NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 9, 2003
Wednesday, July 9, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, July 9, 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
- 19
- 33
- 60
Down clues & answers
- 13
- 21
- 49
- 50
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, July 8, 2003
across
- 1. Civil rights org.: NAACP
- 6. Madame Bovary: EMMA
- 10. Choice on "Let's Make a Deal": DOOR
- 14. Come to pass: OCCUR
- 15. Castle defense: MOAT
- 16. Henry VIII's second or fourth: ANNE
- 17. 1954 movie starring 25- and 44-Across: THREERINGCIRCUS
- 20. Storm center: EYE
- 21. Kelly's possum: POGO
- 22. "I swear!": HONEST
- 23. Worth a C: FAIR
- 24. Half of a sawbuck: FIN
- 25. Half of a famous comic duo: JERRYLEWIS
- 29. Tibetan priest: LAMA
- 33. Jennifer Garner spy series: ALIAS
- 34. Bachelor's last words?: IDO
- 35. Rah-rah: AVID
- 36. Some auction bids: NODS
- 37. Arsonist, e.g.: FELON
- 39. Grin from ear to ear: BEAM
- 40. Blunted blade: EPEE
- 41. William Halsey, e.g.: Abbr.: ADM
- 42. Marilyn Monroe's real first name: NORMA
- 43. Virgin Is., e.g.: TERR
- 44. Half of a famous comic duo: DEANMARTIN
- 47. Sheepcote: PEN
- 48. Beanery sign: EATS
- 49. Source of mohair: ANGORA
- 53. Diner handout: MENU
- 54. ___ alai: JAI
- 57. 1956 movie starring 25- and 44-Across: HOLLYWOODORBUST
- 60. Kind of page: OPED
- 61. Skin soother: ALOE
- 62. It comes from the heart: AORTA
- 63. Desires: YENS
- 64. A bit less than a meter: YARD
- 65. Steadfast: LOYAL
down
- 1. Musical mark: NOTE
- 2. "___ Breaky Heart" (1992 hit): ACHY
- 3. Farm measure: ACRE
- 4. Pool tool: CUE
- 5. Takes care of charges ahead of time: PREPAYS
- 6. Political refugee: EMIGRE
- 7. Like early LP's: MONO
- 8. Periodical, for short: MAG
- 9. Kansas town famous in railroad history: ATCHISON
- 10. Mend, in a way: DARN
- 11. Story starter: ONCE
- 12. Burden of proof: ONUS
- 13. Musical mark: REST
- 18. Muddy up: ROIL
- 19. Charged particle: ION
- 23. "George of the Jungle" star Brendan: FRASER
- 24. Generic pooch: FIDO
- 25. A singing Jackson: JANET
- 26. Run off to wed: ELOPE
- 27. Bill tack-on: RIDER
- 28. One of the Flintstones: WILMA
- 29. Hercules had 12: LABORS
- 30. Turn away: AVERT
- 31. Orange Bowl city: MIAMI
- 32. Jingle writer: ADMAN
- 37. Backward-moving basketball shot: FADEAWAY
- 38. Delightful place: EDEN
- 42. Musical mark: NATURAL
- 45. Had to have: NEEDED
- 46. ___-war bird: MANO
- 47. Act the snoop: PRY
- 49. "Hey, sailor!": AHOY
- 50. "Uh-uh": NOPE
- 51. Campbell of country: GLEN
- 52. GM line: OLDS
- 53. Othello was one: MOOR
- 54. Trial group: JURY
- 55. "The Thin Man" dog: ASTA
- 56. Emphatic type: Abbr.: ITAL
- 58. Plug or pay ender: OLA
- 59. Ghost's cry: BOO
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.