"Alea iacta ___" ("The die is cast")

EST

Julius Caesar famously uttered this Latin phrase when crossing the Rubicon River, marking a decisive moment—look for the third-person singular verb form meaning "is."

This clue references a famous Latin phrase attributed to Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon River in 49 BCE, marking a point of no return. The full phrase "Alea iacta est" translates to "The die is cast," meaning a decision has been made irrevocably. Here, the clue omits the last word, leaving you to fill in "est"—the third-person singular form of "to be" in Latin. It’s a direct quote, so no wordplay is involved, just historical and linguistic knowledge.