Day: April 13, 2025

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Constructed by: Gary Larson & Amy Ensz
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Made to Measure

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as MEASURES specific to things called out in the corresponding clues:

• 23A Increments of time spent on an assembly line? : FACTORY SECONDS
• 28A Units of weight equivalent to roughly seven times that of a human? : DOG POUNDS
• 43A Percentages of alcohol in shipboard grog? : GALLEY PROOFS
• 65A Units of force required to bite into a Mediterranean fruit? : FIG NEWTONS
• 72A Volumes of topping poured over movie theater popcorn? : BUTTER CUPS
• 93A Lengths to which some teenagers will go to procure fake IDs? : MINOR LEAGUES
• 109A Areas of land bought and sold by savvy real estate investors? : WISE ACRES
• 118A Thermometer readings at a major golf tournament? : MASTERS DEGREES

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

Bill’s time: 13m 53s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Limp Bizkit genre : RAP METAL

Limp Bizkit is sometimes described as a nu metal band, with “nu metal” being a subgenre of “heavy metal”. Limp Bizkit has been around since 1994, and that’s all I know …

21 Pitney’s partner : BOWES

Pitney Bowes is an American business services company specializing in mailing, packaging and shipping. Arthur Pitney founded a company in 1912 that produced postage stamping machines. Walter Bowes founded a company in 1908 that made machines that canceled postage. In 1920, the two companies merged and formed the Pitney Bowes Meter Company. My dad worked for Pitney Bowes in Ireland, many moons ago …

22 Course absent at a dim sum or tapas restaurant : ENTREE

“Entrée” means “entry” in French. An entrée can be something that helps one get “a way in”, an interview for example perhaps helped along by a recommendation letter. In Europe, even in English-speaking countries, the entrée is the name for the “entry” to the meal, the first course. I found the ordering of meals to be very confusing when I first came to America!

25 “Seinfeld” role for Julia : ELAINE

The character Elaine Benes, unlike the other lead characters (Jerry, Kramer and George), did not appear in the pilot episode of “Seinfeld”. NBC executives specified the addition of a female lead when they picked up the show citing that the situation was too “male-centric”.

32 Viscount’s superior : EARL

In the British peerage system, a viscount ranks below an earl and above a baron. The term “viscount” basically means “deputy of a count”, i.e. “vice-count”.

34 Capital that replaced Istanbul : ANKARA

Ankara is the second largest city in Turkey, after Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). After WWI, the Ottoman Empire had been defeated and the Allies occupied the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. The victors planned to break up most of Turkey, leaving native Turks just part of their country for their own. In the inevitable War of Independence that followed, the Turkish Nationalists used Ankara as their base. When the Nationalists emerged victorious, they declared Ankara the new capital of Turkey.

Istanbul, Turkey (formerly “Byzantium” and “Constantinople”) is the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents. The city extends both on the European side and on the Asian side of the Bosphorus river.

41 Spilled the beans : TOLD

To spill the beans is to divulge a secret. The expression first appeared in American English, in the early 1900s. The phrase arose as an alternative to “spoil the beans” or “upset the applecart”. The similarly meaning phrase “spill the tea” is more prevalent on the other side of the Atlantic.

43 Percentages of alcohol in shipboard grog? : GALLEY PROOFS

Galleys were large medieval ships found mainly in the Mediterranean. They were propelled by a combination of sails and oars.

Alcoholic proof is a measure of the alcoholic strength of a beverage. In the US, alcoholic proof is twice the alcohol by volume (ABV), and ABV is simply the volume of alcohol in a the beverage compared to its total volume, and expressed as a percentage. Therefore a liquor that is 50% ABV, is 100 proof. The concept of “proof” dates back to the days of British sailors being paid partly with rations of rum. A “proof spirit” was the most dilute spirit that would sustain combustion of gunpowder. Simply stated, if the rum that a sailor was given was so dilute that it doused burning gunpowder, then it was unacceptable to the sailor. The person providing the rum had to give “proof” that the rum would catch light, proving it was strong enough to be used as payment. It was found experimentally that rum of 57.15% ABV was the lowest concentration that could sustain a flame, so this was named as 100 degrees proof. But nowadays we round down to 50% ABV.

