ALAN BURDICK, WHY TIME FLIES — The clepsydra, or water clock, ticks to the steady drip of water, which... drives a set of gears that nudges a pointer along a series of numbers... . ... Roman senators used them to keep their colleagues from talking for too long.
| A. | Outside of regular work (2 wds.) | AFTERHOURS |
| B. | Seldom; minute; brief | LITTLE |
| C. | Thread-cutting Fate | ATROPOS |
| D. | Oxymoronic preface to a discussion (2 wds.) | NOWTHEN |
| E. | Rhythmic cadence, pulsation | BEATING |
| F. | Breaking news; refresh | UPDATE |
| G. | Advanced step by step | RATCHETED |
| H. | Enlightenment's opposite (2 wds.) | DARKAGES |
| I. | Author of "The Remains of the Day" | ISHIGURO |
| J. | Took priority; led the way (2 wds.) | CAMEFIRST |
| K. | Stop work; produce hastily (2 wds.) | KNOCKOFF |
| L. | Respites for nine-to-fivers | WEEKENDS |
| M. | Complement of seas or days | HEPTAD |
| N. | Foal in early adolescence | YEARLING |
| O. | Name of the pitcher in the "Who's on First?" routine | TOMORROW |
| P. | Occurring at intervals of the same duration | ISOCHRONAL |
| Q. | Monthly expense for many | MORTGAGE |
| R. | Anthropocene and Eocene, for two | EPOCHS |
| S. | With "the," arm-swinging dance employing an invisible thread | FLOSS |
| T. | Like some victory-sealing shots (hyph.) | LASTSECOND |
| U. | Repeat | ITERATE |
| V. | 2020 Taylor Swift album with the single "Willow" | EVERMORE |
| W. | Needle or writing tool | STYLUS |