crosswordese en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌkɹɒswɜː(ɹ)ˈdiːz/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From crossword + -ese.
Meanings
-
(qualifier:crosswording, 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?"
20 March 1988, Sam Hodges, “Puzzlers Exchanging A Lot Of Cross Words”, in Orlando Sentinel:
Translations (1)
fi ristikkokieli (jargon of crossword puzzles)