NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 20, 2003
Monday, October 20, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Monday, October 20, 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
- 15
- 22
- 36
- 43
- 49
- 59
Down clues & answers
- 23
- 29
- 43
- 49
- 50
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Sunday, October 19, 2003
across
- 1. Tool: CATSPAW
- 8. Performing: ONSTAGE
- 15. Dr Pepper alternatives: NEHIS
- 20. Flatter servilely: ADULATE
- 21. Like: SIMILAR
- 22. Allow: OPINE
- 23. The kindergarten teacher had ...: VERYSMALLPUPILS
- 25. Outlook: VISTA
- 26. Kind: ILK
- 27. Layered treats: OREOS
- 28. ___ Gonçalo, Brazil: SAO
- 29. Halftime participant, often: MASCOT
- 30. Rounding out: LAST
- 32. Prefix with thesis: SYN
- 33. Way to fly: SOLO
- 35. Part of an 800 collect call number: ATT
- 36. Big Apple attraction, with "the": MET
- 38. The garage mechanic had ...: ASPARETIRE
- 44. Maglie of baseball: SAL
- 45. Scattered: SOWED
- 48. They're nuts: KOLAS
- 49. Engineering project: TRESTLE
- 51. Satisfaction seeker: AVENGER
- 54. Some are inflated: EGOS
- 55. Go-getter: TIGER
- 56. ___-Phen (former dieting aid): FEN
- 57. The beekeeper had ...: ACASEOFHIVES
- 61. What a marker indicates: DEBT
- 64. Dance, e.g.: ART
- 65. Alitalia destination: ROMA
- 66. Pinkerton in "Madama Butterfly": TENOR
- 67. One-on-one sport: EPEE
- 68. Some are inflated: RAFTS
- 70. Heart of a PC: CPU
- 73. Untrained: RAW
- 74. Van Gogh painted here: ARLES
- 75. Marty Feldman in "Young Frankenstein": IGOR
- 76. Hardly a grandmotherly type: CRONE
- 78. Viscosity symbols: ETAS
- 81. Cockpit dial: Abbr.: ALT
- 82. Saharan: SERE
- 83. The poet had ...: FOOTPROBLEMS
- 86. French co.: CIE
- 87. Welcomed to one's home: HADIN
- 89. Prom night tradition: LIMO
- 90. Chisholm Trail town: ABILENE
- 92. Current: PRESENT
- 94. Clear: LUCID
- 95. Cole slaw and fries: SIDES
- 96. Suffix with cloth: IER
- 97. The estate planner was ...: FARSIGHTED
- 100. Recycling site: BIN
- 101. Routes: Abbr.: RDS
- 102. Rested: LAIN
- 103. Hosp. area: ICU
- 105. Maximally: TOPS
- 109. They receive blessings: ACHOOS
- 112. Pop record label: MCA
- 114. 1952 Mitchum noir classic: MACAO
- 116. Sight, in France: VUE
- 117. Times to put the hands together?: NOONS
- 118. The ad writer had ...: SPOTSEVERYWHERE
- 122. Way belowdecks: HATCH
- 123. Word used with greats: ALLTIME
- 124. Picked up: LEARNED
- 125. Uncertain: ATSEA
- 126. Daniel Webster, e.g.: SENATOR
- 127. Amazing adventure: ODYSSEY
down
- 1. Carp: CAVIL
- 2. "A Passage to India" woman: ADELA
- 3. Izmir natives: TURKS
- 4. Stone of rock: SLY
- 5. Pops: PAS
- 6. Maximally: ATMOST
- 7. Spent: WEARY
- 8. 1952 Olympics site: OSLO
- 9. Chills: NIPS
- 10. Mustangs' home, for short: SMU
- 11. Inclines: TIPS
- 12. Rap sheet info: ALIASES
- 13. Lug: GALOOT
- 14. Elocution class no-nos: ERS
- 15. Bagel shop request: NOVA
- 16. Anglican's cousin: Abbr.: EPIS
- 17. The producer had ...: HISCASTREPLACED
- 18. Altogether: INTOTAL
- 19. Bill Gates locale: SEATTLE
- 24. Olin of "Chocolat": LENA
- 29. Finicky cat: MORRIS
- 31. Catchers of tax cheats: TMEN
- 34. Kind of box: LITTER
- 37. Annual literary awards: EDGARS
- 39. ___-Ball: SKEE
- 40. Comic strip character who said "I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person": POGO
- 41. Overhead: ALOFT
- 42. More precipitate: RASHER
- 43. M.D.'s diagnostic tool: EEG
- 45. Travels off the beaten path: SAFARIS
- 46. Superannuated: OVERAGE
- 47. The tennis star ...: WENTFORHERSHOTS
- 50. Special dinner: SEDER
- 52. "Foucault's Pendulum" author: ECO
- 53. Zodiac animal: RAM
- 58. Iliac attachment: SACRO
- 59. Like Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony: INA
- 60. "Wheel of Fortune" buy: VOWEL
- 62. Dog-to-postal carrier route: BEELINE
- 63. High school seniors, often: TESTEES
- 69. Club officer: Abbr.: TREAS
- 71. Winner's take: POT
- 72. Remove from power?: UNPLUG
- 74. Umbrian hill town: ASSISI
- 76. Nicaraguan guerrilla: CONTRA
- 77. Composer Korngold: ERICH
- 79. High ___: TEA
- 80. U.N. biggie: Abbr.: AMB
- 83. Events for 63-Down: FINALS
- 84. Drop: OMIT
- 85. Portend: BODE
- 88. First-rate, slangily: DEF
- 91. It may be caught in a trap: LINT
- 92. Underwater menace: PIRANHA
- 93. Revolutionary War figure: REDCOAT
- 94. Infiniti alternative: LINCOLN
- 98. Like child's play: SIMPLE
- 99. Cut up: DICE
- 100. Encouraged: BUOYED
- 104. Film producer Ponti: CARLO
- 106. Thermometer locales: OVENS
- 107. Blender setting: PUREE
- 108. Far from spiffy: SEEDY
- 110. "There was a time ...": ONCE
- 111. Workplace safety org.: OSHA
- 113. Lead-in for boy or girl: ATTA
- 114. Note: MEMO
- 115. Maintain: AVER
- 118. Traveler to 8-Down: SAS
- 119. Word to Rover: SIT
- 120. "No ___!": WAY
- 121. Academic units: Abbr.: HRS
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.