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The New York Timescrossword

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The New York Timescrossword
EditorWill Shortz
FrequencyDaily
FormatNewspaper
Web
Mobile (iOS,Android)
PublisherThe New York Times
First issueFebruary 15, 1942;82 years ago(1942-02-15)
Websitenytimes/crosswords

The New York Timescrosswordis a daily American-stylecrossword puzzlepublished inThe New York Times,syndicated to more than 300 other newspapers and journals, and released online on the newspaper's website andmobile appsas part ofThe New York Times Games.[1][2][3][4][5]

The puzzle is created by variousfreelanceconstructors and has been edited byWill Shortzsince 1993. The crosswords are designed to increase in difficulty throughout the week, with the easiest on Monday and the most difficult on Saturday.[6]The larger Sunday crossword, which appears inThe New York Times Magazine,is an icon inAmerican culture;it is typically intended to be a "Thursday-plus" in difficulty.[6]The standard daily crossword is 15 by 15 squares, while the Sunday crossword measures 21 by 21 squares.[7][8]Many of the puzzle's rules were created by its first editor,Margaret Farrar.

History

[edit]

Althoughcrosswordsbecame popular in the early 1920s,The New York Timesinitially considered them frivolous, calling them "a primitive form of mental exercise", and did not run a crossword until February 15, 1942, in its Sunday edition.[9][10]It was published under a pseudonymFarraroccasionally used, "Anna Gram".[11]

The motivating impulse for theTimesto finally run the puzzle (which took over 20 years even though its publisher,Arthur Hays Sulzberger,was a longtime crossword fan) appears to have been thebombing ofPearl Harbor;in a memo dated December 18, 1941, an editor conceded that the puzzle deserved space in the paper, considering what was happening elsewhere in the world and that readers might need something to occupy themselves during blackouts.[10]The puzzle proved popular, and Sulzberger himself authored aTimespuzzle before the year was out.[10]

In 1950, the crossword became a daily feature. That first daily puzzle was published without an author line, and as of 2001 the identity of the author of the first weekdayTimescrossword remained unknown.[12]

There have been four editors of the puzzle. Farrar edited the puzzle from its inception in 1942 until 1969. She created many of the rules that have become standard, such as creating the grid, limiting the number of black squares, creating a minimum word length of three letters, requiring grids to have rotational symmetry and be an odd number of squares by an odd number of squares, and forbidding unchecked squares.[13][14]

The second editor wasWill Weng,former head of theTimes's metropolitan copy desk, until 1977, and the thirdEugene T. Maleskauntil his death in 1993. The current editor isWill Shortz.In addition to editing theTimescrosswords, Shortz founded and runs the annualAmerican Crossword Puzzle Tournamentas well as theWorld Puzzle Championship(where he remains captain of the US team); has published numerous books of crosswords,sudoku,and other puzzles, authors occasional variety puzzles (also known as "Second Sunday puzzles" ) to appear alongside the SundayTimespuzzle; and serves as "Puzzlemaster" on theNPRshowWeekend Edition Sunday.[15][16]

The puzzle's popularity grew until it came to be considered the most prestigious of the widely circulated U.S. crosswords. Many celebrities and public figures have publicly proclaimed their liking for the puzzle, including opera singerBeverly Sills,[10]authorNorman Mailer,[17]baseball pitcherMike Mussina,[18]former PresidentBill Clinton,[19]conductorLeonard Bernstein,[10]TV hostJon Stewart,[18]actressGillian Jacobs,[20]and music duo theIndigo Girls.[18]

Timespuzzles have been collected in hundreds of books by various publishers, most notablyRandom HouseandSt. Martin's Press,the current publisher of the series.[21]In addition to appearing in the printed newspaper, the puzzles also appear online on the paper's website, where they require a separate subscription to access.[22]In 2007,Majesco EntertainmentreleasedThe New York Times Crosswordsgame, a video game adaptation for theNintendo DShandheld. The game includes over 1,000Timescrosswords from all days of the week. Various other forms of merchandise featuring the puzzle have been created, including dedicated electronic crossword handhelds that just containTimescrosswords, and a variety ofTimescrossword-themed memorabilia, including cookie jars, baseballs, cufflinks, plates, coasters, and mousepads.[21]

Style and conventions

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The New York Timescrossword grid

Will Shortz does not write theTimescrossword himself; a wide variety of contributors submit puzzles to him. A full specification sheet listing the paper's requirements for crossword puzzle submission can be found online or by writing to the paper.

