NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 15, 2017
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, February 15, 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
- 20
- 36
- 66
Down clues & answers
- 24
- 52
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
across
- 1. Helps: AIDS
- 5. ___-size model: PLUS
- 9. Things: ITEMS
- 14. Licentious man: ROUE
- 15. Paying close attention: RAPT
- 16. ___ congestion (cold symptom): NASAL
- 17. Small, cute residence?: TWEEHOUSE
- 19. Bygone Toyota sports car: SUPRA
- 20. Music with conga drums: SALSA
- 21. 500 sheets of paper: REAM
- 23. Moral toughness: GRIT
- 24. Device for killing mosquitoes?: SWATMACHINE
- 27. Annie who was nicknamed "Little Sure Shot": OAKLEY
- 31. Like a well-worn dirt road: RUTTED
- 32. Pouring into a shot glass, e.g.?: WHISKEYMOVE
- 36. Come to earth: LAND
- 37. Fair-hiring inits.: EOE
- 38. Stars and ___ (Confederate flag): BARS
- 42. Relatives of slack jaws?: WOWEDMOUTHS
- 46. Delilah was his undoing: SAMSON
- 50. "Stop joshin' me!": AWGOON
- 51. What wakes everyone up in the morning at the duck pond?: QUACKOFDAWN
- 55. Sch. for future admirals: USNA
- 56. Like books and tea leaves: READ
- 57. Host at a roast: EMCEE
- 62. "Ad ___ per aspera" (Kansas' motto): ASTRA
- 64. Archenemy of Bugs Bunny ... who might say things like 17-, 24-, 32-, 42- and 51-Across: ELMERFUDD
- 66. Wail of an ambulance: SIREN
- 67. Den: LAIR
- 68. Not ___ deal: ABIG
- 69. Having an exhilarating effect: HEADY
- 70. Trig function: SINE
- 71. Leave completely filled: SATE
down
- 1. Counterpart of sciences: ARTS
- 2. Des Moines's home: IOWA
- 3. Fight at 20 paces, say: DUEL
- 4. Lays eyes on: SEES
- 5. Expert: PRO
- 6. Advice-giving "Dr." of radio: LAURA
- 7. Surprise victory: UPSET
- 8. Sauna feature: STEAM
- 9. Shoo-___ (overwhelming favorites): INS
- 10. Instructed: TAUGHT
- 11. ___ de corps: ESPRIT
- 12. Jarhead: MARINE
- 13. On the schedule: SLATED
- 18. Goalie Dominik with 16 seasons in the N.H.L.: HASEK
- 22. Man's nickname that's just wonderful?: MARV
- 25. Letter before zee: WYE
- 26. Signal from offstage: CUE
- 27. ___ exams (tests at the end of a student's fifth year at Hogwarts): OWL
- 28. "Eureka!": AHA
- 29. Family relations: KIN
- 30. "Acid": LSD
- 33. Wood for archery bows: YEW
- 34. One of the Stooges: MOE
- 35. U.K. lexicon: OED
- 38. Software problem: BUG
- 39. From ___ Z: ATO
- 40. Letter before sigma: RHO
- 41. Fig. on an application: SSN
- 42. Stir-fry vessel: WOK
- 43. ___ about (approximately): ONOR
- 44. Gaping opening: MAW
- 45. Proprietor: OWNER
- 46. Racket sport: SQUASH
- 47. Sydneysider, for one: AUSSIE
- 48. Words said over and over: MANTRA
- 49. Chicken: SCARED
- 52. Believes: FEELS
- 53. ___ Lama: DALAI
- 54. PC network overseer: ADMIN
- 58. Degs. for creative types: MFAS
- 59. Country with which the U.S. re-established diplomatic relations in 2015: CUBA
- 60. Toolbar heading: EDIT
- 61. Narrow advantage: EDGE
- 63. "___ last words?": ANY
- 65. Before, to poets: ERE
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.