crossword
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a game where you solve clues to fill a grid with words that cross each other.
a word puzzle in which interlocking words are entered into a grid based on provided clues.
Simple“He likes to do the crossword in the newspaper while he drinks his coffee.”
In context“Solving the Sunday crossword has become a ritual for many readers, requiring both a broad vocabulary and a grasp of cryptic wordplay.”
Synonymsword puzzlecrossword puzzle - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the pattern of black and white squares used for the puzzle.
the physical or digital grid of squares that constitutes the layout of a crossword puzzle.
Simple“She stared at the empty crossword, waiting for inspiration to strike.”
In context“The editor noticed a symmetry error in the crossword, where the black squares did not match their counterparts on the opposite side.”
From cross + word. Various word puzzles referred to as "crosswords" date back to the 1860s. The modern crossword puzzle was invented in 1913 by Arthur Wynne, who coined the name word-cross – crossword first appeared a few weeks later as a typographical error or deliberate transposition.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.