NY Times Crossword
January 6, 2011
Mike Nothnagel

What do the capitalized letters literally do in the following phrases?

1. per capIta income
2. ammaN, jordan
3. per cenT sign
4. marshMallow peep

HINT:
Look at the two or three letters directly in front of the capital letter, and at the two, three, or four letters directly after the capital letter.

Answer:

The capital letters in the clues literally BREAK RANKS:

1. capItain
2. maNjor
3. enTsign
4. marshMall