The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

12- and 13- year old boys throwing “paleolithic” spears outside the Cave of El Castillo near Santillana, Spain (See 8 Across). This was a school-sanctioned activity with spears whose points easily penetrated a thick, wooden board. Maybe European adolescent boys are more mature than their American counterparts, but this strikes me as, um, ill-advised?

Words: 11 (6×5)

Average Length: 4.91

As you probably guessed, 1A was the seed for this puzzle. Why seed the puzzle with an answer that only a couple of solvers are likely to have heard? Because, as things get increasingly fractious and belligerent, the word captures the sort of awareness we could use a great deal more of right now. So spread the word!

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