crosswordese

English

WOTD – 22 April 2012

Etymology

From crossword +‎ -ese.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkɹɒswɜː(ɹ)ˈdiːz/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

crosswordese (uncountable)

1. The jargon of crossword puzzle clues or answers, often consisting of rare, archaic, or dialectal words.
   • 20 March 1988, Sam Hodges, “Puzzlers Exchanging A Lot Of Cross Words”, in Orlando Sentinel:

     "The Times puzzle is full of crosswordese – words nobody ever heard of," he said. "Take today March 10. He's got the clue 'corn mush.' The answer is 'samp.' Then there's 'dwarf buffalo.' The answer is 'anoa.' It's laughable. I know these words because I'm in the business. But why should you?"

Translations

jargon of crossword puzzles

• Finnish: ristikkokieli