Grid: whatevs; Meta: negligible
Mike Shenk’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “Past and Present” — Laura’s review
What even day is it? I think this puzzle came out last Wednesday afternoon and was dated Thursday instead of the usual Friday. At least I remembered I needed to write this post about this puzzle, the answer to which is a 12-letter word
WSJ Contest – 12.24.20 – Solution
The big hints here are those symmetrical center entries:
- [25a: With 45-Across, where you might find a present]: BENEATH
- [45a: See 25-Across]: THETREE
Turns out, there are four three-letter trees in the grid — FIR, ASH, OAK, and ELM — and beneath them are a total of 12 letters that spell out FRANKINCENSE, which is a 12-letter word, a present from the mythic past, and our answer.
That’s all for me. Back to vacation. I think we’re getting another puzzle early in the coming week.
Neville did it better. Ding for LIME at 60A.