NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for August 12, 2023

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Saturday, August 12, 2023

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:57 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, August 12, 2023. 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.

68 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

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Friday, August 11, 2023

across

1. Activation phrase for many smart devices: OKGOOGLE
9. Music genre for Lorde and Lana Del Rey: ALTPOP
15. Certain dealer's bailiwick: CARSALES
16. What many sentences end with: PAROLE
17. Hyperbole from someone who's dreaming big: THESKYSTHELIMIT
19. Brown ___: ALE
20. Veep between Hubert and Gerald: SPIRO
21. Too good for: ABOVE
22. "Dang it!": NUTS
24. Handled things outside?: HOES
25. Ibis or egret: WADER
26. Entered a state of détente, say: EASED
28. Some gear for lepidopterists: NETS
30. Play on repeat: LOOP
31. "___ or Go to the League," 2019 hit album for 2 Chainz: RAP
33. Contents of some bags in boxes: TEAS
35. Coastal water feature: RIA
36. Sole employee?: COBBLER
40. Continental, e.g.: LINCOLN
42. Dr. of 31-Across: DRE
43. Took out: ICED
45. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, e.g.: DUO
46. Have nowhere to go but down: PEAK
48. Places where masks are seen indoors: SPAS
50. Name of three czars of Bulgaria: BORIS
54. Doone of fiction: LORNA
56. All in favor: AYES
58. It goes on and on and on: SAGA
59. Needs some icing, say: ACHES
60. Deprive of threads?: STRIP
62. Horned one south of the Horn of Africa: GNU
63. "Trust me, this is the right call": YOUWONTREGRETIT
66. One of eight in a B-52: ENGINE
67. Think outside the box: INNOVATE
68. Fresh: RESTED
69. Fodder for a literature test: PASSAGES

down

1. C8H18: OCTANE
2. White Russian ingredient: KAHLUA
3. Opens the door for, maybe: GREETS
4. C.I.A.'s predecessor: OSS
5. London's ___ Park, near Epsom Downs: OAKS
6. Pictograph: GLYPH
7. Sore spot: LESION
8. Locale in Belmar, N.J., that lent its name to a noted rock-'n'-roll band: ESTREET
9. Great ___: APE
10. 1980s-'90s drama that won 15 Emmys: LALAW
11. Like much land in Oklahoma: TRIBAL
12. Tomato-and-basil pasta sauce: POMODORO
13. Pasta sauce ingredient: OLIVEOIL
14. Movie featuring the song "You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!": PETERPAN
18. Traveler's stopover: HOSTEL
23. Neighbor of a Kosovar: SERB
27. Who painted "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening": DALI
29. Aforementioned: SAID
32. Upper-body workout target, informally: PECS
34. Rebuff: SNUB
36. Turner once big in the music industry: CDPLAYER
37. Cookie-flavored ice cream treat: OREOCONE
38. Hearty hellos: BEARHUGS
39. Meal: REPAST
41. Sweet sounds in a nursery: COOS
44. Travel that doesn't require a hotel reservation: DAYTRIP
47. "Told ya!": KNEWIT
49. Star close to Venus?: SERENA
51. Motley: RAGTAG
52. Set off: IGNITE
53. Causes to sizzle, say: SAUTES
55. Together: ASONE
57. Classic M. Night Shyamalan film with the tagline "It's not like they didn't warn us": SIGNS
61. All in favor: PROS
64. World Cup team from Holland, on scoreboards: NED
65. Actress Longoria: EVA

Hints and full breakdown for Aug 11

More daily puzzle hints

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.