The Monday–Thursday puzzles and the Sunday puzzle always have a theme, some sort of connection between at least three long (usually Across) answers, such as a similar type of pun, letter substitution, or alteration in each entry. Another theme type is that of a quotation broken up into symmetrical portions and spread throughout the grid. For example, the February 11, 2004, puzzle by Ethan Friedman featured a theme quotation: ANY IDIOT CAN FACE / A CRISIS IT'S THIS / DAY-TO-DAY LIVING / THAT WEARS YOU OUT.[23](This quotation has been attributed toAnton Chekhov,but that attribution is disputed and the specific source has not been identified.) Notable dates such as holidays or anniversaries of famous events are often commemorated with an appropriately themed puzzle, although only two are routinely commemorated annually:ChristmasandApril Fool's Day.[24]

The Friday and Saturday puzzles, the most difficult, are usually themeless and "wide open", with fewer black squares and more long words. The maximum word count for a themed weekday puzzle is normally 78 words, while the maximum for a themeless Friday or Saturday puzzle is 72; Sunday puzzles must contain 140 words or fewer.[8]Given theTimes's reputation as a paper for a literate, well-read, and somewhat arty audience, puzzles frequently reference works of literature, art, or classical music, as well as modern TV, movies, or other touchstones of popular culture.[8]

The puzzle follows a number of conventions, both for tradition's sake and to aid solvers in completing the crossword:

  • Nearly all theTimescrossword grids haverotational symmetry:they can be rotated 180 degrees and remain identical. Rarely, puzzles with only vertical or horizontal symmetry can be found; yet rarer are asymmetrical puzzles, usually when an unusual theme requires breaking the symmetry rule. Starting in January 2020, diagonal symmetry began appearing in Friday and Saturday puzzles. This rule has been part of the puzzle since the beginning; when asked why, initial editor Margaret Farrar is said to have responded, "Because it is prettier."[10]
  • Any time a clue contains the tag "Abbr." or anabbreviationmore significant than "e.g.", the answer will be an abbreviation (e.g., [M.D. org.] for AMA).[6]
  • Any time a clue ends in aquestion mark,the answer is aplay on words(e.g., [Fitness center?] for CORE).[6]
  • Occasionally, themed puzzles will require certain squares to be filled in with a symbol, multiple letters, or a word, rather than one letter (so-called "rebus"puzzles). This symbol/letters/word will be repeated in each themed entry. For example, the December 6, 2012, puzzle by Jeff Chen featured a rebus theme based on the chemicalpH scaleused for acids and bases, which required the letters "pH" to be written together in a single square in several entries (in the middle of entries such as "triumpH"or" sopHocles ").[25]
  • French-,Spanish-, orLatin-language answers, and more rarely answers from other languages are indicated either by a tag in the clue giving the answer language (e.g., [Summer: Fr.] for ETE) or by the use in the clue of a word from that language, often a personal or place name (e.g. [Friends of Pierre] for AMIS or [The ocean, e.g., in Orleans] for EAU).[6]
  • Clues and answers must always match inpart of speech,tense,number,anddegree.Thus apluralclue always indicates a plural answer (and the same for singular), a clue in thepast tensewill always be matched by an answer in the same tense, and a clue containing acomparativeorsuperlativewill always be matched by an answer in the same degree.[6]
  • The answer word (or any of the answer words, if it consists of multiple words) will not appear in the clue itself. Unlike in some easier puzzles in other outlets, the number of words in the answer is not given in the clue—so a one-word clue can have a multiple-word answer.[26]
  • The theme, if any, will be applied consistently throughout the puzzle; e.g., if one of the theme entries is a particular variety of pun, all the theme entries will be of that type.[8]
  • In general, any words that might appear elsewhere in the newspaper, such as well-known brand names, pop culture figures, or current phrases of the moment, are fair game.[27]
  • No entries involving profanity, sad or disturbing topics, or overly explicit answers should be expected, though some have sneaked in. The April 3, 2006, puzzle contained the word SCUMBAG (a slang term for a condom), which had previously appeared in aTimesarticle quoting people using the word. Shortz apologized and said the term would not appear again.[28][29]PENIS also appeared once in a Shortz-edited puzzle in 1995, clued as [ "The __ mightier than the sword" ].[30]
  • Spoken phrases are always indicated by enclosure in quotation marks, e.g., [ "Get out of here!" ] for LEAVE NOW.[26]
  • Short exclamations are sometimes clued by a phrase in square brackets, e.g., {[It's cold!]} for BRR.[26]
  • When the answer can only be substituted for the clue when preceding a specific other word, this other word is indicated in parentheses. For example, [Think (over)] can be MULL, since "mull" only means "think" when preceding the word "over" (i.e., "think over" and "mull over" are synonymous, but "think" and "mull" are not necessarily synonymous otherwise). The point here is that the single word "think" can be replaced by the single word "mull", but only when the following word is "over".
  • When the answer needs an additional word in order to fit the clue, this other word is indicated with the use of "with". For example, [Become understood, with "in" ] can be SINK, since "Sink in" (but not "Sink" alone) means "to become understood." The point here is that the single phrase "become understood" can be replaced with the single phrase "sink in", regardless of whether it is followed by anything else.
  • Timesstyle is to always capitalize the first letter of a clue, regardless of whether the clue is a complete sentence or whether the first word is a proper noun. On occasion, this is used to deliberately create difficulties for the solver; e.g., in the clue [John, for one], it is ambiguous whether the clue is referring to the proper nameJohnor to the slang term for a bathroom.[26]

