NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 18, 2018
Sunday, February 18, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, February 18, 2018. 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
- 15
- 32
- 34
- 48
- 86
- 87
- 122
- 123
- 126
Down clues & answers
- 38
- 66
- 76
- 84
- 98
- 103
- 104
- 111
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, February 17, 2018
across
- 1. Sport with stunt riding, informally: BMX
- 4. "Heck if I know": GOTME
- 9. Big difference: CHASM
- 14. Axe product: BODYSPRAY
- 16. Goes on and on: RANTS
- 17. Reflective stretch: QUIETTIME
- 18. Item checked at an airport: IDTAG
- 19. Misses overseas: SENORITAS
- 20. Gone: PAST
- 21. Trio in a children's rhyme: MICE
- 22. Three-lobed design: TREFOIL
- 25. Roughly 37% of U.S. immigrants: ASIANS
- 28. Personal bearing: PRESENCE
- 29. Jung ___, author of the 1991 best seller "Wild Swans": CHANG
- 30. It's generally up and running within a few hours: FOAL
- 31. "Breaking Bad" protagonist: WALT
- 32. Lead-in to sat: COM
- 33. Aquarium performer: SEALION
- 36. Like a happening party, in slang: LIT
- 37. Olympic Australis, for one: OPAL
- 39. Suffix with Jumbo: TRON
- 40. North Carolina home of Appalachian State University: BOONE
- 42. Brand with the slogan "Fill your glass": SAMADAMS
- 44. What makes a possum play possum: DANGER
- 45. A-number-one: THEBEST
- 46. Fifth-brightest star in the night sky: VEGA
- 47. Part of a pod: ORCA
- 48. Author who wrote "Show me a woman who doesn't feel guilty and I'll show you a man": ERICAJONG
- 53. "The Cocktail Party" dramatist: ELIOT
- 54. Model company?: AUTOMAKER
- 55. Book in which the Israelites are rebuked for idolatry: MICAH
- 56. Common board requirement, in brief: MBADEGREE
- 57. Vamooses: SCATS
- 58. Winner of nine Grand Slam tournaments in the 1990s: SELES
- 59. Components of many free apps: ADS
down
- 1. Summer outdoor events, informally: BBQS
- 2. Manifestation of sulkiness: MOUE
- 3. Chose at the ballot box: XDIN
- 4. Almost nothing on?: GSTRINGS
- 5. Public perception: OPTICS
- 6. Worn-out: TRITE
- 7. 2Pac's "Dear ___": MAMA
- 8. Result of prolonged screen time, maybe: EYESTRAIN
- 9. "Golly!": CRIPES
- 10. Threw some back: HADAFEW
- 11. Celery sticks topped with peanut butter and raisins: ANTSONALOG
- 12. Fixed cord for a paratrooper: STATICLINE
- 13. One source of the umami taste: MSG
- 15. Title figure in a Gilbert and Sullivan opera: YEOMAN
- 23. Quick move?: RELO
- 24. Word with fan or form: LETTER
- 25. Come right up to: ACCOST
- 26. One who always has time to spend?: SHOPAHOLIC
- 27. 2007 satirical best seller: IAMAMERICA
- 28. Tops in athletics: POLOS
- 30. Professional feeders: FARMTEAMS
- 34. Constantly updating GPS figs.: ETAS
- 35. Widely followed court battles: NBAGAMES
- 38. You might experiment with this on: LABCOAT
- 41. Bingeing: ONAJAG
- 43. Ends: DEATHS
- 44. Crack, in a way: DECODE
- 46. Like some very important signs: VITAL
- 49. Carny's target: RUBE
- 50. Plant also known as ladies' fingers: OKRA
- 51. Grant consideration: NEED
- 52. E.T.S. offerings: GRES
- 53. Middle of summer?: EMS
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.