Before, poetically

ERE

Think of an old-fashioned word for "prior to" that rhymes with "air."

"Before, poetically" is a straightforward clue pointing to the archaic word "ere," which means "before" in time. The word "poetically" hints that the answer isn’t modern everyday language—it’s an old-fashioned term often found in poetry or literature. Think of phrases like "ere the dawn" to mean "before the dawn." The clue plays on the double meaning of "before" as both a time reference and a poetic flourish.