Historical clue formulations

• Packed in — 2026-07-29
• Like tungsten — 2026-01-24
• Tightly packed — 2025-10-19
• Slow on the uptake — 2025-08-25
• Like pound cake — 2025-05-20
• Thick — 2025-03-10
• Like lead or gold, notably — 2024-03-14
• Slow to catch on — 2023-09-03
• Like flourless cake — 2023-08-27
• Opposite of sparse — 2023-08-21
• Like the element osmium — 2023-03-24
• Like a neutron star — 2023-02-09
• Like flourless cake — 2022-12-21
• Like dumbbells — 2022-11-27
• Slow on the uptake — 2022-11-15
• Tightly packed — 2021-11-23
• Junglelike — 2021-07-23
• Impenetrable — 2021-02-25
• Like some forests and fog — 2020-11-13
• Tightly packed — 2020-09-29
• Thickheaded — 2019-09-09
• Stupid — 2018-03-30
• Not too quick on the uptake — 2017-04-12
• Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree — 2017-01-02
• Blockheaded — 2016-06-19
• Unable to get it, say — 2016-01-31
• Slow on the uptake — 2016-01-06
• Like a neutron star — 2015-01-11
• Thickheaded — 2014-12-16
• Dumb as a box of rocks — 2014-09-17
• Not at all sharp — 2013-08-24
• Like dunderheads — 2012-09-30
• Not getting it — 2012-07-27
• Like depleted uranium — 2011-10-15
• Like a black hole — 2011-08-14
• Slow on the uptake — 2011-04-20
• None too swift — 2010-12-29
• Not very sharp — 2008-10-03
• Not the sharpest pencil in the box — 2008-08-12
• Obtuse — 2008-02-07
• None too bright — 2008-01-13
• Packed — 2007-02-22
• Concentrated — 2006-06-16
• Thick — 2006-05-08
• Hardly suited for Mensa — 2005-02-23
• Doltish — 2004-05-30
• Like osmium, more than any other known element — 2004-02-29
• Packed — 2004-01-24
• Slow on the uptake — 2003-10-30
• Thickheaded — 2003-09-24