Crossword puzzles have a language all their own. This astonishingly entertaining guide to grid lingo will improve your game while it fills in the hows, whys, and history of this quirky idiom. This is a celebration of the weird and wonderful language of crossword puzzles, and its evolution over time. Because the crossword lexicon is all about wordplay and changing cultural references, this delightfully gifty gamechanger is much, much more than just a dictionary. Full of lexical miscellanies, playful asides, language history, peculiar puzzle clues, and pop cultural references--plus a dozen crossword puzzles specially created for this book--this is an entertaining read for word gamers and language lovers of all varieties.