What do You Call a Person Who Does Jigsaw Puzzles?
Love doing jigsaw puzzles? So do I. So what should we call ourselves when people wish to know what our favourite hobby and pastime is.
No, it's not the lead-in line to a joke. Lots of new puzzlers especially want to know what you call someone who does jigsaw puzzles. You'll discover official and unofficial names on this page.
I asked my husband what he thought the answer to this was and he came up with lots of ideas but was nowhere near identifying what we call someone who likes to do jigsaw puzzles.
You might think that a person who loves doing jigsaw puzzles would have a name that stems from either Puzzles or Jigsaws, but neither of those words appear in the official title.
You're not likely to guess, so here's what it is: Dissectologist.
It's not a cool word or a sexy one. Dissectologist sounds like someone who dissects animals as a hobby.
As a vegetarian and fan of wildlife and animals, it's not really a word I want to use when I describe my favourite hobby!
Read on to find out why we get this awful sounding word and also what some of the unofficial names are as well.
The definition of dissectologist is a person who enjoys jigsaw puzzle assembly. That is precisely what it means.
Jigsaw puzzles prior to and during the 19th century were called dissected maps and also known as dissected puzzles. These were wooden pictures that were hand cut with a fret saw into irregular shaped pieces. These pieces were then assembled together to complete the whole picture.
Dissected maps was a name used because some of the earliest puzzles were made from printed maps. These puzzles were educational as well as recreational. They could also be referred to as picture maps and wooden maps.
The dissected word gradually fell out of use in favour of picture puzzles and eventually jigsaw puzzles in the 20th century.
Why jigsaw puzzles? Jigsaw refers to the saw used to cut the wooden puzzles which was a type of fret saw.
Not surprisingly, I'm not too keen on the word dissectologist although the history of where that word came from is kind of fun.
But, let's be honest, if someone asks me what I do all day (okay not all day!) I'm hardly going to use that word. They'll just say,"What," or get the totally wrong idea.
I prefer to describe myself as a puzzler. I know it could apply to other puzzles and not just jigsaws, but it's a better choice of word.
Here's some more unofficial names for people who love jigsaws:
Puzzler
Jigsaw Junkie / Junky
Puzzlist
Jigsaw-ist
Puzzle-ologist
Jigster
Piece-ologist
Nerd!! (That last one is a joke, by the way)
Some people have mentioned the word enigmatologist, but this means someone who studies and writes mathematical, word or logic puzzles so it doesn't specifically cover jigsaw puzzles. It is a more precise word for word puzzles such as word searches, number puzzles like sudoku and riddles.
For extra interest, Cruciverbalist applies to someone who loves crossword puzzles.
You may be wondering how to pronounce the word dissectologist.
I'll break it up for you: Di (as in Princess Di) / Sek / Tol / Oh / Jist
Say each part slowly until you get the pronunciation and can string it together.
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No, it's not the lead-in line to a joke. Lots of new puzzlers especially want to know what you call someone who does jigsaw puzzles. You'll discover official and unofficial names on this page.
I asked my husband what he thought the answer to this was and he came up with lots of ideas but was nowhere near identifying what we call someone who likes to do jigsaw puzzles.
What do You Call a Person Who Does Jigsaw Puzzles?
You might think that a person who loves doing jigsaw puzzles would have a name that stems from either Puzzles or Jigsaws, but neither of those words appear in the official title.
You're not likely to guess, so here's what it is: Dissectologist.
It's not a cool word or a sexy one. Dissectologist sounds like someone who dissects animals as a hobby.
As a vegetarian and fan of wildlife and animals, it's not really a word I want to use when I describe my favourite hobby!
Read on to find out why we get this awful sounding word and also what some of the unofficial names are as well.
What is a Dissectologist and Why is This Word Used for Puzzle Fans?
The definition of dissectologist is a person who enjoys jigsaw puzzle assembly. That is precisely what it means.
Jigsaw puzzles prior to and during the 19th century were called dissected maps and also known as dissected puzzles. These were wooden pictures that were hand cut with a fret saw into irregular shaped pieces. These pieces were then assembled together to complete the whole picture.
Dissected maps was a name used because some of the earliest puzzles were made from printed maps. These puzzles were educational as well as recreational. They could also be referred to as picture maps and wooden maps.
The dissected word gradually fell out of use in favour of picture puzzles and eventually jigsaw puzzles in the 20th century.
Why jigsaw puzzles? Jigsaw refers to the saw used to cut the wooden puzzles which was a type of fret saw.
Unofficial Names for People Who Like Doing Jigsaw Puzzles
Not surprisingly, I'm not too keen on the word dissectologist although the history of where that word came from is kind of fun.
But, let's be honest, if someone asks me what I do all day (okay not all day!) I'm hardly going to use that word. They'll just say,"What," or get the totally wrong idea.
I prefer to describe myself as a puzzler. I know it could apply to other puzzles and not just jigsaws, but it's a better choice of word.
Here's some more unofficial names for people who love jigsaws:
Puzzler
Jigsaw Junkie / Junky
Puzzlist
Jigsaw-ist
Puzzle-ologist
Jigster
Piece-ologist
Nerd!! (That last one is a joke, by the way)
Some people have mentioned the word enigmatologist, but this means someone who studies and writes mathematical, word or logic puzzles so it doesn't specifically cover jigsaw puzzles. It is a more precise word for word puzzles such as word searches, number puzzles like sudoku and riddles.
For extra interest, Cruciverbalist applies to someone who loves crossword puzzles.
How to Pronounce Dissectologist / Pronunciation
You may be wondering how to pronounce the word dissectologist.
I'll break it up for you: Di (as in Princess Di) / Sek / Tol / Oh / Jist
Say each part slowly until you get the pronunciation and can string it together.
Related Content You Should Also Love:
How to Begin a Jigsaw Puzzle
How to do a 500 Piece Jigsaw from Start to Finish
More Jigsaw Puzzle Facts to Enjoy
How to do a 500 Piece Jigsaw from Start to Finish
More Jigsaw Puzzle Facts to Enjoy
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