“___ Beso” - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue, "“___ Beso”", is a classic example of a fill-in-the-blank that draws from the worlds of both pop culture and foreign language. It's a frequent guest in crossword puzzles, making it a piece of trivia that's very helpful for solvers to know.

Clue Analysis

The clue presents a partial song title, indicated by the quotation marks. The word "Beso" is Spanish for "kiss". The task is to identify the missing word that completes this well-known song title. The blank requires a three-letter word to form the title "___ Beso".

Thinking Approaches

1. Direct Recall: If you're familiar with 1960s pop music, the title "Eso Beso" might immediately come to mind. This is the most direct path to the solution.
2. Language Knowledge: Knowing that "Beso" means "kiss," you could consider common Spanish words that might precede it. The answer, "eso," means "that," making the title "That Kiss." This is a grammatically and contextually sound phrase.
3. Using Crossings: For a short, three-letter answer, even one or two crossing letters can be a huge help. If you had the 'S' from a down clue, for example, you could test possibilities like 'ESO', 'ESA', 'ESE', etc. The context of a song title would strongly point toward the correct answer.

Background Context

"Eso Beso (That Kiss!)" is a famous song released in 1962 by the Canadian-American singer Paul Anka. The song has a distinct Latin rhythm and was a significant international hit for Anka.

In Spanish, eso is a neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning "that." Because of its common letters (E, S, O) and its utility in cluing (via this song, as a Spanish word, or as part of other words), ESO is a staple in the world of crossword puzzles, often referred to as "crossword-ese."

Conclusion

This clue is a straightforward test of pop culture and basic Spanish vocabulary. Its frequent appearance in puzzles makes it a valuable entry to commit to memory. By recognizing the song title or using a bit of language logic, solvers can confidently fill in this answer.

Hints

1. Hint 1: The missing word is in Spanish.
2. Hint 2: The phrase translates to "That Kiss".
3. Hint 3: The song was a 1962 hit for singer Paul Anka.
4. Hint 4: The word is a common Spanish demonstrative pronoun.