Crosswordese facts for kids

Crosswordese is a special group of words you often find in crossword puzzles, especially in the US. You usually don't hear these words in everyday talks. They are often short, with three to five letters. Crossword makers love them because they have letter patterns that are helpful for building puzzles. For example, some start or end with vowels, or are abbreviations made only of consonants.

These words are needed in almost every puzzle. But if a puzzle has too many "crosswordese" words, people who love crosswords might not like it as much. Knowing these words can really help you solve crosswords faster! It's like having a secret list of words that puzzle creators use when they need to fill in tricky parts of the grid.

Common Crosswordese Words

Sometimes, puzzles use parts of well-known phrases as "fill in the blank" clues. For example, the famous line "Et tu, Brute?" might appear as "_____, Brute?" in a puzzle.

Architecture Terms

• Apse – This is a round or semicircular part of a church.
• Ell – A type of addition to a building, often shaped like the letter "L". It's also an old way to measure cloth.
• Nave – The main, central part of a church where people sit.
• Classical orders – These refer to old styles of building, mostly known by the design of their support columns.
  • Doric order (from ancient Greece)
  • Ionic order (from ancient Greece or Rome)
  • Also Corinthian order (Greek), Tuscan order and composite order (both Roman).

Brand and Trade Names

• Afta and Atra – These are old Gillette products: Afta was an aftershave, and Atra was a safety razor.
• STP – A brand that makes additives for motor oil.
• Oreo – A very popular cookie!

Computers and the Internet

• SCSI – Pronounced "scuzzy," this is a way for computers to connect to other devices like printers or hard drives to send data.
• LAN – This stands for "local area network." It's a group of computers connected in a small area, like a home or office.

Money and Finance

• Euro – The money used in many countries in the European Union.
• Lek – The money used in Albania.
• Lev – The money used in Bulgaria.
• Lira – The money used in Turkey. It was also used in Italy before the Euro.
• Zloty – The money used in Poland.

Directions Between Cities

A compass rose showing 16 standard directions.

Crossword puzzles often ask for directions from one city to another. These directions are usually approximate and fall between the main compass points.

Starting from North and moving clockwise, here are some common directions:

• NNE = North-northeast (a bit more east than north)
• ENE = East-northeast (a bit more north than east)
• ESE = East-southeast (a bit more south than east)
• SSE = South-southeast (a bit more east than south)
• SSW = South-southwest (a bit more west than south)
• WSW = West-southwest (a bit more south than west)
• WNW = West-northwest (a bit more north than west)
• NNW = North-northwest (a bit more west than north)

Fictional Characters

• Asta – A famous dog from movies in the 1930s.
• Ahab – The main character in Herman Melville's book Moby-Dick. He hunts a giant whale.
• Elsa – A princess from the 2013 movie Frozen. Her sister, Anna, might also be an answer.
• Esmé – The main character in the short story "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor" by J. D. Salinger.
• Ilsa – As in Ilsa Lund, the character played by Ingrid Bergman in the movie Casablanca.
• Smee – Captain Hook's main helper in Peter Pan.
• Odie – The dog in the comic strip Garfield.
• Tin – As in Rin Tin Tin, a famous silent-film dog star, or the European comic The Adventures of Tintin.

Food and Drink

• Aioli – A sauce similar to mayonnaise, usually made with garlic.
• Grog – An alcoholic drink often made with rum, water, and flavorings like lemon or cinnamon.
• Mahi – A word from Persian and Hindi meaning "fish." It can also refer to the fish mahi-mahi.
• Mead – An alcoholic drink made from fermented honey, also known as honey wine.
• Nehi – A brand of fruit-flavored soft drinks. Grape Nehi was a favorite drink of Radar O'Reilly on the TV show M*A*S*H.
• MSG – Stands for monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer used in food.
• Oleo – Another word for margarine.
• Phở – A Vietnamese soup with beef and rice noodles, often served with herbs.

Foreign Words

• Ano – From Spanish, meaning "year" (properly año).
• Erse – Another name for Scottish Gaelic.
• Été – French for "summer."
• Frau – German for "woman," "wife," or "Mrs."
• Herr – German for "Mister (Mr.)."
• Mme – A short way to write "Madame" in French.
• Mann – German for "man" or "husband."
• Sra. – Short for "señora" in Spanish.
• Srta. – Short for "señorita" in Spanish.
• Tío and Tía – Spanish for "uncle" and "aunt."

General Adjectives and Adverbs

• Eoan – An adjective meaning "of the dawn" or "related to the early morning."

