Variety: Cryptic Crossword
The Hex team offers up a tougher-than-usual cryptic crossword.

Is The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Trolling Car Enthusiasts? [Hoons]
# hoons I suspect New York Times Puzzle Wizard Will Shortz was once again showing his weakness with slang when he edited this week's über difficult Friday crossword. Otherwise, he's definitely screwing with car enthusiasts by employing a bit of clue misdirection. More »

New York Times Crossword Guru Will Shortz Needs to Get to Know More Rappers
Ah, yes: The Monday New York Times crossword puzzle, routinely mocked by seasoned crossword freaks as the province of entry-level puzzle-doers and amateur intellects. In today's puzzle, however, those who regularly frequent the blank box page may observe an interesting redundancy, and on a technical level, an inaccuracy. Involving rappers. The final clue to today's puzzle , by Tom Pepper ...

Crossword hip-hop terms debated
NEW YORK, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A New York Times crossword reader sparked a debate over whether "wack" and "illin" are synonyms.

Beef Erupts Over Crossword Guru's Hip-Hop Slang Clue
According to some, Shortz took a false step with this past Saturday's puzzle, when he included a clue steeped in hip-hop slang. The clue asked for a 5-letter word that means "Wack, in hip-hop."