Merriam-Webster’s Crossword Puzzle Dictionary

This is a wonderful book. I thought it was a later edition of mine but I was wrong. I returned it for a different one. Excellent return process.

The media could not be loaded. This book is almost double the pages of my old one (2nd edition) so that can be good or bad depending. I don’t travel with mine often so I don’t mind the larger size and am happy to have more words! I often reference this book when writing poetry. So this book is perfect for those that often look up synonyms.

I used my previous edition so much that it is falling apart, and this new version will replace it. It is pretty comprehensive if you become familiar with the organization of the book. There are some lists that I would like to have included, such as Greek and Hebrew alphabets and names of months, which seem to come up in clues in puzzles. I've made my own and attached them to the back cover.

I don't believe this is as good as the New York Times Crossword dictionary that I replaced because it fell apart. The print size is good, but because it is large print, book is heavy to handle in my easy chair where I usually work on puzzles. Some words are not listed that I think should be.

This was an additional Christmas gift for a Scrabble enthusiast. A great find!

I enjoy crossword puzzles, but have a hard time with them unless they specify that they are easy. I just got this book today. Very comprehensive and easy to read. Don't get the "mass market" copy. The print will be too small. I know this book is going to give me a lot of help to complete the puzzles.

For years I have used, and continue to use, Andrew Swanfeldt's excellent and thorough "Crossword Puzzle Dictionary." However, the most recent edition, the 6th, was last updated in 2002, so it lacks many recent references. I now do puzzles in multiple locations, so for an additional dictionary, I thought I'd try a more updated one.When it comes to dictionaries, there are few more reliable names than Miriam Webster, so I ordered their 4th Edition Crossword Puzzle Dictionary, last updated in 2016. It's a good book, but I've been disappointed that it often has fewer words and sometimes an entry gives fewer examples. Swanfeldt's dictionary also has more depth and breadth.For instance, Swanfeldt's has the entry, "Handy Andy's catch: 5 Oonah." Handy Andy is a 19th century novel by the Irish writer, Samuel Lover. Oonah is the girl he pursues and her name sometimes comes up as a crossword clue. Neither Andy Rooney, nor Oona appears in the Miriam Webster Crossword Dictionary.

Have not used it yet but it is thick and fairly small print so I feel there are lots of words in it.