stepquote

plural stepquotes

1. crosswordingA message in the grid of a crossword, split between multiple lights and arranged in a zigzag or steplike pattern.

   There were a couple of areas he had trouble with, and they formed important parts of the stepquote, and in the end he couldn't work it out.

   1992, The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories

   1 more example

   No Stepquote seems to make sense. The open diagonal, 63 to 11, gives 'KLEURTIWIAAOUOA,' which doesn't have the feel of a message at first glance, even reading in the other direction.

   1986, Herbert Resnicow, The Crossword Code, →ISBN

2. crosswordingA crossword puzzle including such a message.

   A typical Maleskan stepquote's theme answer might read: THEFA/ASHIO/ONWEAR/RSOUTMOREAPPA/ARELTH/HANTH/HEMAN: " The fashion wears out more apparel than the man."

   2020 March 17, Adrienne Raphel, Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them, Penguin, →ISBN, page 44

   1 more example

   Later Joseph Cotten and I became pen pals because he liked my Stepquotes, and Frank Sinatra's secretary proudly informed me that her boss does the Times puzzles in ink.

   1984, Eugene T. Maleska, Across and Down: The Crossword Puzzle World, Touchstone