A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

RIPE

Wed, 12 Mar '25
Like plump peaches, typically
Sat, 22 Feb '25
Funky
Mon, 13 Jan '25
Ready to eat, as fruit
Sun, 5 Jan '25
Perfect for a salad, say
Mon, 9 Dec '24
Like yellow bananas
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