NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 20, 2018
Saturday, October 20, 2018
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, October 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
- 14
- 15
- 30
- 45
- 52
Down clues & answers
- 13
- 21
- 31
- 46
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, October 19, 2018
across
- 1. Objective worked toward during crunch time?: SIXPACK
- 8. "Get off the stage!": BOOHISS
- 15. 43-Across that shares its name with part of a flower: COROLLA
- 16. Catching rays for days, say: ONVACAY
- 17. Need for a certain outlet: ADAPTOR
- 18. Outlet's opposite: DEADEND
- 19. Singer with the 2012 hit "Let Me Love You": NEYO
- 20. "Later, alligator!": SEEYA
- 22. Successful hacker's declaration: IMIN
- 23. Tubes: TVS
- 24. Agrees to compromise: BENDS
- 25. Chihuahua, for one: STATE
- 26. Seriously muscular: RIPPED
- 28. Hagatna is its capital: GUAM
- 30. Big Apple team, on scoreboards: NYY
- 31. Deep blue: OCEAN
- 32. Word on some Emmy awards: SERIES
- 34. Cutting-edge, as an electronic product: NEXTGEN
- 36. Alpha male, perhaps?: FRATBRO
- 40. Some Girl Scout cookies: SAMOAS
- 42. Any of three sisters of old Hollywood: GABOR
- 43. See 15-Across: CAR
- 46. The worst of times: LOWS
- 47. ___ wrench: TORQUE
- 48. Taps, as a keg: OPENS
- 50. Cliff notes?: YODEL
- 52. 4x platinum album of 2001: JLO
- 53. Eric of "Munich": BANA
- 54. Hitherto: SOFAR
- 55. Pound, e.g.: POET
- 56. Suffered humiliation: ATECROW
- 58. Early tool: NEOLITH
- 60. Participate in quid pro quo: LOGROLL
- 61. Region of Ghana known for gold and cocoa: ASHANTI
- 62. Plucks: TWEEZES
- 63. Roll of 4 and 6, in craps: EASYTEN
down
- 1. Teacher's timesaver for grading tests: SCANTRON
- 2. PC modem or drive: IODEVICE
- 3. Novelty item in vintage comic book ads: XRAYSPEX
- 4. Law enforcers, in slang: POPO
- 5. Start of some rock genre names: ALT
- 6. One side of a store sign: CLOSED
- 7. Real first name of writer Isak Dinesen: KAREN
- 8. Rides the waves without a board: BODYSURFS
- 9. Prime draft pick: ONEA
- 10. Tiny tube travelers: OVA
- 11. Lost all patience: HADIT
- 12. Profession in a Eugene O'Neill title: ICEMAN
- 13. "___ and happiness are an impossible combination": Mark Twain: SANITY
- 14. Where Nemo was found in "Finding Nemo": SYDNEY
- 21. Nip in the end: EDGE
- 24. A.F.C. North team: BENGALS
- 25. Notable ring bearer: SMEAGOL
- 27. A.F.C. East team, informally: PATS
- 29. Intangible quality: AIR
- 32. Official birds of Quebec: SNOWYOWLS
- 33. Center of a Scrabble board: STAR
- 35. Kind of phase for some teens: EMO
- 37. Place to get ribs or pulled pork: BBQJOINT
- 38. Literally, "little wheel": ROULETTE
- 39. Low-cal version of a classic cookie: OREOTHIN
- 41. From: ASOF
- 43. Deep blue: COBALT
- 44. Director of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "This Is 40": APATOW
- 45. Fail to follow suit: RENEGE
- 47. Missionaries of Charity founder: TERESA
- 49. Button material: NACRE
- 51. Mother of Perseus: DANAE
- 54. Only: SOLE
- 55. Recorder button: PLAY
- 57. "Frasier" role: ROZ
- 59. Post's Honey ___!: OHS
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.