NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for May 17, 2018
Thursday, May 17, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, May 17, 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
- 23
- 52
- 67
Down clues & answers
- 19
- 24
- 29
- 32
- 48
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
across
- 1. Issue: TOPIC
- 6. Fodder for sports analytics: STATS
- 11. Place, as a bet: LAY
- 14. What a current flows through: ANODE
- 15. Dickens's ___ Heep: URIAH
- 16. "Aladdin" monkey: ABU
- 17. Nickname for a glitzy author?: JEWELSVERNE
- 19. It contains M.S.G.: NYC
- 20. Emmy-winning Falco: EDIE
- 21. Stark of "Game of Thrones": NED
- 22. A cluttered one is a sign of a cluttered mind, it's said: DESK
- 23. [Don't touch my bone!]: GRR
- 25. Nickname for a clumsy composer?: CLODDEBUSSY
- 28. Sunken track: RUT
- 29. Key below Z, on a Mac: ALT
- 30. Country singer Tillis: MEL
- 31. John who played an older Kunta Kinte on "Roots": AMOS
- 33. "The bay in the fifth," for one: TIP
- 35. Actress McDonald: AUDRA
- 39. Nickname for a sloppy painter?: TOOLOOSELAUTREC
- 43. "Get Happy" composer: ARLEN
- 44. Gangster's gun: GAT
- 45. Setting for 46-Across on a very hot day: HIGH
- 46. See 45-Across: ACS
- 48. "___ official ...": ITS
- 50. Compete: VIE
- 51. Nickname for a fiery philosopher?: BLAZEPASCAL
- 56. Shape of a swan's neck: ESS
- 57. Get under the skin of: RILE
- 58. ___ grecque (served with olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings): ALA
- 59. Names in film credits: CAST
- 61. City where trap music originated: Abbr.: ATL
- 62. Classic hairstyle ... or a hint to the puns in 17-, 25-, 39- and 51-Across: FRENCHTWIST
- 66. Prefix with colonialism: NEO
- 67. According to: ASPER
- 68. Chair designer Charles: EAMES
- 69. Parched: DRY
- 70. Prime minister called "Pandit": NEHRU
- 71. Address, with "to": SPEAK
down
- 1. ___ Mahal: TAJ
- 2. Start of every ZIP code in Pennsylvania: ONE
- 3. Jigsaw, e.g.: POWERTOOL
- 4. Named, for short: IDED
- 5. Toyota coupe sold from 1970 to 2006: CELICA
- 6. Hyundai Santa Fe or Tucson, briefly: SUV
- 7. Focus of a Facebook sidebar: TREND
- 8. Put on TV: AIRED
- 9. Kind of bike or kayak: TANDEM
- 10. Miss identification?: SHE
- 11. Freeway divisions: LANES
- 12. Deep, deep pit: ABYSS
- 13. Eliciting an "ugh," maybe: YUCKY
- 18. Have as a customer: SELLTO
- 22. Port at the west end of Lake Superior: DULUTH
- 23. Persona non ___: GRATA
- 24. It might begin "Did you hear ...?": RUMOR
- 26. Old blues singer Johnny: OTIS
- 27. Fellow bringing roses, perhaps: BEAU
- 32. Sordid sort: SLEAZE
- 34. Hard throw, in baseball: PEG
- 36. Rush-hour: DRIVETIME
- 37. TV host Philbin: REGIS
- 38. Bodily complaints: ACHES
- 40. First word of "The Raven": ONCE
- 41. Secular: LAIC
- 42. Hook up (to): ATTACH
- 47. Few and far between: SPARSE
- 49. Schedules: SLATES
- 51. ___ X: BRAND
- 52. Soda bottle unit: LITER
- 53. Bronze, but not silver or gold: ALLOY
- 54. Beth's preceder: ALEPH
- 55. More rational: SANER
- 60. Give and take: SWAP
- 62. Item above a kitchen stove: FAN
- 63. Grand finale?: CRU
- 64. "The vasty deep," in Shakespeare: SEA
- 65. "What a shame!": TSK
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.