NY Times Crossword
December 17, 2019
David Levinson Wilk

Fill in the missing letters in the clues below and use them to think of a two-word phrase that satisfies the clue.

1. _ranklin  D_l_no  _oosevelt

2. R_ od_  Isl_n_  Red

3. _xygen  _iflu_ _ide

4. _ _ rr_e_

HINT:
4. It's not TERRIER.*

Answers:

1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Fearless leader

2. Rhode Island Red - Headless chicken

3. Oxygen Difluoride - Odorless gas

4. Harrier - Hairless dog*

*Harrier is a breed of hunting dog. TERRIER does not work because TEIR is not a word, and even if it were. Teirless dog does not make sense. 

There was a fifth theme entry in the puzzle which I did not include:
_ ax _  d_iv _ r  /  Taxi driver  /  Tireless worker
I could not see how Tireless worker satisfied the clue Taxi driver.

Note from JA: In my opinion, this is a brilliant puzzle. It's such a clever idea, but even with the idea, how do you come up with five examples?