NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 12, 2017
Sunday, February 12, 2017
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, February 12, 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
- 22
- 28
- 48
- 61
- 77
- 81
- 83
- 99
- 100
- 105
- 109
- 110
- 111
- 112
- 114
Down clues & answers
- 11
- 31
- 38
- 74
- 78
- 83
- 87
- 93
- 104
- 106
- 108
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, February 11, 2017
across
- 1. War game: LASERTAG
- 9. Short write-ups: SQUIBS
- 15. "Time was ...": USEDTOBE
- 16. Treat eaten with a spoon: SUNDAE
- 17. 2007 N.A.A.C.P. Image Award winner for "Inside Man": SPIKELEE
- 18. Top-notch: RATEDA
- 19. Baseball's Martinez: TINO
- 20. They're on the books: LAWS
- 22. Deducts from: DOCKS
- 23. Like a zebra's mane: ERECT
- 25. Détentes: THAWS
- 27. Language traditionally written without spaces between words: LAO
- 28. Cardinal topper: REDHAT
- 30. Wharf workers' grp.: ILA
- 31. "Nuts!": DARN
- 32. "Holy cow!": YOWZAH
- 34. "Her ___" ("Miss Saigon" song): ORME
- 35. Resident of the Corn State: HAWKEYE
- 39. Challenge for a barber: MOPHEAD
- 41. Lovesickness, e.g.: ACHE
- 42. 1973 Tony nominee for "A Little Night Music": CARIOU
- 44. Power-packed engine: VTEN
- 45. ___ comparison: ASA
- 46. Contractual problems?: SPASMS
- 51. The end of Caesar?: EAN
- 52. Barrymore and more: DREWS
- 54. Not easily moved: STOIC
- 55. E'en if: ALTHO
- 57. City on Utah Lake: LEHI
- 59. Fuss: TODO
- 60. One of two party leaders: COHOST
- 62. Browns, in a way: GETSATAN
- 64. Full circuit: ONELAP
- 65. High-rise pants and horn-rimmed glasses, say: GEEKCHIC
- 66. "Deliciously Different" sloganeer: WENDYS
- 67. "Sit tight": STAYHERE
down
- 1. Satiny quality: LUSTER
- 2. Be a wannabe: ASPIRE
- 3. Netted, in a way: SEINED
- 4. Key figure in saving New York City from bankruptcy: EDKOCH
- 5. GPS generation: Abbr.: RTE
- 6. Something needed to raise the bar?: TOLL
- 7. Not miss ___: ABEAT
- 8. "You don't say!": GEEWHIZ
- 9. Old map abbr.: SSR
- 10. Squats strengthen them: QUADS
- 11. "___ a broken heart": Dickinson: UNTO
- 12. "You don't say!": IDECLARE
- 13. Just deserts for misconduct: BADKARMA
- 14. Salted away?: SEASONED
- 21. Part of many a submarine: SALAMI
- 24. "Rent" actor Diggs: TAYE
- 26. Shouts heard at a rodeo: WAHOOS
- 29. Hot Wheels product: TOYCAR
- 31. "How stupid am I!": DOH
- 33. Sneak: WEASEL
- 35. Flip: HAVEACOW
- 36. Have no accomplice: ACTALONE
- 37. Response to "Not now," often: WHENTHEN
- 38. Perception: KEN
- 40. Things weighed in pounds?: PUPS
- 43. Distinctive features of tamago gohan servings, in Japanese cuisine: RAWEGGS
- 47. Clip, say: ATTACH
- 48. Palliate: SOOTHE
- 49. Like some catches and crashes: MIDAIR
- 50. Keeper of the flame?: SCONCE
- 52. "Tell me more": DOSAY
- 53. Unit of rain or ice: SHEET
- 56. Ship or plane part: HOLD
- 58. Virginia willow's genus: ITEA
- 61. Covers with some rolls: TPS
- 63. It's way over your head: SKY
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.