NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 1, 2003

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

Monday, September 1, 2003

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:58 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, September 1, 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

Down clues & answers

1
Open-mouthed
2
Nine-headed serpent
3
Sign after Pisces
4
Sailed
5
Toddlers' enclosure
6
Rope material
7
Pinnacle
8
Revealing beachwear
9
Use for support
10
Ginger ___
11
Something smoked at an Indian ceremony
12
Data
13
Word with "Happy" and "Death Valley" in old TV titles
21
Shroud of ___
22
Winning margin, sometimes
26
Identical
28
English river
29
"Inferno" writer
31
Blueprint
32
Toy that does tricks
33
Touched down
34
Make over
35
Handheld computing device
37
Wanted-poster option
40
Honest-to-goodness
42
Summary
44
Move like molasses
45
Gun part
48
Bugged
50
"Stop right there!"
52
Cattle breed
54
Paramecium propellers
55
Foe
56
Dance components
57
Needing directions, say
58
Montreal ballplayer
60
Parrot's spot
61
___ of Man
63
1950's White House nickname

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Sunday, August 31, 2003

across

1. Popular side: SLAW
5. Fingers: RATSON
11. Andrews, e.g.: Abbr.: AFB
14. Coors competitor: PABST
19. Island wiggle: HULA
20. Captivate, in a way: ENAMOR
21. Mallorca Mrs.: SRA
22. Gaucho's turf: LLANO
23. The bakery worker ___: ICEDTHECUPCAKES
26. Pop singer Neville: AARON
27. Professional headgear: FIREHAT
28. Mies van der Rohe's motto: LESSISMORE
30. Arcade favorite: TETRIS
31. The spendthrift ___: WASTEDHISMONEY
35. Wrap artist?: CHRISTO
37. Is down with: HAS
38. The gardener ___: WHACKEDTHEWEEDS
46. Fly catcher: WEB
49. Berated loudly: YELLEDAT
50. Super: GREAT
52. Arabian peninsula city: SANA
53. Mother of Helen: LEDA
54. The enterprising musician ___: PLUGGEDHISCDS
58. Ladder company?: ELOPERS
62. Stable particle: OAT
63. Identify, in a way: DIAGNOSE
64. Drain, in a way: SAP
65. Dork: DWEEB
68. Commercial prefix with Cat: SNO
69. Isolde's love: TRISTRAM
74. Stutz contemporary: REO
75. Barbecue setting: TERRACE
80. The short-tempered fellow ___: HITTHECEILING
83. Like slander: ORAL
84. Caught flat-footed on a tennis serve, maybe: ACED
85. Medicinal plant: SENNA
86. Lincoln and Madison: CAPITALS
90. Michael Stipe's band: REM
91. Aladdin ___: RUBBEDOUTAGENIE
95. Simile's center: ASA
98. From humble beginnings: LOWBORN
99. The shopper ___: CLIPPEDCOUPONS
106. Trattoria bottles: SOAVES
111. Past masters: HISTORIANS
112. Emergency delivery, maybe: AIRLIFT
113. Better trained: ABLER
114. The unambitious worker ___: KNOCKEDOFFEARLY
119. Start of a legal conclusion: IREST
120. Many moons: EON
121. "Bewitched" witch: ENDORA
122. Words with instant or uproar: INAN
123. Fits in well: NESTS
124. Get the drift: SEE
125. Prepare for the new model year: RETOOL
126. Hoopster Thurmond: NATE

down

1. Go from second to third, say: SHIFT
2. Port St. ___, Fla.: LUCIE
3. Argus-eyed: ALERT
4. Egret, e.g.: WADER
5. Kicked around some more: REHASHED
6. Working without ___: ANET
7. One X: TAC
8. Mustangs' sch.: SMU
9. "Alley ___!": OOP
10. A.E.C. successor: NRC
11. Didn't hold back one's curiosity: ASKED
12. Deserving a slap, perhaps: FRESH
13. Low men: BASSI
14. Bank holding?: PLASMA
15. Los ___ (nuclear site): ALAMOS
16. Peer: BARON
17. Dorm annoyance: SNORE
18. Cruiserweight boxing champion James ___: TONEY
24. Old talk show name: THICKE
25. It may be bitter: ALE
29. "Kinda" suffix: ISH
31. 1984-88 skating gold medalist: WITT
32. Havana residue: ASH
33. ___-Foy, Que.: STE
34. Road help: TOW
36. Nutritional fig.: RDA
38. Noah of "ER": WYLE
39. No-goodnik: HEEL
40. Designer Gucci: ALDO
41. Mark time, in a way: CLAP
42. Bloke: EGG
43. Fraction of a joule: ERG
44. It's been done: DEED
45. Cruel one: SADIST
46. City where Dr Pepper originated, 1885: WACO
47. Goals: ENDS
48. Slider's goal: BASE
51. Early aristocrat: THANE
52. Fig. with two dashes: SSN
54. Okra unit: POD
55. Bar topic: LAW
56. Prenatal care centers?: UTERI
57. Operatic prince: IGOR
59. Book after Neh.: ESTH
60. Hard-to-find cards, to collectors: RARES
61. Spreading device: SPACER
66. Bard's nightfall: EEN
67. Wetlands area: BOG
69. Whaler's direction: THAR
70. "Dirty" dish: RICE
71. Agenda part: ITEM
72. Usual: Abbr.: STD
73. Answering machine offering, sometimes: MENU
76. Some schoolwork: ROTE
77. Galway Bay's ___ Islands: ARAN
78. Cartel city: CALI
79. Different: ELSE
81. Having five sharps: INB
82. Maze site, maybe: LAB
86. Tinker, Evers and Chance: CUBS
87. From ___ Z: ATO
88. Wagner opera: PARSIFAL
89. Tune out: IGNORE
92. Assist, to Eliza Doolittle: ELP
93. When said five times, a 1974 Rolling Stones hit: DOO
94. Part of B.Y.O.B.: OWN
95. Best suited: APTEST
96. Trivia category: SPORTS
97. ___ Lingus: AER
99. Part of a power saw: CHAIN
100. Cuba ___: LIBRE
101. Getaway spots: ISLES
102. Dutch sights: DIKES
103. Vacation rental, maybe: CANOE
104. Two-___ (court situation): ONONE
105. O.J.'s team: USC
107. Novelist ___ René Lesage: ALAIN
108. Actress Lisi: VIRNA
109. Black key: EFLAT
110. "Funny Girl" composer: STYNE
112. ___-Cuban music: AFRO
115. Plunk preceder: KER
116. Hydrocarbon suffix: ENE
117. Banned pesticide: DDT
118. Hugs, symbolically: OOO

Hints and full breakdown for Aug 31

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.