At the time, the crossword was little more than a decade old and it had only appeared in newspapers, namely the New York World, where the puzzle — initially known as a “Word-Cross” until a typesetting error — was first printed in 1913.

At just 16, Natan Last had a crossword puzzle accepted by the New York Times; at the time he was the youngest person ever to earn that distinction.

Natan Last’s book delves into the crossword's century-long story, exploring what the grids we solve reveal about news and culture.

The title is a wonderful description of this solve: “Hog Wild.” And there’s also a generous sprinkle of porcine plugs in the unthemed rest of the puzzle — bacon bits, one might say a bit morbidly. (I noted 36A with glee, [“Enough already”], which solves to another reference to “Babe” — THAT’LL DO.)

Here's today's NYT Mini Crossword answer. These answers will help you solve New York Times' popular crossword game, Mini Crossword, every day!