Natick
name, noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An intersection of two obscure crossword puzzle clues.
"“The NATICK Principle. And here it is: If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names.”"
- 2 A member of the Praying Indians of Natick, a community of indigenous Christian converts in the town of Natick, Massachusetts, United States. historical
- 1 A town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States.
- 2 Synonym of Massachusett (“an Algonquian language”).
Example
More examples"“The NATICK Principle. And here it is: If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names.”"
Etymology
Named after Natick, Massachusetts, used as an example of an obscure clue with, “Town at the eighth mile of the Boston Marathon”. The town is named after the local native word from the Natick people for “Land of Many Hills”.
Related phrases
More for "natick"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.