1. The blanks in the clues below can be filled in with two four-letter words. Three of the four letters in each word are the same, though they are not in the same order.

WONDERFUL _ _ _ _
TERRIBLE      _ _ _ _

2. What do the following words words and phrases have in common?

Big Bang Theory
John the Baptist
Cain

HINT:
1. New York, New York
2. Three rhyming firsts, starting with "Burst"

Answers:

1)
WONDERFUL TOWN
TERRIBLE       TWOS

2)
The first burst
The first immersed
The first accursed

Credit: LA Times Crossword
Sylvia Bursztyn and Barry Tunick
FIRST THINGS FIRST (adapted)