Crosswordese

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crosswordese is the group of words frequently found in US crossword puzzles but seldom found in everyday conversation. The words are usually short, three to five letters, with letter combinations which crossword constructors find useful in the creation of crossword puzzles, such as words that start and/or end with vowels, abbreviations consisting entirely of consonants, unusual combinations of letters, and words consisting almost entirely of frequently used letters. Such words are needed in almost every puzzle to some extent. Too much crosswordese in a crossword puzzle is frowned upon by cruciverbalists and crossword enthusiasts.

Knowing the language of "crosswordese" is helpful to constructors and solvers alike. According to Marc Romano, "to do well solving crosswords, you absolutely need to keep a running mental list of "crosswordese", the set of recurring words that constructors reach for whenever they are heading for trouble in a particular section of the grid."[1]

Frequently used crosswordese[]

When applicable, example clues will be denoted in square brackets and answers will be denoted in all caps, e.g. [Example clue] for ANSWER.

Portions of phrases are occasionally used as fill in the blank clues. For instance, "Et tu, Brute?" might appear in a puzzle's clue sheet as "_____, Brute?"

Architecture[]

Biblical references[]

  • Enos – first-born son of Seth
  • Esau – older twin son of Isaac

Brand and trade names[]

  • Afta[3] and Atra – Gillette brand aftershave and safety razor, respectively
  • STP – a brand of motor oil additives; slogan "The Racer's Edge"
  • Oreo

Computers and the Internet[]

  • SCSI – pronounced "scuzzy", a set of standards to physically connect computers and peripherals for the purpose of transferring data.
  • LAN – local area network, a network of computers in a limited area.

Currency and finance[]

  • Euro – the official currency of the European Union
  • Lek – the official currency of Albania
  • Lev – the official currency of Bulgaria
  • Lira – the official currency of Turkey and former currency of Italy
  • Zloty – the official currency of Poland

Directions between cities[]

A 16-point compass rose showing the 16 standard compass directions.

Many puzzles ask for the direction from one city to another. These directions always fall between the standard octaval compass points—i.e., North (N – 0° or 360°), Northeast (NE – 45°), East (E – 90°), etc.

The directions asked for on clue sheets are usually approximations. Starting at north and going clockwise, the directions are:

  • NNE = North-northeast (22.5°)
  • ENE = East-northeast (67.5°)
  • ESE = East-southeast (112.5°)
  • SSE = South-southeast (157.5°)
  • SSW = South-southwest (202.5°)
  • WSW = West-southwest (247.5°)
  • WNW = West-northwest (292.5°)
  • NNW = North-northwest (337.5°)

Directions on the mariner's compass (divided into 32 directions) may also be encountered, although generally clued more explicitly:

  • NBE = North by east (11.25°)
  • NEBN = Northeast by north (33.75°)
  • NEBE = Northeast by east (56.25°)
  • EBN = East by north (78.75°)
  • EBS = East by south (101.25°)
  • SEBE = Southeast by east (123.75°)
  • SEBS = Southeast by south (146.25°)
  • SBE = South by east (168.75°)
  • SBW = South by west (191.25°)
  • SWBS = Southwest by south (213.75°)
  • SWBW = Southwest by west (236.25°)
  • WBS = West by south (258.75°)
  • WBN = West by north (281.25°)
  • NWBW = Northwest by west (303.75°)
  • NWBN = Northwest by north (326.25°)
  • NBW = North by west (348.75°)

Fictional characters[]

  • Asta – film dog of the 1930s
  • Ahab – protagonist of Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick
  • Elsa – princess from the 2013 film Frozen. Could also be Anna
  • Esmé – title character of the short story "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor" by J. D. Salinger and included in the collection of his story titled Nine Stories.
  • Ilsa – as in Ilsa Lund, the character played by Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca
  • Smee – Captain Hook's chief assistant in Peter Pan.[3] Smee may also be referred to as the assistant to the Black Stache, Captain Hook's sobriquet in the prequel novel Peter and the Starcatchers or the play Peter and the Starcatcher.
  • Odie – dog in the comic strip Garfield
  • Tin – As in Rin Tin Tin, the canine silent-film star, or the European comic The Adventures of Tintin

Food and drink[]

