Skip to content
ZWordFinderZ

NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 30, 2001

Friday, March 30, 2001

By Last updated How we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, March 30, 2001. 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.

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

Across clues & answers

  1. 1
  2. 16
  3. 17

    Tinlike

  4. 18
  5. 19
  6. 23

    Sign

  7. 24

    N.J. base

  8. 27

    Distant

  9. 28

    Spinning

  10. 29

    Swig

  11. 31

    Elegant

  12. 37
  13. 45
  14. 47
  15. 49
  16. 50

    Tar

  17. 56

    Drop

  18. 57

Down clues & answers

  1. 1

    Faint

  2. 2

    Bouncy

  3. 7

    Podunk

  4. 11

    Modicum

  5. 12
  6. 13

    Joins

  7. 24

    Scoff at

  8. 28

    Equally

  9. 30

    Tableau

  10. 34

    Chilled

  11. 39
  12. 42

    Let up

  13. 46

    Botch

  14. 49

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

WhatsAppXReddit

Previous The Crossword answer

Thursday, March 29, 2001

across

  • 1. Scotland's ___ Fyne: LOCH
  • 5. It's nothing to speak of: TABOO
  • 10. Perennial presidential campaign issue: JOBS
  • 14. Memo phrase: INRE
  • 15. Part of a U.S. census category: ASIAN
  • 16. "Did you ___?!": EVER
  • 17. Bound: LEAP
  • 18. Manly apparel: KILTS
  • 19. ___ avis: RARA
  • 20. Half of a decoder ring: ABCDEFGHIJKLM
  • 23. Former nuclear power org.: AEC
  • 24. "Cómo ___ usted?": ESTA
  • 25. Maserati, e.g.: FASTCAR
  • 29. It gives you an out: EGRESS
  • 34. The Buckeyes: Abbr.: OSU
  • 35. Heralded: RANG
  • 38. What a rubber produces?: GENIE
  • 39. Secret message: LFIXLEVIRHYOLDM
  • 43. Hall-of-Fame coach Mike: DITKA
  • 44. Author Wiesel: ELIE
  • 45. Clay, after transformation: ALI
  • 46. English essayist Sir Richard: STEELE
  • 48. Unpleasant ones: NASTIES
  • 51. Landers and others: ANNS
  • 54. Opus ___: DEI
  • 55. Other half of the decoder ring: ZYXWVUTSRQPON
  • 61. Thailand, once: SIAM
  • 62. More than hot: IRATE
  • 63. Gave the go-ahead: OKED
  • 65. French 101 verb: ETRE
  • 66. Pluralizers: ESSES
  • 67. Woman of the haus: FRAU
  • 68. Its motto is L'Étoile du Nord: Abbr.: MINN
  • 69. Thomas Jefferson, religiously: DEIST
  • 70. Inevitability: FATE

down

  • 1. Not-so-apt word for Abner: LIL
  • 2. Suitable for service: ONEA
  • 3. Shore catch: CRAB
  • 4. One who's beat but good?: HEPCAT
  • 5. "Be well": TAKECARE
  • 6. Catchphrase from "Clueless": ASIF
  • 7. Poppycock: BILGE
  • 8. They may be made with Bibles: OATHS
  • 9. Present: ONSITE
  • 10. Be rough with the reins: JERK
  • 11. Flattened figure: OVAL
  • 12. Earthwork: BERM
  • 13. Madrid Mme.: SRA
  • 21. Big holiday mo.: DEC
  • 22. Notched: JAGGY
  • 25. Makes origami: FOLDS
  • 26. Comparatively healthy: ASFIT
  • 27. Deluxe accommodations: SUITE
  • 28. All-night party: RAVE
  • 30. Early auto: REO
  • 31. Zhou ___: ENLAI
  • 32. Move like a 3-Down: SIDLE
  • 33. Tournament round: SEMIS
  • 36. Nothing: NIL
  • 37. Smile: GRIN
  • 40. Classic Jaguar: XKE
  • 41. Hit 1980's-90's NBC drama: LALAW
  • 42. Car safety feature: HEADREST
  • 47. Coveted: ENVIED
  • 49. Et ___ (footnote abbr.): SEQ
  • 50. Warn: TIPOFF
  • 52. Hospital figure: NURSE
  • 53. Former East German secret police: STASI
  • 55. Tubes in the kitchen: ZITI
  • 56. Tale: YARN
  • 57. Marvel Comics heroes: XMEN
  • 58. Jeanne d'Arc et al.: Abbr.: STES
  • 59. Gumbo component: OKRA
  • 60. Without ice: NEAT
  • 61. Relig. training ground: SEM
  • 64. Company in Italy?: DUE
Hints and full breakdown for Mar 29

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.