NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 27, 2003

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Saturday, December 27, 2003

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:56 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Saturday, December 27, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

1
What lions and lambs rarely do
8
Secretly
15
Green shade
16
Busy
17
Common allergen
18
Name meaning "God is with us"
19
Mathematician who was the subject of "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers"
20
Edd's "77 Sunset Strip" co-star
22
Yerkes Center inhabitant
23
"Bye now"
24
Aerospace transmitter
25
1960's-70's soul record label
26
Natl. Adopt-a-Dog Month
27
Taken in
28
Slangy hypothetical
29
Cobalt
31
Bow and others
32
It's set on the far right
34
Tons
37
Herbal stress reliever
41
Satanic
42
Cute Valentine
43
___ in Quebec
44
Otolaryngolo-gists, for short
45
Instrument heard on "Within You Without You"
46
Willa Cather's "One of ___"
47
Fr. martyress, maybe
48
Blue supergiant known as Alpha Cygni
49
San Diego tourist attraction
50
Haberdashery purchases
52
Wife of Nero
54
Collectively
55
Un-p.c. activity
56
Opener
57
1950's Mouseketeer

Down clues & answers

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Friday, December 26, 2003

across

1. Very virile: ALLMAN
7. Sent off: DEPORTED
15. Covent Garden landmark: ROYALOPERAHOUSE
17. Showy show: GALAPERFORMANCE
18. Dedicated lines: ODE
19. Much, slangily: LOTSA
20. Sarong's lack: SEAM
21. Frontier scout's discovery: PASS
23. Dimwit: STUPE
24. Attach: ADDON
27. Way: MODE
30. Crossing user, for short: PED
31. Having an easy time of it: SAILINGALONG
35. Cinematic pair of 1991: THELMAANDLOUISE
39. Like some fine linen: SATINSTRIPED
40. Name affix: Abbr.: RET
43. River through Yakutsk: LENA
44. Some are bitter: ALOES
45. Joy Adamson's "Forever Free: ___ Pride": ELSAS
47. Second hand: Abbr.: ASST
49. Is a contender: VIES
50. Harden: INURE
53. One on the books: LAW
56. Way to sign: ONTHEDOTTEDLINE
60. Gets very hot: LOSESONESTEMPER
61. Some frameworks: TRESTLES
62. Distinguished: OFNOTE

down

1. Mythical craft: ARGO
2. Whites or darks, e.g.: LOAD
3. Football's Alzado: LYLE
4. Kid's cry: MAA
5. European skyline sight: ALP
6. Seasons of celebration: NOELS
7. Magicianlike: DEFT
8. February figure: EROS
9. Plane-jumping G.I.: PARA
10. German physicist: OHM
11. Get very hot: ROAST
12. Performance enhancer: TUNEUP
13. Hobby, e.g.: ESCAPE
14. Held: DEEMED
16. Debate list: PROS
21. Places behind curtains: POLLS
22. They're in a kingdom: ANIMALS
23. Women con esposos: SENORAS
24. Nova Scotia hrs.: AST
25. Code word: DAH
26. Randomizer: DIE
27. It fell in the Old Testament: MANNA
28. Starfire of 60's autodom: OLDS
29. Dimwit: DOLT
32. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" actor Richert: NATE
33. Put on: GAIN
34. ___ trip: GUILT
36. Dot-commer's dream, for short: IPO
37. Center of religious authority: SEE
38. Life-altering people?: Abbr.: EDS
40. Sicken: REVOLT
41. Poet Wylie: ELINOR
42. Nagana carrier: TSETSE
46. Cremains, e.g.: ASHES
47. Cultural doings: ARTS
48. Mind: SEETO
50. Loved one: IDOL
51. Zip: NONE
52. Huntsman Center team: UTES
53. Alternative to dieting, briefly: LIPO
54. "They have prepared ___ for my steps": Psalms 57:6: ANET
55. Ginger Rogers song "___ in the Money": WERE
57. Paris's Gare de l'___: EST
58. Very good, in the 'hood: DEF
59. O lead-in: LMN

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 26

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.