NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 15, 2003

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

Saturday, March 15, 2003

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:01 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, March 15, 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.

72 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
Pain
2
Endangered South American
3
Ars ___ (sorcery)
4
Period
5
Market leader?
6
"Down the Field" singer, at a football game
7
Tie term
8
Madison Avenue's "loneliest guy in town"
9
Support group?
10
See 47-Across
11
Get down
12
Dagger
13
Hang, in a way
14
Views
21
Basis of some divisions
24
Debauchee of a sort
25
Hurry
26
Prefix with chemical
28
Capital nicknamed the Cherry City
29
Character in Chesterton's "What's Wrong With the World"
30
Plaster?
31
Lock
32
Relative of hurling
33
Mulishness
34
Like infants and grudges
35
In ___ (trapped)
39
Singer Coltrane
40
Snow-white
41
Cause to sparkle
42
Popper of song
44
Attended
45
More likely to mouth off
47
Epitaph opener
48
Greek crosses
50
Shepherd's field: Abbr.
52
Cream ___
53
Children's prayer starter

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Friday, March 14, 2003

across

1. Unlocked area?: BALDSPOT
9. Phase: ASPECT
15. Gradually: OVERTIME
16. It does a lot of firing: NEURON
17. Very recently delivered: NEONATAL
18. Winemaker Gallo: ERNEST
19. Lover of Eos: ORION
20. Criticized and how!: REAMED
22. Stuff in a robber-foiling pack: DYE
24. Lowest: MINIMUM
28. Clique: INGROUP
32. Common solvent: ACETONE
33. Fault line?: MEACULPA
35. He chalked up 915 points: ORR
36. 100 points: CARAT
37. Taste: SIP
39. 1983 Woody Allen film: ZELIG
41. Mouths: Lat.: ORA
42. Aspiring artist's submission: DEMOTAPE
44. Like a snake: LEGLESS
49. Doggies: POOCHES
50. Concoct: DREAMUP
51. Dreaming phenomenon: REM
52. Capital near the Adriatic: TIRANA
54. Partner of parts: LABOR
59. Like Liechtenstein: ALPINE
62. Trusted friend: ALTEREGO
64. Its employees are in training: LIONEL
65. Snake alternatives: PLUNGERS
66. Erotic: STEAMY
67. Trash heaps, e.g.: EYESORES

down

1. Rock star turned activist: BONO
2. Maintain: AVER
3. Sainted pope called "the Great": LEOI
4. 1962 Joseph Wiseman title role: DRNO
5. Really shine: STANDOUT
6. Set (against): PIT
7. L. L. Cool J's "In Too Deep" co-star: OMAREPPS
8. Commercial prefix with mundo: TELE
9. Weak: ANEMIC
10. Pacific: SERENE
11. Wise one: PUNDIT
12. "... die strangled ___ my Romeo comes?": Shak.: ERE
13. Firms: Abbr.: COS
14. Explosive: TNT
21. Influential journal publisher: Abbr.: AMA
23. Deborah's "The King and I" co-star: YUL
25. Green: MOOLAH
26. Green: UNRIPE
27. Confederates: MERGES
28. "Brrr!": IMCOLD
29. More likely to bump into: NEARER
30. Park place?: GARAGE
31. Cable modem producer: RCA
34. It may be humanitarian: AID
38. Big show of support: PEPRALLY
39. Magnifier, of sorts: ZOOMLENS
40. Truncation indication: Abbr.: ETC
43. Taverner of "The Simpsons": MOE
45. Bilingual woman, maybe: LATINA
46. Marshall Mathers, familiarly: EMINEM
47. Doubtless: SURELY
48. Fancy home amenity: SPA
53. Bun's place: NAPE
55. 50-oared ship: ARGO
56. Draft, e.g.: BEER
57. Unpleasant one: OGRE
58. Historical sewer: ROSS
59. Comedian Ritz and others: ALS
60. On, in a way: LIT
61. Dupin's creator: POE
63. It's named for a Germanic war god: Abbr.: TUE

Hints and full breakdown for Mar 14

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.