It's not an anagram, it was portmanteau (in this case, but other wordplay is seen too).

Also, folks in the thread are ignoring Henry Hook, a famous UK constructor who used plenty of "non-standard" wordplay.

henry hook was american (and wrote american style cryptics, which are very similar to uk cryptics but have a few stylistic differences)

also i'd say portmanteau clues (and rebuses) are standard wordplay for an nyt crossword, they just unfamiliar to people who don't do that kind.