Day: June 1, 2025

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Symbolic Language

Themed clues use common keyboard SYMBOLS:

• 22A Gets right to the . : TELLS IT LIKE IT IS (Gets right to the point)
• 31A In the *** : MEANT TO BE (In the stars)
• 51A Balder– : HORSEFEATHERS (Balderdash)
• 70A Dog # : ANIMAL SHELTER (Dog pound)
• 89A One % : THE UPPER CRUST (One percent)
• 102A Plays @ : DABBLE IN (Plays at)
• 120A Non+ : THROW A CURVEBALL (Nonplus)

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

Bill’s time: 21m 32s

Bill’s errors: 2

• DESPACITO (Despasito)
• COR (sor!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

20 Like cast iron and silicone: OVEN SAFE

Silicones are synthetic polymers that include the element silicon. The words “silicone” and “silicon” are sometimes confused and used incorrectly. Silicones are used as sealants and adhesives all around the house. Silicones are also used to fill breast implants, although implants are more likely to contain saline these days due to safety concerns.

24 Actor Jason: MOMOA

Jason Momoa is a model and actor who is perhaps best known for playing superhero Aquaman in several DC Comics films. He also played warrior leader Khal Drogo in the HBO TV series “Game of Thrones”. In 2017, Momoa married actress Lisa Bonet, who played Denise Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”.

25 Small vortex: EDDY

Vortex (plural “vortices”) is something resembling a whirlpool. The term “vortex” comes from the Latin verb “vertere” meaning “to turn”.

27 Grenoble peak: ALPE

Grenoble is a city at the foot of the French Alps. The Winter Olympic Games were held there in 1968.

30 Talkative bird: MYNA

Some species of myna (also “mynah”) birds are known for their ability to imitate sounds.

33 Pastoral people of Kenya and Tanzania: MASAI

The Masai (also “Maasai”) are a semi-nomadic people found in Kenya and Tanzania. They are semi-nomadic in that over the years they have been migrating from the Lower Nile Valley in northwest Kenya, and are moving into Tanzania.

39 Pacific tuna: AHI

Ahi tuna is also known as yellowfin tuna and is a popular fish for sushi and sashimi. However, due to overfishing, ahi tuna populations are at risk.

42 Gentle skin care brand: AVEENO

Aveeno is a manufacturer of skincare and haircare products that was founded in 1945. The name Aveeno comes from the Latin name for the common oat, i.e. Avena sativa.

44 First name in jazz: ETTA

Etta James had a tough upbringing and faced many challenges. She was born to an unmarried teenage mother and never knew her father. She experienced abuse and hardship, and even dealt with heroin addiction. Despite all this, she rose to become one of the most iconic and influential singers of all time, known for her powerful voice and soulful performances.

51 Balder- : HORSEFEATHERS (Balderdash)

“Horsefeathers” is probably a euphemism for a similar word that’s a little more crude. The term is said to have been coined by cartoonist Billy DeBeck in 1928. DeBeck’s most famous strip is called “Barney Google”.

“Balderdash” means “senseless jumble of words”. The original balderdash (back before the late 1600s) was a jumbled mix of liquids like maybe beer and wine, or even beer and milk!

55 Royal Shakespeare Company venue: THEATRE

The Royal Shakespeare Company, usually known simply as the RSC, is based in Stratford-upon-Avon, the old home town of William Shakespeare. I had the privilege of seeing a couple of their productions, on my honeymoon, which was way, way too many years ago …

57 Handbill: FLIER

Fliers are notices that are circulated. The original fliers (also “flyers”) were police bulletins that were “scatter-broadcast”.

58 Shorthand for a person who prefers platonic partners: ARO

Someone described as aromantic (“aro”, for short) experiences little or no romantic attraction. The opposite of aromanticism is alloromanticism.

66 Trig function: COSINE

The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine, cosine and tangent (abbreviated to “sin, cos and tan”). Each of these is a ratio: a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The “reciprocal” of these three functions are cosecant, secant and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine, cosine and tangent. These inverted ratios should not be confused with the “inverse” trigonometric functions e.g. arcsine, arccosine and arctangent. These inverse functions are the reverse of the sine, cosine and tangent.

