Crossword aficianados know that the NYTimes crossword gets progressively harder as the week goes on. Saturday’s is generally a cast iron bitch on wheels. This kind of correction, from today’s paper (unlinked because the Times doesn’t archive corrections as such on its site), won’t help:
The crossword puzzle on Saturday provided an erroneous clue for 12 Down, seeking the answer “mare.” “Mate for `my friend’ Flicka” was incorrect because Flicka, in the Mary O’Hara story, was a mare; her mate would be a stallion.