This, That or Whichever
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WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — Who needs a calendar when you’ve got the New York Times Crossword? It’s true that outside, today may bring all of the things that come with your usual Wednesday. But here in the Wordplay column, the days of the week are merely a construct, a thinly veiled premise to allow us to bring you a puzzle that increases slightly in difficulty every 24 hours.
A similar premise forms the theme of today’s puzzle, which is constructed by Brooke Husic and Brian Thomas. It’s rather subtle, and you might not realize what’s going on until after you’ve finished it. But once you see it, you’ll be kicking yourself, because it’s as clear as day.
Today’s Theme
It happened to me: I managed to solve this entire puzzle without picking up on the theme. But can you blame me? All we get from the themed clues, which are otherwise solved in a straightforward manner, are bracketed references to a mysterious sequence of seven. For example, at 1-Across, “About 85%-90% of Muslims, globally [1st of 7].” The clue solves to SUNNI.
So, what comes in sevens? Deadly sins, wonders of the world … and days of the week. Now, there’s an idea! And looking over our themed entries again, it turns out to be the right one: The first few letters of 1-, 17-, 26-, 37-, 48-, 58- and 69-Across are abbreviations for the consecutive days of the week.
Source: The New York Times