Variety puzzles

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Second Sunday puzzles

[edit]

In addition to the primary crossword, theTimespublishes a second Sunday puzzle each week, of varying types, something that the first crossword editor, Margaret Farrar, saw as a part of the paper's Sunday puzzle offering from the start; she wrote in a memo when theTimeswas considering whether or not to start running crosswords that "The smaller puzzle, which would occupy the lower part of the page, could provide variety each Sunday. It could be topical, humorous, have rhymed definitions or story definitions or quiz definitions. The combination of these two would offer meat and dessert, and catch the fancy of all types of puzzlers."[10]Currently, every other week is anacrosticpuzzle authored by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, with a rotating selection of other puzzles, includingdiagramlesscrosswords, Puns and Anagrams,cryptics(a.k.a. "British-style crosswords" ), Split Decisions, Spiral Crosswords, word games, and more rarely, other types (some authored by Shortz himself—the only puzzles he has created for theTimesduring his tenure as crossword editor).[22]Of these types, the acrostic has the longest and most interesting history, beginning on May 9, 1943, authored by Elizabeth S. Kingsley, who is credited with inventing the puzzle type, and continued to write theTimesacrostic until December 28, 1952.[31]From then until August 13, 1967, it was written by Kingsley's former assistant, Doris Nash Wortman; then it was taken over by Thomas H. Middleton for a period of over 30 years, until August 15, 1999, when the pair of Cox and Rathvon became just the fourth author of the puzzle in its history.[31]The name of the puzzle also changed over the years, from "Double-Crostic" to "Kingsley Double-Crostic," "Acrostic Puzzle," and finally (since 1991) just "Acrostic."[31]

The Mini

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The Times Online also publishesThe Mini,a daily crossword byJoel Fagliano,which is 5×5 Sunday through Friday and 7×7 on Saturdays, and is significantly easier than the traditional daily puzzle.The Miniis popular, but has also been criticized, sometimes harshly, for its comparative simplicity—with one review of the game inSlate magazinetitled "Utter Disgrace to theNYTCrossword Brand ".[32][33]Other "mini" and larger 11×11 "midi" puzzles are sometimes offered as bonuses.

