NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 20, 2018
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, February 20, 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
- 32
- 61
Down clues & answers
- 43
- 47
- 51
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, February 19, 2018
across
- 1. Skirt bottoms: HEMS
- 5. Ticklish Muppet: ELMO
- 9. Gets thin on top: BALDS
- 14. With: Fr.: AVEC
- 15. Banquet: MEAL
- 16. Lewis and ___ Expedition: CLARK
- 17. GARFIELD + U = Beach V.I.P.: LIFEGUARD
- 19. "___ at the Bat": CASEY
- 20. City NW of Detroit: FLINT
- 21. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi," e.g.: PLEA
- 23. Home for Nixon and Reagan: Abbr.: CAL
- 24. "It's a date!": WEREON
- 26. MADISON + A = "Me, too!": ANDSOAMI
- 29. Shakespearean cries: AYS
- 30. Bounding main: SEA
- 32. Pathetic group: SADLOT
- 33. Mysterious sighting in the Himalayas: YETI
- 35. Some rulings on PolitiFact: LIES
- 38. Mortgage, e.g.: LOAN
- 39. FILLMORE + V = Movie buff: FILMLOVER
- 42. Like racehorses' feet: SHOD
- 44. Who asks "What can I help you with?" on an iPhone: SIRI
- 45. Author Silverstein: SHEL
- 49. Soccer blocker: GOALIE
- 51. President pro ___: TEM
- 53. Lab eggs: OVA
- 54. HARDING + P = Squeezable exercise tool: HANDGRIP
- 57. Actor Snipes of "White Men Can't Jump": WESLEY
- 59. Approves: OKS
- 60. Famous ___ cookies: AMOS
- 62. River of Cologne: RHINE
- 63. Uncle Sam's land, for short: USOFA
- 66. COOLIDGE + P = Narc's four-footed helper: POLICEDOG
- 68. Humdingers: LULUS
- 69. Panache: ELAN
- 70. Pistol sound: BANG
- 71. Hybrid picnic utensil: SPORK
- 72. Philosophies: ISMS
- 73. First half of a Senate vote: AYES
down
- 1. Two-year mark, in a presidential term: HALFWAY
- 2. Wicked look: EVILEYE
- 3. Egoistic demand: MEFIRST
- 4. National Mall, for a presidential inauguration: SCENE
- 5. Six-foot bird: EMU
- 6. ___ years (when presidents are elected): LEAP
- 7. Maples formerly married to Donald Trump: MARLA
- 8. Like the days of yore: OLDEN
- 9. Send covertly, as an email: BCC
- 10. Leader in a state roll call: Abbr.: ALA
- 11. Milan opera house: LASCALA
- 12. "You wish!": DREAMON
- 13. Like atria: SKYLIT
- 18. Onetime Pontiac muscle cars: GTOS
- 22. What a majority of campaign spending goes toward: ADS
- 25. Dickens's Little ___: NELL
- 27. Store sign on Presidents' Day: SALE
- 28. Aromas: ODORS
- 31. Gets ready to shoot: AIMS
- 34. "Too rich for my blood": IFOLD
- 36. QB Manning: ELI
- 37. Separate, as whites from colors: SORT
- 40. "Got it!," beatnik-style: IDIG
- 41. ABC show on weekday mornings, with "The": VIEW
- 42. Absorbs: SOAKSUP
- 43. "Star Wars" pilot: HANSOLO
- 46. There's one to honor presidents every February: HOLIDAY
- 47. The slightest amount: EVENONE
- 48. What hens do: LAYEGGS
- 49. Grave robbers: GHOULS
- 50. Word after many presidents' names: ERA
- 52. Bygone Ford make, briefly: MERC
- 55. Celebrated Chinese-born architect: IMPEI
- 56. Diving venues: POOLS
- 58. Queen of ___ (visitor of King Solomon, in the Bible): SHEBA
- 61. Poetry competition: SLAM
- 64. Mink or sable: FUR
- 65. Query: ASK
- 67. Political connections: INS
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.