I once explained it to a literature PhD, weak at math, who'd taught a course on writing under censorship. I told a short self-referential story whose structure

I once explained it to a literature PhD, weak at math, who'd taught a course on writing under censorship. I told a short self-referential story whose structure mirrored the Y combinator's -- about tricking censors charged with banning self-referential stories. (Yes, many things are just complicated. But confusing explanations usually could be improved, just as confusing code usually could be lots clearer.)