NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for December 31, 2003

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Wednesday, December 31, 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 Wednesday, December 31, 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.

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

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

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

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Previous The Crossword answer

Tuesday, December 30, 2003

across

1. Louganis who did gainers: GREG
5. Gelled garnish: ASPIC
10. Greenish-blue: AQUA
14. Back: REAR
15. Animal life: FAUNA
16. Vice president under Jefferson: BURR
17. Gymnast Korbut: OLGA
18. Place to say "I do": ALTAR
19. Lacking spring or curl, as hair: LANK
20. Eloquent: SILVERTONGUED
23. He's no bull: STEER
24. Kind of sign: NEON
25. Uncooked: RAW
28. Reason to call a plumber: LEAK
31. Jeweled headdress: TIARA
33. "60 Minutes" network: CBS
36. Like a fast driver: LEADFOOTED
40. Way to learn, after "by": ROTE
42. Concur: AGREE
43. Prime-time time: NINE
44. Tyrannical: IRONFISTED
46. Real heel: CAD
47. ___ Gras: MARDI
48. Invitation notation: RSVP
51. Computer program suffix: EXE
52. Wicked: EVIL
56. Wipe out: ERASE
60. Possible title for this puzzle: REFINEDPEOPLE
64. Famous cookie guy: AMOS
66. Mischievous one: ROGUE
67. Stopgap measure for a 28-Across: PAIL
68. Sticky stuff: GOOP
69. Tourist's aid: GUIDE
70. "___ homo" (Pilate's words): ECCE
71. Television award: EMMY
72. Playful animal: OTTER
73. Suggestive look: LEER

down

1. "Ewww!": GROSS
2. Like twice-smoked cigars: RELIT
3. American symbol: EAGLE
4. Driveway surface: GRAVEL
5. Off in the distance: AFAR
6. Sodium chloride: SALT
7. Pretense: PUTON
8. Foolish: INANE
9. Freight: CARGO
10. Competent: ABLE
11. Algebraic equation: QUADRATIC
12. Large coffee holder: URN
13. Biblical boat: ARK
21. Before, once: ERE
22. Golden rule word: UNTO
26. Sports venue: ARENA
27. Went in ankle-deep: WADED
29. ___ Mountains, near the Tian Shan range: ALAI
30. They're found under the counter at bars: KEGS
32. Charged particle: ION
33. Arson, e.g.: CRIME
34. Cleansing agent: BORAX
35. Pantry: STOREROOM
37. "If the ___ is concealed, it succeeds": Ovid: ART
38. Bambi, for one: DEER
39. D.E.A. employees, e.g.: FEDS
41. Butt: END
45. Feudal land: FIEF
49. Neckline type: VEE
50. Urge onward: PROPEL
53. Sign of summer: VIRGO
54. Going either direction: INOUT
55. Kosher: LEGIT
57. Swiftly: APACE
58. Pie portion: SLICE
59. Sniggler: EELER
61. Spot: ESPY
62. Dapper fellow: DUDE
63. Equal: PEER
64. Get older: AGE
65. May honoree: MOM

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 30

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.