NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for September 8, 2004

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

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

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 3:51 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, September 8, 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.

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, September 7, 2004

across

1. Kind of boom: SONIC
6. Celeste who won an Oscar for "Gentleman's Agreement": HOLM
10. Ticks off: IRES
14. "Love Story" author Segal: ERICH
15. Tribe defeated by the Iroquois: ERIE
16. Webster who had a way with words: NOAH
17. Point between Hawaii and Guam: WAKEISLAND
19. Center of a cathedral: NAVE
20. Mine find: ORE
21. Chem. or biol.: SCI
22. Narrowed: TAPERED
24. Snapple rival: NESTEA
26. Mary ___ Moore: TYLER
27. "Oklahoma!" aunt: ELLER
29. Eye holder: SOCKET
33. Knock out of the sky: DOWN
36. Pick a card: DRAW
38. Actress Foch and others: NINAS
39. "Pumping ___": IRON
40. Divans: SOFAS
42. Civil rights activist Parks: ROSA
43. Money substitute: SCRIP
45. The end ___ era: OFAN
46. "Good buddy": CBER
47. Dorothy's home in "The Wizard of Oz": KANSAS
49. Poker player's declaration: ICALL
51. Doubting Thomas: CYNIC
53. Spanish dish: PAELLA
57. Silt, e.g.: DEPOSIT
60. Stick in the water?: OAR
61. Crest alternative: AIM
62. Jacob's twin: ESAU
63. Hock shop receipt: PAWNTICKET
66. Ado: STIR
67. Gen. Robt. ___: ELEE
68. "There ___ free lunches": ARENO
69. Reporter Clark: KENT
70. Some loaves: RYES
71. Limb holder?: TORSO

down

1. Attach, as a patch: SEWON
2. "___ Ben Jonson" (literary epitaph): ORARE
3. Alternatives to Reeboks: NIKES
4. Rocks at the bar: ICE
5. Sculpt: CHISEL
6. Prefix with port or pad: HELI
7. ___ pro nobis: ORA
8. Like a dryer trap: LINTY
9. Some awards: MEDALS
10. Group of confidants: INNERCIRCLE
11. Surf's sound: ROAR
12. Gutter location: EAVE
13. Place for a mower: SHED
18. Heats just short of boiling: SCALDS
23. Unskilled laborer: PEON
25. Place for sets and lets: TENNISCOURT
26. Word that can precede the last word of 17- and 63-Across and 10- and 25-Down: TRAFFIC
28. Suffix with switch: EROO
30. Door opener: KNOB
31. Facilitate: EASE
32. Russian leader before 1917: TSAR
33. Tiddlywink, e.g.: DISK
34. Shamu, for one: ORCA
35. Slightly tattered: WORN
37. Female W.W. II grp.: WAAC
41. Attack verbally: SNAPAT
44. Settles up: PAYS
48. Concealed shooter: SNIPER
50. Rodeo rope: LARIAT
52. "Boot" in the Mediterranean: ITALY
54. Los Angeles player: LAKER
55. Property claims: LIENS
56. Response to "Are not!": AMTOO
57. Office necessity: DESK
58. Villa d'___: ESTE
59. What an analgesic stops: PAIN
60. Addition column: ONES
64. Minute: WEE
65. ___-Magnon: CRO

Hints and full breakdown for Sep 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.