  • Aioli – A condiment similar to mayonnaise, usually with garlic.
  • Grog – an alcoholic beverage made of heated low-alcohol beer, rum and a variety of flavorings such as lemon or lime juice, cinnamon and sugar.
  • Mahi – Persian (borrowed into Hindi–Urdu) for fish. "Mahi" may refer to mahi-mahi.
  • Mead – honey wine
  • Nehi – a line of fruit-flavored soft drinks from the Royal Crown Company. Grape Nehi was the favorite drink of Radar O'Reilly on the TV series M*A*S*H
  • MSG – monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer that may cause asthmatic reactions in some people.
  • Oleo – Used as a synonym for *margarine.[2]
  • Phở – a Vietnamese soup made with beef and rice noodles, usually served with basil, lime, bean sprouts and peppers.

Foreign words[]

  • Ano – more properly año (the tilde is usually ignored), Spanish for "year"[4]
  • Erse – Scottish Gaelic
  • Été – summer in French[5]
  • Frau – German for "woman", "wife" or "Mrs."
  • Herr – German for "Mister (Mr.)"
  • Mme – abbreviation of the French honorific "Madame"[5]
  • Mann – German for "man" or "husband"
  • Sra. – abbreviation for señora (Spanish)[4]
  • Srta. – abbreviation for señorita (Spanish)[4]
  • Tío and Tía – Spanish for "uncle" and "aunt", respectively

General adjectives and adverbs[]

  • Eoan – an adjective meaning "of the dawn"

Geography[]

  • Adak – island in the western extent of the Aleutian chain
  • Agra – an ancient city in India best known as the location of the Taj Mahal[6]
  • Arete – a thin ridge of rock that is formed by glaciers
  • Asti – a city of Italy known for its sparkling wines
  • Attu – westernmost island in the Aleutian chain
  • Erie – a Great Lake and Pennsylvania port
  • Mesa – a Spanish word commonly used in English — especially in the American Southwest — to designate a plateau that sits higher in elevation than its immediate surroundings.[4]
  • Ouse – river in Yorkshire
  • Tor – a rock outcrop formed by weathering
  • Ural – a river and mountain range in Russia[7]

Interjections[]

  • Ahem – used to represent the noise made when clearing the throat
  • Damn – used to express anger or frustration
  • Haha – used to represent laughter
  • Hmm – used to express uncertainty
  • Jeez – used to show surprise or annoyance
  • Phew – used to express relief
  • Psst – used to attract someone's attention
  • Whoa – used to express surprise
  • Wowee – used to express astonishment
  • Yea – used as an affirmative response

Jargon and slang[]

  • Alee – in seaman's language, toward the side opposite the wind[3]

Language[]

Because of crossword rules that restrict the usage of two-letter words, only entries of three or more letters have been listed.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
Singular aye bee cee dee n/a eff gee aitch n/a jay kay ell n/a
Plural ayes bees cees dees n/a efs/effs gees aitches n/a jays kays els/ells ems
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Singular n/a n/a pee cue n/a ess tee n/a vee double-u n/a wye zee/zed
Plural ens ohs pees cues ars[8] esses tees n/a vees double-us exs/exes/xes wyes zees/zeds

Often these letters are clued as puns, e.g. the clue [Puzzle center?] for ZEES, referring to the two Zs in the center of the word "puzzle".

The "zed" spelling of Z is often indicated by a reference to a Commonwealth country, where that is the standard pronunciation (e.g. [British puzzle center?] for ZEDS).

Latin words and phrases[]

  • Ad hoc – pertaining to a specific problem
  • Dies Irae – Day of Wrath – a medieval hymn used in the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass
  • Et tu, Brute? – alleged last words spoken by Julius Caesar after being stabbed by his friend Brutus
  • Veni, vidi, vici – a phrase spoken by Julius Caesar meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered"

Manmade items[]

  • Etui – a small purse often used to hold sewing supplies[2]
  • Ewer – a decorative pitcher[3]
  • Olio – a miscellaneous mixture of elements, especially artistic works, musical pieces, writing, or food[2]
  • Ulu – knife used by Yup'ik, Inuit, and Aleut women

Mathematics[]

Multiple meanings[]

Names of contemporary people (20th and 21st centuries)[]

(Note: The popularity of certain names used in crosswordese may wane with the passing of time. For instance, "Ito" – as in Robert Ito, a Canadian-born actor of Japanese descent who was a regular on Quincy, M.E. from 1976 to 1983—continued to be a popular crosswordese reference throughout most of the 1980s. Yet, although he has remained active professionally, and the name got reexposed in the 1990s due to judge Lance Ito's presiding over the O. J. Simpson murder case, the appearance of the name in today's crosswords is a rare occurrence.)

