Day: March 2, 2025

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Constructed by: Jill Singer
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: In a Manner of Speaking

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted literally with reference to words spoken in the corresponding clues:

• 22A “It’s so cold my fingers are going numb”: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
• 35A “I love my new down comforter”: BLANKET STATEMENT
• 52A “You should have seen that game-winning throw”: PASSING COMMENT
• 74A “I only carry one if there’s more than a 50% chance of rain”: UMBRELLA POLICY
• 89A “Granite is best because it’s heat-resistant and easy to clean”: COUNTER ARGUMENTS
• 108A “Eve and I really wanted that apple”: FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 15m 49s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Penn State rival: PITT

The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) was founded back in 1787 as the Pittsburgh Academy. Pitt was a private school until 1966, but is now one of four Pennsylvania universities receiving state funding.

9 Church topper: SPIRE

In general terms, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, often a church. More specifically, a steeple can be made up of several distinct parts:

1. Tower: the base of the steeple, which can often house a clock.
2. Belfry: the part that holds bells, often part of church steeples
3. Lantern: a decorative, windowed structure that admits light into the steeple
4. Spire: the tall, slender top

14 Not stick around: BAIL

The phrase “to bail out” (sometimes just “to bail”) means to leave suddenly. We’ve been using the term since the early thirties, when it originated with airline pilots. To bail out is to make a parachute jump.

21 “Free Willy” mammal: ORCA

The orca that starred in the 1993 movie “Free Willy” was actually called Keiko, with Willy being his “stage name”. Keiko had a sad life. He was captured near Iceland in 1979 and sold to a local aquarium. Subsequently he was sold on to Marineland in Ontario, and then Six Flags Mexico in 1985. After starring in the movie, his fans raised money with the intent of returning Keiko to the wild. Keiko had become very ill, partly from being confined in a small tank in Mexico, so a lot of money had to be spent returning him to good health. He was purchased by the Oregon Coast Aquarium who undertook the task of treating him and preparing him for the wild. You might recall the dramatic journey he took from Mexico to Oregon in a US Air Force transport plane in 1996. Having regained his health, he was flown to Iceland and there was gradually reintroduced into the wild. Sadly, Keiko did not fare too well back in the ocean. He was never adopted by a pod, so lived a solitary life. He lost weight, would sometimes follow fishing boats and play with any humans who would give him attention. In 2003, Keiko beached himself in Taken Bay in Norway, where he died.

25 Conceptualism debate starter: IS IT ART?

Conceptualism is an art movement that emphasizes the idea or concept behind an artwork over its visual or aesthetic qualities. Conceptual artists often use text, language, and everyday materials to convey their ideas, challenging traditional notions of art and its purpose. For example, Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” (1917), a readymade urinal signed “R. Mutt” questioned the definition of art and the role of the artist. More recently, Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” (2019), a banana duct-taped to a wall, sparked debate about the value and meaning of art in the modern world. It sold for $6.2 million, after which the owner ate the banana!

29 Polar bear platforms: FLOES

Polar bears are close cousins of brown bears, and are thought to have evolved from a population of brown bears that became isolated during a period of glaciation. Most polar bears live north of the Arctic Circle, and live mainly on seals that they capture near the edge of ice floes.

30 Piano key wood, traditionally: EBONY

The traditional materials used for the manufacture of piano keys were ebony (black) and ivory (white). Ebony is still used, but now for both white and black keys. The white keys are made by covering ebony with white plastic.

33 Langley org.: CIA

The CIA headquarters is located in Langley, Virginia in a complex called the George Bush Center for Intelligence. The facility was named for former Director of the CIA and US President George H. W. Bush. Langley used to be the largest intelligence agency (by area) in the western world, but that honor now goes to the BND Headquarters in Berlin.

44 Escort: SQUIRE

A squire can be an escort, say one attending to a woman. A squire is also a young nobleman who attended a knight in days of yore. A fun example would be Sancho Panza who accompanied the deluded Don Quixote.

47 Beats by __: DRE

Beats by Dre is a brand of audio products made by Beats Electronics, a company that was co-founded by rapper Dr. Dre. Apple bought Beats for $3 billion in 2014, the largest acquisition by far in the company’s history.

51 Tangy salad herb: CRESS

Garden cress is a leafy vegetable that is closely related to watercress and mustard. Cress is particularly popular in the UK where it is a common ingredient in sandwiches. It has a very pleasant peppery taste.

56 Crème de la crème: A-TEAM

The crème de la crème are the elite, the best of the best. The term “crème de la crème” is French, and translates as “cream of the cream”.

