FRIDAY PUZZLE — If you are endlessly fascinated with history as I am, crossword puzzle solving has a particularly “nichey” (as opposed to Nietzsche, which is completely different) track you can follow on XWordInfo.com. Your mileage may vary, but I find it really interesting to look at how long it has been since an entry last appeared in the Times Crossword. Why, for example, has it been almost 50 years since a popular phrase like SO FAR SO GOOD has appeared in the puzzle? There is no structural reason; the phrase is full of vowels, which function as the mortar that binds the crossings together. On the other hand, NASAL STRIPS, paired with a very clever clue, makes its debut in the New York Times Crossword.

Source: New York Times December 14, 2018 03:00 UTC