NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 23, 2017

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Thursday, February 23, 2017

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:17 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, February 23, 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.

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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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

across

1. Actress and former mixed martial arts champion Carano: GINA
5. Provocative remark: BARB
9. Seat at a hootenanny: BALE
13. Go crazy for: ADORE
15. Part of an order for eggs: OVER
16. Operating system with many clones: UNIX
17. ... SLID SAID SAND SANE SINE NINE ...: SLIMTONONE
19. It may help you get up: STEP
20. "... shall not ___ from the earth": Gettysburg Address: PERISH
21. Call from a counter: NEXT
23. Words often spoken with a hand on the Bible: IDO
24. Visually assessed: EYED
26. Show created by Lena Dunham: GIRLS
28. Where Matt Damon was stranded in a 2015 film: MARS
31. ... DOTE DOLE DOLL DELL SELL ...: NOTETOSELF
35. Archaeologist's estimate: AGE
36. Many a chamber piece: TRIO
37. Person at a desk: PUPIL
38. What an insider might offer: TIP
39. Impulse transmission point: SYNAPSE
42. "You've said quite enough!," informally: TMI
43. Something a cellphone can replace: CLOCK
45. 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 and others: SETS
46. Part of many Arabic names: IBN
47. ... HERD HEAD HEAT SEAT STAT ...: HERETOSTAY
50. Macbeth, e.g.: SCOT
51. Puccini title heroine: TOSCA
52. Heidi of "Project Runway": KLUM
54. ___ department: REC
56. Growth in an underwater "forest": KELP
58. Things handed down by kings: EDICTS
62. Man exiled from 55-Down: ADAM
64. ... OMEN OPEN OPED SPED SHED SHAD SHAM WHAM WHAT ...: AMENTOTHAT
66. Home (in on): ZERO
67. Lymph ___: NODE
68. "Sweet!," old-style: NEATO
69. Wraps up: ENDS
70. Fit of pique: SNIT
71. Erupt: SPEW

down

1. [OMG!]: GASP
2. Not in use: IDLE
3. Genre for the novelist Patricia Highsmith: NOIR
4. Hordes: ARMIES
5. What's always good in Grenoble?: BON
6. Publisher of the old All-True Detective Cases comic books: AVON
7. Fail on a promise: RENEGE
8. Portmanteau in 2016 world news: BREXIT
9. Greyhound runner?: BUS
10. Common bandage additive: ANTISEPTIC
11. Told a tale: LIED
12. Event at a convention center: EXPO
14. Online market for crafts: ETSY
18. Annual writing award: OHENRY
22. Training montages, underdog victories, etc., in sports movies: TROPES
25. Bump off: DOIN
27. The Tigers of the S.E.C.: LSU
28. 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, e.g.: MATCH
29. Nimble: AGILE
30. Progress indicator, of a sort: REPORTCARD
32. Wedding dinner speech, often: TOAST
33. Gray area: LIMBO
34. Camper's tool: FLINT
36. "For shame!": TSKTSK
40. Pinnacle: PEAK
41. Engraver's instrument: STYLET
44. Board hiree, for short: CEO
48. Geographical quintet: OCEANS
49. Catch for a grizzly: SALMON
50. Hits hard: SMITES
53. Japanese noodles: UDON
54. Demolish: RAZE
55. See 62-Across: EDEN
57. Spa treatment, informally: PEDI
59. Bloke: CHAP
60. Museum near Westminster Abbey: TATE
61. Put away: STOW
63. Rapper ___ Def: MOS
65. Lepidopterist's aid: NET

Hints and full breakdown for Feb 22

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.