Crosswordese is the set of short, vowel-heavy words that show up far more often in crossword grids than in ordinary English — ETUI, ERNE, OLEO, ESNE — because they fit awkward letter patterns. This page is a rendering of my Anki deck of them: 194 cards, grouped by category, with the picture clues attached to the cards.
Cards Anki has flagged as leeches (repeatedly forgotten) are marked with a ⚑ — those are the ones that keep not sticking.
Architecture
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| apse | semicircular church recess  | |
| doric | Classical style of Greek and Roman architecture with stout fluted columns and a plain capital made of a rounded echinus topped by a square abacus. | |
| ell | type of extension to a building; a measure for cloth originally equivalent to a cubit | |
| ionic | One of three canonic orders of classical architecture, which has the narrowest columns | |
| nave ⚑ | the middle section of a church  | |
| ogee | S-shaped curve often seen in Gothic arches | |
| stoa | covered walkway of ancient Greece |
Bible
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| abel | The second born of Adam and Eve's sons | |
| cain | the first born of Adam and Eve's | |
| eden | Biblical paradise decribed in Genesis 2-3 and Ezekiel 28 | |
| enos | first-born son of Seth | |
| esau | Older twin son of Isaac | |
| seth | Third son of Adam and Eve |
Brands & Trade Names
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| afta | Gillete aftershave brand | |
| atra | Gillette safety razor brand | |
| oreo | Snack item known as "Milk's favorite cookie". In the Maleska era, to avoid brand names in the puzzle, it was invariably clued as [Mountain: Comb. form]. | |
| oxo | Kitchen utensil brand | |
| stp | Motor oil additive brand |
Computers & Internet
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| html | the standard language for documnets designed to be displayed in a web browser | |
| lan | Local area network, network of computers in a limited area |
Currency & Business
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| lek | Official currency of Albania | |
| lev ⚑ | Official currency of Bulgaria | |
| lira | Official currency of Turkey; former currency of Italy | |
| lire | Plural for official currency of Turkey | |
| opec | Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries | |
| peso | Official currency of many countries, including Mexico |
Fictional Characters
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ahab | Protagonist of Melville's Moby-Dick | |
| asta | Dog of Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man movies | |
| elsa | Princess from the 2013 film Frozen. Also ____ the lioness or ____ von Brabant. | |
| enola | _____ Holmes from the mystery series of the same name | |
| ent | treelike species in Middle-earth | |
| esme | Title character of J.D. Salinger's short story "For ____ - with Love and Squalor" | |
| ewok | Furry species in the Star Wars universe | |
| iago | Villain of Shakespeare's Othello; or, parrot in Disney's Aladdin  | |
| isla | ____ Lund, Ingrid Bergman's character in Casablanca | |
| isolde | Medieval charachter depicted in Wagner's Tristan und ______. | Iseult |
| odie | Dog in the comic strip Garfield | |
| opie | Ron Howard's character on The Andy Griffith Show | |
| orc | Goblinlike species in Middle-earth | |
| smee | Captain Hook's assistant in Peter Pan | |
| toto | Dorthy's dog in The Wizard of Oz |
Food & Drink
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| aioli | Condiment similar to mayonnaise, usually with garlic | |
| grog | 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 | |
| msg | Flavor enhancer; also sometimes clued as an abbreviation for "message" or Madison Square Garden | |
| nehi | Line of fruit-flavored soft drinks from the Royal Crown Company. Grape ____ was the favorite drink of Radar O'Reilly on the TV series M*A*S*H | |
| oleo | Used as a synonym for margarine | |
| ort | Scrap of leftover food | |
| pho | Vietnamese soup | |
| poi | mashed taro root dish | |
| taro | Edible variety of elephant ears |
Interjections
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ahem | Used to represent the noise made when clearing the throat | |
| egad | Used to express surprise (dated) | |
| haha | Used to represent laughter | |
| hmm | Used to express uncertainty | |
| phew | interjection used to express relief | |
| psst | Interjection used to attract someone's attention | |
| wowee | Interjection used to express surprise | |