67 Part of many Arab names: IBN

In Arabic names, “ibn” is a word meaning “son of”. The words “bin” and “ben” are also used for “son of”. The word “bint” means “daughter of”. Similarly, in Hebrew “ben” is used to mean “son of”, and “bat” is used to mean “daughter of”.

70 Dog #: ANIMAL SHELTER (Dog pound)

The # symbol is usually referred to as the “number sign”, but here in the US the name “pound sign” is very common as well, as is “hash mark”.

73 USN rank: CDR

Commander (Cdr.)

76 Jane Curtin title role: ALLIE

The sitcom “Kate & Allie” ran from 1984 to 1989, starring Susan Saint James as Kate, and Jane Curtin as Allie. Jane Curtin won two Emmy awards for her work on the series, while Susan Saint James … did not.

Comedian and actress Jane Curtin was an original cast member of “Saturday Night Live”. She also had leading roles in the hit comedy series “Kate & Allie” and “3rd Rock from the Sun”, as well as the 1993 movie “Coneheads”.

80 HMO alternative: PPO

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Make your choice, if you can …

81 Steam after a workout: SAUNA

As my Finnish-American wife will tell you, “sauna” is a Finnish word. It is pronounced more correctly as “sow-nah” (“sow”, as in the female pig).

83 Game with suspect tokens: CLUE

Clue is a board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

87 Red disk hieroglyph: EYE OF RA

In Egyptian mythology, the Eye of Ra is a being who serves as the mother, sibling, consort and daughter of the sun god Ra.

The prefix “hiero-” comes from the Greek word “hieros” meaning sacred or holy. The classic use of the prefix is in the term “hieroglyph” (meaning “sacred carving”), the writing system that uses symbols and pictures.

89 One % : THE UPPER CRUST (One percent)

The percent sign (%), derived from the Italian term “per cento” meaning “by a hundred”, is a symbol indicating a number or ratio as a fraction of 100. The related permille sign (‰), from the Latin “per mille” meaning “by the thousand”, is similar to the percent sign but with an extra zero, and signifies parts per thousand. A basis point (bp), commonly used in finance, is a unit equal to 1/100th of 1%, making it equivalent to one part per ten thousand, sometimes represented by the permyriad sign (‱).

93 Dogie catcher: LASSOER

“Dogie” (sometimes “dogy”) is cowboy slang for a motherless calf in a herd.

96 G7 member: USA

The G6 was a group of six industrialized nations that formed in 1975 and whose governments met on a periodic basis. The founding members were France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. The membership expanded in 1976 with the addition of Canada, forming the G7. Russia was given representation in the group in 1997, forming the G8. Russia’s membership was suspended in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea.

97 Native people of Colorado: UTE

The Ute are a group of Native-American tribes who now reside in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups. The word “Ute” means “Land of the Sun”, and “Ute” also gave us the state name “Utah”.

102 Plays @: DABBLE IN (Plays at)

The “at symbol” (@) originated in the commercial world, as shorthand for “each at, per” and similar phrases. I suppose we see the symbol most commonly these days as part of email addresses.

109 Biblical birthright barterer: ESAU

According to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, Esau was the elder twin brother of Jacob, and son of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau sold his birthright, which entitled him to a double portion of his father’s inheritance, for a bowl of lentil stew because he was hungry and didn’t want to wait for his brother to cook food.

110 Fight like a knight: TILT

Tilting is the most recognized form of jousting. Jousting can involve the use of a number of different weapons, but when lances are used, the competition is called tilting.

114 Role for Ingrid: ILSA

Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund were played by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 movie “Casablanca”. I love the words of one critic describing the chemistry between Bogart and Bergman in this film: “She paints his face with her eyes”. Wow …

120 Non+: THROW A CURVEBALL (Nonplus)

To nonplus is to perplex completely. The idea is that one becomes so perplexed that “no more” can be said. “Non plus” is Latin for “no more”.

123 Fish: ANGLE

We use the verb “to angle” to mean “to fish” because “angel” is an Old English word meaning “hook”.

124 Clear French brandy: EAU DE VIE

Eau de vie is a clear, colorless fruit brandy. The name “eau de vie” is French for “water of life”.

Down

2 “Say your piece” piece: OP-ED

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

3 Neuter, as a horse: GELD

To geld is to castrate a male animal. “Geld” comes from the Old Norse word “gelda” meaning “castrate”.