Other puzzles

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As well as a second word puzzle on Sundays, theTimespublishes aKenKennumbers puzzle (a variant of the popularsudokulogic puzzles) each day of the week.[22]The KenKen and second Sunday puzzles are available online at theNew York Times crosswords and games page,as are "SET!"logic puzzles, aword searchvariant called "Spelling Bee"in which the solver uses a hexagonal diagram of letters to spell words of four or more letters in length, and a monthly bonus crossword with a theme relating to the month.[22]

Records and puzzles of note

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Fans of theTimescrossword have kept track of a number of records and interesting puzzles (primarily from among those published in Shortz's tenure), including those below. (All puzzles published from November 21, 1993, on are available to online subscribers to theTimescrossword.)[22]

  • Fewest words in a daily 15x15 puzzle: 50 words, on Saturday, June 29, 2013, by Joe Krozel;[34]in a Sunday puzzle: 118 words on June 11, 2023, bySam Ezersky.[35][36]
  • Most words in a daily puzzle: 86 words on Tuesday, December 23, 2008, by Joe Krozel;[37]in a 21x21 Sunday puzzle: 150 words, on June 26, 1994, by Nancy Nicholson Joline and on November 21, 1993, by Peter Gordon (the first Sunday puzzle edited by Will Shortz).[38]
  • Fewest black squares (in a daily 15x15 puzzle): 17 blocks, on Friday, July 27, 2012, by Joe Krozel.[39][40]
  • Most prolific author:Manny Nosowskyis the crossword constructor who has been published most frequently in the Times under Shortz, with 241 puzzles (254 including pre-Shortz-era puzzles, published before 1993),[41]although others may have written more puzzles than that under prior editors. The record for most Sunday puzzles is held by Jack Luzzatto, with 119 (including two written under pseudonyms);[42]former editor Eugene T. Maleska wrote 110 himself, including 8 under other names.[42]
  • Youngest constructor:Daniel Larsen,aged 13 years and 4 months.[43]
  • Oldest constructor:Bernice Gordonwas 100 on August 11, 2014, when her finalTimescrossword was published.[44](She died in 2015 at the age of 101.)[45]Gordon published over 150 crosswords in theTimessince her first puzzle was published by Margaret Farrar in 1952.[46]
  • Greatest difference in ages between two constructors of a single puzzle: 83, a puzzle by David Steinberg (age 16) and Bernice Gordon (age 99) with the theme AGE DIFFERENCE.[47][48]
  • 15-letter-word stacks: On December 29, 2012, Joe Krozel stacked five 15-letter entries, something never before or since achieved. Krozel, Martin Ashwood-Smith, George Barany and Erik Agard have stacked four 15-letter entries in a puzzle. Since 2010, Krozel, Ashwood-Smith, Kevin G. Der, and Jason Flinn have stacked two sets of four 15-letter entries in a puzzle.[49]
  • Lowest word count for a debut puzzle: 62 words, on Saturday, June 1, 2019, by Ari Richter.
Clinton/Bob Dole puzzle from 1996

A few crosswords have achieved recognition beyond the community of crossword solvers. Perhaps the most famous is the November 5, 1996, puzzle byJeremiah Farrell,published on the day of theU.S. presidential election,which has been featured in the movieWordplayand the bookThe Crossword Obsessionby Coral Amende, as well as discussed by Peter Jennings on ABC News, featured on CNN, and elsewhere.[15][16][50][51]The two leading candidates that year wereBill ClintonandBob Dole;in Farrell's puzzle, one of the long clue/answer combinations read [Title for 39-Across next year] MISTER PRESIDENT. The remarkable feature of the puzzle is that 39-Across could be answered either CLINTON or BOB DOLE, and all the Down clues and answers that crossed it would work either way (e.g., [Black Halloween animal] could be either BAT or CAT depending on which answer you filled in at 39-Across; similarly [French 101 word] could equal LUI or OUI, etc.).[50]Constructors have dubbed this type of puzzle aSchrödinger or quantum puzzleafter the famousparadoxofSchrödinger's cat,which was both alive and dead at the same time. Since Farrell's invention of it, 16 other constructors—Patrick Merrell, Ethan Friedman, David J. Kahn, Damon J. Gulczynski, Dan Schoenholz, Andrew Reynolds, Kacey Walker and David Quarfoot (in collaboration), Ben Tausig, Timothy Polin, Xan Vongsathorn, Andrew Kingsley and John Lieb (in collaboration), Zachary Spitz, David Steinberg and Stephen McCarthy have used a similar trick.[52]