64 Business letters: LLC

A limited liability company (LLC) has a structure that limits the liability of the owner or owners. It is a hybrid structure in the sense that it can be taxed as would an individual or partnership, while also maintaining the liability protection afforded to a corporation.

66 Wine grape variety: CABERNET

The cabernet sauvignon (often just “cab”) grape has been around since the 17th century, and is the result of a chance crossing in southwestern France of the cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc grapes.

68 Texter’s apology: SRY

Sorry (SRY)

69 Like sashimi: RAW

Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish, although it can also be raw meat. The word “sashimi” translates literally as “pierced body”, which may be a reference to the practice of sticking the tail and fin to sliced fish to identify it.

70 Ann , Michigan: ARBOR

Ann Arbor, Michigan was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. Supposedly, Allen and Rumsey originally used the name “Annsarbour” in recognition of stands of bur oak that were on the land they had purchased and in recognition of their wives, both of whom were called “Ann” (i.e. Anns’ Arbor)

72 Dye used in mehndi: HENNA

In the Indian subcontinent, mehndi is a form of temporary body art in which designs are drawn on the hands or legs.

74 “I only carry one if there’s more than a 50% chance of rain”: UMBRELLA POLICY

Our term “umbrella” ultimately derives from the Latin “umbra” meaning “shade, shadow”.

78 Big shot: NABOB

A nabob is a person of wealth and prominence. “Nabob” was once used as a title for a governor in India.

82 Jimmy Eat World genre: EMO

Jimmy Eat World is an alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona.

83 Rings around pupils: IRISES

The iris is the colored part of the eye. It has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

85 Part of the largest ethnic minority in the U.S.: LATINO

The 2020 US census gives the following information about ethnicities in the population. The proportions are based on answers to the self-identified race question:

1. White: 61.6%
2. Hispanic and Latino: 18.9%
3. Black or African American: 12.4%
4. Two or more races: 10.2%
5. Some other race: 8.4%
6. Asian: 6.0%
7. Native American or Alaska Native: 2.9%
8. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.2%

89 “Granite is best because it’s heat-resistant and easy to clean”: COUNTER ARGUMENTS

Granite is an igneous rock that forms underground when magma cools and solidifies. The term “granite” comes from the Latin word “granum” meaning “grain”, reflecting the coarse grainy structure of the rock.

98 Composer Maurice: RAVEL

Maurice Ravel was a great French composer of the Romantic Era. His most famous piece of music by far is his “Bolero”, the success of which he found somewhat irksome as he considered it a trivial work. Personally though, I love the piece’s minimalism and simplicity …

103 Peppermint __: PATTIE

A York Peppermint Pattie is a very rich candy produced by Hershey under license from Cadbury’s in the UK. The confection shouldn’t be confused with Peppermint Patty (a different spelling), the character in the comic strip “Peanuts”.

114 Cincinnati players: REDS

The Red Scare (i.e. anti-communist sentiment) following WWII had such an effect on the populace that it even caused the Cincinnati baseball team to change its name from the Reds. The team was called the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1953-1958, as the management was fearful of losing money due to public distrust of any association with “Reds”.

116 Cookie one might twist to open: OREO

There is an “official” competition involving Oreo cookies, in case anyone is interested in participating. A competitor has to take several steps to finish an OREO Lick Race:

1. Twist open the cookie.
2. Lick each half clean of creme.
3. Show the clean cookie halves to the fellow competitors.
4. Dunk the cookie halves in a glass of milk.
5. Eat the cookie halves.
6. Drink the milk.
7. Ready, set, go …

117 Robin’s home: NEST

The American robin has a reddish-orange breast. This coloring gave the bird its name, due to the similarity to the European robin. The two species are not in fact related, with the American robin being a thrush, and its European cousin an Old World flycatcher. It is the American robin that famously lays light-blue eggs.

Down

5 Comice or Seckel: PEAR

The Comice (also “Doyenné du Comice”) is a variety of pear from France that was developed in the 1840s. It was introduced in the US in 1850. The Comice is a delicious pear …

The Seckel pear is a small, sweet variety that’s often called a “sugar pear” or “candy pear”. It’s believed to have originated near Philadelphia in the 18th century, and its name comes from the farmer who likely discovered it, one Lawrence Seckel.

6 Tattler’s refrain: I’LL TELL

Something described as tattletale is revealing, it gives away a secret. The term is a combination of “tattle” and “tale”, and is probably patterned on the similar word “telltale”. “To tattle” means “to tell secrets”, and the noun “tattletale” applies to someone who tells secrets and informs.

