Crossword puzzle : Playing with words in French

Think you’ve mastered French? Put your linguistic finesse to the ultimate test with this fiendishly clever crossword. From subtle wordplay and rare idiomatic gems to tricky homophones and literary allusions, every clue demands a true command of the language. Only the sharpest minds need apply — this is French as it’s meant to be savoured, twisted, and celebrated.

Horizontalement

1. 3. Word sounding like another
2. 5. To call
3. 8. Repetition of initial consonant sounds
4. 11. To die
5. 12. Verb form variation system
6. 13. Last
7. 14. Soon

Verticalement

1. 1. always or still
2. 1. Always
3. 2. certainly, admittedly
4. 4. Message written in secret code
5. 5. Poem where initials form a word
6. 6. Book containing words and definitions
7. 7. Text omitting a specific letter
8. 8. Word with opposite meaning
9. 9. Thirteen
10. 10. often or frequently
11. 10. Often