Category: Katie Hale

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Constructed by: Scott Hogan & Katie Hale
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: It’s a Sign

Themed answers are road SIGNS that have been reinterpreted to match the corresponding clues:

23A “Put that Sandra Bullock bomb-on-a-bus DVD in the clearance bin!” : REDUCE “SPEED”!

• 33A “Keep it clean! This is a family musical!” : CHILDREN AT PLAY!
• 51A “Base jumping is awesome!” : FALLING ROCKS!
• 67A “Play every song the whole way through!” : DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS!
• 85A “Don’t you dare throw another interception!” : PASS WITH CARE!
• 99A “Our new corporate partners are almost here!” : PREPARE TO MERGE!
• 117A “Can we please banish traveling salespeople already!?” : END ROADWORK!

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

Bill’s time: 18m 16s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “Kung Fu __”: Jack Black film franchise : PANDA

“Kung Fu Panda” is a 2008 animated film from DreamWorks. It’s all about a panda who is an expert in kung fu, as one might guess …

Actor Jack Black was born in Santa Monica, California and is the son of two satellite engineers who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope program.

15 Kiss, in Camden : SNOG

“Snogging” is British slang of unknown origin that dates back to the end of WWII. The term is used for “kissing and cuddling”, what we call “making out” over here in the US.

Camden Town is an area in London that was named after 18th century lawyer and judge Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. Charles Dickens once resided in Camden Town, and that is where he located the family home of Bob Cratchit and his family in his celebrated novella “A Christmas Carol”.

20 “Bunnicula” voice actor Sean : ASTIN

Sean Astin is best known for playing the title role in the 1993 film “Rudy” and the character Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” movies. You might also have seen him playing Lynn McGill in the 5th season of “24”. Astin is the son of actress Patty Duke, and the adopted son of actor John Astin (of “The Addams Family” fame).

“Bunnicula” is an animated, dark comedy TV show that started airing in 2016. It features the voices of Chris Kattan and Sean Astin, and is based on a series of children’s books of the same name penned by James and Deborah Howe. The title character is a vampire rabbit who imbibes carrot juice to bolster his superpowers.

22 Cod, for one : CAPE

Cape Cod is indeed named after the fish. It was first referred to as “Cape Cod” by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602, as his men caught so many fish there.

23 “Put that Sandra Bullock bomb-on-a-bus DVD in the clearance bin!” : REDUCE “SPEED”!

“Speed” is an entertaining 1994 action film starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, as well as the late Dennis Hopper as the bad guy.

30 False flattery : SMARM

The word “smarm” describes insincere flattery. The term comes from a colloquial word “smalm” that was used in the mid-19th century to mean “smear the hair with some sort of styling product”.

39 Letters on a face : XII

That would be a clockface.

40 Tierra en el océano : ISLA

In Spanish, “tierra en el océano” (land in an ocean) is an “ISLA” (island).

45 “The Morning Show” star : ANISTON

Jennifer Aniston won a 2002 Emmy for playing Rachel on the great sitcom “Friends”. Her parents are both actors, and her godfather was the actor Telly Savalas.

“The Morning Show” is a powerful drama TV series that is based on the 2013 book “Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV” by CNN’s Brian Stelter. The show stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as two anchors for “The Morning Show”, one very experienced, and one new to the job. Steve Carell plays a former anchor who is ousted due to a sexual misconduct scandal.

51 “Base jumping is awesome!” : FALLING ROCKS!

BASE jumping is parachuting off fixed objects such as buildings or cliffs. The term “BASE” is actually an acronym standing for the four types of objects from which parachutists jump: Buildings, Antennas. Spans/bridges, Earth/cliffs.

54 Porcelain treasure : MING VASE

The Ming dynasty lasted in China from 1368 to 1644. It was a time of tremendous innovation in so many areas, including the manufacture of ceramics. In the late Ming period, a shift towards a market economy in China led to the export of porcelain on an unprecedented scale, perhaps explaining why we tend to hear more about Ming vases than we do about porcelain from any other Chinese dynasty.

The ceramic known as “porcelain” can be referred to as “china” or “fine china”, as porcelain was developed in China.