Edward Vernon was a naval officer with the nickname “Old Grog”. In 1740, Vernon ordered that the daily ration of rum for his sailors should be watered down, in order to reduce discipline problems caused by drunkenness. The diluted rum was sweetened with sugar, and lemon or lime added to help preserve it on long voyages. This recipe, found to reduce scurvy among sailors (because of the citrus) spread throughout the Royal Navy, and “grog” was born. As an aside, George Washington’s older half-brother named the famous Washington Mount Vernon Plantation in honor of Edward Vernon. We use the derivative term “groggy” to mean “unsteady on the feet”, as if under the influence of “grog”.

Galleys are the metal trays into which a printer would arrange type to make up a page. The galleys had clamps that could be used to hold the loose type in place. Even in today’s world of electronic publishing, apparently the term “galley proof” is still used for some version of a layout that is not yet final.

50 Stunt performer Knievel : EVEL

Daredevil Evel Knievel contracted hepatitis C from the many blood transfusions that he needed after injuries incurred during stunts. He had to have a liver transplant as a result, but his health declined after that. Knievel eventually passed away in 2007.

51 Swiss chocolate brand : LINDT

The delicious Swiss chocolate sold under the Lindt brand name has its origins in a small confectionery store in Zurich in the 1840s. Lindt purchased the San Francisco-based chocolate company Ghirardelli back in 1998.

52 Three-spot in a hand : TREY

A trey is a three in a deck of cards. The term “trey” can also be used for a domino with three pips, and even for a three-point play in basketball.

54 WWE wrestler __ “Freakin” Rollins : SETH

Seth “Freakin” Rollins, born Colby Lopez, is an American professional wrestler who has held numerous championships, including the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship. Lopez married Irish professional wrestler Rebecca Quin, better known as Becky Lynch, who is also a major figure in WWE.

59 Transitions : SEGUES

A segue is a transition from one topic to the next. “Segue” is an Italian word that literally means “now follows”. It was first used in musical scores directing the performer to play into the next movement without a break. The oft-used term “segway” is given the same meaning, although the word “segway” doesn’t really exist. It is a misspelling of “segue” that has been popularized by its use as the name of the personal transporter known as a Segway.

63 D.C. baseball team : NATS

If you attend a Washington Nationals baseball game, held in Nationals Park, you’ll see the Presidents Race in the middle of the fourth innings. Individuals dressed like seven former US presidents, each sporting a large and cartoonish head, have participated in the races over the years. Those runners are:

• George (Washington)
• Abe (Lincoln)
• Tom (Jefferson)
• Teddy (Roosevelt)
• Bill (Taft)
• Calvin (Coolidge)
• Herbie (Hoover)

65 Units of force required to bite into a Mediterranean fruit? : FIG NEWTONS

The fig is the fruit of a small tree in the mulberry family. Once picked, figs don’t travel very well, so the bulk of figs consumed have been preserved by drying.

Newtons are units of force. The newton is named for Sir Isaac Newton, the English physicist and mathematician.

The Fig Newton cookie is based on what is actually a very old recipe that dates back to ancient Egypt. Whereas we grew up with “Fig Rolls” in Ireland, here in America the brand name “Fig Newton” was used. That’s because they were produced originally in Newton, Massachusetts.

72 Volumes of topping poured over movie theater popcorn? : BUTTER CUPS

The Ranunculus genus of flowering plants can also be referred to as “buttercups”. The name “buttercup” may be the result of a traditional belief that cows eat buttercups, resulting in the yellow color of butter. However, buttercups are poisonous to cows, and so they avoid them.

