In 1942, the world of wordsmithing was decidedly different. The Times’s crossword puzzle was meant to be more “newsy” than those published by competitors, intended to mesh well with its canvas. Despite having no obvious theme, the first puzzle was loosely spun together around of-the-era news content. In it, you’ll find references to cannons, naval bases, defense stamps and not one but three matter-of-fact mentions of the Nazis, such as 103-Down: [Port on Zuider Zee, occupied by Nazis], the clue for AMSTERDAM.
According to Shortz, Farrar wasn’t actually fond of the instructions she received to make the puzzle part and parcel of the newspaper’s journalism.
“When no one was looking...
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