There are mornings when the steam from your coffee seems to form little question marks in the air, mirroring the grid in front of you. You scan the clues, looking for an easy entry point, a friendly handhold to begin the day’s climb. You pass over the obscure river in Lithuania, the four-letter word for a specific type of sail, and the dreaded Roman numeral calculation. And then, you see it.
It’s a crossword clue that doesn’t ask for a definition or a synonym. It doesn’t demand deep knowledge of history or science. Instead, it presents a fragment of a memory, a piece of a song so deeply embedded in our collective consciousness that it feels less like a trivia question and more like a gentle prompt.
‘Letters before “And on that farm …”’
The beauty of this particular crossword clue lies in its immediate familiarity. The quotation marks are the key, signaling that we’re not dissecting grammar but are instead being asked to complete a well-known phrase. For a moment, your brain might try to overcomplicate it. Is it a literary quote? A line from a famous speech? But the logic is far simpler, far more pure.
The phrase triggers a switch. Suddenly, the quiet focus of your morning is filled with the faint, plucky sound of a banjo. You’re not just a puzzle solver anymore; you’re a five-year-old on a field trip, a parent singing a bedtime song, a car passenger on a long road trip. The melody is instant. The words are automatic.
This is the kind of crossword clue that serves as a welcome mat. It’s the puzzle constructor reaching out a hand and saying, “Come on in, the water’s fine.” It doesn’t try to trick you or send you down a rabbit hole of esoteric knowledge. It tests a different kind of intelligence—our shared cultural lexicon. It’s a test of nostalgia.
What makes this crossword clue so satisfying is the chain reaction it starts. Once your inner voice sings the opening line, the letters practically fill themselves in. There’s no hesitation, no second-guessing. The confidence from those few squares can then bleed into the surrounding entries. A pesky “across” clue that was giving you trouble might suddenly reveal itself, thanks to a new letter popping into place. This is how a puzzle is cracked open—not always with a thunderclap of brilliance, but often with the quiet click of a remembered tune.
Staring at a difficult crossword clue can feel like staring at a locked door. You can rattle the handle, search for a hidden key, or try to force it open. But clues like this one? They don’t just give you the key; they remind you that the door was never locked in the first place. All you had to do was hum a familiar song.
Available Answers:
E-I-E-I-O.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: 1117-25 NY Times Crossword 17 Nov 25, Monday