The theme of the Thursday, Jan. 5 New York Times crossword, which ran in syndication Feb. 9, was: 14A “That was funny!” GOODALL; 59A Jane who wrote “In the Shadow of Man” GOOD ONE; 24A Captivates ENTHRONES; 47A Crowns ENTHRALLS; 3D Set up, as software IN STONE; 41D Fixed INSTALL; 4D Schoolyard game T-BONE; 49D Certain steak T-BALL. 34A/21D Catchphrase that provides a hint to eight answers in this puzzle ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL.
Get it? ONE and ALL are substituted for each other in words and phrases. Enter my friend Johnny, who writes of a “correction” in the Kansas City Star, reading “In the Feb. 9 New York Times crossword … the clues to 14 and 59 across [sic] were switched.”
Johnny emailed the Star, explaining the theme to show “the clues were NOT switched.” If they had been, “then all six of the Down crossers would be wrong, unless you think a good answer to ‘Spirited’ is NIVELY.”
The Star’s “readers’ representative” replied: “The New York Times itself issued the correction. The answer to 14A is ‘good one’ and 59A is ‘Goodall,’ but those don’t fit in the puzzle. They work if switched, as today’s key indicates.”
Johnny, who has a wry sense of humor, wrote back: “This isn’t DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN, but the correction is incorrect. I doubt the Times issued a correction. If you have an answer grid that shows GOOD ONE for 14-A and GOODALL for 59-A, I’ll eat Truman’s hat.” President Harry Truman, known for wearing Panama hats, was from the area.
The readers’ rep responded, “They got it wrong, and the correction was retracted in Saturday’s paper. I don’t appreciate your accusing me of lying. Please do not write me back.”
The Times issued no correction; none was needed. Troubled by the rep’s last note to Johnny, though, I looked online and found his byline under a piece titled “Correcting the correction – NY Times crossword puzzle.” It reads:
“For the second time … in my days as readers’ representative, I’ve … written a correction to a previous correction. …” He notes and quotes the correction that concluded “the clues to 14 and 59 across [sic] were switched.” The reason for the correction, he writes, is that more than one person told him “the clues must have been switched” because 14A’s answer fit 59A’s clue and vice versa. Oh, how little some know of Thursday Times puzzles!
“I checked with the syndicate who also looked into it [sic],” he continues. “Verdict: Yes, there was an error. So the correction ran. Not so fast, said several crossworders today, proving that my mind simply doesn’t operate on the same level as theirs. I’ll let one of them explain it: [explanation, from someone other than Johnny, omitted].
“So, yes, it now makes perfect sense, and it obviously tripped up several people. ‘[O]ur world has more serious problems to consider!’ wrote one of my emailers, and she’s right – but the record still needs to be set straight.”
As a friend of mine often says, “Hmmmph!”
Vic Fleming is a district court judge in Little Rock, Ark., where he also teaches at the William H. Bowen School of Law. Contact him at vicfleming@att.net.