cryptic vs obscure

cryptic

adj
  • Having hidden (unapparent) meaning. 

  • Involving use of a code or cipher. 

  • Apparently identical, but actually genetically distinct. 

  • Serving as camouflage. 

  • Living in a cavity or small cave. 

  • Well camouflaged; having good camouflage. 

  • Mystified or of an obscure nature. 

  • Of a crossword puzzle, or a clue in such a puzzle, using, in addition to definitions, wordplay such as anagrams, homophones and hidden words to indicate solutions. 

noun
  • A cryptic crossword puzzle. 

obscure

adj
  • Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous. 

  • Dark, faint or indistinct. 

  • Difficult to understand. 

  • Not well-known. 

  • Unknown or uncertain; unclear. 

verb
  • To hide, put out of sight etc. 

  • To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious. 

How often have the words cryptic and obscure occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )