Only In Cross Words 1

There are some words which I have literally never seen in any context except crosswords, where they crop up time and time again - usually because they have an unusual letter combo which fits in awkward places where normal words don't. Words with an unusual number of vowels and or consonants (like AIOLI or PHLEGM) are particularly popular. Crosswords are the only reason I know that TOPE means to drink alcohol, that an ETUI is where you keep your needles, that BRIO and ELAN are energetic liveliness, that ORMOLU is a gold-coloured material used to decorate clocks and furniture. I could go on, but I thought it would be more fun to tell you in crossword form. If you enjoy my crosswords, you'll LOVE the Cryptic Mystic's fantastic YouTube channel, which has been kind enough to feature a couple of my crosswords and is THE best resource for cryptic beginners: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Cryptic_Mystic