
Cracking the Code: The Playful Genius Behind the Vault Opener NYT Crossword Clue
Picture this: It’s Sunday morning. Coffee in hand, you’re breezing through the New York Times crossword until *7-Across* stops you cold: “Vault opener?” Four letters. Your brain races—safe combination? Bank heist tool? But the question mark whispers, “Think sideways.” Suddenly, it clicks: POLE. Not a tool for cracking safes, but the fiberglass rod that launches athletes over a bar in pole vaulting. This “aha!” moment…