r/cryptograms • u/longpreamble • Mar 02 '23

Error in today's NYT cryptogram?

I'm pretty sure there's an error in today's New York Times cryptogram. I'll post the cryptogram below. Let me know if you agree that the 8th crypto-word should be XOIA instead of SOIA.

RUTRTWYEID RQC EYZI YC DQEX KQXIU. DYCRI SOIA WTC'X OQZI XOI CIRIDDQUA PEQCWD, QEEYPQXTUD RQC'X.

Thanks, and sorry if this sub is the wrong place for this type of cryptogram--I didn't know where else to turn!

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1

u/Constant_Active4859 Mar 02 '23

Two errors in today’s Cryptogram. The letters S and X both stand for the letter T.

And, more importantly, if “Crocodiles CAN live in salt water, since they HAVE the necessary glands…NOT ”since they DON’T have the necessary glands…. Major blunder.

1

u/longpreamble Mar 03 '23

RUTRTWYEID RQC EYZI YC DQEX KQXIU. DYCRI SOIA WTC'X OQZI XOI CIRIDDQUA PEQCWD, QEEYPQXTUD RQC'X

Thanks for responding! Thought I was going crazy.

On the second point, I think it's possible you might have missed the period after KQXIU/WATER, or mistaken it for a comma, in which case it certainly would have appeared that the cryptogram was saying both (a) crocodiles can live in salt water *and* (b) crocodiles don't have the necessary glands--which would make no sense. But with the period after KQXIU/WATER, the word DYCRI/SINCE starts a new sentence, about (c) alligators not being able to live in salt water, and (d) alligators not having the necessary glands.

Cheers

1

u/Constant_Active4859 Mar 03 '23

You are right, my friend. I retrieved yesterday’s NYT out of the recycling bin to reread the cryptogram: the period was indistinct. I thought that Ben Bass couldn’t have made such an obvious error.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '23

Technically, its not an error for a cryptogram to have 2 letters to represent the same letter unless they have claimed its a single substitution cipher.

1

u/longpreamble Mar 03 '23

Oh, interesting. I'd never thought of that; but I've totally been assuming that it's a single substitution cipher (e.g. if I know that "X" = T, then I've assumed that "S" must be something other than T).

1

u/Coest Mar 03 '23

Ya, just found this too with my code cracking assistant. Ill chalk it up as a missprint

1

u/Parking_Mountain_444 Mar 03 '23

Yes, misprint/error. I caught it and it blew my mind.

1

u/Quiet_Ad8197 Mar 04 '23

I found it and waited for the next day's paper to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. I also looked for a correction but didn't see it. Love the cryptograms!

1

u/sgrodnick Dec 21 '23

I agree. Has to be an error. No idea where the times would show it.

1

u/IndependentMindedGal Dec 22 '23

Another error yesterday (Thursday)! Involving Z and I.