A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

Sun, 5 Apr '26: Michael ___, Steve Carell's role on "The Office"
Sun, 13 Jul '25: Winfield ___, loser to Franklin Pierce for president in 1852
Sun, 28 Jul '24: Adam of TV's "Severance"
Thu, 4 Aug '22: "Great ___!"