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wsj OP t1_j0hhyr2 wrote

Reply to comment by bewildered_forks in I’m Mike Shenk, Crossword Editor for the Wall Street Journal. AMA. by wsj

If I consider it crosswordese, I'd be happy to never see it again. My current top nonfavorite word is STYE.

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skepticaljesus t1_j0hwdd5 wrote

Is that crosswordese? I've definitely used that in casual conversation, and is a thing that is occasionally genuinely relevant to my life unlike, say, ETUI or mel OTT.

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Provokateur t1_j0j68v4 wrote

OTT and ORR are by-far my least favorite. Especially because, even after seeing them thousands of times, I can never remember which is which.

(One is a famous hockey player from 60 years ago, the other a famous baseball player from 90 years ago.)

EPEE is also up there, but I just like the feel of it.

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coffeecakesupernova t1_j0jy2m2 wrote

You know you're old when words that confuse people were common knowledge to you when you were growing up...

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LupineChemist t1_j0ltpir wrote

I'm pretty sure Bostonians still worship Bobby Orr

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allnose t1_j0qax56 wrote

Can confirm, I'm never upset to see Bobby ORR in a puzzle, even if I'll concede that Catch-22 deserves mention once in a while

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theotherkeith t1_j0ki7yu wrote

Just remember that a hockey stick is flat like an oar (ORR), and a baseball bat is not (OTT)

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goofballl t1_j0l3h29 wrote

I think after 10 years of practice I'm finally remembering the difference between ural and aral.

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Memphi901 t1_j0ldqgn wrote

Hahaha, I’m about 10 years in but still short of mastering this

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Plane_Chance863 t1_j0lexjo wrote

Bobby Orr! I don't even like hockey but I know that one... Maybe because he's Canadian. Dunno who Ott is.

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Alterscapes t1_j0ikn06 wrote

If the guy that's been putting these together since 1999 says it is, then it is.

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skepticaljesus t1_j0isa7y wrote

in that case it would be interesting to know how he defines "crosswordese", because I've always understood it to mean "words and concepts that are common in crosswords, and more or less nonexistent in real life", which stye demonstrably is not.

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Alterscapes t1_j0iu0mn wrote

How often do you find yourself referring to medical term, Stye?

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skepticaljesus t1_j0iunfe wrote

I personally had a stye a few months ago, and it was also a topic of conversation last weekend with my sister-in-law who currently had one. So, not infrequently, I guess?

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Alterscapes t1_j0ivtm4 wrote

Fair enough

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skepticaljesus t1_j0iw6hy wrote

I'm not trying to be like "I have this very unique experience, and that should be everyone's experience", I just genuinely didn't think of styes as this ultra esoteric concept that people only understand in the abstract, i think of it as a relatively common, relatable experience that most people will probably have a few times in their life.

Is that not the case?

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Alterscapes t1_j0iwo0s wrote

I literally said fair enough

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scockd t1_j0jhdgf wrote

Give him a break; he has so many styes he can’t read your posts properly.

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hitmandude t1_j0l3fts wrote

I’m sorry, but this exchange is peak comedy

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goofballl t1_j0l3eli wrote

Have you seen etui recently? Your comment just reminded me that I haven't found it in a puzzle in awhile. Glad it's gone, like they finally (mostly) stopped putting "sapporo sash" in as well.

Oreo can't seem to die though.

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longdustyroad t1_j0ink0i wrote

Funny, my baby just had a STYE so it wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of my list :)

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TuaTurnsdaballova t1_j0jgl4u wrote

People gets styes on their eyes

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Bigbysjackingfist t1_j0kv9sa wrote

You should shout that from the top of Mount Etna

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O-hmmm t1_j0l6xww wrote

2 other words that I used to frequently see were stoa and adit. It's been a while since I've encountered them.

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