ROO is often the answer to the crossword clue
[Friend of Pooh] or [Kanga’s kid]
When not a proper name, “ROO,” is a colloquial term for the [Aussie hopper]. English borrowed the word “kangaroo” from gangurru, the animal’s name in the language of the Guugu Yimithirr people in Far North Queensland.
The word “kangaroo” has been adopted by so many languages that if you say it, it should be understood by speakers of Arabic, German, French, Finish, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Welsh.
(That goes double if you simultaneously make two fists under your chin and hop around the room.)
Speaking of tucking up hands two-hand pockets in the front of hoodies are called “kangaroo pockets.” And in some places–I think primarily Canada but please let me know if I’m wrong–a HOODIE [It goes over your head] itself is called a “kangaroo,” a “kangaroo jacket,” or a “bunny hug.”
Kangaroo nomenclature to kick around…
Particular parlance about the species permits puzzles to pass off the crossword answer ROO as a [Jack, jill or joey] or a [Boomer or doe]. To wit:
- A male kangaroo is known as a
- A female kangaroo is known as a
- The collective noun for a group of kangaroos is a
- Last (and in a sense, least), a baby is called a
- JOEY [Baby in a pouch], [Roo, for one].
Note that unlike a joey, a ROO can be any age, satisfying clues for both a [Joey, for one] and a [Joey’s mom]. And either can work as [Bush junior?].
Two that answer to [Milne marsupial]
Of course, the crossword answer ROO is often clued in connection to the [Joey in A. A. Milne stories]. The [Hundred Acre Wood denizen] might show tied
The [Marsupial friend of Christopher Robin] often bounds into puzzles bound to his mother, as in clues like [Kanga’s kid].
Like her son, KANGA is also a [Jumpy Milne character]. Interestingly, she’s the [Only female character in a classic 1926 book]. But my favorite clue for the [Milne mom] must be Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel’s clue from their October, 21, 2011 puzzle: the totally tonally incongruous [Whence Roo?].
Curiously, “kanga” and “roo” together make one “kangaroo.” Meanwhile the word “roo” makes “kangaroo” a “kangaroo word,” a term for a word that contains its own synonym. The smaller, contained synonym is called a joey word.
For instance, “malignant” is a kangaroo word containing the joey word “malign.” “Masculine” is a kangaroo word carrying around “male.” And “roo” is the joey to “kangaroo.”
ROO hops in to answer [Quintana ___]
Every so often, a crossword will use another reference for ROO to deliver a real kick to the teeth: [Quintana ___]. One of Mexico‘s 32 states, Quintana Roo is located in the southeast and is best known to Americans for its [Yucatan resort] city of CANCUN.
