NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 12, 2003
Sunday, October 12, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, October 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.
Across clues & answers
- 17
- 40
- 44
- 53
- 56
- 68
- 72
- 77
- 88
- 118
- 123
Down clues & answers
- 22
- 32
- 48
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 85
- 98
- 101
- 102
- 106
- 107
- 108
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, October 11, 2003
across
- 1. Alcott's Little Women, e.g.: FOURSOME
- 9. Legal opener: PARA
- 13. Juice dispenser: BARKEEPER
- 14. Engendered: SIRED
- 15. Neither here nor there, say: INBETWEEN
- 16. Work in the kitchen, in a way: KNEAD
- 17. It may take a bow: OBI
- 18. Doesn't own: RENTS
- 19. Digs, so to speak: ABODE
- 20. Strong suits: METIERS
- 22. Political leader originally surnamed Dzhugashvili: STALIN
- 23. Daughter of Juan Carlos I: ELENA
- 24. Kind of security: HOMELAND
- 26. Stand on an airplane, maybe: STRETCHONESLEGS
- 29. Display aid: EASEL
- 30. Something planned: PREMEDITATEDACT
- 40. They don't follow suit: RENEGERS
- 41. Silk pattern: MOIRE
- 42. Occasion for rolling out the red carpet: OSCARS
- 43. Discovery of Sir James Chadwick: NEUTRON
- 45. Cradle contents: PHONE
- 46. Walk like a cat: PROWL
- 48. ___ Teques, Venezuela: LOS
- 49. Hit upon the solution: HADIT
- 50. Pedal, perhaps: RIDEABIKE
- 52. Modern pentathletes' needs: EPEES
- 53. Hints: OVERTONES
- 54. Harper of Hollywood: TESS
- 55. Like some curtains: TASSELED
down
- 1. Radiator adjunct: FANBELT
- 2. Many a heavenly body: ORBITER
- 3. It has strings attached: UKE
- 4. Pull back: RETREAT
- 5. Valjean's hideout: SEWER
- 6. Jimmies: OPENS
- 7. A runner may enter one: MEET
- 8. Shore soarers: ERNS
- 9. It uses flippers: PINBALL
- 10. Anatomical interstices: AREOLAE
- 11. Gauge datum: READING
- 12. Summer figures?: ADDENDS
- 13. Some complex communities: BIOMES
- 14. Gliders: SKATES
- 21. Like Bruckner's Symphony No. 7: INE
- 22. Refine: SMELT
- 24. Legions: HOSTS
- 25. Service status: ONEA
- 27. Hands over: CEDES
- 28. It may be pulled back: HAIR
- 30. Mohammed, with "the": PROPHET
- 31. Morph: RESHAPE
- 32. Makes secret, in a way: ENCODES
- 33. Malefactors: MEANIES
- 34. Some waders: EGRETS
- 35. Be like: EMULATE
- 36. Music symbol: DOT
- 37. One with a fleet fleet: AIRLINE
- 38. Thieving: CROOKED
- 39. Present and the like: TENSES
- 43. Computers on a network: NODES
- 44. Some painted vessels: EWERS
- 46. Meth., e.g.: PROT
- 47. ___ Ridge (racehorse): RIVA
- 51. Land in S.A.: BOL
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.