NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for March 21, 2004
Sunday, March 21, 2004
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, March 21, 2004. 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
- 14
- 22
- 25
- 35
- 39
- 51
- 53
- 77
- 82
- 92
- 105
- 122
- 126
- 128
Down clues & answers
- 4
- 18
- 48
- 50
- 57
- 74
- 97
- 106
- 110
- 114
- 116
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, March 20, 2004
across
- 1. Heavenly array: SPHERES
- 8. One way to leave a hair salon: BLONDER
- 15. Least fresh: TRITEST
- 16. What the first caller may be on: LINEONE
- 17. Film event: RELEASE
- 18. Goddess mentioned in Poe's "Ulalume": ASTARTE
- 19. Tie indicator: ALL
- 20. "Strangers on a Train" chase scene site: PENNSTATION
- 22. Short stroke: PUTT
- 24. Cancel: XOUT
- 25. Like a literary prince: PETIT
- 26. Targets of some sprays: ODORS
- 28. Federal Communications Commission target: SMUT
- 30. Play thing?: ROLE
- 31. King Gyanendra, for one: NEPALI
- 33. Eliciting a "So what?": BLAH
- 35. Old union member: Abbr.: SSR
- 36. It's topped with Roquefort dressing: COBBSALAD
- 39. No longer edible: BAD
- 42. Extra: PERK
- 43. Denouement preceder: CLIMAX
- 47. European border river: ODER
- 49. Particles of the lepton family: TAUS
- 51. Impound: SEIZE
- 52. "Zapped!" co-star, 1982: AAMES
- 54. Chase of "Now, Voyager": ILKA
- 56. Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Tale of ___ Saltan": TSAR
- 57. Jeremy Irons film based on Proust's writings: SWANNINLOVE
- 60. Ziegfeld of the "Ziegfeld Follies": FLO
- 61. Chemical salt in some black inks: TANNATE
- 62. Places for some rings: PINKIES
- 64. Customer: ORDERER
- 65. It needs three walls: JAIALAI
- 66. Causes increasing irritation: FESTERS
- 67. Incessant: ENDLESS
down
- 1. Attach, in a way: STRAPON
- 2. Warm-up: PRELUDE
- 3. Good viewpoint: HILLTOP
- 4. Noël time in Tahiti: ETE
- 5. Get back: REAP
- 6. New Jersey county: ESSEX
- 7. Trial figures: STENOS
- 8. Embryonic stage: BLASTULA
- 9. Pros or cons, e.g.: LIST
- 10. Ready: ONTAP
- 11. Less muddled: NEATER
- 12. Snack food brand: DORITOS
- 13. Catches in a trap: ENTOILS
- 14. Catalog anew: REENTER
- 21. Dope: NUMBSKULL
- 23. Ford Explorer Sport ___: TRAC
- 27. Eats, but barely: SLOP
- 29. Sprinkler's need?: TALC
- 32. Doubter's scoff: IBET
- 34. "The Merry Drinker" painter: HALS
- 37. No-___ (snaps): BRAINERS
- 38. One may cheat on it: DIET
- 39. Be proud to have: BOASTOF
- 40. Computer program that blocks pop-ups: ADAWARE
- 41. Has to have: DEMANDS
- 44. Put in the wrong place: MISFILE
- 45. Heath family members: AZALEAS
- 46. Abnormal dryness: XEROSIS
- 48. Milk curdler: RENNET
- 50. Capital SSE of Belgrade: SKOPJE
- 53. Web: SNARE
- 55. For the birds: AVIAN
- 58. Aqueduct of Sylvius, e.g.: ITER
- 59. City near Vance Air Force base: ENID
- 63. Asian carrier: KAL
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.