NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 6, 2003
Monday, October 6, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, October 6, 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
- 16
- 25
- 41
Down clues & answers
- 13
- 52
- 59
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, October 5, 2003
across
- 1. Nile wader: IBIS
- 5. Public clerk: SCRIBE
- 11. Eat or drink: HAVE
- 15. "The Mammoth Hunters" heroine: AYLA
- 19. Reading spot: NOOK
- 20. Stiff: WOODEN
- 21. Second son: ABEL
- 22. Bar order: SOUR
- 23. One who paints dunce caps?: CONICARTIST
- 25. "If today is the 18th, then Christmas is next week"?: YULELOGIC
- 27. Not raise a hand, say: ABSTAIN
- 28. Article of faith: TENET
- 30. Cry before a children's drawing?: GOFISH
- 31. Invisible to the naked eye: TINY
- 32. Some undergrowth: VINES
- 33. "Shoot!": DARN
- 34. Ticks off: ANGERS
- 37. Gaucho's accessory: RIATA
- 38. Farewell bash: SENDOFF
- 41. Catch on: LEARN
- 42. Something discussed over dinner?: TABLETOPIC
- 44. Court order: WRIT
- 46. "Judging Amy" actress: DALY
- 47. Wing: SIDE
- 48. Beersheba is near it: NEGEV
- 50. Occupational suffix: YER
- 51. Wright wing?: ELL
- 52. Cry of relief: ATLAST
- 54. Check the bar code: SCAN
- 55. Rousseau work that led to his banishment from France: EMILE
- 57. Cupid, for one: REINDEER
- 59. Come to pass: OCCUR
- 61. Eggnog ingredient, maybe: BRANDY
- 62. Promising person: COMER
- 63. Inner circle: CADRE
- 64. Ferber novel: SOBIG
- 65. Seed-bearing organ: PISTIL
- 67. Word-processing command: PASTE
- 68. Did over: REVAMPED
- 71. Part of ICBM: INTER
- 72. Milk: Prefix: LACT
- 73. Plantation pest: WEEVIL
- 75. The second Mrs. Sinatra: AVA
- 76. W.B.A. outcome: TKO
- 77. VCR button: EJECT
- 79. Earned a citation?: SPED
- 80. Didn't just guess: KNEW
- 81. Score halves: TENS
- 83. Cut-up in the cafeteria?: ANTICEATER
- 87. Kind of shrimp: BRINE
- 88. Is contingent: DEPENDS
- 90. Bygone: OLDEN
- 91. Home sites: TRACTS
- 92. Safety installation: RAIL
- 93. Annoy: PEEVE
- 94. Bring (out): TROT
- 95. Least outgoing: SHIEST
- 98. Shelf: LEDGE
- 99. Emus and kiwis: RATITES
- 103. Gigantic gin mixer?: MEGATONIC
- 105. Mr. Ed being sarcastic?: IRONICHORSE
- 108. Gen. follower: EXOD
- 109. Actress Downey: ROMA
- 110. What you will: ESTATE
- 111. Shuttle launchers: NASA
- 112. Listening devices: EARS
- 113. Pavlova portrayal: SWAN
- 114. Useful hunting companion: SETTER
- 115. Predicament: SPOT
down
- 1. The ___ Trail (route through Peru): INCA
- 2. Meathead: BOOB
- 3. Exchanged items: IONS
- 4. Easily frightened: SKITTERY
- 5. Boyfriends of yore: SWAINS
- 6. Hardly sophisticated: CORNY
- 7. Go bad: ROT
- 8. A mean Amin: IDI
- 9. Inhuman: BESTIAL
- 10. International understanding: ENTENTE
- 11. Elvin ___, 1960's-80's N.B.A. star known as "Big E": HAYES
- 12. End at: ABUT
- 13. Distance divided by time: Abbr.: VEL
- 14. Refinement: ELEGANCE
- 15. Currently: ASOFNOW
- 16. Mystical person: YOGI
- 17. California's San ___ Dam: LUIS
- 18. Chief: ARCH
- 24. ___ terrier: CAIRN
- 26. Lady's man: LORD
- 29. Well-executed: NEAT
- 32. Hampton's instrument: VIBES
- 33. Condescend: DEIGN
- 34. Birch relative: ALDER
- 35. Hall-of-Fame football coach Greasy ___: NEALE
- 36. French diamond?: GALLICSTONE
- 37. Tracking device: RADAR
- 38. Bit of broccoli: SPEAR
- 39. Funny guy with a skillet?: FRYINGPANIC
- 40. Place for a test: FIELD
- 42. Roof worker: TILER
- 43. Perfectly timed, dramatically: ONCUE
- 45. Low club: TREY
- 47. Kind of wool: STEEL
- 49. S.A.T. section: VERBAL
- 52. Esteem: ADMIRE
- 53. Words of honor?: TOAST
- 54. Propeller shape: SCREW
- 56. Disfigure: MAIM
- 58. Do, e.g.: NOTE
- 60. Chi. summer setting: CDT
- 61. Ox, goat or sheep: BOVID
- 63. They connect to points in the Southwest: CACTI
- 64. Cleave: SEVER
- 65. "Se7en" star, 1995: PITT
- 66. Readied the press: INKED
- 67. Some antitrust violations: PACTS
- 68. Put back in the cage: REPEN
- 69. Subject of media coverage: EVENT
- 70. Coolidge's veep: DAWES
- 72. U.S. Open champ, 1985-87: LENDL
- 74. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE
- 78. Custodial staff: JANITORS
- 80. Army food: KRATIONS
- 82. Some magazine ads: SPREADS
- 84. Unlike Morehouse College: COED
- 85. Mournful poems: ELEGIES
- 86. Unfavorable: ADVERSE
- 87. Stock: BROTH
- 89. Point to the right?: EAST
- 91. Missing parcel inquiry: TRACER
- 93. Pie choice: PECAN
- 94. Shopworn: TRITE
- 95. Hook's mate: SMEE
- 96. Numerical prefix: HEXA
- 97. Prince of opera: IGOR
- 98. Bean town?: LIMA
- 100. Mouth, slangily: TRAP
- 101. Sinclair rival: ESSO
- 102. Pants part: SEAT
- 104. E.R.A. backers: NOW
- 106. Polo Grounds hero: OTT
- 107. Organic: Abbr.: NAT
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.