Crosswordese

Crosswordese refers to those obscure words (usually between three and five letters) often found in crossword puzzles but not commonly used in everyday conversation. Here is a list of commonly used crosswordese. From the Wikipedia posting here

Alai – as in jai alai, a game played in a court with a ball and a wickerwork racket
Alee - in seaman’s language, toward the side opposite the wind
Asta - film dog of the 1930s
Asti - a city of Italy known for its sparkling wines
Elia – as in Elia Kazan, Greek-born American film and theater director
Enos - first-born son of Seth
Epee - a modern version of a duelling sword
Erle – as in Erle Stanley Gardner, an American lawyer and author of detective stories
Ete - summer in French
Ewer - a decorative pitcher
Olio - a miscellaneous mixture of elements, especially artistic works, musical pieces, writing, or food