Geography

• Adak – An island in the Aleutian chain, far to the west.
• Agra – An old city in India, famous for the Taj Mahal.
• Arete – A thin, sharp ridge of rock, often formed by glaciers.
• Asti – A city in Italy known for its sparkling wines.
• Attu – The westernmost island in the Aleutian chain.
• Erie – A Great Lake and a port city in Pennsylvania.
• Mesa – A Spanish word for a flat-topped hill or mountain with steep sides, common in the American Southwest.
• Ouse – A river in Yorkshire, England.
• Tor – A large, isolated rock formation, often found on hilltops.
• Ural – A river and a mountain range in Russia.

Interjections

These are short words or sounds used to express feelings:

• Ahem – Used to clear your throat or get attention.
• Haha – Represents laughter.
• Hmm – Shows uncertainty or thinking.
• Jeez – Shows surprise or annoyance.
• Phew – Expresses relief.
• Psst – Used to quietly get someone's attention.
• Whoa – Expresses surprise or tells someone to stop.
• Wowee – Expresses great astonishment.
• Yea – Means "yes" or "indeed."

Language Letters

Crossword puzzles sometimes use the names of letters as answers.

Often, these letters are clued as wordplay. For example, the clue [Puzzle center?] could be ZEES, referring to the two Zs in the middle of the word "puzzle." The "zed" spelling of Z is often used when a clue refers to a Commonwealth country, where that is the standard pronunciation (e.g., [British puzzle center?] for ZEDS).

Latin Words and Phrases

• Ad hoc – Means "for this specific purpose."
• Dies Irae – Latin for "Day of Wrath," a famous medieval hymn.
• Et tu, Brute? – These are the famous last words supposedly spoken by Julius Caesar.
• Veni, vidi, vici – A phrase spoken by Julius Caesar meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Man-made Items

• Etui – A small case, often used to hold sewing tools.
• Ewer – A decorative pitcher or jug.
• Olio – A mix of different things, like musical pieces, writings, or foods.
• Ulu – A special knife with a curved blade used by Yup'ik, Inuit, and Aleut women.

Mathematics

• Radii – This is the plural of radius. A radius is a straight line from the center of a circle to its edge.

Names of People (20th and 21st Centuries)

• Agee – As in James Agee, an American novelist.
• Arlo – As in Arlo Guthrie, an American folk singer.
• Eero – As in Eero Saarinen, a famous Finnish-American architect.
• Elia – As in Elia Kazan, a Greek-born American film and theater director.
• Eno – As in Brian Eno, an English musician and record producer.
• Enya – A famous Irish New Age singer.
• Erle – As in Erle Stanley Gardner, an American lawyer and author who created Perry Mason.
• Erté – A Russian-born French designer known for graphics and costumes.
• Esai – As in Esai Morales, an American actor of Puerto Rican background.
• Isao – As in Isao Aoki, a Japanese professional golfer.
• Ono – As in Yoko Ono, a Japanese singer, artist, and songwriter.
• Ott – As in Mel Ott, a famous baseball player.
• Uta – As in Uta Hagen, an American actress born in Germany.
• Uri – As in Uri Geller, an Israeli magician.
• Yma – As in Yma Sumac, a Peruvian singer.

Names of Historical People

• E Lee – As in Robert E. Lee, a leader of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
• El Cid – The title given to Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a Spanish soldier from the 11th century. He is famous for conquering Valencia.

Poetic Phrases and Terms

• E'en – A shortened form of "even."
• Erin – A poetic name for Ireland.
• O'er – A shortened form of "over."

Prefixes

• Aero- – A prefix that means "relating to flight and air."
• Pyro- – A prefix that means "relating to fire and heat."

Suffixes

• -ase – A suffix used to name enzymes.
• -ism – A suffix that shows a belief or principle (like "heroism").
• -ist – A suffix that shows someone who follows a belief or principle (like "artist").
• -ite – A suffix with several meanings, including a follower of someone, a mineral, or someone from a certain place.
• -ose – A suffix in chemistry that means "sugar" (like "glucose").
• -ule – A suffix that means "small" (like "capsule").

Religious Holidays and Festivals

• Eid – An Arabic word for "festival." It's part of the names of several Islamic festivals.
• Hajj – The important pilgrimage that every faithful Muslim tries to make to Mecca.
• Purim – A Jewish festival that celebrates when the Jewish people were saved from a plot to destroy them.
• Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán – The Vietnamese New Year, based on the lunar calendar.

Roman Numerals

Many puzzles ask for Roman numerals as answers or parts of answers. For example, a puzzle might ask for the answer to 1916 − 1662 as "MCMXVI minus MDCLXII." The answer (254) would be written as CCLIV.

Roman numerals usually go from 1 to 3999 (I to MMMCMXCIX). The first ten Roman numerals are:

For numbers 4000 and higher, a line is placed above the numeral. Here are the main Roman numerals used in crosswords:

Science

• Ozone – A pale-blue gas molecule made of three oxygen atoms.
• Xenon – A colorless noble gas with the symbol 'Xe' and atomic number '54'.