In another notableTimescrossword, 27-year-old Bill Gottlieb proposed to his girlfriend, Emily Mindel, via the crossword puzzle of January 7, 1998, written by noted crossword constructor Bob Klahn.[53][54]The answer to 14-Across, [Microsoft chief, to some] was BILLG, also Gottlieb's name and last initial. 20-Across, [1729 Jonathan Swift pamphlet], was A MODEST PROPOSAL. And 56-Across, [1992 Paula Abdul hit], was WILL YOU MARRY ME. Gottlieb's girlfriend said yes. The puzzle attracted attention in the AP, an article in theTimesitself, and elsewhere.[54]Other Times crosswords with a notable wedding element include the June 25, 2010, puzzle by Byron Walden and Robin Schulman, which has rebuses spelling I DO throughout, and the January 8, 2020, puzzle by Joon Pahk and Amanda Yesnowitz, which was used at the latter’s wedding reception.

On May 7, 2007, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, a self-professed long-time fan of theTimescrossword, collaborated with noted crossword constructor Cathy Millhauser on an online-only crossword in which Millhauser constructed the grid and Clinton wrote the clues.[19][55]Shortz described the President's work as "laugh out loud" and noted that he as editor changed very little of Clinton's clues, which featured more wordplay than found in a standard puzzle.[19][55]Clinton made his print constructing debut on Friday, May 12, 2017, collaborating withVic Flemingon one of the co-constructed puzzles celebrating the crossword's 75th Anniversary.[56]

TheTimescrossword of Thursday, April 2, 2009, byBrendan Emmett Quigley,[57]featured theme answers that all ran the gamut ofmovie ratings—beginning with the kid-friendly "G" and finishing withadults-only "X"(now replaced by the less crossword-friendly "NC-17"). The seven theme entries wereGARY GYGAX,GRAND PRIX,GORE-TEX,GAG REFLEX,GUMMO MARX,GASOLINE TAX, andGENERATION X.In addition, the puzzle contained the clues/answers of [Weird Al Yankovic's "__ on Jeopardy" ] forI LOSTand [ "I'll takeNew York Timescrossword for $200, __ "] forALEX.What made the puzzle notable is that the prior night's episode of the US television showJeopardy!featured video clues of Will Shortz for five of the theme answers (all but GARY GYGAX and GENERATION X) which the contestants attempted to answer during the course of the show.

Controversies

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TheTimescrossword has been criticized for a lack of diversity in its constructors and clues. Major crosswords like those in theTimeshave historically been created and edited primarily by older white men.[58]Less than 30% of puzzle constructors in the Shortz Era have been women.[59]In the 2010s, only 27% of clued figures were female, and 20% were of minority racial groups.[60]

In January 2019, theTimescrossword was criticized for including the racial slur "BEANER"(clued as" Pitch to the head, informally ", but also a derogatory slur for Mexicans).[61]Shortz apologized for the distraction this may have caused solvers, claiming that he had never heard the slur before.[62]

