# Please explain this crossword puzzle answer to me **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195 "2015-08-18T18:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/41 "2015-08-19T14:30:26Z")
I had to look it up, too, as I’d never heard of a skua. But apparently it really is a bird. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/42 "2015-08-19T14:34:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I had to look it up, too, as I’d never heard of a skua. But apparently it really is a bird. Another one that’s common in crosswords. Clever clue for it. Personally I like to eat Oreos with oleo when I dispatch on my aviso. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/43 "2015-08-19T15:36:17Z")
But do you keep your Oreos in an etui? Personally, I prefer an olla, as you can fit more in it. And once the Oreos are gone, you can cook an olio in it. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/44 "2015-08-19T19:19:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ok, then that must just be a quirk of mine. Whenever I see an unusual collection of letters like that, or something that looks like a word but isn’t quite, I read it backwards to see if it makes sense that way. Yeah, I do that all the time, too. Beware the aa. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/45 "2015-08-19T19:29:05Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > In my experience ATNO is an example of “crosswordese”; words, phrases and abbreviations that are often used in crossword puzzles. For example, crossword puzzle writers are just about the only people who refer to margarine as “oleo.” [Not quite.](https://youtu.be/lkbGtZjsgcQ?t=46s) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/46 "2015-08-19T19:29:44Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Beware the aa. I would if only I knew how to spell it backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/47 "2015-08-19T19:38:38Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > In my experience ATNO is an example of “crosswordese”; words, phrases and abbreviations that are often used in crossword puzzles. For example, crossword puzzle writers are just about the only people who refer to margarine as “oleo.” > > [Not quite.](https://youtu.be/lkbGtZjsgcQ?t=46s) Did you happen to notice the use of the qualifier “just about”? Also, your counter-example is almost fifty years old. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/48 "2015-08-19T19:39:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > For example, crossword puzzle writers are just about the only people who refer to margarine as “oleo.” You apparently don’t read too many older cookbooks. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/49 "2015-08-19T19:52:52Z")
I’m waiting for a crossword to pick up BioTop’s word where the clue was ‘number’. 9 letters, five of them were vowels. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/50 "2015-08-19T20:16:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m waiting for a crossword to pick up BioTop’s word where the clue was ‘number’. 9 letters, five of them were vowels. Enumerate? ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/51 "2015-08-19T21:43:50Z")
One of the cleverest I’ve ever seen: (it was in a cryptic) Initial repetition is only repetition after all (12 letters) ALLITERATION ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/52 "2015-08-19T21:55:25Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Enumerate? Good crossword word, but not a number. I’ll look for his thread later. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/53 "2015-08-19T22:22:26Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Good crossword word, but not a number. I’ll look for his thread later. Of course it’s not a number. It’s a synonym for the verb “number”. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/54 "2015-08-19T22:36:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > And Asta our favorite dog. Sometimes I go for Toto myself. My favorite dance is Adele Astaire. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/55 "2015-08-19T22:39:46Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > I consider myself to be relatively smart, but christ, I am awful at cryptic crosswords. I just don’t have the knack. Intelligence has nothing to do with cryptics. It is all about how well you bend your mind. I’m pretty good at ones written in the US but British ones are a challenge. I got a book of large London Times ones (Sunday puzzle size) in Princeton, and I’ve worked about a month on the first five puzzles. I have them all more than half done which is almost victory. There is just enough local knowledge required to make them really difficult. OTOH, being from New York no doubt makes NY Times puzzles easier. ---
**Author:** ![Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Last_Glacial_Maximum)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/56 "2015-08-19T22:53:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But do you keep your Oreos in an etui? Personally, I prefer an olla, as you can fit more in it. And once the Oreos are gone, you can cook an olio in it. Maybe Ono can do the cooking… 😉 . ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/57 "2015-08-19T23:01:22Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > You’ll have to explain that one to me 😕 The auk is an arctic (or subarctic) bird and the skua is an antarctic bird (regularly flies over the south pole). ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/58 "2015-08-19T23:11:33Z")
My favorite clue was: A little lower? calf ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/59 "2015-08-19T23:16:19Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > My favorite clue was: > > A little lower? > > calf The one that drove me crazy when I first ran across it was ‘layer’. \_\_N So simple in the end. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195/60 "2015-08-19T23:22:17Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Of course it’s not a number. It’s a synonym for the verb “number”. Yes, that works for my post, but I was referencing[this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=760575)and a riddle from Biotop starting with post #24. > [@Biotop](#): > > I am thinking of a number. If that number is spelled out, it has nine letters. Exactly five of those letters are vowels (a, e, i, o, or u). What is the number? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-this-crossword-puzzle-answer-to-me/728195.md?page=4)