I've seen a few posts lately from people just getting into crosswords who are feeling a bit stuck, and it reminded me of when I first started. You’re staring at a grid, you see a clue like "Earned as profit" (3 letters), and your brain just short-circuits. You think "Pay? Won? Got?" but none of them seem to fit with the letters you already have. You know the concept, but the answer feels like it's from another planet.
If this sounds familiar, welcome to the club! You've just had your first real introduction to what I like to call "Crossword-ese"—the unique, and sometimes bizarre, language of puzzles.
Welcome to "Crossword-ese"
Think of crosswords less like a trivia quiz and more like a code to be deciphered. They have their own grammar, their own shortcuts, and their own set of "greatest hits" that show up again and again. The clue "Earned as profit" is a perfect first lesson. The answer isn't a synonym for "earned"; it's a definition. What do you call the profit you earn after all costs and taxes are deducted?
Your NET profit.
Once you see it, it makes perfect sense, but it requires a mental shift. The clue isn't having a conversation with you; it's giving you a super-condensed, dictionary-style definition. This is the heart of Crossword-ese. The constructors are playing with language in a very literal, and often very clever, way. Learning to recognize these patterns is the key to going from frustrated to finished.
Your Must-Know List: A Collaborative "Starter Pack"
The good news is that this "secret language" is finite. The same clues and answers appear over and over, especially in the easier weekday puzzles. Once you learn them, they become freebies that help you unlock the rest of the grid.
I'd love for us to build a collaborative "starter pack" for newcomers right here in this thread. To get us started, here are a few absolute classics that every beginner should file away:
- OREO: Clued as "Black-and-white cookie," "Popular dunker," "Twist-off treat," etc. If you see a four-letter clue about a cookie, it's probably OREO.
- LEI: "Hawaiian garland," "Island necklace," "Welcome in Honolulu."
- ERE: "Before, to a bard," "Poet's 'previously'," "Sooner than, in sonnets." It’s an old-timey word you almost only see in crosswords.
- EMO: "Angsty music genre," "My Chemical Romance's genre," "Brooding rock style."
- ELI: "Yale student," "New Haven collegian," "A bulldog, in college sports." (From Elihu Yale).
- ET AL: "And others, for short," "List-ending abbreviation." (From the Latin et alia).
Veterans, what else belongs on this list? Let’s help the new folks out! Drop the common clues and answers that are basically "gimmes" for you now.
It's Not Cheating, It's Learning
Finally, I want to address the biggest hurdle for new solvers: the feeling that you're "cheating" if you have to look up an answer. Please, I'm begging you, let go of that idea.
When you're learning a new language, you use a dictionary. When you're learning to cook, you follow a recipe. When you're learning crosswords, looking up an answer is your study tool.
Every time you get stuck and look up a word, you're not admitting defeat. You are actively learning a new piece of Crossword-ese. The next time you see "Earned as profit," you won't hesitate—you'll fill in NET and use those letters to solve the clues around it. Looking up an answer gives you the momentum to keep going and, more importantly, it teaches you the conventions of the puzzle for next time.
My advice: Give the puzzle your best shot. When you're truly stuck, don't just reveal the whole thing. Instead, look up one strategic answer in an area where you have a few crossing words. See if that single answer can help you break the whole section open. That's not cheating; that's a learning strategy.
So, what was the first "Crossword-ese" clue that finally clicked for you and made you feel like you were starting to crack the code? Let's hear your stories
