Understanding Crossword Abbreviations in American Crosswords (2024)

FAQs

What does the abbreviation SP mean in crosswords? ›

Speaking of foreign words, if the answer is a foreign word, the clue will often include another word from the same language. If not, then you might see a specific indication such as (fr.) or (sp.). For example HOLA might be clued as Hello (sp.), Hello in Spanish, or Juan's Hello.

HYPH - The hyphen (‐) is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word.

For example – EG (e.g., short for the Latin exempli gratia)

Noun. XP (plural XP) (role-playing games) Initialism of Experience Point.

Some writers may also italicize the word or place it in parentheses. Some style guides insist on italicizing sic even when it's inside square brackets. Sic comes into English from the Latin word for so or thus. It is an abbreviation for sic erat scriptum (“thus it had been written”).

With an anagram clue, you have to rearrange the letters of one or more words to give the solution. Anagram clues are sometimes encountered in 'straight' crosswords, with clues presented like this: Cheap (anag.)

Parentheses either indicate additional information to the clue or indicate that the word within the parentheses when combined with the answer completes a phrase.

Apostrophe-s plays a varied role in the English language. It can be used to. Mark possession e.g. Tom's eyes are shining with excitement. Contract 'is' e.g. Tom's solving the Guardian crossword. Contract 'has' e.g. Tom's completed the whole puzzle.

Tackle the easiest clues first.

Scan through the clues, and knock out all the easiest ones. Not only will this give your gameplay some structure, but also it'll give you an ego boost! Typically, fill-in-the-blank clues are the easiest. For example: “___ of Oz.”

What do numbers in parentheses mean in crossword? ›

Cryptic clues are followed by a number or numbers in parentheses indicating the length of the answer: (5) means it's a five-letter word, while (2,3,4) indicates a three-word phrase like “in the know.”

“A 'rebus' in a crossword is anything that gets entered in a square that's not a single letter of the alphabet.

E.g. is used to give one or more possible examples. It's a signal that you're seeing one or a few of multiple possibilities. I.e., on the other hand, clarifies; you are providing more precise information. Where e.g. opens up more options, i.e. narrows them down.

Some crosswords use the ellipsis (...). If one clue finishes with an ellipsis and the next clue starts with one, the inference is that the two clues are connected. Sometimes they are and you will have to solve one in order to solve the other but in many cases the two clues can be read independently.

There is a good deal of confusion surrounding et al., as is commonly the case with abbreviated Latin words (such as ibid., etc., and i.e.). Et al. comes from the Latin phrase meaning “and others.” It is usually styled with a period, but you will occasionally see et al as well.

The key differences between XD and XP products are:

(2) The XD models are a premium option as part of the X Series, and as such, their power supply, DSP chip and internal components are of a higher quality than those in the more affordable XP range.

An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game.

One of the most common symbols in Christian art is the Chi-Rho. It is created by superimposing the first two letters (XP) of the Greek word for Christ, ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ. The monogram, also called a “christogram,” primarily represents Jesus Christ, but is also considered to be a common representation of the crucifixion scene.

Circle-in-the-Square

The letters that will appear in the circles when the Answers are written in spell out words related to the puzzle's theme. the letters in squares that contain circles spell out words related to the theme either when read consecutively or when rearranged to form theme-related words.

A clue that is in quotes can be the title of a song, a movie or a book. But it can also mean something else: A clue in quotes that is something someone might say out loud has an answer that is a synonym for that verbalization.

Is using sic rude? ›

There are many contexts where it's appropriate to use “[sic],” particularly formal writing such as newspaper articles, academic essays, and legal documents. However, it's often inappropriate to use “[sic],” where it might clutter the text, seem unnecessarily petty, or offend the quoted author.

A rebus (/ˈriːbəs/) is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+) and the letter "n".

The use of "Var." indicates the answer is a variant spelling (e.g., EMEER instead of EMIR), while the use of foreign language or a foreign place name within the clue indicates that the answer is also in a foreign language. For example, ETE (été, French for "summer") might be clued as "Summer, in the Sorbonne".

Click on either a clue or a box in the grid to enter an answer. Clues marked in gray indicate that a word has been entered.

The asterisks at the start of the theme clues aren't there to mark the theme clues—they stand in for the letters Star. 22a. [*Z, for one], CABLE CHANNEL.

Comma say is the constructor's way of telling the solver that the clue is just one example or possible meaning of the entry.

