Loose definition of "English" here...

[vortexae]

"All words in the grid are common, English-language words used in everyday speech."

AMIGO: Common, yes. Everyday speech, yes. English, not so much.

Could someone modify the quoted sentence above so as not to mislead us puzzlers? Even a parenthetical addition like "common, English-language words (or non-English words commonly used by English speakers)" would help prevent some of us beating our head against a brick wall. ("It looks like 'amigo' but it *can't* be because the directions specify English-only!")

[chibus]

This is an interessting question.

" All words in the grid are common, English-language words used in every
day speech"

This is indeed a broad description.

Where did you find this statement in the cluelesscrossword website?

Nonetheless, I've stumbled upon the following words in CluelessCrosswords:

zombie -- african or spanish origin
bazaar -- persian origin
bureau -- french origin
myrrh -- greek origin

...and my favorite:

uvula -- latin origin

Uvula: English language word? Definitely. Everyday speech? Perhaps. Common? Hmmm,.. (Try using it in a sentence next time you're having a conversation, e.g. "Ouch, my uvula hurts.")

It's a word game. And there are SO many words in the English language!

winter greetings,
chibus

[Zeraffe]

Technically, very few words in the English language actually originate from Old English (Anglo-Saxon). Modern English takes from many different early languages. It has many roots in Latin, Greek, Spanish, French, etc.

E.g.

Alligator- Spanish
Mosquito- Spanish
Bagel- Yiddish
Zombie- Central African
Yam- West African
Boogie- Hausa
Admiral- Arabic
Alcohol- Arabic
Algebra- Arabic
Magazine- Arabic

Just a few words I looked up. Modern English is a mutt. It has leeched off many different languages from all over the world for as long as English has existed.

See chart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Or...h_PieChart.svg

The words used in these puzzles are used because they are part of the Modern English language, no matter how recently acquired. If we were only to use "true English" words, we would have very few (comparatively) words with which to work.

[Nooraini]

Guys, it's true. English does use lots of borrowed words, same for a lot of languages. Otherwise it would be limiting. Just accept it.