But, Kurzman and Katz conclude, [crossword] puzzle parochialism is actually deepening: “the [Times] puzzle today uses one-third fewer non-English clues and answers than it did at its peak in 1966, and makes two-thirds fewer international references than its peak in 1943.” Globalization, waves of immigration, and hiring efforts encouraging diversity may have remapped the newspaper’s reporting desks, but “when we turn from the New York Times news pages to the puzzle page, the rest of the world fades away.”