In 2022, theTimeswas criticized after many readers claimed that its December 18 crossword grid resembled a Naziswastika.[63]Some were particularly upset that the puzzle was published on the first night ofHanukkah.[64]In a statement, theTimessaid the resemblance was unintentional, stemming from the grid's rotational symmetry.[65]TheTimeswas also criticized in 2017 and 2014 for crossword grids that resembled a swastika, which it both times defended as a coincidence.[63][66]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^"New York Times News Service/Syndicate".October 18, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon October 18, 2006.RetrievedSeptember 6,2022.
  2. ^"New York TimesCrosswords for BlackBerry ".Archived fromthe originalon February 28, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 6,2012.
  3. ^"Official New York Times Crossword Puzzle Game Released – TouchArcade".March 16, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 6,2022.
  4. ^"New York TimesCrosswords for Kindle Fire ".Archived fromthe originalon February 8, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 27,2012.
  5. ^"New York TimesCrosswords for Barnes and Noble Nook ".Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 27,2012.
  6. ^abcdefShortz, Will (April 8, 2001)."ENDPAPER: HOW TO; Solve The New York Times Crossword Puzzle".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 6,2022.
  7. ^"Crossword Puzzle Archive - 1999 - Premium - NYTimes".nytimes.RetrievedSeptember 6,2022.
  8. ^abcd"New York Times Specification Sheet".cruciverb.RetrievedSeptember 6,2022.
  9. ^(Unsigned Editorial) "Topics of the Times"The New York Times,November 17, 1924. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.(subscription required)
  10. ^abcdefgRichard F. Shepard "Bambi is a Stag and Tubas Don't Go 'Pah-Pah': The Ins and Outs of Across and Down"The New York Times Magazine,February 16, 1992. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.
  11. ^Zimmer, Ben (December 19, 2023)."The Puzzling Story of How Cryptic Crosswords Crossed the Atlantic".Medium.RetrievedMarch 5,2024.
  12. ^Will Shortz "150th Anniversary: 1851–2001; The Addiction Begins"The New York Times,November 14, 2001. Retrieved on 2009-13-13.
  13. ^"How the 20th Century's Toughest Moments Shaped the Crossword Puzzle's History".TIME.March 27, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  14. ^Stephenson, Hugh (December 3, 2012)."American grids".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  15. ^abAuthor unknown. "A Puzzling Occupation: Will Shortz, Enigmatologist" Biography of Will Shortz from American Crossword Puzzle Tournament homepage, dated March 1998. Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
  16. ^abLeora Baude "Nice Work if You Can Get It",Indiana UniversityCollege of Arts and Sciences, January 19, 2001. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.
  17. ^Will Shortz "CROSSWORD MEMO; What's in a Name? Five Letters or Less"The New York Times,March 9, 2003. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.
  18. ^abcDavid Germain "Crossword guru Shortz brings play on words to Sundance"Associated Press,January 23, 2006. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.
  19. ^abc"Bill Clinton pens NY Times' crossword puzzle" Reuters 2007-05-07. Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
  20. ^when you recognize someone by their voice 2.0 | gillian jacobs,retrievedJanuary 11,2024
  21. ^ab"The New York Times Store | Official Apparel, Books and Gifts".The New York Times Store.
  22. ^abcde"Subscribe to New York Times Games".nytimes.
  23. ^"Thumbnails".XWordInfo.RetrievedFebruary 26,2013.
  24. ^"Account of 2008 presentation by Will Shortz".RetrievedMarch 13,2009.
  25. ^Amlen, Deb (December 5, 2012)."Theme of this Puzzle"."Wordplay" blog.The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 26,2013.
  26. ^abcdAmlen, Deb (November 30, 2017)."How to Solve the New York Times Crossword".The New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 23,2018.
  27. ^Hiltner, Stephen (August 1, 2017)."Will Shortz: A Profile of a Lifelong Puzzle Master".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJanuary 24,2018.
  28. ^New York Times Crossword Forum, April 4, 2006
  29. ^Sheidlower, Jesse (April 6, 2006)."The dirty word in 43 Down".Slate Magazine.RetrievedOctober 26,2021.