77 Fly catcher : WEB

The silk that makes up a web is a protein fiber that is “spun” by a spider. Spider silk is about one sixth of the density of steel, yet has a comparable tensile strength.

78 Pride members : LIONS

Here are some colorful collective nouns:

• A pride of lions
• A shrewdness of apes
• A cloud of bats
• A bench of bishops
• A clowder of cats
• A waddling of ducks
• An army of frogs
• A knot of toads
• A memory of elephants
• A dazzle of zebra
• A tower of giraffe
• A crash of rhinos

81 Italian dessert : TIRAMISU

Tiramisu is an Italian cake. The name “tiramisu” translates from Italian as “pull me up”, and is often translated into our English phrase “pick-me-up”.

86 Wash up : LAVE

To lave is to wash, tp bathe. The verb comes from the Latin “lavare” meaning “to wash”.

88 Bishop’s agent : VICAR

A vicar is a member of the clergy in several Christian traditions. In more general terms, we can use the word “vicar” for a person who acts in the place of another, i.e. a deputy. It was the latter usage of the term that gave rise to the religious usage, as a vicar in a church was considered a person acting for God.

93 Lengths to which some teenagers will go to procure fake IDs? : MINOR LEAGUES

The league is an old unit of length. Originally it was defined as the distance a horse or a person could walk in an hour, and so is equivalent to about three miles.

98 World Cup cheers : OLES

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in the sport of soccer. The competition has been held every four years (excluding the WWII years) since the inaugural event held in Uruguay in 1930. The men’s World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, even outranking the Olympic Games. And, the women’s World Cup is fast catching up …

100 Persian potentates : SHAHS

“Shah” was a title used by Persian emperors that translates into English as “king”. The full title in Persian is “Sahahsah”, which means “King of Kings”.

104 Many a Riyadh resident : ARAB

Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is located near the center of the country. The name “Riyadh” translates from Arabic as “the gardens”.

109 Areas of land bought and sold by savvy real estate investors? : WISE ACRES

The word “wiseacre” dates back to the late 1500s, when it was a botched translation of the Middle Dutch word “wijsegger” meaning “soothsayer”. Originally, there was no derogatory connotation to the word, but over time a wiseacre had become a know-it-all.

113 Some PC ports : USBS

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and dealing with electrical power through those connections.

117 Figure skating biopic : I, TONYA

“I, Tonya” is a 2017 comedy biopic about the life of figure skater Tonya Harding, with a focus on the 1994 attack on Harding’s rival Nancy Kerrigan. Harding is played by Australian actress Margot Robbie. I haven’t seen this one, but it’s on my list as I hear good things …

123 Mystery prize? : EDGAR

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (“Edgars”) are presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America. There are several categories of awards. For example, the Ellery Queen Award honors “writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry”. The Raven Award is presented to non-writers, who contribute to the mystery genre.

127 Some sporty Pontiacs : TRANS AMS

The Trans Am, produced from 1969 to 2002, was a specialty version of the Pontiac Firebird. My favorite Trans Am is KITT, the artificially intelligent car in the eighties TV show “Knight Rider” …

Down

6 Original Dungeons & Dragons co. : TSR

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, DnD) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

7 Safe places : ASYLA

Asylum (plural “asyla”) is a Latin word meaning “sanctuary”.

9 Primer material : ABCS

A primer is a textbook used to teach the alphabet and basic reading. When “primer” is used in this sense in the US, it is pronounced with a short letter I (giving “primmer”). I’ve never understood why such a pronunciation would be used …

12 “__ Gabler”: Ibsen play : HEDDA

“Hedda Gabler” is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen that was first published in 1890. The titular character is a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage and struggling to find meaning in her life. The play was controversial when it was first produced due to its depiction of a strong-willed, independent woman who defies societal expectations and norms.

14 Military vehicle : JEEP

The Jeep is the original off-road vehicle. It was developed by the American Bantam Car Company in 1940 at the request of the US government who recognized the upcoming need for the armed forces as American involvement in WWII loomed. The Bantam Company was too small to cope with demand, so the government gave the designs to competing car companies. The design and brand eventually ended up with AMC in the seventies and eighties.

