The Spicy Lexicon of America's Decline In recent years, the US has seen a trend in cultural expression: relying on euphemistic language to describe everything from spicy foods to explicit content.
A recent Slate crossword puzzle presents an example of this phenomenon. The crossword features a four letter answer for "Book Where Things Get Spicy.
" Some have interpreted the clue as an allusion to Fifty Shades of Grey or other novels that push the boundaries of mainstream acceptability, while others see it as a nod to increasingly explicit content.