  30. ^"New York Times crossword for August 27, 1995".Xwordinfo.RetrievedJanuary 16,2017.
  31. ^abc"History of theTimesacrostic puzzle ".Archived fromthe originalon February 19, 2009.
  32. ^Aguilar, Daniela (January 26, 2024)."The NYT games craze: How 'The Mini' and other puzzles have taken college campuses by storm - The Vanderbilt Hustler".RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  33. ^Graham, Ruth (August 17, 2015)."The New York Times" Mini "Crossword Is an Utter Disgrace to the NYT Crossword Brand".Slate.ISSN1091-2339.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  34. ^"Fewest Words in 15x15 grids".xwordinfo.
  35. ^Lovinger, Caitlin (June 10, 2023)."Really Relish".The New York Times– via NYTimes.
  36. ^"Sunday, June 11, 2023 NYT crossword by Sam Ezersky, No. 0611".RetrievedAugust 9,2023.
  37. ^"Most Words in 15x15 grids".xwordinfo.
  38. ^"Most Words in 21x21 grids".xwordinfo.RetrievedJuly 17,2024.
  39. ^"July 27, 2012 puzzle with record low black square count (subscription required)".
  40. ^"Xwordinfo".
  41. ^"Most prolific constructors".xwordinfo.
  42. ^ab"New York Times Crossword" Database "".Archived fromthe originalon April 13, 2009.RetrievedMarch 12,2009.
  43. ^Shortz, Will (February 14, 2017)."The Youngest Crossword Constructor in New York Times History".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedMarch 25,2017.
  44. ^Amlen, Deb (January 14, 2014)."Location, Location, Location".Wordplay: The Crossword Blog of The New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 16,2014.
  45. ^Fox, Margalit (January 30, 2015)."Bernice Gordon, Crossword Creator for The Times, Dies at 101".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 22,2016.
  46. ^Mucha, Peter."Construction worker Bernice Gordon, 95, has been coming across with downright nifty crossword puzzles for 60 years".The Philadelphia Inquirer.RetrievedDecember 26,2013.
  47. ^"New York Times, Wednesday, June 26, 2013".XWord Info.RetrievedJanuary 3,2015.
  48. ^Amlen, Deb (June 25, 2013)."Four Score and Three".Wordplay, The Crossword Blog of the New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 3,2015.
  49. ^Horne, Jim."Stacks".XWordInfo.RetrievedFebruary 27,2013.
  50. ^abAmende, Coral (1996)The Crossword Obsession,Berkley Books:New YorkISBN978-0756790868
  51. ^"ACPT in the News: Business Unusual: Will Shortz".crosswordtournament.
  52. ^"Quantum".xwordinfo.RetrievedJanuary 17,2017.
  53. ^"January 7, 1998 wedding proposal crossword (subscription required)".
  54. ^abJames Barron"Two Who Solved the Puzzle of Love",The New York Times,January 8, 1998. Retrieved on October 26, 2021.
  55. ^abCathy Millhauser (constructor) and Bill Clinton (clues); edited by Will Shortz "Twistin' the Oldies"The New York Times(web only) 2005-05-07. Retrieved on 2009-03-13. (Bill Clinton'sTimescrossword, available via PDF or Java applet.)
  56. ^"Friday, May 12, 2017 crossword by Bill Clinton and Victor Fleming".xwordinfo.RetrievedJanuary 24,2018.
  57. ^"April 2, 2009 puzzle featured on" Jeopardy! "(subscription required)".
  58. ^Last, Natan (March 18, 2020)."The Hidden Bigotry of Crosswords".The Atlantic.RetrievedMarch 1,2021.
  59. ^"XWord Info".xwordinfo.RetrievedMarch 1,2021.
  60. ^"Who's in the Crossword?".The Pudding.RetrievedMarch 1,2021.
  61. ^Flood, Brian (January 2, 2019)."New York Times apologizes for including racial slur in crossword puzzle: 'It is simply not acceptable'".Fox News.RetrievedMarch 1,2021.
  62. ^Welk, Brian (January 2, 2019)."NY Times Crossword Editor Apologizes for 'Slur' in New Year's Day Puzzle".TheWrap.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  63. ^abKilander, Gustaf (December 19, 2022)."New York Times responds after readers accuse paper of swastika-shaped crossword puzzle".The Independent.RetrievedDecember 21,2022.
  64. ^Silverstein, Joe (December 18, 2022)."NY Times Sunday crossword puzzles readers with swastika shape on Hanukkah: 'How did this get approved'".Fox News.RetrievedDecember 19,2022.
  65. ^Smith, Ryan (December 19, 2022)."The New York Times speaks out on claims its crossword resembles swastika".Newsweek.RetrievedDecember 19,2022.
  66. ^"'NYT' Response to Prior Crossword Swastika Accusations Resurfaces ".MSN.December 20, 2022.RetrievedDecember 29,2022.
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