crossword

views updated Jun 11 2018

cross·word / ˈkrôswərd/ (also crossword puzzle) • n. a puzzle consisting of a grid of squares and blanks into which words crossing vertically and horizontally are written according to clues.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 December 21, 1913.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

crossword

views updated May 29 2018

crossword a puzzle consisting of a grid of squares and blanks into which words crossing vertically and horizontally are written according to clues. It is 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.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES