Crosswordese
//ˌkɹɒswɜː(ɹ)ˈdiːz// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The jargon of crossword puzzle clues or answers, often consisting of rare, archaic, or dialectal words. uncountable
""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?""
Example
More examples""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?""
Etymology
From crossword + -ese.
Related phrases
More for "crosswordese"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.