In this article, let's talk about an amazing puzzle. Crossword: what does this word mean.
Meaning and Origin
The word is borrowed from England and consists of two parts: cross (cross, cross) and word (word). Definitely answer the question of where and when the first crosswords appeared. Interesting puzzles, very reminiscent of modern ones, were found on the site of Pompeii and dated to the 1st century AD. Some sources say that analogues of the current crosswords appeared in the middle of the XIX century in New York. Countries like the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States of America also claim the title of homeland of these puzzles.
According to Ephraim’s dictionary, a crossword puzzle is a task that consists in filling the rows of cells with letters so that vertically and horizontally the words given in the description are obtained.
Ozhegov interprets the meaning easier. A crossword puzzle is a game, a task in which a simple figure from empty cells is filled with words whose value is set according to the condition of the game.
The Russian Humanitarian Dictionary gives this meaning. A crossword puzzle is a crossword puzzle, a puzzle consisting of interweaving rows of cells that are filled with words according to a given description or meaning.
Crossword Puzzle Rules
When compiling crosswords, it is important to observe the following parameters:
- A quick guess is given a brief but at the same time meaningful description or definition.
- Letters are written one in each cell of the field.
- The crossword puzzle should not have isolated sections.
- Answers must be singular. Multiple is used only if the only word is not used (for example, glasses).
- Each clue must intersect at least two times.
Types of Crosswords
In the American version, all cells are at the intersection of words. Moreover, authors often use abbreviations - abbreviations, which is not typical for other types.
The Japanese crossword is different in that the black cells in it do not touch each other's sides. Cells in the corner always remain white. Thus, the crossword puzzle has the shape of a rectangle.
In the Scandinavian crossword (abbreviated scanword), instead of full and expanded descriptions, a short definition is given, by association with which they guess the word. You can replace definitions with images and photographs.
Hungarian crossword (fileword) - a field of cells already filled with letters. The task of man is to find words among these letters. Moreover, the answers should not overlap and do not have common cells.
An English crossword puzzle is like a puzzle. It also consists of a field filled with letters, but the answers are always in the same direction, do not break and can have common letters. In both types of the crossword puzzle at the end of the game there are letters that make up the keyword.
There are no empty cells in the Estonian crossword puzzle. Among them, cells that do not belong to the same answer are delimited by a line.
There is another special crossword puzzle. What is a keyword or keyword? The task of the keyword is to restore the original crossword puzzle. In it, the letters are encrypted with numbers, with each letter corresponding to a certain number.
Thus, a crossword puzzle is a puzzle, a riddle that is created and filled in accordance with the rules and taking into account the type of crossword puzzle.