NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 18, 2003
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, February 18, 2003. 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
- 42
Down clues & answers
- 22
- 35
- 63
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, February 17, 2003
across
- 1. Book of maps: ATLAS
- 6. Lounge: LOLL
- 10. Lounge: IDLE
- 14. Milk purchase: QUART
- 15. Actress Falco: EDIE
- 16. Word before a verb, maybe: NOUN
- 17. Pain inside: ULCER
- 18. Taboo: NONO
- 19. Not timid: BOLD
- 20. Cruising: ASEA
- 21. 1986 Detroit debut: FORDTAURUS
- 23. Refuses: SAYSNO
- 25. Tall tale: YARN
- 26. E.P.A. concern: Abbr.: ECOL
- 29. Paint over: RECOAT
- 33. Government subsidy: GRANTINAID
- 38. This-and-that dish: HASH
- 39. 21-Across, e.g.: AUTO
- 40. Bruin Bobby: ORR
- 41. Singer ___ James: ETTA
- 42. Story line: PLOT
- 43. 1998 Peter Weir film, with "The": TRUMANSHOW
- 46. Group of 100: SENATE
- 48. "No sweat": EASY
- 49. Six years, in the 46-Across: TERM
- 51. Period of greatest success: HEYDAY
- 56. Amateurish: BUSHLEAGUE
- 61. Prefix with -naut: AERO
- 62. Aware of: ONTO
- 63. Without value: NULL
- 64. Express appreciation to: THANK
- 65. ___ Clayton Powell Jr.: ADAM
- 66. Help for a detective: CLUE
- 67. "It's the truth!": NOLIE
- 68. Region: ZONE
- 69. Renaissance Italian family name: ESTE
- 70. Carried with difficulty: TOTED
down
- 1. Shades of blue: AQUAS
- 2. Oklahoma city: TULSA
- 3. Cagney's TV partner: LACEY
- 4. Regions: AREAS
- 5. Narrow waterway: Abbr.: STR
- 6. Late-night name: LENO
- 7. Olfactory stimulus: ODOR
- 8. Dance named after an aviator: LINDY
- 9. Dance class wear: LEOTARD
- 10. Grouped: INBUNCHES
- 11. It may get into a jamb: DOOR
- 12. Humdinger: LULU
- 13. They may be split or tight: ENDS
- 21. An ellipse has two of them: FOCI
- 22. "___ you sure?": ARE
- 24. Take-home: NET
- 27. ___ about (approximately): ONOR
- 28. Lash ___, who played the Cheyenne Kid in old westerns: LARUE
- 30. Pledge: OATH
- 31. Concerning: ASTO
- 32. Unfreeze: THAW
- 33. Openings: GAPS
- 34. It may begin "Do not ...": RULE
- 35. Lots: ATON
- 36. Out: NOTATHOME
- 37. "___ la Douce" (1963 film): IRMA
- 43. Actor Stamp: TERENCE
- 44. Tennis's Arthur: ASHE
- 45. Bill ___, TV's Science Guy: NYE
- 47. No. on a business card: TEL
- 50. Manhandles: MAULS
- 52. "Hurray!": YAHOO
- 53. Had control of the deck: DEALT
- 54. Golfer Palmer, informally: ARNIE
- 55. Like farm oxen: YOKED
- 56. Husband of Ruth, in the Bible: BOAZ
- 57. Take back: UNDO
- 58. Funnyman Laurel: STAN
- 59. Oversupply: GLUT
- 60. Peter Fonda title role: ULEE
- 64. Explosion maker: TNT
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.