| yea | interjection used as an affirmative response |
Jargon & Slang
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| alee | in nautical language, toward the side opposite the wind | |
| aro | clipping of aromantic | |
| tec | old slang for detective |
Manmade Items
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| awl | Pointed tool used for punching holes in leather | |
| etui | A small ornamental case for holding needles, cosmetics, and other articles. | |
| ewer | decorative pitcher | |
| obi | Sash worn with a kimono | |
| olio | miscellaneous mixture of elements, especially artistic works, musical pieces, writing or food | |
| olla | ceramic stew pot | |
| ulu | Knife traditionally used by Yup'ik, Inuit, and Aleut women |
Mathematics
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| radii | Plural of radius, straight line from the centre of a circle to its circumference |
Music
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| a due | Musical direction that means "for two" | |
| a tempo | Musical direction that means "resume (original) speed" | |
| adagio | Tempo marking that means "play slowly" | |
| arco | Musical direcation that means "with the bow" | |
| aria | Solo in in an opera | |
| assai | Musical direction that means "very" | |
| largo | tempo marking that means "play very slowly" | |
| legato | Musical direction that means "play smooth and connected" | |
| poco | Musical direction modifier that means "somewhat" (literally "a little") | |
| rit | Abbreviation for "ritardando" | |
| stac | Abbreviation for "staccato" | |
| tacet | Musical direction to rest |
Nature
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| acai | Amazonian palm fruit | |
| aerie | High nest of a bird of prey | |
| agave | Spiky succulent plant of the desert used to make tequila | |
| aloe | Succulent plant, common cosmetic ingredient, and sunburn-relieving gel | |
| anil | Plant used to make indigo dye | |
| ash | Common Tree | oak, elm |
| asp | Snake that was a symbol of royalty throughout dynastic and Roman Egypt | |
| aster | Flower whose name means "star" | |
| auk | common seabird (similar to a puffin) | |
| awn | bristle on some grasses | |
| boa | type of constrictor snake | |
| bosc | type of pear | |
| calla | Kind of lily | |
| eft | Juvenile phase of the newt | |
| eider | Kind of duck used for their down feathers | |
| eland | African antelope | |
| elk | Large deer | |
| emu | Large flightless bird of Australia | |
| erne | Sea eagle | ern Often in reference to white tailed eagles |
| gnu | Another name for the wildebeest | |
| ibex | Goat living in the mountains | |
| ibis | Wading bird that was venerated in ancient Egypt | |
| iris | Common flower with 310 accepted species | |
| kudu | Kind of antelope with corkscrew horns | |
| moa | Extinct bird of New Zealand | |
| nene | Goose endemic to Hawaii (and its state bird) | |
| oca | Tuber of South America | |
| okapi | Relative of the giraffe | |
| okra | Pod vegtable used in gumbo | |
| orca | Another name for the killer whale | |
| rhea | Large flightless bird of South America | sometimes refers to Rhea Perlman or goddess Rhea |
| sedge | Family of grassy marsh plants | |
| sego ⚑ | Kind of lily (state flower of Utah) | |
| sepal | Flower part that supports the petals | |
| sloe | Fruit plant used to make a type of gin | |
| smew | Kind of duck  | |
| taro | root vegtable used in poi | |
| tern | Common seabird | |
| tit | Common bird related to the chickadee | |
| tsetse | Disease-carrying insect of Africa | tse sometimes clued as half and african fly |
| udo | Japanese herb | aka. spikenard, herbal aralia, mountain asparagus also eaten in Korea |
| ugli | Jamaican citrus fruit |
Poetic Phrases & Terms
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| een | Contraction of "even" | |
| eer | Poetic contraction of "ever" | |
| ere | Poetic synonym for "before" | |
| erin | Poetic name for Ireland | |
| oer | Poetic contraction of "over" |
Religion & Mythology
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ajax | Greek hero or cleaning brand | |
| amun-ra | Egyptian diety fused with sun god | amun-ra, amon-ra, amen-ra |
| ares | Greek god of war, one of the twelve Olympians | |
| eid | Islamic holidays (literally Arabic for "festival") | Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha |
| eos | Greek goddess of the dawn or a type of Canon camera | |
| erato | Greek muse of poetry | |
| eros | Greek god of love | |
| hajj | The pilgrimage every faithful Muslim is obliged to perform; one of the Five Pillars of Islam | hadj |
