NY Times Crossword
June 23, 2010
Francis Heaney
(Title shown below)

The words and phrases below have something in common. Can you determine what it is?

1. ACQUIRE LAND
2. MINIMALISTS
3. SANGUINE ABOUT
4. PYROMANIACS
5. DIGITAL YEARBOOKS

HINT:
It involves hidden words.

Answer:

Each word or phrase conceals the name of a country:

1. acquIRE LAND
2. miniMALIsts
3. sanGUINE About
4. pyROMANIAcs
5. digITAL Yearbooks

Note: In the original puzzle, the names of the countries were represented by consecutive color bars (across) forming the countries' flags. The colors were read as rebuses in the down clues. Jim Horn of the NY Times Crossword Puzzle Archive named this his Puzzle of the Year for 2010. 

Puzzle title: FLAG DAY