NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 16, 2003
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Tuesday, December 16, 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
Down clues & answers
- 22
- 36
- 37
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Monday, December 15, 2003
across
- 1. Coffee with body: MOCHA
- 6. Greta who said, "I vant to be alone": GARBO
- 11. Relaxing resort: SPA
- 14. Sing like Crosby: CROON
- 15. Ancient Greek marketplace: AGORA
- 16. President Coolidge: CAL
- 17. "Peter Pan" villain: CAPTAINHOOK
- 19. Assayer's material: ORE
- 20. Dressed: CLAD
- 21. Suggestions on food labels: Abbr.: RDAS
- 22. Three-toed animal: TAPIR
- 24. "There's a problem!": OHOH
- 26. Flock leader: PRIEST
- 27. Country dance: VIRGINIAREEL
- 32. Demean: ABASE
- 33. Missing companionship: LONESOME
- 37. Droop: SAG
- 38. Cope with: STAND
- 40. Write quickly: JOT
- 41. More reliable: TRUSTIER
- 44. Abstract visual images: OPART
- 46. Efficient manufacturing process: ASSEMBLYLINE
- 49. Dwarfed tree: BONSAI
- 52. Ascent: RISE
- 53. Less cordial: ICIER
- 54. Fiendish: EVIL
- 56. Artist Salvador: DALI
- 60. Comic's bit: GAG
- 61. Water locator: DIVININGROD
- 64. Encouragement at the bullring: OLE
- 65. Big ape: ORANG
- 66. Christopher who played the Man of Steel: REEVE
- 67. ___ and feather: TAR
- 68. Horse features: MANES
- 69. Horse relatives: ASSES
down
- 1. 1300 on a cornerstone: MCCC
- 2. Spoken: ORAL
- 3. Nightclub in a Manilow song: COPA
- 4. Ballpark vendors' offerings: HOTDOGS
- 5. Actress ___ Alicia: ANA
- 6. The Father of India: GANDHI
- 7. Turkish leader: AGHA
- 8. Down Under hoppers: ROOS
- 9. Friend in the 'hood: BRO
- 10. Yellow ribbon site: OAKTREE
- 11. Listerine alternative: SCOPE
- 12. Plaster of ___: PARIS
- 13. Warn: ALERT
- 18. Multivitamin supplement: IRON
- 23. Is not well: AILS
- 25. Hasten: HIE
- 26. Remain unsettled: PEND
- 27. Widespread: VAST
- 28. Letter-shaped building beam: IBAR
- 29. Pasta sauce maker: RAGU
- 30. Security feature: ALARM
- 31. Howard of "Happy Days": RON
- 34. City east of Santa Barbara: OJAI
- 35. "September ___" (Neil Diamond hit): MORN
- 36. Suffix with disk or novel: ETTE
- 38. Answer to a señor: SISI
- 39. Golfer's gadget: TEE
- 42. Business letter encl.: SASE
- 43. Russian ruler's domain: TSARDOM
- 44. Pained cries: OYS
- 45. Fraternity candidates: PLEDGES
- 47. Fetches: BRINGS
- 48. Title role for Leslie Caron: LILI
- 49. Intolerant one: BIGOT
- 50. City between Gainesville and Orlando: OCALA
- 51. West African river: NIGER
- 54. Novelist Hunter: EVAN
- 55. Climber: VINE
- 57. Son of Hera: ARES
- 58. Honey: LOVE
- 59. Fateful day in March: IDES
- 62. A Gershwin brother: IRA
- 63. Gun owners' grp.: NRA
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.