Winter for Hangman ❄️

Clues for every answer

A one-line clue for every answer, easy to hard. They're the same clues the game's 💡 Hint shows, so you can read them out when you run your own game.

Snow

Frozen white flakes made of ice crystals; in winter a layer of it shields plants and animals underneath from the cold.

Ice

Frozen water; it floats because it is less dense than liquid water, so lakes and ponds don't freeze from the bottom up.

Cold

Having a low temperature; when a person or animal feels it strongly, it can be quite uncomfortable.

Frost

Fragile white ice crystals that, in temperate places, most often coat surfaces near the ground.

Scarf

Neckwear that for cold climates is often knitted, commonly from wool; the winter kind is sometimes called a muffler.

Sled

The usual American word for a vehicle that slides over snow or ice; it comes from a Middle Dutch word meaning 'sliding'.

Chill

A moderate but uncomfortable, penetrating coldness; a sudden one can make your whole body tremble for a moment.

Boots

Footwear that the Inuit and Aleut traditionally made for winter from caribou skin or sealskin.

Skate

Metal blade worn underfoot to glide across ice; the first ones were made from the leg bones of horses, oxen or deer.

Log

The trunk of a dead tree with its branches cleared; bulky pieces cut from one are used as fuel for a fire.

Mitts

Hand coverings with no separate finger holes, though generally a separate thumb; they keep hands warmer than gloves.

Dark

Lacking light; winter is more like this than any other season, because nighttime predominates then.

Gloves

Hand coverings with a separate sheath for each finger and the thumb; knitted wool ones help keep out the cold.

Ski

One of a pair of runners made to glide over snow; its name comes from an Old Norse word meaning 'stick of wood'.

Woolly

Made from the fibre that comes from sheep, or with a thick, soft texture as if made from it.

Igloo

Shelter of compacted snow blocks, generally dome-shaped; body heat alone can keep it far warmer than outside.

Sledge

The general British word for a vehicle that slides on snow or ice; Captain Scott championed hauling them by hand.

Frosty

Cold and chilly, or covered with a fragile white coating of ice crystals.

Icy

Covered with frozen water, wholly or partly; it can also describe a very cold, unfriendly manner.

Polar

To do with the far north or far south of the Earth, within the Arctic or Antarctic circles.

Snowman

A winter figure made of packed spheres: two in the UK, but usually three in North America.

Snowball

Usually made by scooping up and pressing with your hands into a sphere, then often thrown in play fights.

Icicle

A spike that forms when water dripping off something freezes; it can grow on bright, sunny days that are below freezing.

Blizzard

Severe winter storm that can cause whiteouts; its name probably copies a sound, like 'blow' and 'blast'.

Shivering

Small shaking movements of your muscles that make warmth when your body gets cold.

Freezing

Very cold; 'below' this means under 0 °C, the temperature at which water usually turns to solid ice.

Fireplace

Brick, stone or metal structure built to hold flames that heat a room; a chimney lets the gases out.

Snowflake

Falling ice crystal that often grows in a roughly six-sided pattern, though none is ever perfectly symmetrical.

Thermal

To do with heat; said of fabric or clothes, it means they insulate well to keep the body warm.

Toboggan

Simple sled with no runners (or only low ones), so its bottom rides right on the snow as it slides down a slope.

Hibernate

To spend the winter inactive, with slow breathing and a low body temperature, as European hedgehogs do.

Sleigh

Horse-, dog- or reindeer-drawn vehicle on snow; its name came into English via Dutch immigrants to North America.

Hot Chocolate

Warm drink made with cocoa and heated milk or water, usually sweetened and often topped with marshmallows.

Snowplough

A device fitted to vehicles such as pickup trucks, or even trains, to clear ice and drifts from roads and railway tracks.

Earmuffs

Padded cups on a headband that warm the sides of your head; a 15-year-old is credited with inventing them in 1873.

Snow Angel

Lie on your back in fresh powder and sweep your arms and legs: the arms make wings, the legs a gown.

Ice Rink

A frozen surface for skating and hockey; the second word of its name is Scottish, meaning 'course'.

Slush

A mix of small ice crystals and liquid water, often turned grey or muddy brown by dirt on the ground.

Gritter

A lorry that spreads salt on roads to speed up the melting of snow and ice, keeping them safe for driving.

Wood Burner

Heating stove with a closed metal firebox, usually cast iron or steel; the first was patented in 1557.

Hibernation

A seasonal state of minimal activity that saves energy when food is scarce; larger species fatten up beforehand.

Frostbite

An injury where skin or other living tissue freezes, most often on the hands and feet.

Avalanche

A rapid flow of snow down a hill or mountain; big ones can carry ice, rocks and even trees along with them.

Permafrost

Ground frozen for two years or more, under about 11% of Earth's land; the oldest for around 700,000 years.

Glacier

Slow-moving body of ice that can look blue, partly because it has so few air bubbles inside.

Evergreen

Plant that sheds its leaves gradually, not all at once, so it stays leafy all year, unlike deciduous trees.

Snowdrift

A mound sculpted by the wind during a storm, formed rather like a sand dune, usually against an object.

Crampons

Traction devices fixed to boots for grip on snow and ice, used in climbing and for crossing glaciers.

Subzero

Less than nought, mostly said of temperatures; water usually turns solid at or below 0 °C.

Wintry

Typical of the year's coldest season: cold and stormy; showers described this way contain sleet or snow.

Hoarfrost

White ice crystals on the ground or on wires and leaves; the first part of its name meant 'showing signs of old age'.

Solstice

In the Northern Hemisphere the winter one falls on 21 or 22 December, the day with the longest night.

Icebreaker

A ship with a strengthened hull that clears paths through frozen water so other boats can pass safely.

Hypothermia

When the body's core temperature falls below 35 °C; mild cases bring shivering and confusion.

Long Johns

Underwear with full-length legs and sleeves for cold weather; possibly named after a 19th-century boxer.

Hot Water Bottle

Sealed rubber or plastic container you fill to warm a bed; the modern design was patented in 1903.

Black Ice

A clear glaze on roads that is often almost invisible to drivers, because the dark surface shows through it.

Polar Bear

The biggest living land carnivore, native to the Arctic, with white or yellowish fur over black skin.

Arctic Circle

Map line at about 66°34' N; the further north of it you go, the longer the Sun stays down around the December solstice.

Northern Lights

Arctic sky glow in colours like green, red and purple, caused by charged particles from the Sun hitting the atmosphere.