Day: September 2, 2025

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Constructed by: Noelle Griskey

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): On a Roll

Themed answers are all things found ON A ROLL:

• 17A It’s on a roll : SPICY MAYO
• 24A Who’s on a roll : STAR STUDENT
• 36A They’re on a roll : COLOR PHOTOS
• 47A They’re on a roll : SESAME SEEDS
• 57A It’s on a roll : RICE PAPER

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

Bill’s time: 6m 26s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9A Rand McNally publication : ATLAS

Rand McNally is a company long associated with the city of Chicago. Its roots go back to 1856 when William Rand opened a printing shop in the city. Two years later he hired an Irish immigrant named Andrew McNally and the pair turned to printing tickets and timetables for the railroad industry. They diversified into “railroad guides” in 1870, including the first Rand McNally map in the December 1872 edition. When automobile travel started to become significant, Rand and McNally turned their attention to roads and they published their first road map in 1904, a map of New York City. Rand and McNally popularized the use of highway numbers, and indeed erected many roadside highway signs themselves, long before the state and federal authorities adopted the idea.

15A Dim sum bun : BAO

A baozi (also “bou, bao”) is a steamed, filled bun in Chinese cuisine.

Dim sum is a Chinese cuisine made up of small portions of various dishes. The tradition of serving dim sum is associated with the serving of tea, when small delicacies were offered to travelers and guests along with tea as a refreshment. The name “dim sum” translates as “touch the heart” implying that dim sum is not a main meal, just a snack “that touches the heart”.

17A It’s on a roll : SPICY MAYO

Mayonnaise originated in the town of Mahon in Menorca, a Mediterranean island belonging to Spain. The Spanish called the sauce “salsa mahonesa” after the town, and this morphed into the French word “mayonnaise” that we use in English today.

19A “That’s just my two __” : CENTS

To put in one’s two cents is to add one’s opinion. The American expression derives from the older English version, which is “to put in one’s two pennies’ worth”.

20A Othello’s betrayer : IAGO

In William Shakespeare’s “Othello”, Iago is the villain of the piece. At one point he readily admits this, saying “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse”. Here he is claiming to make money out of making fools of others. In this case, he takes money from Roderigo, who believes that Iago will help him bed Othello’s wife Desdemona.

23A Strategic game with matchsticks : NIM

Nim is a simple mathematical game of strategy, and an ancient entertainment. Nim involves removing items from distinct piles (say matchsticks). Each player must remove at least one item per turn, and the last person to remove an item is the loser.

27A Vintner’s fruit : GRAPE

A vintner is a person selling or making wine. The term “vintner” comes from “vinum”, which is Latin for “wine”.

29A Sugar suffix : -OSE

The suffix “-ose” comes into English from Latin. It can be added to a word to mean “full of”, or perhaps “like”. Examples are “grandiose” (full of grandeur) and “jocose” (full of jokes).

30A Genetic messenger : RNA

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA. An added complication is that small changes in the sequence of amino acids specified by DNA sometimes takes place in a process known as RNA editing. This RNA editing occurs after the nucleotide sequence has been transcribed from DNA, but before it is translated into protein.

35A Unforeseen hiccup : SNAG

Hiccups is a series of forced intakes of breath, the result of spasms in the muscles of the chest and throat. The most common cause of hiccups is some sort of irritation to the stomach or esophagus, usually taking place while eating. Apparently, we don’t really understand the reason why we hiccup, but a favored suggestion is that it may be something that we inherited from our ancestors of long ago who didn’t stand up quite as straight as we do. Gravity helps us swallow our food, but animals who walk on all fours don’t have that advantage as the food moves horizontally down the throat and into the stomach. Such beasts are in greater need of an involuntary hiccup should some food get stuck. Just a theory …

36A They’re on a roll : COLOR PHOTOS

At the beginning of the 20th century, 35mm was chosen as a standard size for film used in still cameras. 35mm was selected as it was already the standard film size used in motion pictures.

38A Left at sea? : PORT

The left side of a ship used to be called the “larboard” side, but this was dropped in favor of “port” as the pronunciation of “larboard” was easily confused with “starboard”, the right side of the vessel. The term “port” was chosen as it was customary to dock a ship, for loading in port, with the left side of the vessel against the dock.

40A Wright of “Black Panther” : LETITIA

“Black Panther” is a 2018 superhero film starring Chadwick Boseman in the title role. Black Panther is a Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. When not a superhero, Black Panther is the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, and goes by the name “T’Challa”.

Letitia Wright is a British actress who was born in Guyana. She really hit the big times when she landed the title role In the 2022 superhero film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. Wright had played the original Black Panther’s sister, Shuri, in the 2018 film “Black Panther”. After actor Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) died, producers opted not to replace him in the role, and rewrote the planned sequel, promoting the character Shuri. Wright was recognized by her birth nation in 2023 when she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Guyana.

43A Operating principle : CREDO

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

47A They’re on a roll : SESAME SEEDS

The sesame is a flowering plant that is cultivated mainly for its edible seeds. The seeds are a source of oil, and indeed, the sesame is the oldest known oilseed crop.

54A Printer spec. : DPI

Dots per inch (DPI) is a term usually reserved for printing resolution, a measure of the density of individual ink dots that can be positioned on the printed surface. Screen resolution is measured in pixels per inch (PPI), a measure of how closely individual pixels can be placed in a digital display.

56A Negro Leagues legend Buck : O’NEIL

Buck O’Neil was a first baseman and manager with the Kansas City Monarchs, a team in the Negro American League. He was appointed as a coach with the Chicago Cubs in 1962, making him the first African-American coach in the major leagues.

