSTARGAMES
- 65. Pronouncements: DICTA
- 66. Military testing grounds and such: NOGOAREAS
- 67. Had a bad feeling: ACHED
- 68. High class: NOBLESSE
down
- 1. Inclination: RAMP
- 2. 39-Across, informally: ANAL
- 3. Hardly a piece of cake: NODAYATTHEBEACH
- 4. Name on a range: AMANA
- 5. Common microwaveable dish: RAMEN
- 6. Haiti's ___-à-Vache: ILE
- 7. Doesn't toss back, say: SIPS
- 8. Lead actress on TV's "Scandal": KERRYWASHINGTON
- 9. ___ juris (of legal age): SUI
- 10. Deadlock: ENDINATIE
- 11. It sold for a penny at its 1851 launch: THENEWYORKTIMES
- 12. Shade: TINGE
- 13. Chose: OPTED
- 15. Program whose prospects are looking up?: SETI
- 18. Minus: SANS
- 23. Lip: GUFF
- 26. Subject of "How the Other Half Lives": SLUM
- 27. Rain forest nut: KOLA
- 29. Mrs., abroad: FRAU
- 31. Something taken in preparation for a trip: LSD
- 33. Decode: TRANSLATE
- 35. Old Trans Am feature: TTOP
- 37. Olympic event with singles, doubles and team relay: LUGE
- 38. Airs: ISON
- 40. Loser of the Drama in Bahama: ALI
- 41. Food chain: IHOP
- 46. Salmon seasoning: DILL
- 49. The Beijing Olympics mascot Jingjing, e.g.: PANDA
- 50. Like some feet: CUBIC
- 52. J. M. Barrie's Mr. Smee, e.g.: BOSN
- 54. Katey of "Sons of Anarchy": SAGAL
- 55. Net: SNARE
- 58. ___ pearls (tapioca lookalike): SAGO
- 60. A vast quantity: SEAS
- 61. North Carolina motto opener: ESSE
- 63. Bucko: LAD
- 64. Pirate, e.g.: ROB
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.