NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 23, 2002
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, July 23, 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
- 14
- 18
Down clues & answers
- 26
- 65
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, July 22, 2002
across
- 1. Comical Laurel: STAN
- 5. All excited: AGOG
- 9. Knights' ladies: DAMES
- 14. Sexologist Shere: HITE
- 15. Sandy slope: DUNE
- 16. "Remember the ___!": ALAMO
- 17. Service status: ONEA
- 18. Damon of "The Bourne Identity": MATT
- 19. Disinfectant brand: LYSOL
- 20. Wind pointer: WEATHERVANE
- 23. D.D.E.'s command in W.W. II: ETO
- 24. Some household heads: MAS
- 25. Not Rep. or Dem.: IND
- 26. Myrna of "The Thin Man": LOY
- 27. The hoop in hoops: RIM
- 28. Having good posture: ERECT
- 30. Hissy fit: SNIT
- 32. Meal in a shell: TACO
- 33. Quoits target: HOB
- 35. One ___ kind: OFA
- 36. Lay ___ the line: ITON
- 37. "Changing the subject ...": INANOTHERVEIN
- 41. Raid rival: DCON
- 42. Pi follower: RHO
- 43. China's Sun ___-sen: YAT
- 44. Take a load off: REST
- 45. Part of CNN: NEWS
- 47. Flies alone: SOLOS
- 51. Leave dumbstruck: AWE
- 52. Confederate soldier: REB
- 53. Lobbying grp.: PAC
- 55. Before, of yore: ERE
- 56. Ford or Lincoln: CAR
- 57. 1972 Carly Simon hit: YOURESOVAIN
- 60. City near Syracuse: UTICA
- 62. Stink to high heaven: REEK
- 63. Brain wave: IDEA
- 64. Russian Revolution leader: LENIN
- 65. Patiently wait: BIDE
- 66. Dryer outlet: VENT
- 67. Rival of ancient Sparta: ARGOS
- 68. Winter blanket: SNOW
- 69. Pay to play: ANTE
down
- 1. Missourian's demand: SHOWME
- 2. Musical ineptitude: TINEAR
- 3. "Relax, soldier!": ATEASE
- 4. Shipshape: NEAT
- 5. Product pitchers: ADMEN
- 6. Some football linemen: GUARDS
- 7. Airing: ONTV
- 8. "Stop worrying about picayune stuff!": GETALIFE
- 9. Big name in Chicago politics: DALEY
- 10. Prince ___ Khan: ALY
- 11. Grand Prix racer: MASERATI
- 12. :-) or :-(: EMOTICON
- 13. Wise king of Israel: SOLOMON
- 21. Woo in an unwelcome way: HITON
- 22. ___ public: NOTARY
- 29. Rooters' refrain: CHANT
- 31. At all, in dialect: NOHOW
- 32. Connect with: TIETO
- 34. Island on the Java Sea: BORNEO
- 37. Free serving at a restaurant: ICEWATER
- 38. A bull may wear one: NOSERING
- 39. Many a commuter's base: THEBURBS
- 40. Explorer ___ da Gama: VASCO
- 41. Storied vampire: DRACULA
- 46. Popular swimwear: SPEEDO
- 48. Hard to lift: LEADEN
- 49. Show the ropes to: ORIENT
- 50. 100-member group: SENATE
- 52. "___ Hope" (former soap): RYANS
- 54. Cockeyed: ASKEW
- 58. Horse halter?: REIN
- 59. Cheer starter: VIVA
- 61. A.F.L.'s partner: CIO
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.