57A It’s on a roll : RICE PAPER

Rice paper is commonly used as a support medium for works of art and decorative items (like artificial flowers), especially in the Far East. Despite the name, the paper isn’t made from rice, and is instead derived from the pith of a small tree called Tetrapanax, also known as the rice paper plant. However, there is an edible “rice paper” used in Vietnamese cuisine, and that is indeed made from rice starch.

59A Shampoo step : RINSE

Back in the 1760s, the verb “to shampoo” was an Anglo-Indian word meaning “to massage”. A century later we started “to shampoo” our hair.

61A Foam on un espresso : CREMA

“Crema” is the name given to that brown foam that sits on the top of a freshly prepared cup of espresso. There’s no milk involved; just foamy coffee.

Espresso is made by forcing extremely hot water, under pressure, through finely ground coffee beans. The result is a thick and concentrated coffee drink that contains quite a lot of solids and a lot of foam. An espresso machine was first patented in 1884 in Italy, although it was a machine to make the beverage in bulk. The first patent for a machine that made individual measures was applied for in 1901, also in Italy.

63A Addams cousin : ITT

In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family has a frequent visitor named Cousin Itt. He is a short man with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. Itt was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.

64A Soup and salad : SIDES

Our word “salad” comes from the Latin “salare” meaning “to salt”. The Latin “herba salata” translates as “salted vegetables”, which I guess could be a salad …

Down

2D Disconnect, as a Bluetooth device : UNPAIR

Bluetooth is a standard for wireless technology that was introduced by Swedish telecom vendor Ericsson in 1994. The name was chosen in honor of Harald Bluetooth, a medieval King of Denmark and Norway. Harald is said to have earned his name because of his love of blueberries, which stained his teeth. Harald was said to have a gift for convincing diverse factions to talk to one another, so Ericsson’s communication protocol was given Harald’s name.

3D Mark of disgrace : STIGMA

A stigma (plural “stigmata”), in a social sense, is a distinguishing mark of disgrace. For example, one might have to suffer the stigma of being in prison. The term derives from the Greek “stigma” meaning “mark, brand”.

4D Part of Tuesday’s dinner, maybe : TACO

Taco Tuesday is a promotion run by many American restaurants, especially in Southern California. Participating establishments offer deals on tacos, and perhaps other Mexican dishes served in tortillas. Apparently, “Taco Tuesday” is a trademark owned by Wyoming-based fast-food restaurant Taco John’s.

6D President born in Hawaii : OBAMA

Despite rumors to the contrary, Barack Hussein Obama II was indeed born in Hawaii. Future US President Obama was born on August 4, 1961 at Kapi’olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu.

10D Sneaker pattern : TREAD

The term “sneaker” for a type of athletic shoe emerged in the late 19th century. It referred to the fact that the rubber soles made the shoes quiet, allowing the wearer to “sneak up” on someone without being heard, unlike the louder hard-soled leather shoes of the time.

12D Rabbit ears : ANTENNA

Remember rabbit ears television antennas? I don’t recall being told this when I was younger, but to get the best reception the length of the “ears” needs to be set at about one half of the wavelength of the signal of the target channel. If only I had known …

13D Paris possessive : SES

The French capital Paris is nicknamed “La Ville Lumière” (The City of Light). There are two justifications cited for the moniker. Firstly, the city played a leading role during Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, in the 18th century. In fact, the French refer to the era as “the Century of Lights”. Secondly, and more literally, Paris was one of the first cities in Europe to adopt widespread gas street lighting. There were about 56,000 gas lights illuminating the streets of Paris in the 1860s.

25D Largest resort city in Russia : SOCHI

Sochi is a city in the west of Russia on the Black Sea coast. It is the largest resort city in the whole country. Sochi is going through a busy phase in its life. It hosted the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2014, and served as host for some games of the 2018 World Cup in soccer.

26D Graffiti signature : TAG

Graffiti is the plural of “graffito”, the Italian for “scribbling”. The word was first used to describe ancient inscriptions on the walls in the ruins of Pompeii.

34D Clearblue alternative : EPT

EPT is a home pregnancy test that was introduced in 1977. It was the first at-home pregnancy test to be approved by the FDA.

38D Faux follower : PAS

The term “faux pas” is French in origin, and translates literally as “false step” (or “false steps”, as the plural has the same spelling in French).

39D Part of NOAA : OCEANIC

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a US agency responsible for studying and monitoring the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. Its origins can be traced back to several earlier agencies, the first of which was called the Survey of the Coast, established in 1807. Over time, these various organizations, focused on areas like weather, fisheries, and oceanography, were consolidated, culminating in the creation of the NOAA in 1970.

42D Spanish __ : OMELET

What we refer to as a Spanish omelet is known as a “tortilla española” in Spanish cuisine. The basic version of the dish is made with eggs and potatoes, and possibly some onion.

50D World Showcase theme park : EPCOT

World Showcase is a neighborhood in EPCOT that is designed to emulate a world’s fair. It comprises eleven pavilions that showcase the culture of eleven nations:

• Canada
• United Kingdom
• France
• Morocco
• Japan
• United States
• Italy
• Germany
• China
• Norway
• Mexico

56D Acapulco gold : ORO

The Mexican city of Acapulco is on the southwest coast of the country, in the state of Guerrero. The name “Acapulco” translates from the local language into “at the big reeds”.

57D “A Life Outdoors Is a Life Well Lived” co. : REI

REI is a sporting goods store, with the initialism standing for Recreational Equipment Inc. REI was founded in Seattle by Lloyd and Mary Anderson in 1938 as a cooperative that supplies quality climbing gear to outdoor enthusiasts. The first full-time employee hired by the Andersons was Jim Whittaker, who was the first American to climb Mount Everest.