Stump your brain with this Spanish count crossword clue

Once upon a time, there was a Spanish Count named Juan. He decided to host a grand ball in his castle one evening, and invited all the nobles from the surrounding areas. The preparations for the ball began, and Juan wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

As he surveyed the ballroom, Juan noticed that there were only a few tables set up for the guests to dine at. Being the gracious host that he was, he decided to add a few more tables. Juan instructed his servants to bring in two extra tables, but they mistakenly brought in only one.

Juan, being a polite and composed host, did not want to embarrass his servants by pointing out their mistake. So he decided to make do with what he had and placed the single table at the beginning of the dining area.

As the guests arrived, they noticed the single table at the beginning of the room and asked Juan, “Why is there only one table placed here?”

Juan replied with a smile, “It is the start of a Spanish count.”

This witticism got a few chuckles from the guests, and word of the Count’s joke spread throughout the castle. And from that day on, whenever Juan had guests over, he made sure to place an extra table at the beginning of the dining area, as a nod to his famous punchline.

Decades later, when a crossword puzzle creator was looking for a clue for the letters U and N, they stumbled upon the story of Juan and his famous joke. They decided to use it as the basis of their clue: “Start of a Spanish count.” And the answer was UNODOS – a play on words that tied together the story of Juan and his hospitality.