Things I have learned from doing the NYT crossword:
- The most famous of all musicians is Brian ENO.
- Anything mixed up is an OLEO. Not to be confused with AIOLI, foremost among condiments, or OREO, the most popular snack ever.
- All Asian holidays are TET.
- Scandinavian queens like to name their sons OLAV.
- A poem is probably an ODE.
- If you’re on the water you must be ASEA, and very likely ALEE.
- To get someone’s attention, say PSST.
- Taps nearly always produce ALE. But MEAD is a more popular drink than anyone knew (other than crossword constructors). It is nearly always poured from a EWER.
- History is the study of ERAS. Perhaps the most important is that of Pope LEOIV.
- If you only know one muse, make her ERATO.
- Native Americans are often ERIE, which is also by far the greatest of the Great Lakes.
- The most significant architectural features are the APSE and the NAVE.
- Of all of the stories in the bible, the most compelling are those of ENOS and ESAU.
- Don’t forget your SSN.
- When climbing, keep an eye out for ARETES.
- Shakespeare never produced a greater line than “ET TU, Brute.”
- Pinyin has still not been accepted for romanizing Chinese in Crosswordese. Never write Laozi, always Lao TSE.
- A great jazz singer is ELLA. Hey, they got one right!