NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 16, 2017
Thursday, March 16, 2017
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, March 16, 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
- 21
- 38
- 41
- 46
- 49
- 55
Down clues & answers
- 47
- 53
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
across
- 1. See blurb: EVERY
- 6. Batteries in mice: AAS
- 9. *Bonzo and others: CHIMPS
- 15. She went to Haiti in a Cole Porter song: KATIE
- 16. Ballpark fig.: RBI
- 17. Et ___: CETERA
- 18. "The Lion King" soundtrack composer: ELTONJOHN
- 20. Hang on to: RETAIN
- 21. Boarding pass info: SEAT
- 22. Angsty music genre: EMO
- 23. Divest (of): RID
- 24. Gesture that might be made with a wink: NOD
- 25. See blurb: STARREDENTRY
- 28. Opposed: AVERSE
- 32. "And how!": SUREDO
- 33. *"And so it ___": BEGINS
- 34. Patriotic women's org.: DAR
- 35. Jack who played Sgt. Friday: WEBB
- 39. Sound like a jackass: BRAY
- 40. See blurb: ISIN
- 42. PHX airport locale: Abbr.: ARIZ
- 43. Actress Kendrick of "Pitch Perfect": ANNA
- 44. Summer hrs. in Chicago: CDT
- 45. *Fabric with a cheap-sounding name: CHINTZ
- 47. "CSI" workplace: DNALAB
- 50. Fresh gossip, with "the": LATEST
- 51. See blurb: ALPHABETICAL
- 55. Long-snouted fish: GAR
- 56. Title for 18-Across: SIR
- 57. Au ___ (menu phrase): JUS
- 58. Novelist Waugh: ALEC
- 62. "Star Wars" knight, informally: OBIWAN
- 64. Only a little: NOTSOMUCH
- 66. Fix, as a pump: RESOLE
- 67. ___ generis (unique): SUI
- 68. Therefore: HENCE
- 69. *"You just missed!": ALMOST
- 70. Item held by the king of diamonds: AXE
- 71. See blurb: ORDER
down
- 1. Barely manages, with "out": EKES
- 2. Lowland, poetically: VALE
- 3. Singer James or Jones: ETTA
- 4. Thigh-slapper: RIOT
- 5. Nikkei index currency: YEN
- 6. Chocolatier's lure: AROMA
- 7. *Can't stomach: ABHORS
- 8. Go astray: SIN
- 9. 1950s-'60s hit with the lyric "Ah, you made me love you / Now, now, now, now your man is come": CCRIDER
- 10. Paid attention to: HEEDED
- 11. "The Addams Family" cousin: ITT
- 12. Had in mind: MEANT
- 13. Previous arrest, on a rap sheet: PRIOR
- 14. Like some light hair: SANDY
- 19. Ballet leaps: JETES
- 23. Showed again: RERAN
- 25. Form 1040 ID: SSN
- 26. Newswoman Bakhtiar: RUDI
- 27. "Hold it - hang on!": NOWAIT
- 28. "Fernando" group: ABBA
- 29. HGTV personality ___ Yip: VERN
- 30. Eddie ___, subject of "The French Connection": EGAN
- 31. World capital whose name means "gardens": RIYADH
- 36. Fish-eating raptor: ERNE
- 37. Stand-up's routines: BITS
- 38. [Wrong answer!]: BZZT
- 40. Couch potato: IDLER
- 41. "Right away!," in the O.R.: STAT
- 44. China holder: CABINET
- 45. Reunion group: CLASS
- 46. Rogue computer in "2001": HAL
- 48. M and N, in pronunciation: NASALS
- 49. *Elegantly designed trinkets: BIJOUX
- 51. Greek marketplace of old: AGORA
- 52. Motown or Decca: LABEL
- 53. Light beam splitter: PRISM
- 54. Adorable one: CUTIE
- 58. AAA part: Abbr.: AMER
- 59. Ilsa ___, "Casablanca" character: LUND
- 60. "Behold!," to Caesar: ECCE
- 61. "Believe" Grammy winner, 1999: CHER
- 63. Try to win over: WOO
- 64. Intel org.: NSA
- 65. Cry of discovery: OHO
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.