Chapter 6
Ten Web Resources to Try
When You’re Stuck
In This Chapter
▶ Looking up abbreviations, quotations, and biblical names
▶ Finding translations
▶ Using an online atlas, thesaurus, and encyclopedia
W
e all have our online favorites, and depending on the specific nature of
the clues that are tripping you up, the resources I list here may or may
not be useful. But I suspect the ten I feature here will come in handy if you work
crosswords frequently.Abbreviations
If you’re stuck on a clue that contains or asks for an abbreviation, the Web site
at http://www.abbreviations.com is a gold mine. Here’s how it works: If you need
to find out what an abbreviation means, type it into the search box at the top
of the home page and click “Search.” For example, say you need to know what
“var” stands for. The page that pops up gives you a list of options, in order of
the popularity of their usage. So, from most to least popular, “var” could mean
variation, variety, value at risk, variante, value added reseller, and so on.
If you need to find the accepted abbreviation for a word or phrase, you change
the setting on the home page to “word >> abbreviation.” Then type your word
or phrase (for example, “British pound”) and click “Search.” If more than one
answer is available, you get a list ordered by popularity. If not, you get a single
response: In this case, GBP.