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CURSES!

NY Times Crossword
January 16, 2018
David Steinberg

Below are listed seven seemingly inoffensive words. But they are curse words nonetheless. What is the connection?

SASSAFRAS
SENESCENCE
LOLLIPOP
NONSENSE
TATTLETALE
RECHERCHE
SENSELESSNESS

Answer:

They are all "four-letter words."

For example, SASSAFRAS is spelled with only four letters - S, A, F, and R.