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NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for April 27, 2003

Sunday, April 27, 2003

By Last updated How we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, April 27, 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.

140 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

  1. 5

    Deft

  2. 16

    ___-ons

  3. 20
  4. 23

    FLIPPER

  5. 29

    Convinced

  6. 32

    HAZEL

  7. 40
  8. 41

    Hot stuff

  9. 46

    "Perfect"

  10. 48

    CHEERS

  11. 65
  12. 68

    COACH

  13. 73
  14. 79

    Withdrawn

  15. 83

    Rotgut

  16. 86

    CHIPS

  17. 105

    FRIENDS

  18. 114

    ER

  19. 122

    Puff up

  20. 126

    Laid off

  21. 128

Down clues & answers

  1. 5

    Exhausted

  2. 6

    Spoonful

  3. 8

    ___ sort

  4. 15
  5. 33
  6. 35
  7. 37

    Skedaddle

  8. 38
  9. 43

    Map meas.

  10. 52

    Lets off

  11. 54
  12. 69
  13. 71

    Hot stuff

  14. 75

    Besmirch

  15. 78

    Rampage

  16. 82

    Huffs

  17. 88
  18. 90

    Lets off

  19. 100

    Escort

  20. 106
  21. 107

    You: Sp.

  22. 108
  23. 117

    "What?"

  24. 120

    ___ Mahal

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Previous The Crossword answer

Saturday, April 26, 2003

across

  • 1. National bird of Guatemala: QUETZAL
  • 8. Great thing to hit: JACKPOT
  • 15. Hoist: UPRAISE
  • 16. Retail outlets: EMPORIA
  • 17. Con: AGAINST
  • 18. Sneaks: WEASELS
  • 19. Some are underground: Abbr.: RRS
  • 20. Flora or Fauna: GODDESS
  • 22. They're not part of the body: Abbr.: PSS
  • 23. Crook's comeuppance: RAID
  • 25. Becomes less enthusiastic: COOLS
  • 26. Lie on the beach, say: BAKE
  • 27. Aussie "Dame" and others: EDNAS
  • 29. ___ bit: WEE
  • 30. It may lead to injury: PERIL
  • 31. Prolific egg layer: LEGHORN
  • 33. Gives a number to: DEADENS
  • 35. Ingredient in some cakes: LYE
  • 36. System start-up?: ECO
  • 37. Self-___: RELIANT
  • 41. They're not yet delivered: FETUSES
  • 45. Pharmaceutical liquids: AQUAS
  • 46. He played Yemana on "Barney Miller": SOO
  • 48. Regional woodland: SILVA
  • 49. Port holders: TUNS
  • 50. Elite group: SEALS
  • 52. Some fiction, informally: NOIR
  • 53. Creek: RIA
  • 54. Airs: DITTIES
  • 56. Shogunate headquarters: EDO
  • 57. Red supergiant in Scorpius: ANTARES
  • 59. Immunity trigger: ANTIGEN
  • 61. Lexicographer's interest: COINAGE
  • 62. Incitement: GOADING
  • 63. Winds up: EXCITES
  • 64. Adventurous rovers: ERRANTS

down

  • 1. Exchange words, so to speak: QUARREL
  • 2. Improvement: UPGRADE
  • 3. Getting off the tape: ERASING
  • 4. Chi preceder: TAI
  • 5. Bite: ZING
  • 6. Abbr. in some group names: ASSOC
  • 7. Disappoint: LETDOWN
  • 8. Like many scepters: JEWELED
  • 9. Elvis's "___ of Blues": AMESS
  • 10. People doing book reviews?: CPAS
  • 11. Levels: KOS
  • 12. Cook: PREPARE
  • 13. Choice for rain gear: OILSKIN
  • 14. Graduation day array: TASSELS
  • 21. One may be fawning: DOE
  • 24. Some ornamentals: DAHLIAS
  • 26. Wanderer: BEDOUIN
  • 28. Nutritious beans: SOYAS
  • 30. Summit goals, sometimes: PACTS
  • 32. "In the Good Old Summertime" lyricist Shields: REN
  • 34. Designation of some clodhoppers: EEE
  • 37. Drudge's life: RATRACE
  • 38. Fall time: EQUINOX
  • 39. Nut: LUNATIC
  • 40. African carriers: TSETSES
  • 41. Leaves: FOLIAGE
  • 42. Fizz ingredient: SLOEGIN
  • 43. Not hard to understand: EVIDENT
  • 44. One-piece outfits: SARONGS
  • 47. Seed in a spikelet: OAT
  • 50. More than a 23-Across: SIEGE
  • 51. Madrileño, e.g.: SENOR
  • 54. "Nuts!": DRAT
  • 55. Prominent player: STAR
  • 58. Hangman request: ANI
  • 60. Title girl of Eddie Cantor's theme song: IDA
Hints and full breakdown for Apr 26

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.