Terms found more frequently in crosswords
Crosswordese is the group of words frequently found in US crossword puzzles but seldom found in everyday conversation. The words are usually short, three to five letters, with letter combinations which crossword constructors find useful in the creation of crossword puzzles, such as words that start or end with vowels (or both), abbreviations consisting entirely of consonants , unusual combinations of letters, and words consisting almost entirely of frequently used letters . Such words are needed in almost every puzzle to some extent. Too much crosswordese in a crossword puzzle is frowned upon by crossword-makers and crossword enthusiasts.
Knowing the language of "crosswordese" is helpful to constructors and solvers alike. According to Marc Romano, "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 are heading for trouble in a particular section of the grid". [ 1]
The popularity of individual words and names of crosswordese, and the way they are clued, changes over time. For instance, ITO was occasionally clued in the 1980s and 1990s in reference to dancer Michio Itō and actor Robert Ito , then boomed in the late 1990s and 2000s when judge Lance Ito was a household name, and has since fallen somewhat, and when it appears today, the clue typically references figure skater Midori Ito or uses the partial phrase "I to" (as in ["How was ___ know?"]). [ 2]
List of crosswordese When applicable, example clues will be denoted in square brackets and answers will be denoted in all caps, e.g. [Example clue] for ANSWER.
Portions of phrases are occasionally used as fill in the blank clues. For instance, "Et tu, Brute?" might appear in a puzzle's clue sheet as "_____, Brute?"
Architecture APSE – semicircular church recess [ 3] ELL – type of extension to a building; a measure for cloth DORIC and IONIC orders – referring to ancient architecture most readily identifiable by the style of support columns NAVE – the middle section of a church [ 6] OGEE – S-shaped curve often seen in Gothic arches [ 7] STOA – covered walkway of ancient Greece [ 9] Brand and trade names AFTA – Gillette aftershave brand [ 11] ATRA – Gillette safety razor brand OXO – kitchen utensil brand STP – motor oil additive brand OREO – snack item known as "Milk's favorite cookie". In the Maleska era, to avoid brand names in the puzzle, it was invariably clued as [Mountain: Comb. form]. [ 12] [ 13] Computers and the Internet LAN – local area network, network of computers in a limited area HTML – the standard language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser Currency and business LEK – official currency of Albania LEV – official currency of Bulgaria LIRA (plural LIRE) – official currency of Turkey; former currency of Italy OPEC – Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries [ 15] PESO – official currency of many countries, including Mexico [ 16] Directions A 16-point compass rose showing the 16 standard compass directions Many puzzles ask for the direction from one place to another. These directions always fall between the standard octaval compass points—i.e., North (N – 0° or 360°), Northeast (NE – 45°), East (E – 90°), etc.
The directions asked for on clue sheets are usually approximations. Starting at north and going clockwise, the directions are:
NNE = North-northeast (22.5°) ENE = East-northeast (67.5°) ESE = East-southeast (112.5°) SSE = South-southeast (157.5°) SSW = South-southwest (202.5°) WSW = West-southwest (247.5°) WNW = West-northwest (292.5°) NNW = North-northwest (337.5°) Geography General terms ADIT - mine entrance ARÊTE – thin ridge of rock that formed by glaciers [ 17] MESA – high-elevation area of rock that stands out from its surroundings [ 16] TOR – rock outcrop formed by weathering Interjections AHEM – used to represent the noise made when clearing the throat EGAD – used to express surprise (dated) [ 30] HAHA – used to represent laughter HMM – used to express uncertainty PHEW – used to express relief PSST – used to attract someone's attention [ 30] WHOA – used to express surprise WOWEE (or WOWIE) – used to express astonishment YEA – used as an affirmative response Jargon and slang ALEE – in nautical language, toward the side opposite the wind [ 11] ARO – clipping of aromantic [ 18] TEC – old slang for a detec tive [ 7] Language Because of crossword rules that restrict the usage of two-letter words, only entries of three or more letters have been listed.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M Singular aye bee cee dee n/a eff gee aitch n/a jay kay ell n/a Plural ayes bees cees dees n/a efs/effs gees aitches n/a jays kays els/ells ems N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Singular n/a n/a pee cue n/a ess tee n/a vee double-u n/a wye zee/zed Plural ens ohs pees cues ars [ 31] esses tees n/a vees double-us exs/exes/xes wyes zees/zeds
Often these letters are clued as puns, e.g. the clue [Puzzle center?] for ZEES, referring to the two Zs in the center of the word "puzz le".
