NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for November 3, 2017

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Friday, November 3, 2017

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:08 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, November 3, 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.

68 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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Previous The Crossword answer

Thursday, November 2, 2017

across

1. Any of the Galápagos, e.g.: ISLA
5. Small cape: SPIT
9. Step 5: A show of contempt: CHEER
14. Freddie Mercury or Martin Sheen: STAGENAME
16. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemy, in Marvel comics: HYDRA
17. Little Dipper's place: URSAMINOR
18. Coming-out phrase: IMGAY
19. Epitome of easiness: PIE
20. Poppy products: OPIUMS
22. Noted government agent during Prohibition: NESS
23. Steps 4 and 6: A 1940s program: PROJECT
25. Car decal abbr.: AAA
27. Trump is often involved in these: BIDS
28. Step 3: An upper-class accent: ENGLISH
32. Site of arthroscopic surgery: KNEE
35. Profess: AVER
36. "Why, yes, I am, in fact, a cow": MOO
37. Event held on the first Sunday in November, and whose path is recreated in this puzzle: NEWYORKMARATHON
42. Early metal?: ORE
43. Pizza maker John Schnatter's nickname: PAPA
44. Square for a white rook, in chess notation: AONE
45. What each step in this puzzle lacks, in proper order: BOROUGH
47. Actress Issa and others: RAES
50. Draw on: USE
51. Step 2: An old baseball team: DODGERS
54. Trounces, slangily: OWNS
57. Thickset: STOCKY
59. Interstellar sitcom star: ALF
61. Pilfers: LOOTS
63. Many teachers disallow it in footnotes: WIKIPEDIA
65. Sprite in "The Tempest": ARIEL
66. "Knock yourself out": IDONTMIND
67. Step 1: A passenger ship since 1817: FERRY
68. Bunches: TONS
69. Attire, informally: TOGS

down

1. Was just on deck: ISUP
2. Busy retail area: STRIP
3. ___ beam: LASER
4. Istanbul commander: AGA
5. Made a petty verbal attack: SNIPED
6. Freaks out: PANICS
7. "That's it for me," in poker: IMOUT
8. Life, for one: TERM
9. Life force: CHI
10. Item on the back of a pew: HYMNAL
11. Lip: EDGE
12. Period pieces: ERAS
13. Sea creatures that are a homophone of 47-Across: RAYS
15. Face With Tears of Joy, e.g.: EMOJI
21. Less gonzo: SANER
24. Toe the line: OBEY
26. Where Mumtaz Mahal is entombed: AGRA
28. One of the Gabor sisters: EVA
29. It may mean "I'm about to tell you you're wrong": IMHO
30. Any moment: SOON
31. Fine-tune: HONE
32. Pinch : salt :: ___ : butter: KNOB
33. He was emperor at 16, dead at 30: NERO
34. Item by a basin: EWER
35. Org. with a noted weekly research journal: AMA
38. Work: OPUS
39. Storms: RAGES
40. European driver's concern: Abbr.: KPH
41. Electrically stun: TASE
46. Coup result: OUSTER
47. Comment with the pinkie and forefinger extended upward: ROCKON
48. Country singer Trace: ADKINS
49. Where Zagazig is: EGYPT
51. 1982 Stevie Wonder title query: DOIDO
52. "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" medium: RADIO
53. It might be supporting a cast: SLING
54. Count of children's literature: OLAF
55. Came out in: WORE
56. Café ___: NOIR
58. Dunderhead: TWIT
60. They're in: FADS
62. Arch: SLY
64. CPR provider: EMT

Hints and full breakdown for Nov 2

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.