Solution: You may see stars because of one - NYT Crossword

I shall begin with this entry, which I kind of stumbled on before “getting” — at first, I thought of a comic book character possibly cussing after getting their cuckoo clock cleaned (i.e., a cranial concussion). On second thought, it’s got to be a reference to written “bleeps,” when pr*fa**ty or sm*t has an asterisk inserted so we innocents, heaven forbid, don’t actually read a SWEARWORD, just use a molecule of deduction to figure out what word is meant. Sort of like solving a crossword puzzle, eh? Well played, Mr. Aaronson.