7 Private eye: TEC

A private eye is a private investigator, a PI, a private “I”.

9 Siberian dog breed: SAMOYED

The Samoyed is a Eurasian breed of dog that is named for the Samoyedic people of Siberia. Samoyeds were originally used as hunting dogs, for herding reindeer and for pulling sleds.

11 “La Brea” actress Skye: IONE

Ione Skye is an American actress born in London, England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything…”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.

The TV show “La Brea” is a sci-fi series that premiered in 2021. It is set in present-day Los Angeles and follows a family who are separated when an earthquake opens a gigantic sinkhole that transports them through a portal to the Ice Age. The sinkhole is located at the La Brea Tar Pits, hence the show’s title.

12 Microchip initialism: RFID

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses radio waves to identify and track objects. It involves the use of an RFID tag, which is a small electronic device that consists of a microchip and an antenna, attached to the object. RFID technology is used in a wide range of applications, including payment systems and animal tracking.

14 Buddha’s meditation spot: BO TREE

The Bodhi Tree (also “Bo Tree”) is a sacred fig tree in the Indian state of Bihar in the northeast of the country. It is venerated as the tree under which the Buddha was sitting when he attained enlightenment. The name of the tree translates into English as “Tree of Awakening”.

15 Oratorio solo: ARIA

An oratorio is a large musical work for orchestra, choir and solo singers. Oratorios usually have a religious theme and are similar to operas, but without the action, costume and scenery.

31 Part of an Uncle Fester costume: BALD CAP

In the original television version of “The Addams Family”, the character called Uncle Fester was played by Jackie Coogan. In the first two adaptations for the big screen, Uncle Fester was portrayed by the talented Christopher Lloyd.

36 Spot for un béret: TETE

In French, on one’s “tête” (head), one might wear a “chapeau” (hat) or a “béret” (beret), perhaps.

37 Cartoon reindeer: SVEN

Sven is Kristoff’s loyal reindeer companion and best friend in Disney’s “Frozen” movies. Though he doesn’t speak, Sven is often seen acting as Kristoff’s conscience, guiding him with gentle nudges and reminding him to be kind and selfless. He’s also incredibly helpful, pulling Kristoff’s sled and assisting Anna and Elsa on their adventures.

39 Reagle who was a special guest on a crossword episode of “The Simpsons”: MERL

Merl Reagle was a renowned constructor of puzzles in crossword circles. Despite the availability of computer tools Reagle was known for constructing puzzles using pencil and paper. There is an interesting segment in the 2006 movie “ Wordplay” in which we see Reagle in action creating a puzzle for the New York Times. Reagle even made an appearance in a 2008 episode of “The Simpsons”.

40 Natural fiber in rugs and rope: SISAL

The sisal plant is an agave, the flesh of which is not generally used in making tequila. Sisal is grown instead for the fibers that run the length of its leaves. The fiber is used extensively for twine, rope, carpeting, wall coverings etc. My favorite application though, is in the construction of dartboards. Sisal takes its name from the port of Sisal in Yucatan, Mexico that was a major shipping point for sisal plants.

45 Saudi Arabia neighbor: QATAR

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. The emirate has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry.

49 Wakim of “SNL”: EMIL

Emil Wakim is a Lebanese-American comedian and writer who joined the featured cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 2025.

51 Meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: CAPE HORN

Cape Horn is sometimes cited as the most southerly point of South America, In fact, that honor goes to the Águila Islet of the Diego Ramirez Islands. Cape Horn is however the northern point of the Drake Passage that was used by sailing ships to pass between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The use of the Drake Passage fell off with the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914.

54 Wisdom tooth, e.g.: MOLAR

Wisdom teeth are an extra set of molars in the back of the jaws. There are usually four wisdom teeth, and they only occur in about 65% of the population.

55 Kernel holder: COB

Our contemporary word “kernel” comes from the Old English word “cyrnel,” which meant “seed”, and more literally “little corn”. Today, we still refer to the kernel of a nut or corn. We also refer to the kernel of an idea, the most important part of the idea.

58 “Love Song” singer Bareilles: SARA

Sara Bareilles achieved success with her 2007 “Love Song” with the help of the iTunes online store. In one week in June of that year, iTunes offered the song as “free single of the week” and it quickly became the most downloaded song in the store. It was her debut single, and earned a couple of Grammy nominations.

59 Civil rights leader Roy: INNIS

Roy Innis, a prominent figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, led the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) for nearly 50 years. Tragically, Innis’s personal life was deeply affected by gun violence, as he lost two sons to shootings, one at only 13 years of age. A third son, Niger Innis, became National Spokesperson for CORE.

