A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

RIPE

Wed, 24 Jul '24
Ready to eat
Mon, 25 Mar '24
Like dark green avocados
Fri, 29 Dec '23
Ready, in a way
Fri, 21 Oct '22
Red, maybe
Fri, 9 Sep '22
Quite stinky
Fri, 12 Nov '21
Primed (for)
Wed, 8 Sep '21
Yellow, as a banana
Sat, 24 Jul '21
Ready
Sat, 27 Feb '21
What comes before old age?
Mon, 28 Dec '20
Ready for picking