crosswordese

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crosswordese

/ˌkɹɒswɜː(ɹ)ˈdiːz/

Where it comes from

From crossword + -ese.

noun

uncountable The 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?"

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MLA

"crosswordese." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/crosswordese. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

crosswordese. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/crosswordese

Chicago

"crosswordese." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/crosswordese.

BibTeX

@misc{crosswordese_2026,
  title = {crosswordese},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/crosswordese},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}