Shortz

204 9.4

A last name that some people have

proper noun
/ʃɔrts/

: Shortz

If you ask Will Shortz, I believe he'll tell you there's no such rule, and thus no reason for him to make a point of never duplicating clue words in the grid.
Shortz's puzzle
Shortz's crossword
puzzle master Shortz

Examples

Here is a guess at Will Shortz's crossword clue for your collective answer to our question: "A six-letter word for an art form with no public use other than the one each artist defines."

Academic text (2007)
New York Times crossword editor, Will Shortz, says, "We have a natural compulsion to fill empty spaces."

All About Steve (2009)
Is Will Shortz an artist?

Blog text (17)
You just have to have faith in Shortz (reminds me of "Use the Schwartz" from Mel Brooks' "Space Balls"—which reminds me of Pizza the Hut...).

Blog text (22)
Along with discussion about the day's challenge, you'll get background insights with constructor interviews, some surprising statistical results from XWord Info, and occasional notes from The Times's puzzlemaster, Will Shortz.

Blog text (22)
The renowned puzzle creator Will Shortz has become a household name in America.
Every Saturday, I enjoy completing the crossword edited by Will Shortz in the New York Times.
Many fans of wordplay admire Will Shortz for his contribution to crossword puzzles.

Surface Forms

Shortz main

Etymology

Shortz probably comes from the English word short, which means 'not tall' or 'small', and started as a nickname for a small person. The ending -z is just a family spelling, so today Shortz is simply a surname handed down in families.