Crosswordese
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crosswordese is a term generally used to describe words frequently found in crossword puzzles but seldom found in everyday conversation. They are usually short words, three to five letters, with letter combinations which crossword constructors find useful in the creation of crossword puzzles. Too much crosswordese in a crossword puzzle is considered a negative thing by cruciverbalists, or crossword enthusiasts.
Knowing the language of ‘crosswordese’ is helpful to constructors and solvers alike. According to Marc Romano[1], “to do well solving crosswords, you absolutely need to keep a running mental list of “crosswordese,” the set of recurring words that constructors reach for whenever they’re heading for trouble in a particular section of the grid.”
Some of the most frequently used crosswordese:
Aerie - the high nest of a bird of prey
Alai – as in jai alai, a game played in a court with a ball and a wickerwork racket
Alee - in seaman’s language, toward the side opposite the wind
Asta - film dog of the 1930s
Asti - a city of Italy known for its sparkling wines
Elia – as in Elia Kazan, Greek-born American film and theater director
Enos - first-born son of Seth
Epee - a modern version of a duelling sword
Erin - poetic name for Ireland
Erle – as in Erle Stanley Gardner, an American lawyer and author of detective stories
Erse - Scottish Gaelic
Ete - summer in French
Etui - a small purse often used to hold sewing supplies
Ewer - a decorative pitcher
Oleo - another word for margarine
Olio - a miscellaneous mixture of elements, especially artistic works, musical pieces, writing, or food
Omoo - an 1847 novel by Herman Melville
[edit] References
- ^ Romano, Marc. Crossworld: One Man’s Journey into America’s Crossword Obsession.
