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NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for June 12, 2003

Thursday, June 12, 2003

By Last updated How we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, June 12, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

  1. 1

    Lay to rest

  2. 6

    Broken-off branch

  3. 10

    Hydronium, e.g.

  4. 13

    Expensive wrap

  5. 14

    Loads

  6. 15

    He talked to Wilbur Post

  7. 17

    Baste over, e.g.

  8. 18

    Online pastime

  9. 19

    Second sock, say

  10. 20

    They call New Zealand "Aotearoa"

  11. 22

    It may be taken at the wrist

  12. 23

    1 + 6 + 10-Across

  13. 27

    Spots on diamonds

  14. 28

    Rat Island group

  15. 32

    Pub orders

  16. 33

    Invents

  17. 36

    Grant-giving grp.

  18. 37

    Tag line?

  19. 38

    Where a stray may stay

  20. 39

    Doe and dam

  21. 40

    Sportscaster Berman

  22. 41

    Phrase on a Chinese menu

  23. 42

    Goatish figures

  24. 43

    Less calm

  25. 45

    Sissy Spacek title role

  26. 46

    63 + 64 + 65-Across

  27. 50

    Gross part

  28. 53

    Calls it quits early

  29. 54

    One in an express checkout count

  30. 55

    It's seen on many a roof

  31. 56

    Second of three words in West Point's motto

  32. 60

    Bad thing to get stuck in

  33. 61

    "The ___ Gave My Heart To" (1997 pop hit)

  34. 62

    Piano technique improver

  35. 63

    Time server

  36. 64

    Piddling payment

  37. 65

    Was esteemed

Down clues & answers

  1. 1

    Medit. land

  2. 2

    Glaswegian denial

  3. 3

    Atlanta-based station

  4. 4

    Some metals

  5. 5

    Good things to reap

  6. 6

    "___ bleu!"

  7. 7

    Body of values

  8. 8

    Compete in a Soap Box Derby, e.g.

  9. 9

    Discharge letters?

  10. 10

    Unable to catch, with "to"

  11. 11

    Kind of history

  12. 12

    Mosquito guards

  13. 16

    It'll barely pass you

  14. 21

    W.W. II intelligence org.

  15. 22

    Pro campaigners

  16. 23

    Skewer

  17. 24

    Mouthed off

  18. 25

    Piano maintenance

  19. 26

    "___ my Annabel Lee": Poe

  20. 29

    O.K., in a way

  21. 30

    ___ Beanie Babies

  22. 31

    Mouthed off to

  23. 33

    Dot follower [with 38-Across + 35-Down, this puzzle's theme]

  24. 34

    Suffix with vigor

  25. 35

    Like Brahms's "Rain Sonata"

  26. 38

    Blue books

  27. 39

    City south of St. Petersburg

  28. 41

    Very bright

  29. 42

    To a greater extent

  30. 44

    Workers skilled with tongs

  31. 45

    Bull's-eye: Abbr.

  32. 47

    "Bullseye!" actor

  33. 48

    "Barnaby Jones" star

  34. 49

    Perfectly pitched

  35. 50

    A bit thick

  36. 51

    Auditory

  37. 52

    Nobody, slangily

  38. 55

    Shot orderer

  39. 57

    Screwball

  40. 58

    Literary piece

  41. 59

    Traffic stopper

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Previous The Crossword answer

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

across

  • 1. "Baywatch" beauties: BABES
  • 6. Gulf war missiles: SCUDS
  • 11. Purged: RID
  • 14. Water colors: AQUAS
  • 15. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner: TOMEI
  • 16. Leb. neighbor: ISR
  • 17. Start of a point to ponder: JUSTWHATWAS
  • 19. Thickness: PLY
  • 20. Gofer: AIDE
  • 21. "... but is it ___?": ART
  • 22. Heavenly ladle: DIPPER
  • 24. Once, once: ERST
  • 26. "That feels good!": AAH
  • 28. Chorus girl?: ALTO
  • 29. "The Raven" writer's monogram: EAP
  • 31. Part 2 of the point to ponder: THEGREATEST
  • 34. Parkinson's treatment: LDOPA
  • 36. Take back: RECANT
  • 37. One waltzing Down Under: MATILDA
  • 39. Now and then: ATTIMES
  • 43. Kind of salad: CAESAR
  • 45. No-goodniks: HEELS
  • 46. Part 3 of the point to ponder: THINGBEFORE
  • 50. Point to argue: NIT
  • 51. Half: Prefix: HEMI
  • 52. Part of E.T.A.: Abbr.: ARR
  • 53. Strike callers: UMPS
  • 55. Medicinal syrup: IPECAC
  • 57. Dander: IRE
  • 59. Some punches: AWLS
  • 62. DVD player maker: RCA
  • 63. End of the point to ponder: SLICEDBREAD
  • 66. Perp prosecutors: DAS
  • 67. Coffee break time, perhaps: TENAM
  • 68. Japan's second-largest city: OSAKA
  • 69. Pig's pad: STY
  • 70. Grps.: ASSNS
  • 71. She played the 10 in "10": DEREK

down

  • 1. Mexican peninsula: BAJA
  • 2. Here, in 1-Down: AQUI
  • 3. End of the line: BUSDEPOT
  • 4. Lotus-___: EATER
  • 5. Sacramento-to-Santa Cruz dir.: SSW
  • 6. Top banana: STAR
  • 7. Vacation home: COTTAGE
  • 8. Underground org.: UMW
  • 9. Tie: DEADHEAT
  • 10. "Aye aye, capitán!": SISI
  • 11. Wee wave: RIPPLE
  • 12. Sea spots: ISLETS
  • 13. Wood worry: DRYROT
  • 18. Possesses, old-style: HATH
  • 23. Peppermint ___ (candy purchase): PATTIE
  • 25. "Hogan's Heroes" setting: STALAG
  • 27. Five-time Derby winner: ARCARO
  • 29. Nightmarish street: ELM
  • 30. Org. for drillers and fillers: ADA
  • 32. Chalkboard accessory: ERASER
  • 33. Country music?: ANTHEM
  • 35. Walk in the park, so to speak: PICNIC
  • 38. Complete collapses: DEBACLES
  • 40. Department store department: MENSWEAR
  • 41. Samuel's mentor: ELI
  • 42. Atl. crosser: SST
  • 44. Kind of violet: AFRICAN
  • 46. Fair portions for the Andrews Sisters: THIRDS
  • 47. Cool dude, 50's-style: HEPCAT
  • 48. "Makes no difference to me": IMEASY
  • 49. Lamented: RUED
  • 54. Analyze syntactically: PARSE
  • 56. Wirehair of film: ASTA
  • 58. Radiation units: REMS
  • 60. Superior, e.g.: LAKE
  • 61. Badlands state: Abbr.: SDAK
  • 64. Seat holders: INS
  • 65. 10's pride: BOD
Hints and full breakdown for Jun 11

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.