NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 18, 2018
Saturday, August 18, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, August 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
- 17
- 27
- 36
Down clues & answers
- 25
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, August 17, 2018
across
- 1. Lake of rock's Emerson, Lake & Palmer: GREG
- 5. One who crosses the line: SCAB
- 9. Dunderheads: TWITS
- 14. Bare: AUNATUREL
- 16. He said "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe": SAGAN
- 17. Fifth wheel: SPARETIRE
- 18. Small protuberance: KNURL
- 19. "Ingredient" of success: SECRETSAUCE
- 21. Sound at a spa: AAH
- 22. Still: YET
- 23. Amish, e.g.: SECT
- 24. Verbal shrug: IDUNNO
- 26. Hallucinogenic edibles, in slang: SHROOMS
- 28. They're often blitzed: SOTS
- 29. Lieutenant Minderbinder of "Catch-22": MILO
- 31. Wore an outfit with panache, informally: ROCKEDIT
- 33. Constellation between Cygnus and Aquila: SAGITTA
- 36. See 44-Across: POISONS
- 37. Real identity: TRUESELF
- 39. Pro ___: BONO
- 40. City north of Des Moines: AMES
- 41. Try to get something from a bag: REACHIN
- 44. Court figure whose job is to detect 36-Across: TASTER
- 46. "___ said ...": THAT
- 47. Oaf: APE
- 50. Lines around Chicago: ELS
- 51. Primer finish: ZISFORZEBRA
- 54. "Pretty, pretty please?": CANTI
- 56. Grueling grillings: ORALEXAMS
- 57. Trim: ADORN
- 58. Process by which neutrinos are produced: BETADECAY
- 59. Fix, as a bow: RETIE
- 60. Attended (to): SEEN
- 61. Merrill in movies: DINA
down
- 1. Full of hot air: GASSY
- 2. Money in Nepal: RUPEE
- 3. Formally establish: ENACT
- 4. "Young Frankenstein" co-star: GARR
- 5. Mill owner in the California gold rush: SUTTER
- 6. Big name in oil: CRISCO
- 7. Tap attachment: AERATOR
- 8. Une couleur primaire: BLEU
- 9. Showed one's disapproval, in a way: TSKED
- 10. Ashy: WAN
- 11. 30-foot-long dinosaur able to walk on either two legs or four: IGUANODON
- 12. Samuel L. Jackson has been in six of his movies: TARANTINO
- 13. Some sketch show V.I.P.s: SNLHOSTS
- 15. Drives: TEESHOTS
- 20. ___ Systems, computer networking giant: CISCO
- 25. Applies to: USESON
- 26. Most cunning: SLIEST
- 27. Disorderly do: MOP
- 29. Preserves variety: MARMALADE
- 30. "So much for my theory": IGUESSNOT
- 32. Offered unwanted advice: KIBITZED
- 33. Big cheese wheels?: STATECAR
- 34. Country singer Clark: TERRI
- 35. Oktoberfest offering: ALE
- 38. Diet-friendly, say: FATFREE
- 42. New England prep school attended by J.F.K.: CHOATE
- 43. Former Supreme Court justice Stone: HARLAN
- 45. Online periodical: EZINE
- 47. You can count on them: ABACI
- 48. Spinner?: PRMAN
- 49. Cushy course: EASYA
- 52. Doesn't just tear up: SOBS
- 53. Struck out: EXED
- 55. Prefix with cycle: TRI
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.