  • Agee – as James Agee, an American novelist
  • Arlo – as in Arlo Guthrie, an American folk singer
  • Eero – as in Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American architect
  • Elia – as in Elia Kazan, a Greek-born American film and theater director
  • Eno – as in Brian Eno, an English musician and record producer[3]
  • Enya – an Irish New Age singer
  • Erle – as in Erle Stanley Gardner, an American lawyer, author of detective stories, creator of Perry Mason[9][10]
  • Erté – a Russian-born French graphics and costume designer[9]
  • Esai – as in Esai Morales, an American actor of Puerto Rican descent[9][11]
  • Isao – as in Isao Aoki, a Japanese professional golfer[12]
  • Ono – as in Yoko Ono, a Japanese singer, songwriter, and artist
  • Ott – as in Mel Ott, a baseball player[9][13]
  • Uta – as in Uta Hagen, an American actress born in Germany[14]
  • Uri – as in Uri Geller, an Israeli magician[9]
  • Yma – as in Yma Sumac, a Peruvian singer[9]

Names of historical people[]

  • E Lee – As in Robert E. Lee, leader of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
  • El Cid – title given to Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, an 11th-century Castilian soldier most famous for conquering Valencia, Spain; also a 1961 film of the same name starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren

Nature, references to[]

  • Aerie – the high nest of a bird of prey
  • Eft - the juvenile phase of the Newt
  • Erne – a sea eagle-sometimes spelled without the final "e"[3][15]
  • Tsetse – as in the tsetse fly[16] ("TSE" is sometimes clued as "half an African fly"[citation needed]).

Poetic phrases and terms[]

  • E'en – contraction of "even"
  • Erin – poetic name for Ireland
  • O'er – contraction of "over"

Prefixes[]

  • Aero- – relating to flight and air
  • Pyro- – relating to fire and heat

Suffixes[]

  • -ase – a suffix used to form the names of enzymes
  • -ism – indicating a belief or principle
  • -ist – indicating an adherent to a belief or principle
  • -ite – a suffix with several meanings, including a faithful follower of a certain person, a mineral, and a native of a certain place
  • -ose – a suffix in chemistry indicating sugar
  • -ule – a suffix meaning small

Religious holidays, festivals, celebrations and observances[]

  • Eid – Arabic for "festival"; part of the names of several Islamic festivals
  • Hajj – the pilgrimage every faithful Muslim is obliged to perform; one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Often spelled "Hadj" in the New York Times.
  • Purim – the festival celebrating the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to annihilate them, as told in the Book of Esther
  • Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán – the Vietnamese new year, Lunar new year

Roman numerals[]

Many puzzles ask for Roman numerals either as answers or as portions of answers. For instance:

  • a puzzle might ask for the solution of 1916 − 1662 as "MCMXVI minus MDCLXII." The answer (254) would be written as CCLIV.
  • LEOIV is the answer to a clue about Pope Leo IV.
  • a puzzle might ask which Super Bowl was the first to be played in Tampa, Florida. The answer is XVIII.

Standard Roman numerals run from 1 to 3999, or I to MMMCMXCIX. The first ten Roman numerals are:

For numerals representing values equal to or greater than 4000, a line is placed above the numeral. The following table shows the numerals used in crossword puzzles.

Symbol Value
1 (one) (unus)
5 (five) (quinque)
10 (ten) (decem)
50 (fifty) (quinquaginta)
100 (one hundred) (centum)
500 (five hundred) (quingenti)
1,000 (one thousand) (mille)

For those who are curious, the chart below shows numeral values up to 900,000.

