NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for February 28, 2003
Friday, February 28, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Friday, February 28, 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
- 20
- 29
- 34
- 45
- 46
Down clues & answers
- 31
- 36
- 40
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Thursday, February 27, 2003
across
- 1. Miffed: SORE
- 5. Early in the morning: ATDAWN
- 11. Bit of sugar, say: Abbr.: TSP
- 14. Historical chapters: ERAS
- 15. Big ___ (German gun in W.W. I): BERTHA
- 16. Olive ___: OYL
- 17. Slangy dissents: NAHS
- 18. Vinegary: ACETIC
- 19. Baton Rouge campus: LSU
- 20. A driver may come to it: SCREECHINGHALT
- 23. Pay back?: OLA
- 24. Number of weeks per annum: LII
- 25. Brownish-orange: SORREL
- 27. "28 Days" subject: REHAB
- 29. Funny Philips: EMO
- 32. Great plays may be seen in it: SLOMO
- 33. TV dial: Abbr.: VOL
- 35. Sportscaster Cross: IRV
- 37. Far or down follower: EAST
- 38. Sound on a winter's night: HOWLINGWIND
- 41. Apple not for eating: IMAC
- 43. Sawbones: DOC
- 44. Word repeated in the Beatles title "___ Said ___ Said": SHE
- 45. Teasdale and others: SARAS
- 47. Bridal-notice word: NEE
- 49. Robert Devereux's earldom: ESSEX
- 53. Stick one's nose (in): MEDDLE
- 55. Fed. construction overseer: GSA
- 57. Second person: EVE
- 58. Five-foot wading birds: WHOOPINGCRANES
- 62. Potpie morsel: PEA
- 63. Shell figure: OCTANE
- 64. "Look ___ hands!": MANO
- 65. Superlative finish: EST
- 66. "Newhart" actor Tom: POSTON
- 67. Old accusation: ETTU
- 68. Scores: Abbr.: PTS
- 69. Flunky: STOOGE
- 70. Catbird seat?: NEST
down
- 1. Motion detector: SENSOR
- 2. One with a vision: ORACLE
- 3. Gung-ho: RAHRAH
- 4. In ___ (actually): ESSE
- 5. Adders: ABACI
- 6. Computer whiz: TECHIE
- 7. Afternoon hour in Bonn: DREI
- 8. Memo abbr.: ATTN
- 9. Old bloc in Parliament: WHIGS
- 10. Cheesy snacks: NACHOS
- 11. It's not free of charge: TOLLROAD
- 12. A 6-Down may oversee them: SYSTEMS
- 13. Opposite of sing.: PLU
- 21. Piece of pipe: ELBOW
- 22. Francis and Dahl: ARLENES
- 26. Home land?: LOT
- 28. Shade of green: AVOCADO
- 30. Not use plainly: MINCE
- 31. Web address ending: ORG
- 34. Legal scholar's deg.: LLD
- 36. Bugs, briefly: VWS
- 38. Construction crew: HARDHATS
- 39. It's not free of charge: ION
- 40. "What's this ___ ...?": IHEAR
- 41. Philosopher's study: ISM
- 42. "Myra Breckinridge" star: MAEWEST
- 46. Single-masters: SLOOPS
- 48. Yuletide offering: EGGNOG
- 50. Nomination approver: SENATE
- 51. Doings: EVENTS
- 52. Cancels: XESOUT
- 54. Center of Florida: EPCOT
- 56. At times it's stolen: SCENE
- 59. "Wishing won't make ___": ITSO
- 60. Defense grp.: NATO
- 61. "You said it!": AMEN
- 62. Get-up-and-go: PEP
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.