A browsable database of phrases and multi-word expressions for UK style crosswords.
Particularly useful for Jumbo and Prize crosswords. Great inspiration for crossword setters!
Arranged by Number of Letters (Column A), then Letter Pattern/ Enumeration (Column B), then in Alphabetical Order (Columns C-K)
Arranged in 2 files:
Double nouns (including plurals), phrasal verbs (including inflections), proverbs, quotations, mottoes, people and places, literature, the performing arts, sport, common expressions, colloquialisms, idioms ...over 800 categories of information have been mined for this database, as well as thousands of answers from old crosswords. All entries have been selected by a human, not computer-generated.
Hyphenated words are included; the hyphens are not shown, but are always treated as spaces (i.e. as if they were commas in the clue's letter pattern). Apostrophes are not usually counted, but if the answer is "St Vitus's dance" and it is enumerated in the clue as (2,5'1,5), you'll find it here as "St Vitus's dance" under (2,6,5).
There is now a single word Proper Case list too - see link on the side panel.
You come across some interesting and amusing coincidences while looking through phrases arranged by enumeration. There's a list below where the meanings either complement or contradict each other. My favourite is under 10,2,10. Numerologists might make something of all this!
© Ben Iscatus 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
A real understanding of cryptic crossword-solving can be gained at Big Dave's site: http://bigdave44.co.uk/