NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 6, 2002
Saturday, July 6, 2002
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, July 6, 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.
Across clues & answers
- 24
- 48
Down clues & answers
- 7
- 25
- 28
- 29
- 38
- 41
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Friday, July 5, 2002
across
- 1. Syria's Bashar al-___: ASSAD
- 6. By its location [see adjoining squares of answer], a birdie: PAR
- 9. Doggie dinner: ALPO
- 13. Reveal unwanted things, maybe: TALKINONESSLEEP
- 17. Wishes to satisfy: ISEAGERTOPLEASE
- 18. High degree: PHD
- 19. Rice wine: SAKE
- 20. Enthusiastic about: HIGHON
- 21. It has its limits: CITY
- 22. Door sign: MEN
- 23. Caterer's heater: STERNO
- 26. Not hopeless, as a plan: WORKABLE
- 31. Gulf of Aqaba port: EILAT
- 32. Husband: Fr.: MARI
- 33. Sweet-talk: COAX
- 34. Exactly what's expected: PARFORTHECOURSE
- 37. Race pace: TROT
- 38. One caught off base, perhaps: AWOL
- 39. Ram rival: NINER
- 40. Greets: SAYSHITO
- 42. Most pertinent: APTEST
- 43. Presidential also-ran Landon: ALF
- 44. Influence: SWAY
- 45. Two-time U.S. Open champ: AGASSI
- 49. 1952 quiz show "Up to ___": PAAR
- 50. Kind: ILK
- 53. What mismatches have: NOTHINGINCOMMON
- 56. Going off: TAKINGONESLEAVE
- 57. Certain hockey shot: SLAP
- 58. By its location [see adjoining squares of answer], a bogey: PAR
- 59. Party leader: EMCEE
down
- 1. Eagerly expectant: ATIP
- 2. Beauty pageant wear: SASH
- 3. Kind of dog: SLED
- 4. Letters on a poster: AKA
- 5. Probes: DIGSINTO
- 6. Petunia fancier: PORKY
- 7. Table stake: ANTE
- 8. Stutz Bearcat contemporary: REO
- 9. Without ___ to stand on: ALEG
- 10. Jacob's first wife: LEAH
- 11. North American capital: PESO
- 12. Out-of-doors: OPEN
- 14. Peachy-keen: NEATO
- 15. Ball-shaped: SPHERIC
- 16. Move furtively: SLINK
- 21. Basketweaving and such: CRAFTS
- 22. Bisque ingredient: MOREL
- 23. School mos.: SEPTS
- 24. Beauty pageant wear: TIARA
- 25. N.F.L. Hall-of-Famer Hirsch: ELROY
- 26. "Whoopee!": WAHOO
- 27. Sharp-sightedness: ACUITY
- 28. Shouldered: BORNE
- 29. Performs eye surgery, in a high-tech way: LASES
- 30. Put to work: EXERT
- 32. Weekday sequence: MTWTF
- 35. Banister: RAILING
- 36. Out with some ifs: ONPAROLE
- 41. ___ stock (can ship immediately): HASIN
- 42. Eyes-in-the-skies acronym: AWACS
- 44. Not so crazy: SANER
- 45. Sugar bowl marchers: ANTS
- 46. Good shot: GOAL
- 47. Aleutian island: ATKA
- 48. Transport: SHIP
- 49. ___ colada: PINA
- 50. Colorful computer: IMAC
- 51. It means nothing to 45-Across: LOVE
- 52. It may provide child support: KNEE
- 54. Elephant herd?: GOP
- 55. Dues payer: Abbr.: MEM
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.