Nursery rhyme character known as Lille Trille in Denmark - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue is a delightful mix of the universally familiar and the charmingly obscure. It asks us to identify a famous nursery rhyme character, but gives us a specific, international piece of trivia as the primary hook. This type of clue rewards solvers with broad cultural knowledge but is still accessible to those who can focus on the core definition and use a bit of deduction.

Clue Analysis

The clue has two distinct parts: "Nursery rhyme character" and "known as Lille Trille in Denmark".

• "Nursery rhyme character": This is the main subject. Your mind should immediately start cycling through the A-listers of the nursery rhyme world: Little Bo-Peep, Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet, and so on.
• "known as Lille Trille in Denmark": This is the qualifier. For many English-speaking solvers, this will be an unknown fact. However, it's not just a random piece of trivia; it's a clever hint. "Lille" is cognate with "little," and "Trille" strongly suggests words like "trill," "tumble," or "roll." This linguistic clue points toward a character known for instability and falling.

The answer format, H/DUMPTY, suggests that the full name is HUMPTY DUMPTY, but it might be entered in the grid in a non-standard way, perhaps with the first name being part of a crossing word or abbreviated.

Thinking Approaches

1. Direct Trivia Knowledge: If you happen to be familiar with Danish nursery rhymes, you might know that "Lille Trille" is the Danish name for this character. This is the fastest path to the answer.

2. Focus on the Core Clue: Ignore the Danish part for a moment and brainstorm major nursery rhyme characters. Make a mental list. Now, re-introduce the Danish part.

3. Linguistic Deduction: As mentioned above, analyze "Lille Trille." What does it sound like? "Little Roll" or "Little Tumble." Which character from your list of nursery rhyme figures is famous for rolling or tumbling off something? This line of reasoning leads directly to the correct character.

4. Use the Crossings: If the trivia and deduction don't get you there, this is a perfect time to rely on the grid. Once you get a few crossing letters for the answer, a very famous two-word name will likely emerge, and you can work backward to see how it fits the clue.

Background Context

The character in question is, of course, Humpty Dumpty. The rhyme is one of the most famous in the English language:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Interestingly, the rhyme itself never states that Humpty is an egg. That popular image was solidified much later, partly through Lewis Carroll's depiction in Through the Looking-Glass. The original rhyme was likely a riddle, with the answer being "an egg." Today, the character is inseparable from its ovoid appearance. The name's translation in other languages, like the Danish "Lille Trille," often provides a clue to the character's actions, reinforcing the theme of falling or rolling.

Conclusion

This clue is a great example of how constructors can breathe new life into common knowledge. By adding a layer of international trivia, they make the solver work a little harder and potentially learn something new. The key takeaway is not to be intimidated by the obscure part of a clue, but to look for the familiar anchor and any hidden hints within the unfamiliar words.

Hints

1. Hint 1: This character is famous for having a significant fall.
2. Hint 2: This figure is almost always depicted as an anthropomorphic egg.
3. Hint 3: According to the rhyme, royal resources were insufficient to repair the damage after this character's accident.
4. Hint 4: The Danish name 'Lille Trille' can be translated as 'Little Roll', hinting at the character's unfortunate tumble.

The answer is: [H/DUMPTY]