The "zed" spelling of Z is often indicated by a reference to a Commonwealth country, where that is the standard pronunciation (e.g. [British puzzle center?] for ZEDS).
Greek letters often appear as well, such as ETA. [ 27]
Names AGEE – James Agee , American novelist and critic [ 35] ALDA – Alan Alda , American actor who starred in M*A*S*H (1972–1983) [ 36] ALI – Various people, including Muhammad Ali and Ali Baba [ 37] ALOU – Alou family of American baseball players (Felipe , Matty , Jesús , and Moisés ) [ 37] ANKA – Paul Anka , Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor [ 36] AOKI and ISAO – Isao Aoki , Japanese golfer [ 37] [ 38] ARIE – Arie Luyendyk , Dutch race car driver; or India Arie , American singer [ 37] ARLO – Arlo Guthrie , American folk singer [ 30] AROD – Alex Rodriguez ("A-Rod"), American baseball player [ 39] ARP – Jean Arp , German Dadaist sculptor [ 21] ASCH – Sholem Asch , Polish-American writer in the Yiddish language [ 40] ASHE – Arthur Ashe , American tennis player [ 37] ASNER – Ed Asner , American actor who played Lou Grant [ 36] AUEL – Jean M. Auel , American author of the best-selling Earth's Children series [ 40] AYN – Ayn Rand , American writer and philosopher [ 40] BAER – Max Baer , American boxer [ 37] BARA – Theda Bara , American silent film actress [ 21] CID – El Cid , Castilian soldier of the 11th century DENG – Deng Xiaoping , leader of China in the 1980s [ 21] EDA – Eda LeShan , American psychologist and childcare expert [ 40] EDD – Edd Roush , American baseball player [ 37] EDIE – Edie Adams ; Edie Falco , American actress who starred on The Sopranos (1999–2007) [ 41] EERO – Eero Saarinen , Finnish-American architect [ 42] ELBA – Idris Elba , English actor [ 18] ELI – Various people, including American football quarterback Eli Manning [ 37] ELIA – pen name for Charles Lamb ; Elia Kazan , Greek-born American film and theater director ELIE – Elie Wiesel , Holocaust survivor and author of Night (1960) [ 40] ELKE – Elke Sommer , German actress [ 41] ELLA – Ella Fitzgerald , American jazz singer [ 21] ELS – Ernie Els , South African golfer (sometimes refers to the "El" trains of Chicago) [ 37] EMIL – Emil Jannings , winner of the first Academy Award for Best Actor [ 41] ENO – Brian Eno , English musician and record producer [ 11] ENYA – Enya , Irish singer of New Age music ERIQ – Eriq La Salle , American actor who starred on ER ERLE – Erle Stanley Gardner , American detective author who created Perry Mason [ 40] [ 43] ERNO – Ernő Rubik , inventor of the Rubik's Cube ERROL – Errol Flynn , American actor who played swashbucklers [ 36] ERTE – Erté , Russian-born French graphics and costume designer in the Art Deco style [ 43] ESAI – Esai Morales , American actor of Puerto Rican descent [ 43] [ 36] ETTA – Etta James , American blues and R&B singer; [ 21] American singer Etta Jones EVERT – Chris Evert , American tennis player [ 37] EWAN – Ewan McGregor , Scottish actor [ 36] EZIO – Ezio Pinza , Italian opera singer [ 20] GENA – Gena Rowlands , American actress [ 41] GERE – Richard Gere , American actor [ 36] GRAF – Steffi Graf , German tennis player [ 37] ILIE – Ilie Năstase , Romanian tennis player [ 37] IM PEI (or just PEI) – I. M. Pei , Chinese-American architect [ 42] INGE – William