Sports and Gaming

• Alai – As in jai alai, a fast-paced game played with a ball and a wicker basket.
• Ali – Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer, born Cassius Clay.
• Ante – A forced bet that all players must put into the pot at the start of a poker game.
• Epee – A type of sword used in modern duelling (fencing).
• Nicknames for sports teams are common:
  • "Bosox" – The Boston Red Sox (baseball).
  • "Bucs" – Usually the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (football), but also the Pittsburgh Pirates (baseball).
  • "Bucks" – Usually the Milwaukee Bucks (basketball), but also the Pittsburgh Pirates (baseball).
  • "The Caps" – Usually the Washington Capitals (hockey).
  • "Cards" – Usually the St. Louis Cardinals (baseball).
  • "Cavs" – Usually the Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball).
  • "Chisox" – The Chicago White Sox (baseball).
  • "Habs" – Usually the Montreal Canadiens (hockey).
  • "The Hogs" – The offensive line of the Washington Football Team (football).
  • "Mavs" – Usually the Dallas Mavericks (basketball).
  • "Nats" – Usually the Washington Nationals (baseball).
  • "Pats" – Usually the New England Patriots (football).
  • "The Tide" – Usually the University of Alabama Crimson Tide (college football).
  • "The Tribe" – Usually the Cleveland Indians (baseball).
  • "Yanks" – Usually the New York Yankees (baseball).
• RBI – A baseball term meaning "run batted in."
• TKO – A boxing term meaning "technical knockout."
• Three-letter scoreboard abbreviations for major league teams are also common. For example:
  • ATL – Atlanta teams (Braves, Falcons, Hawks).
  • BOS – Boston teams (Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox).
  • CHI – Chicago teams (Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls).
  • DAL – Dallas teams (Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars).
  • NYY – New York Yankees (baseball).
  • WAS – Washington, D.C. teams (Capitals, Nationals, Football Team, Wizards).

Titles of Books, Plays, Movies, etc.

• OED – The Oxford English Dictionary.
• Omoo – An 1847 novel by Herman Melville.
• Typee – An 1846 novel by Herman Melville.

Titles Used by Royalty and Nobility

• Aga – A Turkish title for a high-ranking official.
• Bey – A governor in the old Ottoman Empire.
• Emir – A title for princes or leaders in some Arab countries.
• Pasha – A high title in the Ottoman Empire.

Transportation

• BART – Short for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the subway system in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Geo – A line of small cars sold by Chevrolet.
• GTI – Stands for "Grand Tourer Injection," used on sporty European cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
• GTO – Stands for "Gran Turismo Omologato," famously used on the Pontiac GTO muscle car.
• IRT – Short for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which used to run part of the New York City subway.
• MARTA – Short for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the subway system in Atlanta.

U.S. States and Canadian Provinces

Crossword puzzles sometimes use older, longer abbreviations for states and provinces, not just the two-letter postal codes we use today. Here are some examples:

• Ala. – Alabama
• Alb. – Alberta
• Alas. – Alaska
• Ariz. – Arizona
• Ark. – Arkansas
• Calif. – California (also "Cal.")
• Colo. – Colorado
• Conn. – Connecticut
• Del. – Delaware
• Fla. – Florida
• Haw. – Hawaii
• Ida. – Idaho
• Ill. – Illinois
• Ind. – Indiana
• Kans. – Kansas (also "Kan." and "Kas.")
• Man. – Manitoba
• Mich. – Michigan
• Minn. – Minnesota
• Miss. – Mississippi
• Mont. – Montana
• Neb. – Nebraska
• Nev. – Nevada
• N. Mex. – New Mexico
• N. Car. – North Carolina
• N. Dak. – North Dakota
• N.W.T. – Northwest Territories
• Okla. – Oklahoma
• Oreg. – Oregon (also "Ore.")
• Ont. – Ontario
• P.E.I. – Prince Edward Island
• Penn. – Pennsylvania
• Que. – Quebec
• Sask. – Saskatchewan
• S.Car. – South Carolina
• S. Dak. – South Dakota
• Tenn. – Tennessee
• Tex. – Texas
• Wash. – Washington
• W. Va. – West Virginia
• Wis. – Wisconsin (also "Wisc.")
• Wyo. – Wyoming

Weaponry and Warfare

• Inee – A type of poison used on arrows.
• Nade – A short word for a grenade.
• Snee – An old word for a dagger or knife.

World War II Terms

• Anzio – An important landing spot for American forces in Italy during WWII.
  • Some code names for landing beaches:
    • Gold – Used by British forces.
    • Juno – Used by British and Canadian forces.
    • Omaha – Used by American forces.
    • Sword – Used by British and Free French forces.
    • Utah – Used by American forces.
• ETO – Stands for European Theater of Operations, referring to the main area of fighting in Europe during WWII.
• Iwo Jima – A famous island battle in the Pacific during WWII.