Crossword Puzzle Words: Do You Know What They Mean?

About Crossword Puzzle Words: Do You Know What They Mean?

Give your memory a workout with Crossword Puzzle Words: Do You Know What They Mean?: 15 multiple-choice questions aimed at mixed difficulty, free to play right in your browser. If you love crossword puzzles, you have written these words hundreds of times — but do you actually know what they mean? From ETUI to TARN, these vowel-rich gems finally get their definitions revealed. Expect to spend about 7 minutes; every question comes with an explanation, so you learn something even when you miss.

A few sample questions

1. 1. Crossword fans write ETUI all the time. What is an etui?

   Answer: A small ornamental case for holding needles, scissors, and other small implements

   An etui is a small decorative case designed to hold sewing needles, scissors, thimbles, and similar items; the word comes directly from the French word 'étui,' meaning a case or container.

2. 2. Crossword solvers recognize ERNE immediately. What kind of creature is an erne?

   Answer: A large eagle, especially the white-tailed eagle of Europe

   An erne (also spelled ern) is a large eagle, particularly the white-tailed eagle — Haliaeetus albicilla — found across Europe and Asia; crossword constructors love it for its short, vowel-heavy spelling.

3. 3. ESNE shows up in history-themed crossword clues. What was an esne in Anglo-Saxon England?

   Answer: A serf or agricultural laborer bound to the land

   An esne was a serf or domestic laborer in Anglo-Saxon England, ranking below a free peasant; the word appears in Old English manuscripts describing the social hierarchy of early medieval Britain.

4. 4. Crossword constructors treasure the word OLEO. What is oleo?

   Answer: Margarine, short for the word oleomargarine

   Oleo is a shorthand name for oleomargarine — now simply called margarine — a butter substitute made from vegetable oils that became a common American household staple from the late 19th century onward.

5. 5. Sailors and crossword fans both know ALEE. What does alee mean on a ship?

   Answer: On or toward the sheltered side of a ship, away from the direction of the wind

   Alee describes the leeward — or sheltered — side of a ship, meaning the side away from the wind; it is the opposite of 'aweather,' and the crossword clue often reads 'sheltered at sea' or 'away from the wind.'

Things you'll learn along the way

• ✓A ewer is a large decorative pitcher or jug, historically placed in bedrooms alongside a washbasin so people could pour water for washing — a common household item before the age of indoor plumbing.
• ✓The naos (also called the cella in Latin) was the main inner room of a Greek temple, typically housing the statue of the deity being honored; it was not generally open to ordinary worshippers.
• ✓A tarn is a small mountain lake, typically formed in a hollow carved out by a glacier; the word is especially used in northern England's Lake District, where walkers encounter tarns on many hilltop routes.