×1 ×2 ×3 ×4 ×5 ×6 ×7 ×8 ×9
Ones I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX
Tens X XX XXX XL L LX LXX LXXX XC
Hundreds C CC CCC CD D DC DCC DCCC CM
Thousands M MM MMM IV V VI VII VIII IX
Ten thousands X XX XXX XL L LX LXX LXXX XC
Hundred thousands C CC CCC CD D DC DCC DCCC CM

Use of medieval Roman numerals (an informalized system that spanned most of the Latin alphabet) is almost unheard of.

Science[]

  • Ozone – a pale-blue, inorganic molecule
  • Xenon – a colourless noble gas with symbol 'Xe' and atomic-number '54'

Sports and gaming[]

  • Alai – as in jai alai, a game played in a court with a ball and a wickerwork racket
  • Ali – Muhammad Ali / born Cassius Clay
  • Ante – a forced bet in poker
  • Epee – a modern version of a duelling sword
  • Nicknames based on nicknames
    • "Aints" – this spelling usually refers to the New Orleans Saints, when they finished the 1980 NFL season with a 1–15 record, their worst in franchise history, and became the first team in NFL history to finish the season at 1–15
    • "BoSox" – the Boston Red Sox
    • "Buc" (team member) or "Bucs" – this spelling usually refers to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but may also refer to the Pittsburgh Pirates
    • "Buck" (team member) or "Bucks" – when not used in reference to the Milwaukee Bucks, this spelling usually refers to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but may also refer to the Pittsburgh Pirates
    • "Caps" – usually refers to the Washington Capitals
    • "Cav" (team member) or "Cavs" – usually refers to the Cleveland Cavaliers or the University of Virginia Cavaliers
    • "ChiSox" – the Chicago White Sox
    • "Hab" (team member) or "Habs" – usually refers to the Montreal Canadiens
    • "Hog" (team member) or "The Hogs" – the offensive line of the Washington Football Team, although some people assign the name to the entire team
    • "Mav" (team member) or "Mavs" – usually refers to the Dallas Mavericks
    • "Nats" – usually refers to the Washington Nationals
    • "Pat" (team member) or "Pats" – usually refers to the New England Patriots
    • "Phins" – usually refers to the Miami Dolphins
    • "The Tide" – usually refers to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide
    • "The Tribe" – usually refers to the Cleveland Indians
    • "Vikes" – usually refers to the Minnesota Vikings
    • "Vol" (team member) or "Vols" – usually refers to the University of Tennessee Volunteers
    • "Yank" (team member) or "Yanks" – usually refers to the New York Yankees
  • RBI – a baseball term meaning "run batted in"; plural is RBIs[17]
  • TKO – a boxing term meaning "technical knockout"; plural is "TKOs"
  • Three-letter scoreboard abbreviations of major league teams
    • ANA – Anaheim Ducks (formerly the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
    • ATL – Atlanta Braves, Falcons and Hawks (also, formerly, Thrashers)
    • ARI – Arizona (Phoenix) Cardinals, Coyotes (located in Glendale) and Diamondbacks (also ARZ)
    • BAL – Baltimore Orioles and Ravens (also, formerly, Colts)
    • BKN – Brooklyn Nets
    • BOS – Boston Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox
