Chapter 3. But First You Have to Ask the Right Question
ONE SUNDAY IN 2006, THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZzle offered the following clue for a five-letter word: “Son of Henry and father of Henry II.” I passed by the clue until I had a letter entered from another clue. The word began with “E.” Well, that made no sense. King Henry of England surely had a son with a common English name, and I could think of none that began with E and was five letters long.
Aha, I thought, I’ve been fooled. It’s not English monarchs we are talking about here, but French or Portuguese (think Prince Henry the Navigator) monarchs. I am not an expert on common names or monarchical names in either nation, so I waited until I had another letter. The word ended with “L.” ...
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