NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 9, 2003

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Tuesday, September 9, 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 Tuesday, September 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

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Previous The Crossword answer

Monday, September 8, 2003

across

1. Dutch bloom: TULIP
6. School session: TERM
10. Capital of Latvia: RIGA
14. "I can take ___!": AHINT
15. Mishmash: OLIO
16. Grandson of Adam: ENOS
17. His friends sat in the Peanut Gallery: BUFFALOBOBSMITH
20. Big Apple ballpark: SHEA
21. Coup d'___: ETAT
22. Caffè ___: LATTE
23. Calf's meat: VEAL
25. Sunsweet item: RAISIN
26. His friends joined him under the Big Top: BOZOTHECLOWN
31. Scarlett of Tara: OHARA
32. Soldier under Robt. E. Lee: REB
33. Like molasses: SLOW
37. Massachusetts' Cape ___: ANN
38. Driver's need: LICENSE
42. Actress Gardner: AVA
43. North Pole "exports": TOYS
45. Rug rat: TOT
46. Xbox enthusiast: GAMER
48. His friends visited his Neighborhood: MISTERROGERS
52. Blue moon, e.g.: RARITY
55. Simplicity: EASE
56. Revises, as text: EDITS
57. The U.N.'s ___ Annan: KOFI
59. Religious offshoot: SECT
63. His friends came into his Treasure House: CAPTAINKANGAROO
66. Tommie of the Miracle Mets: AGEE
67. Black, as roulette numbers: NOIR
68. Like a gymnast: AGILE
69. One of the Ivies: PENN
70. Flower part: STEM
71. Popular skin cream: PONDS

down

1. Soda can features: TABS
2. "No way!": UHUH
3. Bygone picture weekly: LIFE
4. On the side (of): INFAVOR
5. School org.: PTA
6. Flute sound: TOOTLE
7. Isle where Napoleon was exiled: ELBA
8. Unruly event: RIOT
9. Group making an 8-Down: MOB
10. Stays behind: REMAINS
11. "Everything ___ place": INITS
12. John who was called the Dapper Don: GOTTI
13. Whitish: ASHEN
18. Wife of Jacob: LEAH
19. Side dish with fried clams: SLAW
24. List ender: ETAL
25. Snatches a purse from, say: ROBS
26. Ketch or yawl: BOAT
27. "Yikes!": OHNO
28. Off-the-wall: ZANY
29. Aegean vacation locale: CRETE
30. Spy novelist Deighton: LEN
34. Like some excuses: LAME
35. Done with: OVER
36. "Star ___": WARS
39. ___-bitsy: ITSY
40. Camp bed: COT
41. People with big heads have them: EGOS
44. Struck by Cupid: SMITTEN
47. Way back when: AGESAGO
49. Midwife's words before boy or girl: ITSA
50. Till again, as land: REFARM
51. Shower: RAIN
52. Make a long story short: RECAP
53. Wise saying: ADAGE
54. Turn red, perhaps: RIPEN
57. Tight tie: KNOT
58. Merle Haggard's "___ From Muskogee": OKIE
60. Leprechaun land: ERIN
61. Chilled: COLD
62. Little piggies: TOES
64. ___ and outs: INS
65. Mountain pass: GAP

Hints and full breakdown for Sep 8

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.