Inge , American playwright [ 35] ISAK – Isak Dinesen , Danish author [ 40] ISSA – Issa Rae , American actress and writer [ 34] ITALO – Italo Calvino , Italian author [ 40] LON – Lon Chaney , American actor in silent horror films [ 36] MAO – Mao Zedong , first chairman of communist China [ 21] MIRA – Mira Sorvino , American actress [ 41] NERO – Nero , Roman emperor [ 30] NIA – Various people, including American actresses Nia Long , Nia Peeples , and Nia Vardalos [ 41] NIN – Anaïs Nin , French-born diarist and writer of erotica; [ 40] ANAIS ONO – Yoko Ono , Japanese artist and singer ORR – Bobby Orr , Canadian ice hockey player [ 37] OTT – Mel Ott , American baseball player [ 43] [ 39] PELE – Pelé , Brazilian soccer player [ 39] POLA – Pola Negri , Polish silent film actress [ 41] RAE – Various people, including Charlotte Rae , [ 43] explorer John Rae , Issa Rae , [ 34] Norma Rae , Corinne Bailey Rae , and Carly Rae Jepsen REA – Stephen Rea , Irish actor who starred in The Crying Game (1992) [ 36] SELA – Sela Ward , American actress [ 41] SELES – Monica Seles , Swiss tennis player [ 37] SOSA – Sammy Sosa , Dominican-American baseball player [ 37] TATI – Jacques Tati , French mime and filmmaker [ 36] TERI – Various people, including American actresses Teri Garr , Teri Hatcher , and Teri Polo [ 41] TRIS – Tris Speaker , American baseball player [ 37] UMA – Uma Thurman , American actress who starred in Pulp Fiction (1994) and Kill Bill (2003) [ 41] U NU – U Nu , first prime minister of Burma [ 21] UTA – Uta Hagen , American actress and acting teacher [ 41] URI – Uri Geller , Israeli magician [ 43] URIS – Leon Uris , American author [ 40] YAO – Yao Ming , Chinese basketball player [ 39] YMA – Yma Sumac , Peruvian singer [ 43] YUL – Yul Brynner , Russian-born American actor who starred in The King and I [ 36] Non-English words À MOI and À TOI – (French) "mine" and "yours" respectively [ 15] AMI or AMIE – (French) "friend" [ 15] ANO (more properly AÑO ; the tilde is usually ignored) – (Spanish) "year" [ 16] AVEC – (French) "with" [ 15] BESO – (Spanish) "kiss" [ 16] EAU (plural: EAUX) – (French) "water" ERSE – (Scottish Gaelic ) ESA and ESO – (Spanish) feminine and masculine pronouns [ 16] ESTA and ESTO – (Spanish) feminine and masculine pronouns [ 16] ET TU – "Et tu, Brute? ", (Latin) the alleged last words spoken by Julius Caesar after being stabbed by his friend Brutus ÉTAT – (French) "state", as in "coup d'état " [ 15] ÉTÉ – (French) "summer" [ 15] ÊTRE – (French) "to be", as in "raison d'être " [ 15] FRAU – (German) "woman", "wife" or "Mrs. " HERR – (German) "Mister (Mr.)" HOC – ad hoc , (Latin) meaning "pertaining to a specific problem" ICI – (French) "here" [ 15] IRAE – "Dies irae " (Latin) "Day of Wrath", medieval hymn used in the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass ÎLE – (French) "island", as in "Île-de-France " [ 15] MÁS – (Spanish) "more" [ 16] MES – (French) "my"; Spanish for "month" [ 15] MLLE and MME – French abbreviations for "Mademoiselle " and "Madame " respectively [ 15] ORO – (Spanish) "gold" [ 16] REATA – (Spanish) "lasso" [ 16] ROI – (French) "king" [ 15] SEL – (French) "salt" [ 15] SES – (French) possessive adjective, "it's". [ 15] SRA and SRTA – (Spanish) abbreviations for "señora " and "señorita " respectively [ 16] STE – (French) abbreviation for "sainte ", as in Sault Ste. Marie [ 15] TES – (French) possessive [ 15] TÊTE – (French) "head", as in "tête-à-tête" [ 15] TÍA and TÍO – (Spanish) "aunt" and "uncle" respectively UNE – (French) Feminine singular indefinite article. Equivalent to "a" or "an" in English. [ 15] VENI, VIDI, VICI – (Latin) phrase spoken by Julius Caesar meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered" Poetic phrases and terms E'EN – contraction of "even" [ 6] E'ER – poetic contraction of "ever" ERE – poetic synonym of "before" ERIN – poetic name for Ireland O'ER – contraction of "over" [ 6] Prefixes AERO- – relating to flight and air PYRO- – relating to fire and heat Suffixes -ASE – a suffix used to form the names of enzymes -ISM – indicating a belief or principle -IST – indicating an adherent to a belief or principle -ITE – a suffix with several meanings, including a faithful follower of a certain person, a mineral, and a native of a certain place -OSE – a suffix in chemistry indicating sugar or "full of" [ 6] -ULE – a suffix meaning small Roman numerals Many puzzles ask for Roman numerals either as answers or as portions of answers. For instance:
a puzzle might ask for the solution of 1916 − 1662 as "MCMXVI minus MDCLXII." The answer (254) would be written as CCLIV. IIII, sometimes used on clocks as the number 4. LEOIV is the answer to a clue about Pope Leo IV . a puzzle might ask which Super Bowl was the first to be played in Tampa, Florida . The answer is XVIII . Standard Roman numerals run from 1 to 3999, or I to MMMCMXCIX. The first ten Roman numerals are:
I , I I , I I I , I V , V , V I , V I I , V I I I , I X , a n d X . {\displaystyle \mathrm {I,\;II,\;III,\;IV,\;V,\;VI,\;VII,\;VIII,\;IX,and\;X.} } The following table shows the numerals used in crossword puzzles.
Science OZONE – a pale-blue, inorganic molecule XENON – a colourless noble gas with symbol 'Xe' and atomic-number '54' Sports and gaming ANA – Anaheim Ducks ARI (or ARZ) – Arizona Cardinals , Coyotes and Diamondbacks ATL – Atlanta Braves , Falcons and Hawks BAL – Baltimore Orioles and Ravens BKN – Brooklyn Nets BOS – Boston Bruins , Celtics and Red Sox BUF – Buffalo Bills and Sabres CAR – Carolina Hurricanes and Panthers CGY – Calgary Flames and Stampeders CHA – Charlotte Hornets (formerly Bobcats ) CHC – Chicago Cubs CHI – Chicago Bears , Blackhawks and Bulls CHW (or CWS) – Chicago White Sox CIN – Cincinnati Bengals and Reds CLE – Cleveland Browns , Cavaliers and Guardians COL – Colorado Avalanche and Rockies DAL – Dallas Cowboys , Mavericks and Stars DEN – Denver Broncos and Nuggets DET – Detroit Lions , Pistons , Red Wings and Tigers EDM – Edmonton Elks and Oilers FLA – Florida Panthers GSW – Golden State Warriors HOU – Houston Astros , Rockets and Texans (also, formerly, Oilers ) IND – Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers JAC (or JAX) – Jacksonville Jaguars LAA – Los Angeles Angels LAC – Los Angeles Chargers and Clippers LAD – Los Angeles Dodgers LAK – Los Angeles Kings LAL – Los Angeles Lakers LAR – Los Angeles Rams MEM – Memphis Grizzlies MIA – Miami Dolphins , Heat and Marlins MIL – Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks MIN – Minnesota Timberwolves , Twins , Vikings