    • BUF – Buffalo Bills (located in Orchard Park) and Sabres
    • CAL – Calgary Flames and Stampeders (also, more commonly, CGY) (also, formerly, the California Angels)
    • CAR – Carolina Hurricanes (located in Raleigh) and Panthers (located in Charlotte)
    • CHA – Charlotte Hornets (formerly Bobcats)
    • CHC – Chicago Cubs (also CUB)
    • CHI – Chicago Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls
    • CHW – Chicago White Sox (also CWS)
    • CIN – Cincinnati Bengals and Reds
    • CLB – Columbus Blue Jackets (also CBJ)
    • CLE – Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers and Indians
    • COL – Colorado (Denver) Avalanche and Rockies
    • DAL – Dallas Cowboys, Mavericks and Stars
    • DEN – Denver Broncos and Nuggets
    • DET – Detroit Lions, Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers
    • EDM – Edmonton Football Team (formerly Eskimos) and Oilers
    • FLA – Florida Panthers (located in Sunrise) (also, formerly, Marlins)
    • GSW – Golden State (Oakland–San Francisco) Warriors
    • HOU – Houston Astros, Rockets and Texans (also, formerly, Oilers)
    • IND – Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers
    • JAX – Jacksonville Jaguars
    • LAA – Los Angeles Angels (located in Anaheim)
    • LAC – Los Angeles Chargers and Clippers
    • LAD – Los Angeles Dodgers
    • LAK – Los Angeles Kings
    • LAL – Los Angeles Lakers
    • LAR – Los Angeles Rams
    • MEM – Memphis Grizzlies
    • MIA – Miami Dolphins, Heat and Marlins
    • MIL – Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks
    • MIN – Minnesota (Minneapolis–St. Paul) Timberwolves, Twins, Vikings and Wild (also, formerly, North Stars)
    • MON – Montreal Alouettes and Canadiens (also, more commonly, MTL) (also, formerly, Expos)
    • NAS – Nashville Predators (also NSH)
    • NOP – New Orleans Pelicans
    • NYG – New York Giants (located in East Rutherford, New Jersey)
    • NYI – New York Islanders
    • NYJ – New York Jets (located in East Rutherford, New Jersey)
    • NYK – New York Knicks
    • NYM – New York Mets
    • NYR – New York Rangers
    • NYY – New York Yankees
    • OAK – Oakland Athletics (A's) (also, formerly, Raiders)
    • OKC – Oklahoma City Thunder
    • ORL – Orlando Magic
    • OTT – Ottawa Redblacks and Senators
    • PHI – Philadelphia Eagles, Flyers, Phillies and 76ers
    • PHO – Phoenix Suns (also PHX) (also, formerly, Coyotes)
    • PIT – Pittsburgh Penguins, Pirates and Steelers
    • POR – Portland Trail Blazers
    • SAC – Sacramento Kings
    • SAS – San Antonio Spurs
    • SEA – Seattle Mariners and Seahawks (also, formerly, SuperSonics)
    • SJS – San Jose Sharks
    • STL – St. Louis Blues and Cardinals (MLB) (also, formerly, Cardinals (NFL) and Rams)
    • TEN – Tennessee (Nashville) Titans
    • TEX – Texas (Arlington–Dallas–Fort Worth) Rangers
    • TOR – Toronto Argonauts, Blue Jays, Maple Leafs and Raptors
    • UTA – Utah (Salt Lake City) Jazz
    • VAN – Vancouver Canucks (also, formerly, Grizzlies)
    • WAS – Washington Capitals, Nationals, Football Team (formerly Redskins) and Wizards (also WSH)
    • WIN – Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Jets (also, more commonly, WPG)