6 Embroidered mat: DOILY

There was a draper in London in the seventeenth century named Doiley, and he gave his name to the lace fabric that he sold. The fabric in turn gave its name to the ornamental mat that we call a “doily”. I can’t abide doilies …

8 Alt-country singer Case: NEKO

Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter who is best known as a solo artist as well as a member of the indie rock group from Canada called the New Pornographers.

10 CBS forensic drama series: CSI

The “CSI” franchise of TV shows has been tremendously successful, and seems to really have legs. “CSI: Miami” (the “worst” of the franchise, I think) was canceled in 2012 after ten seasons. “CSI: NY” (the “best” of the franchise) was canceled in 2013 after nine seasons. The original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was set in Las Vegas, and hung in there until 2015 when it ended with a two-hour TV movie. Then there was “CSI: Cyber”. It lasted for two seasons, before being canceled in 2016. “CSI: Vegas”, a sequel to the original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, launched in 2021.

11 Woven mat: TATAMI

A tatami is a traditional mat used on floors in Japan. The term “tatami” comes from the Japanese word “tatamu” meaning “to fold”, reflecting the fact that the mat is designed to be folded up for storage.

13 2017 hit for Luis Fonsi: DESPACITO

“Despacito” is a 2017 song released by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee. The song’s accompanying music video was the most-viewed video of all time on YouTube from 2017 to 2020.

14 Co. with an iconic 8-bar logo: IBM

The origin of the IBM nickname “Big Blue” seems to have been lost in the mists of time. That said, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the IBM logo is blue, and almost every mainframe they produced was painted blue. I remember visiting IBM on business a few times in my career, and back then we were encouraged to wear white shirts and blue suits “to fit in” with our client’s culture.

15 Dalmatia native: CROAT

Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, with most of its area falling in modern-day Croatia.

17 Word dropped when things are getting serious, informally: L-BOMB

In modern parlance, the “L-bomb” would be the word “love”.

20 Fat substitute brand: OLEAN

“Olean” is a brand name for the fat substitute, Olestra. Naturally-occurring fats are made of a glycerol molecule holding together three fatty acids. Olestra is instead made of several fatty acid chains held together by a sucrose molecule. Olestra has a similar taste and consistency as natural fat, but has zero caloric impact as it is too large a molecule to pass through the intestinal wall and passes right out of the body. Personally, I would steer clear of it. Olestra is banned in Britain and Canada due to concerns about side effects, but I guess someone knows the right palms to grease (pun intended!) here in the US, and so it’s in our food.

23 “The Best” singer Turner: TINA

Tina Turner released “The Best“ in 1989 to great acclaim, and it has since been described as her signature song. It was originally recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler a year earlier.

28 Genesis patriarch: ENOCH

There are two Enoch’s mentioned in the Bible. One was Enoch, son of Cain and grandson of Adam. The second was Enoch, great-grandfather of Noah and father of Methuselah.

34 Big name in cosmetics: AVON

In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

35 Feudal worker: SERF

A serf was a member of the lowest feudal class, someone attached to land owned by a lord. “Serf” comes from the Latin “servus”, meaning “slave”.

36 “The Ape and the Dolphin” fabulist: AESOP

“The Ape and the Dolphin” is one of Aesop’s fables. In the story, a shipwrecked ape is befriended by a dolphin who believes the ape to be human and offers to carry him to Athens. During their journey, the dolphin asks the ape if he knows Piraeus, an Athenian port city. The ape, misunderstanding and wanting to appear knowledgeable, claims to know “him” well, believing Piraeus to be a man. The dolphin then realizes its mistake, and abandons the ape to its fate. The moral of the tale is that liars often suffer the consequences of their deception.

38 French crown: TETE

In French, the “tête” (head) is the top of “le corps” (the body).

43 Foreseeable future: OFFING

The phrase “in the offing” has nautical roots from the early 17th century. The “offing” refers to the part of the sea that is visible from the shore but at a distance, beyond the immediate coastline and closer to the horizon. When a ship was “in the offing”, it was visible and likely to arrive in port soon. By the late 18th century, use of the phrase had extended to figurative use, describing events likely to happen in the near future.

