NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 8, 2017
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, February 8, 2017. 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
- 14
- 15
- 33
- 62
Down clues & answers
- 36
- 41
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
across
- 1. Bear whose bed was too hard for Goldilocks: PAPA
- 5. With 15-Across, "Don't delay!": ACT
- 8. First coat for a painter: PRIMER
- 14. At any point in history: EVER
- 15. See 5-Across: NOW
- 16. Chest of drawers: BUREAU
- 17. Repeated word before "pants on fire": LIAR
- 18. Queen's place: CHESSBOARD
- 20. Mexican dish served in a shell: TACO
- 21. Villain's vanquisher: HERO
- 22. On edge: ANTSY
- 23. Queens' place: NEWYORKCITY
- 26. Loser to the tortoise, in fable: HARE
- 27. Lovey-dovey sound: COO
- 28. "Let's Get Loud" singer, affectionately: JLO
- 31. People often caution against reinventing it: WHEEL
- 34. "The ___, the Proud, the Marines": FEW
- 35. Oafish sort: BOOR
- 36. Queens' place: RUPAULSDRAGRACE
- 40. In: AMID
- 41. Broadcast: AIR
- 42. Broadcast part: AUDIO
- 43. Muscle toned from push-ups, informally: PEC
- 44. Comic strip sound from a drunkard: HIC
- 45. Make bread: EARN
- 47. With 57-Across, Queen's place: ROCKANDROLL
- 51. Many a Donald Trump announcement: TWEET
- 54. Snowman in "Frozen": OLAF
- 55. Common street name: MAIN
- 57. See 47-Across: HALLOFFAME
- 59. Off-roaders, for short: ATVS
- 60. Debonair: URBANE
- 61. Fish eggs: ROE
- 62. Place divers explore: REEF
- 63. Hung around: STAYED
- 64. Title for two Clue characters: MRS
- 65. Annual Austin festival, for short: SXSW
down
- 1. Animal hide: PELT
- 2. Bird-related: AVIAN
- 3. "See ya": PEACE
- 4. Pointy stone used in early Native American weaponry: ARROWHEAD
- 5. TV news deliverer: ANCHOR
- 6. Hold together: COHERE
- 7. Shake one's booty: TWERK
- 8. "Masterpiece Theatre" network: PBS
- 9. In a relaxed rhythm, musically: RUBATO
- 10. Twisted humor: IRONY
- 11. Heart of the matter: MEAT
- 12. Prominent Dumbo features: EARS
- 13. 1993 football movie starring Sean Astin: RUDY
- 19. World Cup sport: SOCCER
- 24. Asian river whose name is one letter away from an Ivy League college: YALU
- 25. Site of the first-in-the-nation caucuses: IOWA
- 28. "The Grapes of Wrath" surname: JOAD
- 29. Central points: LOCI
- 30. Cookie that's often pulled apart: OREO
- 31. "That's a ___!": WRAP
- 32. David ___, philosopher influenced by Locke: HUME
- 33. Grander than grand: EPIC
- 34. Four-term prez: FDR
- 35. 2014 Super Bowl performer: BRUNOMARS
- 37. Secular: LAIC
- 38. So done with: SICKOF
- 39. Teri who played Phoebe's mother on "Friends": GARR
- 44. Scorcher: HOTONE
- 45. Inflame with love: ENAMOR
- 46. Charges for some Madison Avenue firms: ADFEES
- 47. Track-and-field event: RELAY
- 48. Bedside buzzer: ALARM
- 49. Condom material: LATEX
- 50. A cat is said to have nine of them: LIVES
- 51. "Ergo ...": THUS
- 52. Blemish: WART
- 53. First place where Napoleon was exiled: ELBA
- 56. Warning initials above an Internet link: NSFW
- 58. Interest rate setter, with "the": FED
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.