crossword
/ˈkrɒswəːd
/(also crossword puzzle)
noun
A puzzle consisting of a grid of squares and blanks into which words crossing vertically and horizontally are written according to clues: she settled down to do the crossword...
- Work your mind with brain-teasers, jigsaw puzzles, crosswords or quiz books.
- They dig for juicy details as adroitly as they do the crossword and jigsaw puzzles that they plug away at.
- The events, such as word games and crosswords will be organised by resource persons throughout the day.
Origin
Said to have been invented by the journalist Arthur Wynne, whose puzzle (called a ‘word-cross’) appeared in a Sunday newspaper, the New York World, on 21 December 1913.
A crossword was originally a wordcross. The puzzle is said to have been invented by the journalist Arthur Wynne, whose first crossword appeared in a Sunday newspaper, the New York World, on 21 December 1913. Some people are addicted to cryptic crosswords, whereas others find them totally obscure. Their meaning is literally ‘hidden’, which is the translation of the Greek root kruptos, also the source of crypt (Late Middle English) and grotto.