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Cambridge, MA
The heat in today's comments around NENE made me wonder. Seems there must be a puzzler's term (analogous to "Natick") for the short words that are wildly overrepresented in crossword puzzles because they are so convenient to the constructor trying to complete a block. These words, the crossword equivalent of cliches, eventually become a near-automatic part of the solver's toolkit. They are sometimes obscure (NENE) but not necessarily (OREO). New candidates arise (AC/DC). Others, once ubiquitous, go out of fashion (ERLE Stanley Gardner and Mel OTT) but still resurface occasionally as nostalgia for old-time puzzlers. On the off-chance no term exists, "Nene" actually seems like a a good candidate. It certainly has staying power -- I remember getting short shrift when complaining about it to an experienced puzzler and that was almost 50 years ago.
I’m clear on why BABY GROOT is new to me, but how well-known or obscure is “Elvis at Stax”?
@Jon Mark Aside from the fact that British English and American English common usage, it seems that describing chuffed and knackered as “English words” would really frustrate anyone who didn’t already know these are Britishisms.
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