17 “Still da Baddest” artist : TRINA

“Trina”is the stage name of rap singer Katrina Kearse.She is sometimes referred to as the “Diamond Princess”, which is also the title of her second album.

24 Singer Sheena : EASTON

Sheena Easton is a Scottish singer. She was big in the eighties with songs like “9 to 5” (released as “Morning Train” in the US) and “For Your Eyes Only”, which is the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. Easton collaborated with American singer Prince on many projects. She recorded the 1984 song “Sugar Walls” that was composed for her by Prince under the pseudonym “Alexander Nevermind”.

31 Kentucky Derby month : MAY

The first Kentucky Derby took place in 1875, and was a race modeled on the Epsom Derby in England and the Grand Prix de Paris (now called the “Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe”). As such, the Kentucky Derby was run over 1½ miles, although in 1896 this was shortened to 1¼ miles. The winning horse is presented with a very elaborate blanket made of red roses, and so the Derby is nicknamed “Run for the Roses”. The race is held on the first Saturday in May each year, and is limited to 3-year-old horses.

32 Dark forest hypothesis subjs. : ETS

The dark forest hypothesis is a possible solution to the Fermi paradox, which notes the discrepancy between the high likelihood of extraterrestrial life existing and the fact that non has been detected.The conjecture is that the universe is akin to a “dark forest”, where civilizations understand the inherent danger of revealing their presence, remain silent and concealed. The hypothesis draws its name and core concept from Liu Cixin’s 2008 science fiction novel, “The Dark Forest”.

36 “Castle and Sun” painter Paul : KLEE

“Castle and Sun” is a 1928 painting by Swiss-born German artist Paul Klee. It is an abstract cityscape composed of colorful, geometric shapes.

37 “__ Well That Ends Well” : ALL’S

“All’s Well That Ends Well” is a play by William Shakespeare, one with elements of both tragedy and comedy. As such, “All’s Well That Ends Well” is classified as one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays”, plays of his that cannot be neatly classified as either tragedy or comedy.

47 Oscar of “Dune” : ISAAC

Oscar Isaac is an actor from Guatemala who was raised in Miami. Before acting, Isaac played lead guitar in his own band called the Blinking Underdogs. Isaac portrayed X-wing pilot Poe Dameron in several of the “Star Wars” movies.

48 Jacket named for an Indian prime minister : NEHRU

A Nehru jacket is very like a regular suit jacket, except that the collar buttons at the neck. It was originally created in the 1940s in India, and then marketed as the Nehru jacket in the west in the sixties. The name Nehru was lifted from Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister of India from 1947 to 1964.

52 Ballet attire : TUTU

The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom, backside”.

61 __ Buena Island, California : YERBA

Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay was named by Spanish explorers for the fragrant herb that grew there. Over time, it’s also been known as Sea Bird Island, Wood Island, and Goat Island. It was home to a military base, which is now a coast guard station. Yerba Buena Island is connected by a causeway to a second island in the bay, Treasure Island.

64 Bambi, e.g. : DEER

The 1942 Disney classic “Bambi” is based on a book written by Felix Salten called “Bambi, A Life in the Woods”. There is a documented phenomenon known as the Bambi Effect, whereby people become more interested in animal rights after having watched the scene where Bambi’s mother is shot by hunters.

65 Pumpkin spice season : FALL

Pumpkin spice is a blend of spices that is a common ingredient in pumpkin pies. It is mainly found in American stores, and is roughly equivalent to the blend referred to as “mixed spice” in other English-speaking parts of the world. The main spices included are cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

66 Trojan War saga : ILIAD

According to Greek mythology, Helen (later “Helen of Troy”) was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. When Helen reached the age of marriage, she had many suitors as she was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. Menelaus was chosen as her husband, and he took her back to his home of Sparta. Paris, a Trojan prince, seduced Helen, as she eloped with him and traveled to Troy. This event sparked the Trojan War that waged between the city of Troy and Greece. Because of this war, Helen was said to have “the face that launched a thousand ships”. And because of this phrase, it has been suggested, probably by author Isaac Asimov, that the amount of beauty needed to launch a single ship is one “millihelen”.

