crosswordese

C3R1O1S1S1W4O1R1D2E1S1E1
/ˌkɹɒswɜː(ɹ)ˈdiːz/

noun

The jargon of crossword puzzle clues or answers, often consisting of rare, archaic, or dialectal words.

Scrabble 18
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncrosswordese (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecrosswordingThe jargon of crossword puzzle clues or answers, often consisting of rare, archaic, or dialectal words.

    "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?"

    20 March 1988, Sam Hodges, “Puzzlers Exchanging A Lot Of Cross Words”, in Orlando Sentinel

Origin

From crossword + -ese.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish ristikkokieli
  • ristikkokielijargon of crossword puzzles
Cite this entry
APA

crosswordese. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crosswordese

MLA

“crosswordese.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crosswordese. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crosswordese,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crosswordese.

Source: crosswordese on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.