On Sunday, immediately before the first day of Hanukah, the New York Times took heat for releasing a crossword puzzle that some readers had criticized for allegedly resembling a swastika.
The puzzle in question bore the title of "Some Theme's Missing" and was created by Washington, D.C. consulting manager Ryan McCarty.
In a blog post released with the puzzle, the Times' Caitlin Lovinger wrote, "I love the geometry in this puzzle — so many stair steps! — and feel that it contributes to a certain evenness in the solve. Most of the entries that first caught my eye were of medium length — five or six letters long, bulky enough to give me lots of letters to use in chipping away at each corner — and the whole grid came together all at once."
McCarty said in a note released with the puzzle: "Thrilled to have my first Sunday puzzle in The Times! This grid features one of my favorite open middles that I've made as it pulls from a variety of subject areas. I had originally tried to make it work in a 15x15 grid but then decided to expand the grid out to a Sunday-size puzzle with a fun whirlpool shape. Hope you enjoy!"
However, many Times readers saw the puzzle not as a "fun whirlpool shape," but more like a swastika.
"This is the NY Times crossword puzzle today on the first day of [Hanukah]. What the hell, @nytimes?" wrote Keith Edwards on Twitter.
Another Twitter user, Zach D. Roberts added, "Other people have pointed out that the @nytimes crossword has an interesting layout this week.
"I thought, 'There’s no way this actually made it to print.' I had just bought the print copy ... and we'll shit. I did nahtsee that coming. (This is real, I just took the photo)"
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.