45 In the __ of: totally absorbed by: THRALL

To enthrall is to enchant. An obsolete meaning of the term is “to enslave, to hold as a thrall”. “Thrall” is an old word meaning “serf, slave”. So, to enthrall someone is to make them a slave to one’s charm. Quaint …

50 “Blades of Glory” actor Jon: HEDER

Actor Jon Heder is probably best known for playing the title role in the 2004 comedy movie “Napoleon Dynamite”, as well as voicing the same character in the spinoff, animated TV series that goes by the same name.

“Blades of Glory” is a 2007 sports comedy film starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as rival figure skaters, Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy. They end up banned from men’s singles competition, but years later, they find a loophole that allows them to compete again – as a pairs team.

52 “The Time Machine” race: ELOI

In the 1895 novella by H. G. Wells called “The Time Machine”, there are two races that the hero encounters in his travels into the future. The Eloi are the “beautiful people” who live on the planet’s surface. The Morlocks are a domineering race living underground who use the Eloi as food.

59 Act like a startled doodlebug: ROLL UP

“Doodlebug” is a name given to the larva of an antlion, a type of flying insect. Antlions tend to live in sandy areas, and their larvae move through the sand leaving winding spirals that look like doodles, inattentive drawings. Hence the name “doodlebug”.

62 Violated, with “of”: RAN AFOUL …

To be afoul of something is to be in conflict with it. The term “afoul” sounds nautical to me, and indeed it was originally used at sea in the sense of being in a state of entanglement or collision.

64 Air pump meas.: PSI

Pounds per square inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.

65 Auspicious tarot card: THE SUN

Tarot cards have been around since the mid-1400s, and for centuries were simply used for entertainment as a game. It has only been since the late 1800s that the cards have been used by fortune tellers to predict the future. The list of tarot cards includes the Wheel of Fortune, the Hanged Man and the Lovers.

66 Opera singer Siepi: CESARE

Cesare Siepi (1923-2010) was an esteemed Italian opera singer, widely regarded as one of the most exceptional basses of the postwar era. He was particularly renowned for his portrayal of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, a role he performed with great success at the Metropolitan Opera for over two decades, beginning with his debut in 1950.

75 NYSE banner events: IPOS

Initial public offering (IPO)

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

78 Deep-six or eighty-six: SCRAP

To deep-six something is to toss it, possibly overboard, or to completely destroy it. The derivation of this slang term is from “six feet deep”, not the length of a fathom but rather the traditional depth of a grave.

To eighty-six something is to eject it, to throw it out. The origin of the term is unclear. One story is that it originated in the days of prohibition in the West Village of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Whenever there was a scheduled raid on the establishment called Chumley’s, an informant would call ahead and tell the bartender to “86” his customers i.e. to send them out the door on 86 Bedford Street. The cops would then turn up at the entrance on Pamela Court.

84 Mandolin cousin: LUTE

A mandolin is a stringed instrument in the lute family. There is also a mandola, a similar instrument that is a little larger. In fact, “mandolin” comes from the Italian word for “little mandola”.

92 Court material: CLAY

There are four different surfaces used for playing tennis competitively:

• Clay courts (used for the French Open)
• Hard courts (used for the US Open and the Australian Open)
• Grass courts (used for Wimbledon)
• Carpet courts

100 “The Hobbit” sequel series, for short: LOTR

“Lord of the Rings” (LOTR)

102 Impressionist Edgar: DEGAS

Edgar Degas was a French artist who was famous for both his paintings and his sculptures. Some of Degas’ most beautiful works feature female ballet dancers, and others depict women bathing.

104 Girl Scout’s award: BADGE

The Girl Guides of America organization was founded in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. That first meeting formed a troop consisting of eighteen girls. There are now almost 4 million girl scouts. Just one year after its formation, the group changed its name to the Girl Scouts of the United States and moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C.

106 Minnesota representative Omar: ILHAN

Ilhan Omar has been representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in the US House since 2019. At that time, she became one of the first two Muslim women, as well as the first Somali American, to serve in the US Congress.

113 Battery contents: ACID

A wet cell is a battery that uses a liquid electrolyte, whereas a dry cell uses a paste electrolyte. Car batteries are usually wet cells, and use sulfuric as the electrolyte.

114 Sacred Nile wader: IBIS

The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!

122 Connecticut collegian: ELI

“Eli” is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, and a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.