The Grey Lady has pull some reprehensible stunts over the years , let in writing puff pieces on neo - Nazis , helping lead the United States into a deadly war in the Middle East , and even employing Bret Stevens . But today it finally burn up its most dedicated customers : those of us who pay the paper of record $ 6.99 a month to play its once - vaunted crossword puzzle on our phones .
Solve this quick : “ well-fixed as _ _ _ . ”
Pie , correct ? A pretty simple fill - in - the - blank doubt with a common idiomatic answer , especially given that , for over 75 years , the answers to the New York Times crossword have almost all been composed of letters , or at the very leasta series of letter .
Well , take your expectations and throw them down a fix : The answer is “ 123 . ” As in numbers . As in math . As in , “ Hey , I thought I was flirt a goddamn crossword puzzle , not a KenKen or Sudoku or doing my taxation for merriment . ” The answer branch down to the solutions “ 1 am , ” “ 2pac , ” and “ 3hole”—as in “ a three - hole punch”—a musical phrase no one in the world writes that way !
Hey,@nytimes , it ’s a mini crossword puzzle mystifier , not a mini crossNUMBER puzzle !
< Exits grumbling about her 5 + hour time this good morning … >pic.twitter.com / P4JNJS3yXi
— Meg Waite Clayton ( @MegWClayton)January 23 , 2018
One of the Times ’ Twitter accounts even made light of the ire this clue had inspired , seemingly blaming today ’s escort , 1/23 , though the clue had nothing to do with that . You must feel very clever , Tuesday Mini . Rebellious . Superior , even .
For all those who are piquant about today’s#Miniand would wish to know why ! A is what it is , please mark today ’s date . 🙂 https://t.co/QkU4I7uqLv
— New York Times Games ( @NYTGames)January 23 , 2018
Amid the terrific flood of cheeseparing - apocalyptical presentment rumble across my phone each day , the Times crossword has serve as a office of guard install on that very same phone . During commutes , it ’s been a distraction from the unfixed , century - previous substructure around my subway motorcar , as well as the plutocrat who imbibe the public coffers wry . Mostly , it was a bond of trust . And today , that trust was broken — for both myself and something in the neighborhood of 12 other masses . C’m on , New York Times . We just like you were better .
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