| hera | Greek godess who is sister and wife to Zeus | |
| leda | Queen in Greek mythology, part of "____ and the Swan." | |
| medea ⚑ | Greek figure who helped Jason | |
| niobe | Weeping Greek figure | |
| noel | Term for Chirstmas derived from Old French | |
| roc | Giant bird of Middle Eastern mythology | |
| saytr | Half-man, half-goat of Greek mythology | |
| tet | The Vietnamese New Year | Tet Nguyen Dan |
Royal Titles
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| aga ⚑ | Turkish honorific for a high-level government official | agha - From old turkish aqa, meaning "elder brother" |
| Bey | The governor of a district or province in the Ottoman Empire | - alt., Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, Beg |
| emir | A title given to princes and/or sheiks who rule Arab countries | amir, ameer, emeer |
| pasha | High Ottoman military rank, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitaries and others. It was also used as a title high ranking officers or governors in 20th century Kingdom of Egypt and in Morocco. | |
| raja | Former Indian Monarch | rajah |
| rani | Former Indian queen or queen-like spouse | ranee |
| sri | South Asian honorific |
Science
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ozone | a pale-blue, inorganic molecule | |
| xenon | A colorless nobel gas with atomic number 54 |
Sports & Gaming
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| alai | Game played in a court with a ball and a wickerwork racket | |
| ante | Forced bet in poker | |
| at bat | Baseball batter's turn at the plate | |
| bama | University of Alabama Crimson Tide | |
| epee | Modern fencing sword | |
| era | Earned run average | |
| espy | Awards from ESPN also verb meaing "to catch a glimpse of" | |
| rbi | run batted in | |
| sac | Baseball clipping of "sacrifice" | |
| tko | Boxing term for "technical knockout" |
Transportation
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| alero | Last Oldsmobile model | |
| alfa | Italian carmaker | Alfa Romero |
| audi | German carmaker | |
| aveo | Chevrolet subcompact | |
| bart | The subway system that serves the San Francisco Bay Area | Bay Area Rapid Transit |
| edsel | Ford marque that famously flooped | |
| geo | Line of compact cars sold by Chevrolet dealers, based on cars manufactured by Toyota and Suzuki | |
| iroc | Racing organization or its namesake type of Chevrolet Camaro | iroc-z |
| irt | Abbreviated name of company which used to operate a portion of the New York City subway system | Interborough Rapid Transit Company |
| marta | Abbreviated name of the subway system that serves the Atlanta metropolitan are | Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority |
| opel | German carmaker (not audi) | |
| reo | American carmaker that inspired band name | REO Motor Car Company, REO Speedwagon |
| xke | Jaguar model | XK-E |
Weaponry & Warfare
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| enola gay | Airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb | |
| eto | European Theater of Operations | |
| snee | Obsolete term for a dagger ("[Snick's partner]") |
Miscellaneous
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| alamo | Mission in San Antonio, Texas, where a battle took place | |
| ara | Constellation of the Southern Hemisphere | |
| cree | Indigenous people of northern North America, especially what is now Canada | |
| ecru | Pale color similar to beige; from Fr. meaning, "raw, unbleached" | |
| laic | Non-clergical | Of the laity |
| nee | Designates woman's surname before marriage; lit. Fr. "born" | |
| ore | rock mined for metal | |
| otoe | Indigenous people of what is now Nebraska | oto |
| scala | Opera house in Milan, Italy | La Scala |
| ute | Indigenous people of what is now Utah |
Outdated
| Answer | Clue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| anoa | Buffalo of Indonesia | |
| emag | Rarely used term for an online magazie such as Salon.com | |
| inee | Type of arrow poison used in sub-Saharan West Africa | |
| sla | Abbreviation for a small, American militant far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. They were widely regarded by American law enforcement to be the first terrorist organization to rise from the American left.[1] Six members died in a May 1974 shootout with police in Los Angeles. | Symbionese Liberation Army |
Related
See also
External links
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosswordese
- https://www.xwordinfo.com/ — clue/answer database for NYT puzzles