Word Power Quiz: Can You Define These Common Crossword Puzzle Answers?

These crossword puzzle answers will be familiar to anyone who solves puzzles regularly, but do you know what they actually mean? Put your vocabulary to the test by matching the word with its proper definition.

1 / 30
Crossword puzzle words: Aria
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

Crossword Puzzle Answers Quiz

What does aria refer to?

A: Plot of land
B: Circle of refracted sky visible to underwater divers
C: Opera song for one accompanied voice

2 / 30
Male opera singer
Photo: Ivica Drusany/Shutterstock

Answer: C—Opera song for one accompanied voice

As in, “On days when she awoke in a cheery mood, Lesley would sing arias from L’elisir d’amore in the shower.”

3 / 30
Crossword puzzle words - Erne
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does erne refer to?

A: Tall vase on a pedestal
B: Sea eagle
C: White fur made from ermine

4 / 30
Sea eagle
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: B—Sea eagle

As in, “An erne snatched a fish from just under the water’s surface.”

How many of these beautiful Canadian birds have you seen on your travels?

5 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Tsar
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does tsar refer to?

A: Emperor of Russia
B: Traitor
C: Successful entrepreneur

6 / 30
Tsar Nicholas
Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Answer: A—Emperor of Russia

As in, “DNA from living relatives was used to authenticate the suspected remains of Tsar Nicholas II.”

Can you match these royal terms with their proper definitions?

7 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Nib
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does nib refer to?

A: Small gold nugget
B: Mug handle
C: Point of a pen

8 / 30
Fountain pen nib
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Point of a pen

As in, “The secret to Derrick’s elegant handwriting was a fountain pen with a flexible nib.”

Do you know what these acronyms stand for?

9 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Ire
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does ire refer to?

A: Distaste
B: Envy
C: Anger

10 / 30
Angry woman
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Anger

As in, “The decision to make Parade Avenue a pedestrian-­only street drew a mixture of praise and ire from citizens.”

Can you pass this quiz of fourth-grade spelling words?

11 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Ecru
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does ecru refer to?

A: Light beige
B: Espresso foam
C: Sourdough starter leftover after baking

12 / 30
Painting over beige
Photo: fongbeerredhot/Shutterstock

Answer: A—Light beige

As in, “Andrea convinced her landlord to let her add some colour to her apartment’s ecru walls.”

Check out 20 painting tips the pros don’t want you to know.

13 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Ilia
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does ilia refer to?

A: Bacteria capable of causing sickness
B: Large bones in the upper half of the pelvis
C: Ear-shaped seashell

14 / 30
Pelvic bones
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: B—Large bones in the upper half of the pelvis

As in, “Sylvia fractured both her ilia by falling off her motorcycle.”

How well do you know your first aid terms?

15 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Arid
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does arid refer to?

A: Very dry
B: Void of air
C: Solid as a rock

16 / 30
Brown lawn
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: A—Very dry

As in, “Having moved to an arid climate, Vikram opted not to waste water on a lawn.”

Psst—this is the rainiest place in Canada.

17 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Pica
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does pica refer to?

A: Tiny fish used to exfoliate feet
B: Craving to eat substances that aren’t foods
C: Hot pepper

18 / 30
Woman with hungry tummy
Photo: Hakan Kiziltan/Shutterstock

Answer: B—Craving to eat substances that aren’t foods

As in, “Young kids aren’t usually diagnosed with pica because it’s normal for them to chew on everything.”

Put your knowledge of health lingo to the test with our medical trivia quiz.

19 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Nard
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does nard refer to?

A: Person with an intense interest in a topic
B: Narcotics officer
C: Aromatic Himalayan plant

20 / 30
Spikenard plant
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Aromatic Himalayan plant

As in, “Nard is mentioned in the Bible as an erotic scent.”

Is defining these crossword puzzle answers child’s play? Try your hand at these tricky history questions people always get wrong.

21 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Stoa
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does stoa refer to?

A: Guard who remains immobile so long as there’s no threat
B: Covered walkway supported by evenly spaced columns
C: Unit of 100 soldiers

22 / 30
Ancient attractions in Athens, Greece
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: B—Covered walkway supported by evenly spaced columns

As in, “The Stoa Poikile (“painted stoa”) of ancient Athens featured illustrations of battles.”

Take to the skies without leaving your chair by exploring these aviation terms.

23 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Eke
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does eke refer to?

A: Frighten someone without intending to
B: Sneak past someone
C: Make something last by using it frugally

24 / 30
Woman on her laptop
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: C—Make something last by using it frugally

As in, “Lucie eked out her remaining funds until her late paycheque finally arrived.”

How well do you know these Canadian slang terms?

25 / 30

Crossword puzzle answers - Etui
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does etui refer to?

A: Accusation of betrayal
B: Musical composition for improving finger dexterity
C: Small ornamental case

26 / 30
Small ornamental box
Photo: Aki 2007/Shutterstock

Answer: C—Small ornamental case

As in, “Xuejiao kept sewing needles and a thimble in an antique inlay etui.”

Next, test your knowledge of evocative adjectives.

27 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Epee
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does épée refer to?

A: Fencing sword with a bowl-shaped guard
B: French epic
C: Lace on the shoulder of a gown

28 / 30
Fencing
Photo: Shutterstock

Answer: A—Fencing sword with a bowl-shaped guard

As in, “Paralympian épée fencers wear metal-lined aprons over their legs and wheelchairs.”

Know your way around a kitchen? See if you can define these cooking terms.

29 / 30
Crossword puzzle answers - Ode
Photo: Reader's Digest/Shutterstock

What does ode refer to?

A: Lyric poem that addresses its subject in an irregular metre
B: Ambiguous prophecy whose meaning is understood only in retrospect
C: Song that laments a death

30 / 30
Woman making a speech
Photo: Shutterstock

Ode: A—Lyric poem that addresses its subject in an irregular metre

As in, “Pablo Neruda wrote odes to such commonplace objects as his socks, an onion and a bar of soap.”

Ready to put these crossword puzzle answers into play? Here are 20 printable crossword puzzles to get you started.

Reader's Digest Canada
Originally Published in Reader's Digest Canada

Newsletter Unit