We’re picking up good vibrations from Hanh Huynh’s crossword.
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TUESDAY PUZZLE — When The New York Times’s puzzle editors review crossword submissions, they want to be sure that every entry is “in the language,” so to speak — in other words, that they would be familiar to most solvers. Modern slang tends to be dicey in this regard, since a common phrase for one generation may be obscure to another.
Today’s crossword, constructed by Hanh Huynh, leans on an expression that some might say is relatively new to our capital-L Language. It has grown in popularity since the aughts — perhaps as a result of Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones” — but its usage can be traced back to at least the turn of the 19th century, when it appeared in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel “Treasure Island.” The discovery of this slangy phrase’s vintage left me … well, in a similar state as the items in today’s puzzle.
Today’s Theme
If you want to say [“This news has got me rattled!”], you might say “I’M SHOOK!” (65A) — a phrase that hints at how the entries 1-, 20-, 37- and 54-Across are used.
[Cheerleaders’ accessories] are POMPOMS (1A), shaken at pep rallies and sports games. A [Graffiti artist’s supply] consists of SPRAY PAINT (20A), which comes in cans meant to be shaken. And you may see someone shaking a POLAROID PICTURE, a snap that [develops in front of your eyes] (37A). (If you do see that, tell the shaker to stop.)
Try to shake the last themed answer loose on your own, or you can click to reveal it below.
54A. [Hand-held instrument that jingles]
TAMBOURINE
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
