Home/Archive/Feb 28, 2026

NYT Crossword — February 28, 2026

Saturday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 68 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 68 revealed

1A

2I

3M

4L

5O

6W

7F

8R

9A

10T

11B

12O

13Y

14S

M

E

A

G

O

15L

16D

E

A

R

O

N

E

17T

H

A

T

S

M

E

18R

E

V

O

L

T

S

19R

E

N

T

20B

A

21E

22F

E

D

O

R

A

23A

R

I

E

24L

25T

R

26I

S

27T

I

N

28L

E

E

29E

30T

H

A

N

31N

32A

I

A

D

33S

T

R

E

S

S

34L

E

V

E

L

35B

E

F

O

R

E

T

I

M

E

S

36C

U

R

L

Y

B

R

A

C

E

S

37S

A

T

B

Y

38A

P

N

E

A

39P

40O

41I

42A

L

T

43F

R

E

T

44N

45E

R

F

S

46M

O

H

47A

48I

R

49N

T

50H

51L

O

L

A

52B

R

U

S

H

E

53D

54A

U

55T

O

P

A

Y

56A

I

R

H

O

R

N

57N

E

O

P

E

T

S

58R

E

T

Y

P

E

D

59S

T

E

R

E

O

Across

33 clues

1Set unambitious goals

7One playing beerball, perhaps

14Tolkien ring bearer

16Precious person

17Phrase you might say while pointing at a photograph

18Goes against the rule?

19Musical set in Alphabet City

20Term of endearment appropriated from 9-Down

22Part of a Blues Brothers outfit

23Animated friend of Sebastian the crab

25Some arm muscles, informally

27Cassiterite is a source of it

28Robert Frost's middle name

29___ Allen Express, Amtrak train from New York City to Burlington, Vt.

31Innermost moon of Neptune

33Pressure gauge?

35Past, colloquially

36Symbols used to group blocks of computer code

37Was on the sidelines

38Breathlessness

39Polynesian staple

42Not mainstream, as some music genres

44Weakens, as an overly strong character, in video game lingo

46Angora fabric

51___ Tung, star of cable TV's "The Summer I Turned Pretty"

52Did a bedtime task

54Modern banking convenience

56Musical sample added for excitement

57Animals in an early-2000s virtual fad

58Entered again

59One might play at home

Down

35 clues

1Kind of projection

2Call at a roll call

4Drink often sipped

5Rap pioneers, slangily

6Space to develop as a person?

7In brief, to whom Grover Cleveland once said "I am making a strange wish for you ... that you may never be president of the United States"

8School houses?

9Dialect that is responsible for a large majority of Gen Z slang

10Put one's foot down

11Decorative items worn at Western galas

12Like defendants at court

13Principle of improv comedy

15Gay nightlife spot with a dress requirement

21Error correction tool

24Uncork, so to speak

30___ Story (punny nickname for the "Iliad")

31Like the lion killed by Hercules

32Scientific classification for birds

33Tesla, for one

34Affliction treated with a nit comb

35Acting like a sore loser, informally

37South Indian lentil stew

39Following etiquette

41Declaration after "because"

43French relative

45Skip the ceremony, say

47Like some unmoisturized skin

48Blue-roofed restaurant

50Coral and sand, for two

53Popular role-playing game since 1974, informally

55One whose eyes are "all aglow" in "The Christmas Song"

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Saturday, Feb 28, 2026

15×15

Grid size

68

Total entries

34/191

Black / letter cells

5.6

Avg entry length

11 ltrs

Longest entry

Hardest

Saturday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 28, 2026

DaySaturday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorAdam Levav

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split33 across · 35 down

Longest entries

33APressure gauge?11 ltrs 35APast, colloquially11 ltrs 36ASymbols used to group blocks of computer code11 ltrs 15DGay nightlife spot with a dress requirement10 ltrs 26DBody bronzer10 ltrs

Saturday is the hardest grid of the week, themeless and clued as obliquely as the editor allows. This grid has 34 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.