NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 3, 2002

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

Tuesday, September 3, 2002

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:05 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, September 3, 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.

76 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
Despicable one
2
With 60-Across, 1960's TV cartoon hero
3
List of choices
4
Casa grande
5
It's a revelation
6
Assume for argument's sake
7
"Star Wars" director
8
"This ___ outrage!"
9
Bit
10
Time before midnight
11
Rings up
12
Popeye's gal
13
Composer Carl Maria von ___
21
37-Across, e.g.
23
37-Across, e.g.
25
Louise of "Gilligan's Island"
26
Vocalist Fitzgerald
27
Stead
28
In a bit
29
Alphabet ends, in Canada
31
Bookie's computation
32
Herd of seals
34
Working without ___
35
Year Queen Victoria died
36
Catchall abbr.
38
Police action
39
Quayle or Cheney: Abbr.
44
Person in a pool
45
After much delay
46
Asparagus unit
47
Field of endeavor
48
Like pretzels
49
BMW competitor
50
Boer fighters
52
Dance instructor's instruction
53
Fire ___ (gem)
54
Autumn tool
57
"___ said it before ..."
59
Put out, maybe, in baseball

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Monday, September 2, 2002

across

1. "Peanuts" boy: LINUS
6. Lady's man: GENT
10. Fizzling-out sound: PFFT
14. Make amends (for): ATONE
15. Taj Mahal site: AGRA
16. Title role for Peter Fonda: ULEE
17. Tunneling tusker?: BORINGBOAR
19. Sinn ___ (Irish organization): FEIN
20. Brown in the kitchen: TOAST
21. Hurt or irritate: OFFEND
23. Suzanne of "Three's Company": SOMERS
26. Sultry Hayworth: RITA
28. The "I" of T.G.I.F.: ITS
29. Fruity coolers: ADES
30. Central street: MAIN
32. Brown on the beach: TAN
34. Basketball's Alcindor: LEW
35. Florida home of Busch Gardens: TAMPA
36. Not weighing much: LIGHT
39. Mauna Loa, e.g.: VOLCANO
41. Bought: PAIDFOR
43. Bad breath cause, maybe: ONION
44. Exhaust: USEUP
46. Prevaricate: LIE
47. Holiday quaff: NOG
48. New Jersey hoopsters: NETS
49. Clutter: MESS
50. Musician's date: GIG
52. Better ___ than never: LATE
54. Goodies: TREATS
56. Playful child: ROMPER
58. Cook, as clams: STEAM
60. Needle case: ETUI
61. Grizzly doing a striptease?: BARINGBEAR
66. Powder ingredient: TALC
67. Writing on the wall: OMEN
68. Spine-tingling: EERIE
69. Sailing: ASEA
70. Amusement park lure: RIDE
71. Small drinks of liquor: DRAMS

down

1. Chem class: LAB
2. "How was ___ know?": ITO
3. Common conjunction: NOR
4. Joins forces: UNITES
5. One who may hear "Si, si!": SENOR
6. Yaks: GABS
7. Vain voyage?: EGOTRIP
8. Gunner's grp.: NRA
9. Fortuneteller's card: TAROT
10. Bit of smoke: PUFF
11. Pest that's beating it?: FLEEINGFLEA
12. Misleading maneuver: FEINT
13. Minds, as a bar: TENDS
18. Certain meter reader: GASMAN
22. Result of a punch in the mouth: FATLIP
23. Artillery burst: SALVO
24. Old-fashioned music hall: ODEON
25. Big-eared blubberer?: MEWLINGMULE
27. Sulking: INAPET
31. Quantity: AMOUNT
33. Help: AID
35. Snarl: TANGLE
37. Raise: HOIST
38. Long lock: TRESS
40. Dove's sound: COO
42. "Pride and Prejudice" author: AUSTEN
45. Boils over: SEESRED
49. Dues payer: MEMBER
50. Reclusive Garbo: GRETA
51. Itsy-bitsy bits: IOTAS
53. Ann ___, Mich.: ARBOR
55. Showed fury: RAGED
57. Typesetter's unit: PICA
59. Fork feature: TINE
62. French friend: AMI
63. End of an ___: ERA
64. Something to take, carefully: AIM
65. Lawyer's thing: RES

Hints and full breakdown for Sep 2

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.