65 Indigenous Canadians: CREE

The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US, Montana is home to most of the Cree nation. They live on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada, most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

66 City on the Rhine: COLOGNE
73 66-Down, in German: KOL

Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany, and is known as “Köln” in German. It is situated on the Rhine, and has a rich history stretching back to Roman times. Its most iconic landmark is the magnificent medieval Cologne Cathedral, which was the world’s tallest building from 1880 to 1890. The cathedral, though damaged, remarkably survived the bombings of WWII that destroyed 80% of the city center.

71 Anti-racism gp.: BLM

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement started in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of African-American youth Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Three civil rights activists, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, originated the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.

74 Cosmetics chain with beauty salons: ULTA

Ulta Beauty is an American chain of beauty stores that was founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I am not part of the company’s target demographic …

75 Golda of Israel: MEIR

Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before that sobriquet came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kyiv (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.

77 Name of 12 popes: PIUS

There have been twelve popes named Pius, the latest being Pope Pius XII. He led the Roman Catholic Church until his death in 1958.

80 Transit option to Boston’s Logan Airport: BLUE LINE

The Blue Line is one of Boston’s four subway lines, and the only one that runs entirely underground. It travels under Boston, passing through the historic East Boston Tunnel, the first underwater rapid transit tunnel in North America.

86 Play in which the Stage Manager is a character: OUR TOWN

“Our Town” is a play by Thornton Wilder that was first performed in 1938,and for which Wilder won a Pulitzer. “Our Town” was actually banned by the Soviet authorities in East Berlin in 1946. Their reasoning was that “the drama was too depressing and could inspire a German suicide wave”.

90 Secret meetups: TRYSTS

In the most general sense, a tryst is a meeting at an agreed time and place. More usually we consider a tryst to be a pre-arranged meeting between lovers. The term “tryst” comes from the Old French “triste”, a waiting place designated when hunting. Further, a tryst taking place at lunchtime is sometimes referred to as a nooner.

91 Common street name: MAIN

The most common street name in the US is “Second Street”. “First Street” comes in only at number three, and this is because many cities and towns forgo the use of “First” and instead go with “Main” or something more historical in nature. The spooky “Elm Street” appears on the list at number fifteen.

94 Actor Keanu: REEVES

Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor whose most celebrated roles were a metalhead in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989), a cop in “Speed” (1994) and the protagonist Neo in “The Matrix” series of films. Although Reeves is a Canadian national, he was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Reeves has some Hawaiian descent, and the name “Keanu” is Hawaiian for “the coolness” or “cool breeze”.

102 Like the Namib: ARID

The Namib Desert is in Namibia, as one might expect, and also stretches into part of Angola. It is thought to be the oldest desert in the world, having been arid for over 55 million years.

104 Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO

Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for singing protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

105 Peter the Great or Nicholas II: TSAR

Peter the Great (aka “Peter I”) was perhaps the most successful of the Romanov tsars, and was famous for modernizing Russia and expanding the country’s sphere of influence, creating the Russian Empire. He ruled from 1682 until his death in 1725.

The last ruler of Imperial Russia was Tsar Nicholas II (of the House of Romanov). Famously, the Tsar and his family were murdered in 1918 in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Russia by members of the Bolshevik secret police. The Tsar’s youngest daughter was 16-year-old Anastasia and rumors of her escape have persisted for years. The rumors grew with the help of numerous women who claimed to be Anastasia. In 2009, DNA testing finally proved that the remains of all of the Tsar’s immediate family, including Anastasia, have been found and identified.

107 Spy film starring Sean Connery: DR NO

“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer. If you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarities between the characters Dr. Julius No and Fu Manchu. By the way, the author Ian Fleming tells us that Julius No attended medical school in Milwaukee.

Sean Connery was most famous for playing the original James Bond in the successful series of movies. Back in his native Scotland, Connery was very active in politics and was a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party. He actively campaigned for Scottish independence from Britain and stated that he believed Scotland would achieve that goal within his own lifetime. That had not happened by the time Connery passed away in 2020.

109 Actress Zadora: PIA

Pia Zadora is an American actress and singer. Zadora’s most famous role was in the 1982 film “Butterfly” in which she worked with Orson Welles and Stacey Keach. The film was based on the novel “The Butterfly” by James M. Cain and deals with the difficult subject of father-daughter incest.

110 Affectation: AIR

An affectation is a behavior, mannerism, or speech pattern that is adopted to impress or deceive others.