A Perfect Score ⦠or Half of One Erik Agard collaborates with Wendy L. Brandes, who makes her New York Times Crossword debut. In this photo from 1966, the statue of Abraham Lincoln towered over visitors in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.Credit...Terry Chambers/Fox Photos, via Getty Images Dec. 24, 2020 FRIDAY PUZZLE â Weâve been floating along this week â solving some gloriously happy debuts â and this is another one, at least for one of the constructors. Wendy L. Brandes makes her New York Times Crossword debut in a challenging Friday collaboration with Erik Agard, who now serves as the editor of the USA Today crossword.