In 2020, the generally genteel crossword community got closer—somewhat closer—to the chair-throwing intensity of other subcultures’ culture wars. This year seems to have taken a half-step back from that conflict, to the point where the year’s best crossword fiction—and one of its best comics—could gently mock it.
I’ll give Letters to Margaret a full review a bit later, but for now, enjoy my usual year-end roundup of all things crossword, from new advances in the art form (somebody finally made an 11X11 word square!) to the most popular clue—and most horrible new feature—of the year. The Year in Crosswords 2021 is here.