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Word Power Quiz: Can You Define These Common Crossword Puzzle Answers?

Certain otherwise obscure words show up repeatedly in crossword grids because they’re short, full of vowels or both. Take your solving skills to the next level by studying some crosswordese.

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Crossword puzzle words: AriaPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #1: Aria

A: Plot of land
B: Circle of refracted sky visible to underwater divers
C: Opera song for one accompanied voice

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Male opera singerPhoto: Ivica Drusany/Shutterstock

Answer: C—Opera song for one accompanied voice

As in, “On days when she awoke in a cheery mood, Lesley would sing arias from L’elisir d’amore in the shower.”

Test your knowledge of these evocative adjectives!

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Crossword puzzle words - ErnePhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #2: Erne

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

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Sea eaglePhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: B—Sea eagle

As in, “An erne snatched a fish from just under the water’s surface.”

Find out why the plural of moose isn’t meese.

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Crossword puzzle answers - TsarPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #3: Tsar

A: Emperor of Russia
B: Traitor
C: Successful entrepreneur

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Tsar NicholasPhoto: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Answer: A—Emperor of Russia

As in, “DNA from living relatives was used to authenticate the suspected remains of Tsar Nicholas II.”

Test your knowledge of these royal terms.

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Crossword puzzle answers - NibPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #4: Nib

A: Small gold nugget
B: Mug handle
C: Point of a pen

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Fountain pen nibPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Point of a pen

As in, “The secret to Derrick’s elegant handwriting was a fountain pen with a flexible nib.”

Up for another vocabulary challenge? Test your Word Power on words containing “P” and “Q.”

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Crossword puzzle answers - IrePhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #5: Ire

A: Distaste
B: Envy
C: Anger

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Angry womanPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Anger

As in, “The decision to make Parade Avenue a pedestrian-­only street drew a mixture of praise and ire from citizens.”

These wild facts about the English language will blow your mind.

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Crossword puzzle answers - EcruPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #6: Ecru

A: Light beige
B: Espresso foam
C: Sourdough starter leftover after baking

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Light beige jacketPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: A—Light beige

As in, “Ondrej convinced his landlord to let him add some colour to his apartment’s ecru walls.”

Can you pass this quiz of fourth grade spelling words?

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Crossword puzzle answers - IliaPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #7: Ilia

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

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Pelvic bonesPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: B—Large bones in the upper half of the pelvis

As in, “Sylvia fractured both her ilia by falling off her motorcycle.”

How well do you know your first aid terms?

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Crossword puzzle answers - AridPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #8: Arid

A: Very dry
B: Void of air
C: Solid as a rock

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Brown lawnPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: A—Very dry

As in, “Having moved to an arid climate, Vikram opted not to waste water on a lawn.”

Can you answer these real Jeopardy! questions about words?

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Crossword puzzle answers - PicaPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #9: Pica

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

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Little boy climbing a wooden fencePhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: B—Craving to eat substances that aren’t foods

As in, “Young kids aren’t usually diagnosed with pica because it’s normal for them to chew on everything.”

Put your knowledge of health lingo to the test with our medical trivia quiz.

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Crossword puzzle answers - NardPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #10: Nard

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

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Spikenard plantPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Aromatic Himalayan plant

As in, “Nard is mentioned in the Bible as an erotic scent.”

Try your hand at these history questions people always get wrong.

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Crossword puzzle answers - StoaPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #11: 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

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Ancient attractions in Athens, GreecePhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: B—Covered walkway supported by evenly spaced columns

As in, “The Stoa Poikile (“painted stoa”) of ancient Athens featured illustrations of battles.”

Take to the skies without leaving your chair by exploring these aviation terms.

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Crossword puzzle answers - EkePhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #12: Eke

A: Frighten someone without intending to
B: Sneak past someone
C: Make something last by using it frugally

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Woman on her laptopPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Make something last by using it frugally

As in, “Lucie eked out her remaining funds until her late paycheque finally arrived.”

Test your knowledge of these Canadian slang terms.

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Crossword puzzle answers - EtuiPhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #13: Etui

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

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Ornamental case for penPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Small ornamental case

As in, “Xuejiao kept sewing needles and a thimble in an antique silk etui.”

Here are 15 Final Jeopardy questions everybody got wrong.

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Crossword puzzle answers - EpeePhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #14: Épée

A: Fencing sword with a bowl-shaped guard
B: French epic
C: Lace on the shoulder of a gown

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FencingPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer: A—Fencing sword with a bowl-shaped guard

As in, “Paralympian épée fencers wear metal-lined aprons over their legs and wheelchairs.”

Know your way around a kitchen? Test your knowledge of cooking terms.

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Crossword puzzle answers - OdePhoto: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword puzzle answer #15: Ode

A: Lyric poem that addresses its subject in an irregular metre
B: Ambiguous prophecy whose meaning is understood only in retrospect
C: Song that laments a death

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Woman making a speechPhoto: Shutterstock

Ode: A—Lyric poem that addresses its subject in an irregular metre

As in, “Pablo Neruda wrote odes to such commonplace objects as his socks, an onion and a bar of soap.”

Next, check out 20 printable crossword puzzles that’ll give your brain a workout.

Reader's Digest Canada
Originally Published in Reader's Digest Canada