Titles of books, plays, movies, etc.[]

  • OED – the Oxford English Dictionary[18]
  • Omoo – an 1847 novel by Herman Melville
  • Typee – an 1846 novel by Herman Melville

Titles used by royalty and the nobility[]

  • Aga – a Turkish honorific for a high-level government official; occasionally spelled "agha."
  • Bey – the governor of a district or province in the Ottoman Empire
  • Emir – a title given to princes and/or sheikhs who rule certain Arab countries; may also be spelled amir, aamir or ameer
  • Pasha

Transportation[]

  • BART – abbreviated name of the Bay Area Rapid Transit, the subway system that serves the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • Geo – line of compact cars sold by Chevrolet dealers, based on cars manufactured by Toyota and Suzuki
  • GTI – an abbreviation meaning Grand Tourer Injection, used on many sporty European and Japanese cars, most notably the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
  • GTO – an abbreviation of the Italian term Gran Turismo Omologato, most notably used on the Pontiac GTO muscle car which is nicknamed "The Goat."[19]
  • IRT – abbreviated name of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company which used to operate a portion of the New York City subway system.
  • MARTA – abbreviated name of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the subway system that serves the Atlanta metropolitan area

U.S. states and Canadian provinces[]

  • Postal abbreviations: Since the late 1970s, the post offices in the United States and Canada have used computerized letter sorting. This prompted the creation of the two-capital-letter abbreviations used today for all states and most provinces (i.e., "MN" for Minnesota and "PQ" for Quebec). Previously, when mail was sorted by hand, many states and provinces had abbreviations of three to five letters. Many of these longer abbreviations are now part of crosswordese. (Notes: (1) Except for Texas, states with four- or five-letter names were generally spelled out. (2) Other states and provinces not shown below had the same two-letter abbreviations that are still used today.)
    • Ala. – Alabama
    • Alb. – Alberta
    • Alas. – Alaska (unofficial)
    • Ariz. – Arizona
    • Ark. – Arkansas
    • Calif. – California (also, unofficially, "Cal.")
    • Colo. – Colorado
    • Conn. – Connecticut
    • Del. – Delaware
    • Fla. – Florida
    • Haw. – Hawaii (unofficial)
    • Ida. – Idaho (unofficial)
    • Ill. – Illinois
    • Ind. – Indiana
    • Kans. – Kansas (also, unofficially, "Kan." and "Kas.")
    • Man. – Manitoba
    • Mich. – Michigan
    • Minn. – Minnesota
    • Miss. – Mississippi
    • Mont. – Montana
    • Neb. – Nebraska
    • Nev. – Nevada
    • N. Mex. – New Mexico
    • N. Car. – North Carolina (unofficial)
    • N. Dak. – North Dakota
    • N.W.T. – Northwest Territories
    • Okla. – Oklahoma
    • Oreg. – Oregon (also, unofficially, "Ore.")
    • Ont. – Ontario
    • P.E.I. – Prince Edward Island
    • Penn. – Pennsylvania (unofficial)
    • Que. – Quebec
    • Sask. – Saskatchewan
    • S.Car. – South Carolina (unofficial)
    • S. Dak. – South Dakota
    • Tenn. – Tennessee
    • Tex. – Texas
    • Wash. – Washington
    • W. Va. – West Virginia
    • Wis. – Wisconsin (also, unofficially, "Wisc.")
    • Wyo. – Wyoming

Weaponry and warfare[]

World War II[]

  • Anzio – American invasion point into mainland Italy
    • Code names of landing beaches
      • Gold – British forces
      • Juno – British and Canadian forces
      • Omaha – American forces
      • Sword – British and Free French forces
      • Utah – American forces
    • Rivers
      • R. Aure
      • R. Odon
      • R. Orne
    • Towns
    • Other
  • ETO – European Theater of Operations
  • Iwo Jima

References[]

  1. ^ Romano, Marc (2006). "Puzzle Neophyte Seeks Puzzle Mentor". Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession (1st pbk. ed.). New York: Broadway Books. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-7679-1758-2.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Der, Kevin; Pasco, Paolo (13 June 2018). "How to Make a Crossword Puzzle". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "How Well Do You Know Your 'Crosswordese?'". The New York Times. 28 November 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Amlen, Deb (15 February 2018). "10 Spanish Words That Will Raise Your Crossword Game". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Ezersky, Sam (30 May 2018). "15 French Words That Will Raise Your Crossword Game". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  6. ^ Ezersky, Sam (13 November 2019). "The Crossword Travel Guide: 10 Cities You Should Know". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  7. ^ Amlen, Deb; Ezersky, Sam (12 July 2017). "12 European Rivers That Will Help You Raise Your Crossword Game". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Amlen, Deb (22 April 2019). "What the Heck Is That?: Ars". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "The Shortz List of Crossword Celebrities". Slate. 27 January 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  10. ^ Ezersky, Sam (21 November 2018). "The Crossword Library: 11 Authors You Should Know". The New York Times.
  11. ^ Ezersky, Sam (7 August 2019). "The Griddy Awards, Part 2: 10 Male Actors You Should Know". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  12. ^ Amlen, Deb (7 April 2020). "Who the Heck Is That?: Isao". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  13. ^ Amlen, Deb (19 April 2017). "10 Sports Names That Will Help You Become a Better Crossword Solver". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  14. ^ Ezersky, Sam (8 May 2019). "The Griddy Awards, Part 1: 10 Female Actors You Should Know". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Ezersky, Sam (2 March 2018). "These Words Are for the Birds: A Crossword Aviary". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Ezersky, Sam (12 April 2018). "The Crossword Zoo: 10 Animals You Should Know". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  17. ^ "10 Baseball Terms That Will Help You Become a Better Crossword Solver". The New York Times. 1 April 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  18. ^ Amlen, Deb (7 May 2018). "What the Heck Is That?: OED". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  19. ^ Ezersky, Sam (19 September 2018). "The Crossword Garage: 8 Car Makes and Models You Should Know". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.

Further reading[]

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