Historical clue formulations

• "'___' is the thing with feathers" (Emily Dickinson poem) — 2026-09-17
• "Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson — 2026-08-25
• Word on either side of "against" — 2025-10-25
• Light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak — 2024-11-27
• A "waking dream," per Aristotle — 2024-05-19
• Last thing left in Pandora's box — 2024-05-17
• Intend — 2024-04-06
• Word at the center of Rhode Island's flag — 2023-01-07
• Cross one's fingers — 2022-06-19
• It springs eternal — 2022-03-14
• Wish — 2021-10-19
• "Cross my heart and ___ to die" — 2021-07-12
• "To live without ___ is to cease to live": Dostoyevsky — 2020-11-08
• Word before and after against — 2019-06-21
• It stayed in Pandora's box — 2019-03-24
• What you might do when you cross your fingers — 2018-07-24
• 2008 Obama catchword — 2017-05-07
• Wish — 2017-01-02
• "___ is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness": Desmond Tutu — 2015-01-30
• 2008 Obama catchword — 2015-01-11
• Bill Clinton's Arkansas birthplace — 2014-10-07
• Arkansas town where Bill Clinton was born — 2014-04-07
• 2008 campaign theme — 2012-11-22
• Cross one's fingers — 2012-08-29
• Optimist's feeling — 2012-03-12
• Word on a 2008 Obama poster — 2011-04-26
• It stayed in Pandora's box — 2011-04-21
• One might lose it in a crisis — 2010-09-17
• "Keep ___ alive!" — 2009-04-15
• A good breakfast, but a bad supper, according to Francis Bacon — 2008-03-27
• Word before and after "against" — 2007-08-17
• Bad thing to abandon — 2006-12-08
• Word before and after "against" — 2006-07-16
• Rhode Island's motto — 2004-11-14
• "A good breakfast, but an ill supper": Francis Bacon — 2004-05-16
• Clinton's birthplace — 2003-06-04
• Crosby partner — 2003-02-26
• Desire — 2002-06-07
• Clinton's birthplace — 2002-05-08
• Rhode Island's motto — 2001-08-16
• "A waking dream": Aristotle — 2000-09-08
• What an optimist always has — 2000-03-06
• Pessimist's lack — 1999-10-24
• Chance for success — 1999-08-18
• One of Pandora's finds — 1999-06-14
• Word before and after "against" — 1999-06-09
• Crossed fingers symbolize it — 1999-03-24
• "A waking dream," according to Aristotle — 1998-04-12
• Aspiration — 1997-09-22
• "___ springs eternal" — 1997-09-08