NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 4, 2003

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Thursday, December 4, 2003

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:57 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, December 4, 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.

72 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
Demolishes
2
Muse of astronomy
3
Sistine Chapel figures
4
Radio feature
5
Blushing bride of '81
6
"Exodus" author
7
Silicon Valley city
8
Full-length
9
Out of it
10
Wagner's final opera
11
Messina Mr.
12
"___ Buttermilk Sky" (1946 hit)
14
"Bravo!"
19
When repeated, a cry of approval
21
It used to be sung on street corners
25
Hut material
26
It goes this way and that
29
"Fashions fade, ___ is eternal": Yves St. Laurent
31
Spoilsport of a sort
33
When one's not at one's best
35
Junior, to Senior
36
Attractive single person, slangily
37
Trip to tell about
38
Theater company, for short
39
Propeller
43
Bottoms of columns
45
Walk unsteadily
46
Go between
47
Illinois college town
48
"I Will Survive" singer Gloria
50
Deepak Chopra's birthplace
54
Not fooled by
55
Wasn't colorfast
56
Econ. yardstick
57
It runs through Montréal

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Wednesday, December 3, 2003

across

1. Like some tracks and talkers: FAST
5. Stereotypically upper-crust: WASPY
10. Make-or-break time: DDAY
14. Cinco y tres: OCHO
15. Golf's "army" leader: ARNIE
16. Article in Der Spiegel: EINE
17. Fella: CHAP
18. Jockey's handful: REINS
19. Mighty long time: Var.: AEON
20. Summary of Krzysztof's visit west of Warsaw?: HEHADLODZOFFUN
23. Bronx attraction: ZOO
24. ___ Grey tea: EARL
25. Family V.I.P.'s: MAS
28. Watch readout, briefly: LCD
30. Model Campbell: NAOMI
34. When Krzysztof got up south of Warsaw?: ATTHEKRAKOWDAWN
39. Pelvic bones: ILIA
40. The Sixties, e.g.: ERA
41. "... ___ saw Elba": EREI
42. What Krzysztof was doing northwest of Warsaw?: DANZIGINTHEDARK
47. "Gypsy" composer Jule: STYNE
48. Granola morsel: OAT
49. "Fore" site?: TEE
50. Baptism or bris: RITE
53. O.C.S. grads: LTS
55. Purpose of Krzysztof's travels: POLISHVACATION
62. Shade of green: JADE
63. Like Bigfoot: HAIRY
64. Another, in Andalusia: OTRO
65. "Betsy's Wedding" star, 1990: ALDA
66. ___ Detoo: ARTOO
67. Quitter's word: CANT
68. 1940's first lady: BESS
69. Reproduce like salmon: SPAWN
70. Artist Paul: KLEE

down

1. French W.W. I commander Ferdinand: FOCH
2. Stomach woe: ACHE
3. Ruler exiled in 1979: SHAH
4. November birthstone: TOPAZ
5. Male witch: WARLOCK
6. Mars: Prefix: AREO
7. Sarcastic: SNIDE
8. Basso Ezio: PINZA
9. "Give me a straight answer!": YESORNO
10. Unwilling to listen: DEAF
11. "Mon ___!": DIEU
12. In a short time: ANON
13. Ginza currency: YEN
21. Big name in pineapples: DOLE
22. Nick or chip: FLAW
25. TV's Hazel, e.g.: MAID
26. Book with insets: ATLAS
27. Time on the job: STINT
29. Number in a "crowd," in Köln: DREI
31. Had too much, briefly: ODED
32. Corday's victim: MARAT
33. "If ___ a rich man ...": IWERE
35. Hard to recollect: HAZY
36. Son of Prince Valiant: ARN
37. Green Hornet's aide: KATO
38. Shoe with a swoosh: NIKE
43. Crucifix letters: INRI
44. Hired companions, in Japan: GEISHAS
45. ___ days (happy time in the past): HALCYON
46. Singer James: ETTA
51. "Movin' Out" choreographer: THARP
52. Madonna title role: EVITA
54. Exchange buy: STOCK
55. Looking scared: PALE
56. Racetrack figures: ODDS
57. Meadows: LEAS
58. Get one's ducks in ___: AROW
59. Romance lang.: ITAL
60. French river: ORNE
61. Post-it message: NOTE
62. Sharp left or right: JAB

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 3

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.