NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 16, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, March 16, 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
- 49
- 54
- 56
Down clues & answers
- 48
- 50
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, March 15, 2018
across
- 1. Tail-shedding lizard: SKINK
- 6. General name on a dish: TSO
- 9. Yahoo: RUBE
- 13. Not warranted: UNDUE
- 14. Food item rich in antioxidants: ACAIBERRY
- 17. ___ mouth: POTTY
- 18. One with a no-returns policy?: TAXDODGER
- 19. Bibliographic catchall: ETALII
- 21. Big nightlife environment: BARSCENE
- 22. Sorts: KINDS
- 24. Un domicilio: CASA
- 25. Time's time span: WEEK
- 27. Having trouble with: BADAT
- 29. Abounding: RIFE
- 33. Come before: ANTECEDE
- 35. Where plays are discussed: HUDDLE
- 37. With 40-Across, place for cinders: ASH
- 38. Date that provides a phonetic hint to four other answers in this puzzle: THEIDES
- 40. See 37-Across: BIN
- 41. Dos y dos: CUATRO
- 43. Locks: SUREBETS
- 45. Green of Austin Powers movies: SETH
- 46. Hebrew name meaning "he has given": NATAN
- 48. Online market for crafts: ETSY
- 49. Black: EBON
- 51. Yogurt choice, informally: LOFAT
- 53. "Where all the cabaret shows are," in song: GAYPAREE
- 57. Mother of Calcutta: TERESA
- 60. "A New Leaf" actress/director, 1971: ELAINEMAY
- 62. When the N.B.A. regular season ends: APRIL
- 63. Begins one's board game turn, perhaps: ROLLSDICE
- 64. Arithmetic series symbol: SIGMA
- 65. Ruminate: MULL
- 66. ___ moment: AHA
- 67. Pseudo-convertibles: TTOPS
down
- 1. Condo V.I.P.: SUPE
- 2. Gut feeling?: KNOT
- 3. "Sounds like a deal": IDTAKETHAT
- 4. Hard and crunchy, maybe: NUTLIKE
- 5. Enter, as a password: KEYIN
- 6. Pic on a pec, perhaps: TAT
- 7. Union concern: SCAB
- 8. State that borders Veracruz: OAXACA
- 9. Soccer penalty indicator: REDCARD
- 10. Advocate: URGE
- 11. Air-cooled machine gun: BREN
- 12. Literary governess: EYRE
- 15. "Count me out": IDRATHERNOT
- 16. Director: BOSS
- 20. "Yes, how nice of you to offer": IDBEHONORED
- 23. "Smooth Operator" singer, 1985: SADE
- 25. W.W. II females: WAACS
- 26. Come after: ENSUE
- 28. Voltaire, religiously: DEIST
- 30. "It's getting late": IDBETTERGO
- 31. Moves like a butterfly: FLITS
- 32. Itty: EENSY
- 34. Hub: Abbr.: CTR
- 36. See 39-Down: USE
- 39. With 36-Down, suitable for two applications: DUAL
- 42. Sponge alternative: THEPILL
- 44. Frenzied trading floor, metaphorically: BEARPIT
- 47. Weakness: ANEMIA
- 50. Outlaws: BANS
- 52. The Last Supper, e.g.: FEAST
- 53. Wheat ___: GERM
- 54. Diamond family name: ALOU
- 55. Group addressed in the South: YALL
- 56. A head: EACH
- 58. Dimwit: SIMP
- 59. "Regrettably ...": ALAS
- 61. Support for a motion: YEA
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.