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Word Power: Obscure Crossword Puzzle Words  

sexyldy1000 68F  
10139 posts
8/24/2021 1:28 pm
Word Power: Obscure Crossword Puzzle Words



I have always prided myself on being a good speller and having a strong grasp of the English language. These attributes were developed at a young age through my love of reading and crossword puzzles.

Certain obscure words show up repeatedly in crossword puzzles because they’re short, full of vowels or both.

Here are some interesting ones. Test yourself to see how many you know.

Ilia
A: Bacteria capable of causing sickness
B: Large bones in the upper half of the pelvis
C: Ear-shaped seashell

Pica
A: Tiny fish used to exfoliate feet
B: Craving to eat substances that aren’t foods
C: Hot pepper

Nard
A: Person with an intense interest in a topic
B: Narcotics officer
C: Aromatic Himalayan plant

Stoa
A: Guard who remains immobile so long as there’s no threat
B: Covered walkway supported by evenly spaced columns
C: Unit of 100 soldiers

Etui
A: Accusation of betrayal
B: Musical composition for improving finger dexterity
C: Small ornamental case

Erne
A: Tall vase on a pedestal
B: Sea eagle
C: White fur made from ermine
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Answers


Answer: B—Large bones in the upper half of the pelvis
As in, “Sylvia fractured both her ilia by falling off her motorcycle.”


Answer: B—Craving to eat substances that aren’t foods
As in, “Young aren’t usually diagnosed with pica because it’s normal for them to chew on everything.”


Answer: C—Aromatic Himalayan plant
As in, “Nard is mentioned in the Bible as an erotic scent.”


Answer: B—Covered walkway supported by evenly spaced columns
As in, “The Stoa Poikile (“painted stoa”) of ancient Athens featured illustrations of battles.”


Answer: C—Small ornamental case
As in, “Grandma kept sewing needles and a thimble in an antique silk etui.”


Answer: B—Sea eagle
As in, “An erne snatched a fish from just under the water’s surface.”


sexyldy1000 68F  
9607 posts
8/24/2021 1:31 pm

I will be honest. The only word that was familiar to me was erne.

So how did you do?


Paulxx001 66M
22642 posts
8/24/2021 3:23 pm

Me too. Hmmm... Oh well. 👍 😊


superbjversion2 68F  
24388 posts
8/24/2021 3:50 pm

The only one I got wrong was "pica" but it would've been a different thing without the multiple choice.

Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation bangs on the door forever!


lonlyforlove2 81M
32704 posts
8/24/2021 5:38 pm

I thought I may have known one but "zero" from here, I have problems with normal words used in normal everyday conversational English..

The word Pica is in my frame of mind a unit of measurement equal to one trillionth of the main unit as, Picafarad. The pica is often used in other math units to espress a certin vlue.. But That didnt fit!!! so, zero for me..

Stop by at lonlyforlove2
also see Lunch with Lonly , we get snow tomorrow
Check my blog on New Community, "A photo of my big Pecker"
also, " My Sunday afternoon with the kids'


p1947q 77M  
140 posts
8/24/2021 5:58 pm

Worked more than enough Washington Post Crosswords at lunch so I had come across most of these. Nard was new to me but by process of elimination I did get it right also.


Tmptrzz 61F  
107039 posts
8/25/2021 11:07 am

So glad to hear that you enjoy a good Crossword Puzzle, for me I like other kinds of word puzzles I used to buy those Thick Puzzle Books that had all kinds of puzzles in them.

I haven't done any in a while and thanks for the definition lesson I hadn't heard of these before. I learned a lot about these words today.

I hope you enjoy a Happy Hump Day..

Seduce the mind and see what a wonderful adventure the body will take you on..


sexyldy1000 68F  
9607 posts
8/25/2021 11:21 am

    Quoting Paulxx001:
    Me too. Hmmm... Oh well. 👍 😊
If you aren't learning, you aren't living.


sexyldy1000 68F  
9607 posts
8/25/2021 11:22 am

    Quoting superbjversion2:
    The only one I got wrong was "pica" but it would've been a different thing without the multiple choice.
Agree that multiple-choice made it possible for higher success


sexyldy1000 68F  
9607 posts
8/25/2021 11:23 am

    Quoting lonlyforlove2:
    I thought I may have known one but "zero" from here, I have problems with normal words used in normal everyday conversational English..

    The word Pica is in my frame of mind a unit of measurement equal to one trillionth of the main unit as, Picafarad. The pica is often used in other math units to espress a certin vlue.. But That didnt fit!!! so, zero for me..
And that is why the English language is so complicated. There are often multiple definitions for the same word.


sexyldy1000 68F  
9607 posts
8/25/2021 11:25 am

    Quoting p1947q:
    Worked more than enough Washington Post Crosswords at lunch so I had come across most of these. Nard was new to me but by process of elimination I did get it right also.
Different creators of crossword puzzles do seem to develop their own lexicon. I used to buy crossword puzzle books of varying levels of difficulty to challenge myself.


sexyldy1000 68F  
9607 posts
8/25/2021 11:27 am

    Quoting  :

I am also not a fan of cryptic crosswords. Thanks for sharing your answers!


sexyldy1000 68F  
9607 posts
8/25/2021 11:32 am

    Quoting Tmptrzz:
    So glad to hear that you enjoy a good Crossword Puzzle, for me I like other kinds of word puzzles I used to buy those Thick Puzzle Books that had all kinds of puzzles in them.

    I haven't done any in a while and thanks for the definition lesson I hadn't heard of these before. I learned a lot about these words today.

    I hope you enjoy a Happy Hump Day..
I also like other word puzzles including Search Word and Jumbles. The challenges are good for my brain! Hope you have a great Hump Day!


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