and Wild MTL – Montreal Alouettes and Canadiens (also, formerly, Expos ) NAS (or NSH) – Nashville Predators NOP – New Orleans Pelicans NYG – New York Giants NYI – New York Islanders NYJ – New York Jets NYK – New York Knicks NYM – New York Mets NYR – New York Rangers NYY – New York Yankees OAK – Oakland Athletics (also, formerly, Raiders ) OKC – Oklahoma City Thunder ORL – Orlando Magic OTT – Ottawa Senators PHI – Philadelphia Eagles , Flyers , Phillies and 76ers PHO (or PHX) – Phoenix Suns PIT – Pittsburgh Penguins , Pirates and Steelers POR – Portland Trail Blazers SAC – Sacramento Kings SAS – San Antonio Spurs SEA – Seattle Kraken , Mariners and Seahawks (also, formerly, SuperSonics ) STL – St. Louis Blues and Cardinals (also, formerly, Cardinals (NFL) and Rams ) TBL – Tampa Bay Lightning TEN – Tennessee Titans TEX – Texas Rangers TOR – Toronto Argonauts , Blue Jays , Maple Leafs and Raptors UTA – Utah Jazz VAN – Vancouver Canucks WAS (or WSH) – Washington Capitals , Commanders (formerly Redskins ), Nationals , and Wizards Titles of books, plays, movies, etc.Titles used by royalty and the nobility AGA (or AGHA) – Turkish honorific for a high-level government official BEY – the governor of a district or province in the Ottoman Empire EMIR – a title given to princes and/or sheikhs who rule certain Arab countries; [ 6] formerly, alternative spellings included AMIR, AMEER, and EMEER PASHA – high Ottoman military rank RAJA (or RAJAH) and RANI (or RANEE) – former Indian monarch and wife (often clued as a princess) SRI – South Asian honorific U.S. states and Canadian provinces Postal abbreviations: Since the late 1970s, the post offices in the United States and Canada have used computerized letter sorting. This prompted the creation of the two-capital-letter abbreviations used today for all states and most provinces (i.e., "MN" for Minnesota and "QC" for Quebec ). Previously, when mail was sorted by hand, many states and provinces had abbreviations of three to five letters. Many of these longer abbreviations are now part of crosswordese. (Notes: (1) Except for Texas, states with four- or five-letter names were generally spelled out. (2) Other states and provinces not shown below had the same two-letter abbreviations that are still used today.)
ALA – Alabama ALB – Alberta ARIZ – Arizona ARK – Arkansas CALIF – California (also, unofficially, CAL or, colloquially, CALI) COLO – Colorado CONN – Connecticut DEL – Delaware FLA – Florida IDA – Idaho (unofficial) ILL – Illinois IND – Indiana KANS – Kansas (also, unofficially, KAN) MICH – Michigan MINN – Minnesota MISS – Mississippi MONT – Montana NEB – Nebraska NEV – Nevada NMEX – New Mexico NCAR – North Carolina (unofficial) NDAK – North Dakota NWT – Northwest Territories OKLA – Oklahoma OREG – Oregon (also, unofficially, ORE) ONT – Ontario PEI – Prince Edward Island PENN – Pennsylvania (unofficial) QUE – Quebec SASK – Saskatchewan SCAR – South Carolina (unofficial) SDAK – South Dakota TENN – Tennessee TEX – Texas WASH – Washington WVA – West Virginia WIS – Wisconsin (also, unofficially, WISC) WYO – Wyoming Miscellaneous crosswordese Outdated crosswordese These once-common terms are especially rare or never found in new puzzles.
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