NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 9, 2002

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, March 9, 2002

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:08 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, March 9, 2002. 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

Down clues & answers

1
It may get agitated
2
Words heard in the Senate
3
Coney Island attraction
4
40-Across producer?
5
"The Crisis" essayist
6
Spanish eye
7
Grp. that questioned Alger Hiss
8
Cunning and deceptive one
9
Elevate
10
A question of aesthetics
11
Refreshment site
12
Dash off
13
Doesn't dash off
18
Inhibit
22
Hunt à la hounds
24
Trick shout
26
Ruin big-time
27
Start of something big?
29
Kind of pain
31
Side order?
33
Paper dispenser
34
Furnish with a lining
35
"Salus populi suprema lex ___" (Missouri's motto)
37
An Allman brother
41
Come out on top
42
Place to perch
45
Nabokov novel
47
Fire sign
48
"As You Like It" daughter
49
"The Country Girl" playwright
51
Accompanied a madrigal, maybe
53
1-Down unit
55
It may follow something
56
Runners' place
59
"Oy ___!"

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Friday, March 8, 2002

across

1. Dance with sharp turns: BOLERO
7. Kind of year: Abbr.: FISC
11. ___ Friday: SGT
14. Kind of recording: ANALOG
15. Month before Nisan: ADAR
16. Lawyer on TV's "Civil Wars": ELI
17. Handle differently?: RENAME
18. Get on, in more ways than one: RIDE
19. One of the Bobbsey twins: NAN
20. Like some sums: TIDY
21. Ticklish one?: ELMO
23. At ___ (with consequences): ACOST
25. Playwright Ayckbourn: ALAN
26. Sewer line?: HEM
27. Viking's destination: MARS
28. Rigel and Spica: BLUESTARS
31. Worked regularly at: PLIED
33. "Now, where ___?": WASI
34. All-in-one software packages: SUITES
35. Western herd member: AMERICANBUFFALO
40. Least likely to crack: SANEST
41. Bailiwick: TURF
42. Con men?: ANTIS
43. Fitting container for this puzzle?: CHEESEBOX
48. Nick: DING
49. Female salmon: HEN
50. It may be coed: DORM
51. Island in the Taiwan Strait: MATSU
52. Some promises: IDOS
54. Stretch: AREA
55. Web browser entry: URL
56. Vaulted recess: APSE
58. "Ishtar" sights: CAMELS
60. It may be analyzed before a stroke: LIE
61. Fall back: REEL
62. Like 42-Across: AVERSE
63. Run out: END
64. Certain pickle: DILL
65. Pickles: MESSES

down

1. It may be run up by drinking: BARTAB
2. Bush Treasury secretary: ONEILL
3. Carriage with a fold-down top: LANDAU
4. Comic Boosler: ELAYNE
5. CD follower: ROM
6. S shape: OGEE
7. Tune for tykes, with "The": FARMERINTHEDELL
8. Hurdles for language learners: IDIOMS
9. Like some commentary: SAD
10. Timid types: CREAMPUFFS
11. Miss out in Mexico?: SENORITA
12. Elver: GLASSEEL
13. Salon request: TINT
22. Potala Palace's place: LHASA
24. U.S. 101 locale: Abbr.: CALIF
29. Pope protector: SWISSGUARD
30. Good host's gift: TACT
32. Award since 1886: Abbr.: DSO
34. "No problem": SURE
35. Comparison connector: ASA
36. Language of 800+ million: MANDARIN
37. Qualified: ENTITLED
38. Control, symbolically: REINS
39. It's good to an 11-Down: BUENO
43. Cheat: CHISEL
44. Mingo portrayer on 60's TV: EDAMES
45. Shipworms, e.g.: BORERS
46. Part of a stern warning: ORELSE
47. Short holidays?: XMASES
51. Lounging footwear: MULE
53. Cheat: SCAM
57. Canton-born designer: PEI
59. Park in N.Y.C., e.g.: AVE

Hints and full breakdown for Mar 8

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.