Parentheses ( ) are used to enclose nonessential or supplemental information in a sentence. Parentheses are always used in pairs; you must have both an opening and a closing parenthesis. In formal academic writing, it is a good practice to use parentheses sparingly.

The apostrophe has three uses: 1) to form possessive nouns; 2) to show the omission of letters; and 3) to indicate plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols. ​Do not ​use apostrophes to form possessive ​pronouns ​(i.e. ​his​/​her ​computer) or ​noun ​plurals that are not possessives.

An exclamation mark may denote that something needs particular attention. Finally, do pay attention to every word in the clue, since the setter has placed each one there to have some significance, even if you may find some which are there just so that the clue makes sense grammatically.

Circles in a crossword highlight a theme for the puzzle. They either spell out what the theme is, words or letters related to the theme, and/or are in a pattern illustrating that theme. They provide extra clues to how each needs to be filled out.

What is the most used word in crossword puzzles? ›

“ERA” is the most common word in crossword puzzles, as well as “ARE,” “AREA,” and “ORE,” according to Gaffney.

Do Puzzles Every Day. The only way to improve at crosswords is to do lots of them, and the best way to do that is to work them into your daily routine. For me, that means tackling a few puzzles from an ancient book of 365 Will Shortz crosswords before bed every night.

So-called "fluid intelligence", or the ability to "make the mind jump through hoops" while solving problems, is directly linked to the ability to untangle cryptic clues, researchers found.

Generally, 'parentheses' refers to round brackets ( ) and 'brackets' to square brackets [ ]. However, we are more and more used to hearing these referred to simply as 'round brackets' or 'square brackets'.

Parentheses will contain numbers that require an operation to be done first. The operation within the parentheses can be a simple one-step operation or it could be a multi-step operation.

Definition of Amounts in Parentheses

A negative amount, such as a negative balance in your check register. A credit balance in an account that normally has a debit balance, or a debit balance in an account that normally has a credit balance. A credit entry, when a debit entry will not have parentheses.

In the reversal clue type, a word/phrase is spelt out in reverse to give the solution. The letters to be reversed may be indicated by the wordplay, or may be hidden in the letters of the wordplay. 'crazy' gives MAD, 'get-up' indicates that MAD should be spelt backwards.

Unlike regular crosswords, which typically ask the solver to find a synonym for a word or phrase, cryptic crosswords use clues that are deliberately misleading. Solvers have to ignore this reading and look instead for a grammatical set of coded instructions to lead them to the correct answer.

Meaning of SP in English

abbreviation for starting price : the amount of money offered just at the start of a race by a bookmaker for a winning bet (= money risked): Under the new system, prices will be sent straight from bookmakers' computers to machinery which will calculate the SP at the "off". the SP.

SP stands for Single Player (gaming)

This definition appears very frequently and is found in the following Acronym Finder categories: Slang/chat, popular culture.

What does SP * stand for? ›

standard play: the standard recording speed on a VCR or DVD recorder.

Satisfactory Progress (SP)

It indicates that work is in progress and has been evaluated and found to be satisfactory to date, but that the assignment of a precise grade must await completion of additional work.

"Just Playing" is the most common definition for JP on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. JP. Definition: Just Playing.

JP stands for "just playing." People who are messing with you use this acronym to indicate that their previous statement was a joke. JP is similar to JK, which stands for "just kidding." Both acronyms can also be written with a / after the J, as J/P or J/K.

This is an abbreviation that stands for postscript. It comes from the Latin word postscriptum. When translated, this word means “written after.” Therefore, it should come as no surprise that anything that follows the PS comes after the rest of the letter is already done.

Each Pokémon has Combat Power (CP) and Hit Points (HP). All Pokémon start out with full HP at capture, but HP can be depleted during battle. Each individual Pokémon is assigned CP at capture, which indicates how well that particular Pokémon will perform in battle.

Adventure Game Interpreter - Wikipedia. Open main menu. Home. Random.

In gaming, PP means "pause please." It is a quick way to ask the other player(s) in a multiplayer game if they can pause the game before continuing further.

Noun Phrase (NP)

Abbreviations These are some of the traditional marking abbreviations that will appear in the mark schemes. • bod – benefit of doubt. • ft – follow through.

What does B0 mean in mark scheme? ›

B0, B1. Independent mark awarded 0, 1. SC. Special case.