Stumped by the R.S.V.P. crossword column? Find the solution here!

Once upon a time, there was a fancy party in town hosted by a rich businessman named Mr. Johnson. Everyone who was invited was asked to respond with an R.S.V.P. indicating their attendance.

To manage the guest list, Mr. Johnson created a fancy spreadsheet with columns for guests’ names, their response status, and other details.

One important column was labeled “NOS,” which stood for “Number of Seats.” This column was crucial in determining how many chairs and tables should be set up for the event.

As time passed, the party day drew nearer, and Mr. Johnson eagerly awaited the responses of his guests. He was surprised to see that several of his VIP guests had not yet responded. In frustration, he marked each of their names in the NOS column with the word “NOS” to show their no-show status.

Just as Mr. Johnson was starting to lose hope, the day of the party arrived, and everyone was pleasantly surprised to see the missing VIPs stroll in. They had been busy and had not had the chance to respond to Mr. Johnson’s invitation. However, since he had marked them as no-shows in the NOS column, they were left with no seats and had to resort to standing at the party.

From then on, whenever someone asked Mr. Johnson what to put in the column for no-shows, he simply told them to put “NOS,” a clever reminder of the importance of responding to invitations promptly.