NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 24, 2003
Monday, March 24, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, March 24, 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
- 33
- 34
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 67
Down clues & answers
- 3
- 12
- 26
- 28
- 35
- 46
- 51
- 57
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, March 23, 2003
across
- 1. City district: WARD
- 5. Ricky Martin's "Livin' La ___ Loca": VIDA
- 9. Disqualify: RECUSE
- 15. End even: DRAW
- 19. Lab gel: AGAR
- 20. Mil. school: ACAD
- 21. Places for matches: ARENAS
- 22. Foolhardy: RASH
- 23. Great ___: DANE
- 24. Like flies caught by flypaper?: LIVINGINTHEPASTE
- 27. Parts cut off: ENDS
- 28. Ouzo flavoring: ANISE
- 29. 1980's pop group ___ Tuesday: TIL
- 30. Aromatic compound: ESTER
- 31. Bringing up young nudists?: RAISINGTHEBARE
- 35. Not live: ONTAPE
- 36. U.S. C. : Pac 10 :: Duke : ___: ACC
- 37. "The Hallucinogenic Toreador" painter: DALI
- 38. City on the Tanaro River: ASTI
- 39. Dish served with sauce: SPAGHETTI
- 45. Inefficient way to harvest sugar?: KICKTHECANE
- 50. Mother-___: TOBE
- 51. Man of Cannes: HOMME
- 53. Romance lang.: ITAL
- 54. By: VIA
- 55. Wordless response: NOD
- 56. Pearl ___ (aquarium fish): DANIO
- 57. Word with price or brain: SCAN
- 59. Forest doings: HUNT
- 60. Worthless coupons?: SHOPPINGTRIPE
- 64. "___ noches": BUENAS
- 66. Pharmaceutical giant: MERCK
- 67. Something that begins foolishly?: APRIL
- 68. Part of SST: SONIC
- 69. Evening event: SOIREE
- 71. Cry from a con man spotting an easy mark?: THERESTHERUBE
- 75. Dullard: LUNK
- 76. Passes on: DIES
- 78. Loathe: ABHOR
- 79. Mouth piece: LIP
- 80. Jehoshaphat's father: ASA
- 81. Sign on a grade school door: BOYS
- 83. Shine: GLEAM
- 84. "Must've been something ___": IATE
- 85. Outback greeting?: WELCOMEMATE
- 89. Elm, e.g.: SHADETREE
- 92. Author Jorge ___ Borges: LUIS
- 93. Backpack snack: GORP
- 95. Gray: AGE
- 96. Missing: ABSENT
- 99. Consider blowing the whistle at work?: HAVEAFIRMGRIPE
- 106. Pastel shade: LILAC
- 107. ___ chi: TAI
- 108. Boost: LEGUP
- 109. Q ___ queen: ASIN
- 110. Bartender's complete guide to spritzers?: DOANYTHINGTOWINE
- 114. One up all night at camp?: TENT
- 115. Disillusioned query: ETTU
- 116. Mr. of the comics: WILSON
- 117. Times of anticipation: EVES
- 118. Art Deco signature: ERTE
- 119. Grating sound: RASP
- 120. Small bridge limit, maybe: ONETON
- 121. Balance: REST
- 122. Brand: SEAR
down
- 1. Stork or crane: WADER
- 2. Guam's capital, old-style: AGANA
- 3. The Amazing ___ (noted magician): RANDI
- 4. Equestrian event: DRESSAGE
- 5. Liberty ___ (Lee Marvin role): VALANCE
- 6. It's sweet on sweets: ICING
- 7. Lifeboat hoist: DAVIT
- 8. "___ fit for a king": ADISH
- 9. Hardly the most prestigious paper: RAG
- 10. "___ tu che macchiavi" (Verdi lyric): ERI
- 11. Suffix with helio- or ethno-: CENTRIC
- 12. Free: UNTIE
- 13. Comic Mort: SAHL
- 14. Lubbock-to-Abilene dir.: ESE
- 15. For emergencies only: DRASTIC
- 16. Devotee of 99-Down: RASTA
- 17. Take ___ in the right direction: ASTEP
- 18. Invitation heading: WHERE
- 25. Essential: NEED
- 26. Big name in writing implements: PENTEL
- 32. "___ dien" (Prince of Wales's motto): ICH
- 33. Sit in the sun: BAKE
- 34. 2001 biopic: ALI
- 35. Fed. workplace monitor: OSHA
- 38. Bus. envelope notation: ATTN
- 39. Places by the tracks: Abbr.: STNS
- 40. "'Tain't nothin'!": POOH
- 41. Like some muscles: ABDOMINAL
- 42. Acknowledge: THANK
- 43. Lift, as ice cubes: TONG
- 44. Ape: IMITATE
- 46. Sephia maker: KIA
- 47. Friendly, as an older relative, say: AVUNCULAR
- 48. Sister ship of 104-Down: NINA
- 49. Truck stop sign: EATS
- 52. Transforms on screen: MORPHS
- 56. Blocks in Atlantic City: DICE
- 57. Tailspin: SPIRAL
- 58. ___ Sea, south of the Philippines: CELEBES
- 59. Receiving party?: HEIR
- 61. Benefit: PERK
- 62. Cousin of ante-: PRE
- 63. Burning feeling: IRE
- 64. Noted Los Alamos scientist: BOHR
- 65. Rimbaud's "___ saison en enfer": UNE
- 68. Zoological opening: STOMA
- 69. Side dish: SLAW
- 70. Yorkshire river: OUSE
- 72. Asian autocrat of old: SHAH
- 73. Fisherman's wish: BITE
- 74. Olympics sticker: EPEE
- 76. Gray removers: DYES
- 77. Doctrine: ISM
- 81. Full of energy: BOUNCY
- 82. Drop: OMIT
- 83. "Chicago" co-star, 2002: GERE
- 84. Keeps saying: ITERATES
- 86. Batting position: CLEANUP
- 87. Next to: AGAINST
- 88. "Mazel ___!": TOV
- 90. Most moist: DAMPEST
- 91. One in a dozen: EGG
- 94. ___ Alto: PALO
- 96. Tree with catkins: ALDER
- 97. Regional life: BIOTA
- 98. Blind parts: SLATS
- 99. Emperor ___ Selassie I: HAILE
- 100. A smaller number: FEWER
- 101. "Uncle": IGIVE
- 102. Mysterious characters: RUNES
- 103. Ship that brought the Statue of Liberty to the U.S.: ISERE
- 104. Sister ship of 48-Down: PINTA
- 105. Calculator key: ENTER
- 107. Weak: THIN
- 111. A doubleheader: TWO
- 112. Sticky stuff: GOO
- 113. Channel owned by Viacom: TNN
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.