NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 8, 2003

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Monday, December 8, 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 Monday, December 8, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

1
Pitcher
5
Fresh-mouthed
10
Irish Spring alternative
14
The Crimson Tide, familiarly
15
Perform better than
16
Fashion magazine
17
Corrosive liquid
18
Unwanted loss of intellectual workers
20
Jellystone Park resident
22
Caught at a rodeo
23
Engine sounds
24
1968 hit "Harper Valley ___"
26
Chicago-to-Miami dir.
27
Grass units
29
Sir's partner
30
Announcement at J.F.K.: Abbr.
31
Fragrant oil
32
Airport surface
34
Deuce topper
35
They can follow the starts of 18- and 56-Across and 4- and 33-Down
36
Turnpike turnoff
40
Molded
42
Scrooge
43
Jar part
46
Mideast's Gulf of ___
47
Zoological classification
48
Ginger ___
49
A's opposite, in England
50
Fathers
51
Finish second
53
Birthday party serving
56
Jefferson Memorial site in Washington
59
Prefix with dynamic
60
Wallet fillers
61
Church council
62
Ike & ___ Turner (1960's-70's duo)
63
Baby girls may be dressed in it
64
Ages and ages
65
School on the Thames

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

WhatsApp X Reddit

Previous The Crossword answer

Sunday, December 7, 2003

across

1. Spot of bubbly?: HOTTUB
7. View from Fontanarossa Intl. Airport: MTETNA
13. Workers with lines: FISHERS
20. Some time: AWHILE
21. Conger: SEAEEL
22. The gardener in "The Marriage of Figaro": ANTONIO
23. In other words, mom or dad will have to operate it: NEEDSADULTSUPERVISION
26. Actress Bening: ANNETTE
27. Obeys: LISTENS
28. What's left in France: RESTE
29. Co-star of TV's "Dharma & Greg": ELFMAN
31. Smits of the N.B.A.: RIK
33. Article at the Louvre: LES
34. In other words, no way it'll perform as advertised: YOURRESULTSMAYDIFFER
43. "Two Years Before the Mast" author: DANA
44. Math calculations: SLOPES
45. Morales of "N.Y.P.D. Blue": ESAI
46. Exhibitionist, informally: SHOWBOAT
50. "Mockingbird" singer Foxx, 1963: INEZ
52. Word from a coxswain: STROKE
56. In other words, it'll break in 24 hours: USEONLYASRECOMMENDED
60. Ticket info: GATE
61. Heartache: WOE
62. Preceder of an un-altared name?: NEE
63. Four quarters: ONE
64. Relatives of "Gee whiz" and "Shucks!": DANGS
67. Marvel Comics heroes: XMEN
69. Dentist's order: OPEN
71. Hammerin' Hank: AARON
73. Tokyo before 1868: EDO
74. Not 'neath: OER
75. Cerise or magenta, e.g.: HUE
76. Make legally effective: SIGN
78. In other words, mom or dad will be out at midnight searching for an open store: BATTERIESNOTINCLUDED
86. Book closing: THEEND
87. New Look designer: DIOR
88. Simpatico response: IHEARYOU
90. Work without ___ (be daring): ANET
92. Imagined: DREAMT
95. Pieces of one's mind?: Abbr.: EEGS
96. In other words, it comes in 100 tiny pieces: SOMEASSEMBLYREQUIRED
102. See 108-Across: GUM
103. Hula hoop?: LEI
104. Depletes: USESUP
105. ___ citato (footnote phrase): OPERE
108. With 102-Across, a candy counter item since 1962: TRIDENT
112. More compact: SOLIDER
117. In other words, you must spend $500 more to please your child: FIGURESSOLDSEPARATELY
120. One way to stop: ONADIME
121. Go-getters: TIGERS
122. Promised land: UTOPIA
123. Minds: RESENTS
124. Cartoonist Tex and others: AVERYS
125. One of the smart set: MENSAN

down

1. Tennis's Mandlikova: HANA
2. ___ Wilson of "The Royal Tenenbaums": OWEN
3. In that case: THEN
4. Beach eroder: TIDE
5. Donegal's home: ULSTER
6. Part of a 1960's invasion: BEATLE
7. E. Lansing school: MSU
8. Bare one's soul: TELLALL
9. Erode: EATINTO
10. "Working Girl" girl: TESS
11. Neither masc. nor fem.: NEUT
12. Mont Blanc, e.g., locally: ALPE
13. Unseen area of the moon: FARSIDE
14. Bill: Abbr.: INV
15. Affect emotionally: STIR
16. It may be coiled, but it never strikes: HOSE
17. Isolate: ENISLE
18. Hooligan, maybe: RIOTER
19. Sound units: SONES
24. Webster's entries: Abbr.: DEFS
25. Prof. 'iggins: ENRY
30. Hardly fresh: MUSTY
32. Message on a candy heart: KISSME
34. N.F.L. stat: Abbr.: YDS
35. Home of Iolani Palace: OAHU
36. Spanish articles: UNOS
37. Steak tartare ingredient, maybe: RAWEGG
38. Chrysler Building feature: SPIRE
39. Word on the wall, in Daniel: MENE
40. "Wait ___!": ASEC
41. Lot: FATE
42. Granular snow atop a glacier: FIRN
47. Fluff pieces: BOAS
48. Hudson Bay prov.: ONT
49. Anna Karenina's husband: ALEXEI
51. Court defense: ZONE
53. Reputation: ODOR
54. Game of chance: KENO
55. Fall locale: EDEN
57. Blow away: AWE
58. Prince, e.g.: SON
59. Good guy: MENSCH
64. Corporate woe: DEBT
65. Wife of Esau: ADAH
66. Do, for example: NOTE
68. Equine star: MRED
69. Like one who fans: OUT
70. National Gallery architect: PEI
71. Orinoco flow: AGUA
72. Peace Nobelist Sakharov: ANDREI
74. Tough row to hoe: ORDEAL
75. Biblical peak: HOREB
77. Martinique, par exemple: ILE
79. Kind of spirit: TEAM
80. Feminine suffix: ENNE
81. Pro or con: SIDE
82. What's expected: NORM
83. Saltpeter, to a Brit: NITRE
84. One who is "just looking": EYER
85. Venetian bigwig: DOGE
89. Currency exchange board abbr.: USD
91. Flies over the Nile: TSETSES
93. Four-time Indy 500 winner: ALUNSER
94. Head-scratcher: MYSTERY
96. Face-up: SUPINE
97. Some sorority women: OMEGAS
98. "Dear" ones: SIRS
99. She, to Sophia: ESSA
100. Business necessity?: QUORUM
101. Burning the midnight oil: UPLATE
102. Dig: GOFOR
106. Like starers: RUDE
107. Oscar-winning role for Julia: ERIN
109. Tad: IOTA
110. Mid 6th-century year: DLIV
111. Head start: EDGE
113. "I have ___ good authority": ITON
114. Passbook amts.: DEPS
115. Essayist's alias: ELIA
116. Tom Clancy hero: RYAN
118. CPR specialist: EMT
119. Certain addenda: Abbr.: PSS

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 7

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.