NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 13, 2002
Friday, September 13, 2002
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, September 13, 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
- 15
- 33
- 42
- 43
- 45
- 49
Down clues & answers
- 10
- 23
- 36
- 40
- 51
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, September 12, 2002
across
- 1. Kind of therapy: GENE
- 5. First love, perhaps: CRUSH
- 10. Wail: BAWL
- 14. "King ___" (Elgar cantata): OLAF
- 15. Red River city: HANOI
- 16. Lingering trace: ECHO
- 17. Screening device used in TV negotiations?: BARGAININGVCHIP
- 20. Under control: INCHECK
- 21. Bygone religious group: SHAKERS
- 22. What have we here: THIS
- 24. Mop & ___ (floor cleaner): GLO
- 25. Certain sweater irritant?: PAININTHEVNECK
- 32. Italian for "baked": COTTA
- 33. "Dies ___": IRAE
- 34. With 35-Across, Kind of record: WON
- 35. See 34-Across: LOSS
- 36. Knife wielder, in the kitchen: DICER
- 38. Popular video recorder: TIVO
- 39. Perform spectacularly on: ACE
- 40. "Now ___ you ...": IASK
- 41. Ford's predecessor: AGNEW
- 42. Pickup line for Churchill?: WHATSYOURVSIGN
- 46. Makeshift ballot holder, maybe: HAT
- 47. Heated competition?: MEET
- 48. Very attentive: ALLEARS
- 52. Pops section: STRINGS
- 57. Suggestion after a tiring military triumph?: LETSCALLITAVDAY
- 59. Noon, in Nice: MIDI
- 60. Blackmore heroine: DOONE
- 61. Pull down, so to speak: EARN
- 62. Reason for a parental reprimand: SASS
- 63. George Lucas creations: EWOKS
- 64. Hebrides isle: SKYE
down
- 1. Expanse crossed by Marco Polo: GOBI
- 2. Panache: ELAN
- 3. Mule buster: NARC
- 4. D train?: EFGH
- 5. Too-too: CHICHI
- 6. Jeannette ___, first woman elected to Congress: RANKIN
- 7. Cycle starter: UNI
- 8. About half of all deliveries: SONS
- 9. You may kick into it: HIGHGEAR
- 10. Appear inviting: BECKON
- 11. Back problem: ACHE
- 12. Fan sound: WHIR
- 13. Trims a tree: LOPS
- 18. Prudential alternative: AETNA
- 19. Spigot, essentially: VALVE
- 23. Gluey stuff: STICKUM
- 25. One may sit for a master: POOCH
- 26. Without a clue: ATSEA
- 27. "___ true!": ITS
- 28. Charlemagne's domain: Abbr.: HRE
- 29. See 55-Down: EWING
- 30. Spelling group?: COVEN
- 31. More than suspect: KNOW
- 32. Clutcher: CLAW
- 36. Gamble on the market, in a way: DAYTRADE
- 37. Prefix with kinetic: ISO
- 38. ___ Friday's (restaurant chain): TGI
- 40. Father of well-known twins: ISAAC
- 41. Stars in Caesar's palace?: ASTRA
- 43. It may be defended by a scholar: THESIS
- 44. Hit a new low?: RESINK
- 45. Classic muscle cars, briefly: VETTES
- 48. Salvation Army collection: ALMS
- 49. Sci-fi royal: LEIA
- 50. Old Fords: LTDS
- 51. Curve caution: SLOW
- 53. Frederic who invented halftone photoengraving: IVES
- 54. Sask. neighbor: NDAK
- 55. With 29-Down, central role on "Knots Landing": GARY
- 56. "Auld Lang ___": SYNE
- 58. Place to go in England: LOO
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.