The phrase represents a specific intersection of events, media, and leisure activity. It refers to the puzzles published by The New York Times that contain clues and answers referencing financial news related to the economic events of a particular year, 2008, and the U.S. financial district. As an example, a clue in such a crossword might be “Mortgage-backed security woe” with the answer being “CDO.”
These crosswords serve as a historical marker, encapsulating the zeitgeist of a period defined by significant economic turmoil. They offer a glimpse into how the news cycle and public discourse were shaped by events on Wall Street. They provide an interesting, and sometimes challenging, way to reflect upon complex financial concepts that dominated headlines. The crosswords also implicitly reflect the cultural awareness of these events, as the clues assume a certain level of financial literacy from the solver.
