LA Times Crossword
November 15, 2017
Jerry Edelstein

The three clues below have something in common that #1 does as part of his job.

1. BLACKJACK DEALER
2. MISPLACED KEY
3. BAKED COOKIES

HINTS:
a. The same word is scrambled in each clue, with the letters in consecutive order,  though in a different order for each clue.
b. The scrambled word is DECK.

Answer:

In all three clues, the word DECK is both scrambled and cut. A blackjack dealer shuffles (scrambles) and cuts the deck.