NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 6, 2017

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:10 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, September 6, 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.

76 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

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Previous The Crossword answer

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

across

1. What some castles are made of: SAND
5. Goaded (on): EGGED
10. Clock setting for an alarm: AMPM
14. 2015 "Rocky" sequel: CREED
16. String quartet member: VIOLA
17. Unadorned: BARE
18. Honolulu-based carrier, informally: HAWAIIANAIR
20. Corp. money managers: CFOS
21. "Big Blue": IBM
22. Like caves with streams running through them: DANK
23. Early Uber policy unpopular with drivers: NOTIPS
25. "Coke is it!" or "Say 'Pepsi, please'": SLOGAN
27. Piece of pottery featuring Achilles, say: GREEKVASE
30. Interoffice notes: MEMOS
31. They're heard but not seen: SOUNDS
32. Firecracker that goes pfft: DUD
33. Money owed: DEBT
35. Ike's monogram: DDE
36. Cut (off): LOP
37. Break ... such as at the middle of 18-, 27-, 50- or 58-Across?: INTERMISSION
40. ___ Paulo, Brazil: SAO
41. Perch for a ball: TEE
42. Humble response to a compliment: ITRY
43. "___ be my pleasure": ITD
44. "There's something else you should know ...": OHWAIT
46. Desert refuge: OASIS
50. Military bottoms, informally: CAMOPANTS
52. How you can shop without leaving home: ONLINE
53. In the thick of: AMIDST
54. Getting close, in a guessing game: WARM
56. Trail Blazers' org.: NBA
57. Bar mitzvah, e.g.: RITE
58. Made snappy comments: WISECRACKED
62. Meter or liter: UNIT
63. Rose petal oil: ATTAR
64. Enrique Peña ___, Mexican president beginning in 2012: NIETO
65. Their maximum scores are 1600: SATS
66. Word before "wrong" or "welcome": YOURE
67. Bummer: DRAG

down

1. Serious rift: SCHISM
2. Supportive of cultivation: ARABLE
3. One may attend a class on parenting: NEWMOM
4. Antismuggling org.: DEA
5. Actress ___ Rachel Wood: EVAN
6. Tree whose leaves appear in many Chinese fossils: GINKGO
7. ___ long way: GOA
8. Certain Ivy Leaguer: ELI
9. Utmost, informally: DARNEDEST
10. "Fresh Off the Boat" network: ABCTV
11. Certain crime boss: MAFIADON
12. Stops from slipping: PROPSUP
13. Fooled (around): MESSED
15. Played some tunes, say: DIDASET
19. McKellen of "The Hobbit": IAN
24. Gives the nod: OKS
26. Emphatic rejection: GODNO
28. Fashion designer Gernreich: RUDI
29. Says "You and I are done," e.g.: ENDSIT
31. Scattered: STREWN
34. "Fine then!": BETHATWAY
36. Unwavering, as a friend: LOYAL
37. "O.K., you got me": IADMITIT
38. Paleo diet staple: MEAT
39. Tony Stark's alter ego in comics and movies: IRONMAN
40. Staying power: STAMINA
43. Mythical figure who flew too close to the sun: ICARUS
44. Special ___ (unconventional missions): OPS
45. "Cross my heart and hope to die!": ISWEAR
47. Baseball pitch that suddenly drops: SINKER
48. Not quite ready for full release: INBETA
49. Old salt: SEADOG
51. Clifford who wrote "Golden Boy": ODETS
52. Bruin hockey legend: ORR
55. Something to build on: ACRE
59. Japanese figure skater Midori: ITO
60. Nickname formed by three consecutive letters of the alphabet: STU
61. El ___ (Spanish hero): CID

Hints and full breakdown for Sep 5

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.