cross·word / ˈkrôswərd/ (also crossword puzzle) • n. a puzzle consisting of a grid of squares and blanks into which words crossing vertically and horizontally are written according to clues.ORIGIN: said to have been invented by the journalist Arthur Wynne, whose puzzle (called a “word-cross”) appeared in a Sunday newspaper, the New York World, on December 21, 1913.

crossword a puzzle consisting of a grid of squares and blanks into which words crossing vertically and horizontally are written according to clues. It is said to have been invented by the journalist Arthur Wynne, whose puzzle (called a ‘word-cross’) appeared in a Sunday newspaper, the New York World, on 21 December 1913.