81 2022 Cate Blanchett drama : TAR

“Tár” is a 2022 starring Cate Blanchett in the title role, a conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic who is accused of sexual misconduct. A concept album titled “Tár (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)” was released at the same time as the film. A week or so after release, the album topped “Billboard” magazine’s list of Traditional Classical Albums, beating out albums produced by the real Berlin Philharmonic.

Cate Blanchett is a great actress from Australia, and a winner of an Academy Award for playing Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator”. Winning for that role made Blanchett the first person to win an Academy Award for playing an actor (Hepburn) who had also won an Oscar. Now that is trivial information …

84 Old-fashioned blade : SNEE

A snee is a type of dagger, one formerly used by Scottish highlanders.

85 Space race initials : USSR

The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite towards the end of 1957 in a development that shocked the establishment in the US. Within months, President Eisenhower created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, now DARPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Space Race had begun …

95 Horace’s “__ Poetica” : ARS

The full name of Horace’s work is “Ars Poetica, Epistula ad Pisones” (The Art of Poetry, Letters to the Pisos). The work describes the technical aspects of poetry in ancient Rome, and the term “ars poetica” has come to mean the poetry of that period.

97 Multitool maker : DREMEL

Dremel is a manufacturer of power tools intended for use in the home. The Company was founded back in 1932 in Racine, Wisconsin by Austrian inventor Albert J. Dremel. Dremel was quite the inventor, and held patents for devices such as an electric eraser, an electric fish scaler, and a device to monitor the production of chicken eggs. The first product sold by Dremel was an electric razor-blade sharpener.

105 Carne __ : ASADA

The name of the dish called “carne asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.

108 Chest material : CEDAR

Cedar is used for the manufacture of some wardrobes and chests as it has long been believed that the fragrant oil in the wood is a moth-repellent. However, whether or not cedar oil is actually effective at keeping moths away seems to be in doubt.

110 Pop’s Mama : CASS

Cass Elliot (born “Ellen Cohen”) was one of the four singers in the Mamas and the Papas, a sensational group from the sixties. “Mama Cass” was performing sold-out concerts in London in 1974 when she was found dead one morning, having had a heart attack. She was only 32 years old. Eerily, Elliot died in the same flat (on loan from Harry Nilsson) in which the Who’s drummer Keith Moon would die just four years later.

113 Banquet coffeepots : URNS

A banquet is an elaborate feast. “Banquet” is a term that seems to have reversed in meaning over time. Coming into English via French from Old Italian, “banquet” is derived from “banco” meaning “bench”. The original “banco” meal was simply a snack eaten on a bench, rather than at a table. I guess we eat more these days …

114 Genesis creator : SEGA

Genesis is a video game console sold in the US by the Japanese company Sega. Genesis is sold as Mega Drive in the rest of the world, as Sega couldn’t get the rights to the Mega Drive name in the US.

115 Skyscraper support : BEAM

According to many, the world’s first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois, which was built in 1885. It was 10 stories tall and stood at 42 meters (138 feet). What made the building unique, at the time, was the use of structural steel in the internal frame. That frame bore the weight of each floor, as well as the weight of the external masonry.

116 Fast fliers no longer flying, briefly : SSTS

Supersonic transport (SST)

119 Title of a Beatles song? : SGT

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was the alter-ego of the Beatles, and the title of a famous studio album released in 1967, as well as the name of the album’s title track.

121 __ rummy : GIN

Gin rummy is a faster variant of standard rummy. It was introduced in 1909 by one Elwood Baker and his son.