NYT Crossword Answers for July 3, 2023

jump to: today’s subject | difficult evidence | Solution advice

Mystery Monday – Oh, hey. I didn’t see you there. I was busy looking for a clue in today’s 53-Across Crossword, designed by Sam Buchbinder: “A morsel will be enjoyed by a horse.”

That’s it. There are no reviews. I feel as if I could discover this great little rhyme over and over again without getting bored. And I’d say that’s a sign of crossword success too: the ability to make you feel as if you’re discovering words for the first time.

Shall we discover a little together?

today’s subject

Our detector at 38-Across runs across the entire grid with the words “Initial Success,” which is off to a good start. In kind, all of today’s themed entries begin with words that mean “good.”

“The Miles Davis classic is the best-selling jazz album of all time” (17A), for example, Kindly out of the blue. The “senior member of the string section” (47a) is a file upright bass.

And just in case your initial success with the solution wears off, you can click through to reveal the other themed entries below.

difficult evidence

10 a. I’ve always wondered why DAHS are called the “Morse code units” that the dashes represent. I mean, why don’t we just call them dashes? Today, I finally learned reason to Replacement: The words “dah” (for dash) and “dit” (for dot) are intended to reflect the actual sounds one hears through a receiver. Good, dah.

16a. However, Ulan Bator is the name of the capital of Mongolia Other spellings are acceptable It is Ulaanbaatar. (I trust the aspiring creator will introduce this version in a future network).

43a. The keyword “Itty-bitty” has so many minuscule variations that it’s impossible to say which answer you’ll address in any given crossword. Here, the answer is EENSY. (In other puzzles, it is And he forgetsAnd too smallAnd that itAnd smallAnd Winnie and nearly any rhyme combination of those you can come up with.)

10 d. The Food Elevator is exactly called DUMBWAITER Obvious reasonsAnd I think we as a society can do better. Any suggestions? I recommend “meal” or “food trip”.

35 d. “Is the view good?” It is evidence that seems personal. If you’ve never been asked “Can you see?” At a stand-up-only concert, you’re the beneficiary of what I call the “long privilege.” Please use your privilege to help me reach the flour on the top shelf of my cupboard.

61 d. The evidence that asks for the ‘ending’ letters of a statement can be ambiguous, because we have to decide which ones are most relevant to the evidence. Here, we are asked to select the characters that describe “ggoogle Manote– this gives us GPS

Solve tip of the week

Naming names

Names in crossword puzzles tend to follow a matching rule: If a clue gives you someone’s first name as a hint to someone else, you’re expected to answer by first name. The same goes for last names. Here are some examples from previous puzzles:

• “American Idol” panelist along with Paula and Randy: Simone (not “Quwell,” because the guide gives first names).

• “The President After William”: WOODROW. (If he had been “president after Taft,” the answer would have been Wilson.)

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Note: Submissions are temporarily closed. They will reopen on July 17. Puzzle editors will review puzzles that have already been submitted during that time, so you may continue to listen while submissions are closed.