57 Spanish 101 verb : ESTAR

The Spanish verb “estar” translates as “to be”.

59 Sharqiya Sands country : OMAN

The Sharqiya Sands region of desert in Oman was formerly known as Wahiba Sands. The Wahiba name came from the al-Wahiba bedouin tribe who gathered annually at an oasis on the desert’s border to gather dates.

63 Tart pub quaff : SOUR ALE

“Quaff” is both a verb and a noun. One “quaffs” (takes a hearty drink) of a “quaff” (a hearty drink).

71 Late-night host Ferguson : CRAIG

The Scottish stand-up comedian Craig Ferguson is best known these days as host of CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, which aired from 2005 to 2014. For several years Ferguson played Drew Carey’s boss on “The Drew Carey Show”.

77 Sunscreen metal : ZINC

Zinc oxide is a popular ingredient in sunscreens as it blocks both UVA and UVB components of ultraviolet light.

79 Word on a Paris map : METRO

The Paris Métro is the busiest underground transportation system in western Europe. The network carries about 4.5 million passengers a day, which is about the same ridership as the New York City Subway. The system took its name from the company that originally operated it, namely “La Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris” (The Metropolitan Paris Railroad Company), which was shortened to “Métro”. The term “Metro” was then adopted for similar systems in cities all over the world.

82 Evian or Perrier : EAU

Évian-les-Bains (or simply “Évian”) is in the very east of France, on the shores of Lake Geneva directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As one might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. Personally, I can’t stand the distinctive taste of Évian water …

Perrier is bottled from spring water that is naturally carbonated. The natural carbonation is lost during the purification process, and so has to be restored artificially before bottling. The spring used by Perrier is in the South of France, and has been used since Roman times as a spa.

89 Tuna tartare topper : ROE

Steak tartare was first served in French restaurants in the early 1900s. Back then, the dish went by the name “steak à l’Americaine”, would you believe? It was basically raw, seasoned beef mixed with egg yolk. A later version of l’Americaine, without the egg yolk and with tartar sauce served on the side, was dubbed “steak tartare”. Over time the two versions became one, and the steak tartare moniker won out. By the way, if you order steak tartare in Switzerland, I believe you are served horse meat. There are now similar “tartare” dishes made with raw salmon, or raw tuna.

92 Cargo weight : TON

The measure of weight that we know as a ton was originally the quantity of wine needed to fill a cask (“tun”) with wine.

93 Writers McEwan and Fleming : IANS

Ian McEwan is an English novelist with a track record of writing well-received novels. His most famous work of recent years I would say is “Atonement” which has benefited from the success of a fabulous movie adaptation released in 2007.

The character James Bond was the creation of writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number “007” was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th-century English spy named John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”. There’s an entertaining miniseries that aired on BBC America called “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” that details Ian Fleming’s military career, and draws some nice parallels between Fleming’s experiences and aspirations and those of his hero James Bond. Recommended …

110 Biscuit containers : TINS

Our word “biscuit” comes from the Medieval Latin “biscotum” meaning “twice-baked”. This etymology reflects the original two-step process used to make biscuits. After initially baking at a relatively high temperature, biscuits were then dried out in an oven set at a lower temperature.

113 State with a triangular swallowtail flag : OHIO

The flag of Ohio features a swallowtail, which makes it the only US state flag that isn’t rectangular.

115 Utah ski resort : ALTA

Alta ski resort actually lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. The first ski lift in the resort was opened way back in 1939. Today, Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the country that prohibits snowboarding (along with Deer Valley, Utah and Mad River Glen, Vermont). The ski resort of Snowbird, located next to Alta, has been in operation since 1971.

116 Subj. for which trig is a prereq : CALC

The Latin word “calculus” was originally used for a reckoning or an account, and originally applied to a pebble that was used to maintain a count. The Latin word came from the Greek for a pebble, “khalix”.

120 “Mon __!” : DIEU

“Mon Dieu!” is French for “My God!”

124 “Make it shorter,” made shorter : TL;DR

Too long, didn’t read (TL;DR)

125 Fish with neon stripes : TETRA

The neon tetra is a freshwater fish that is native to parts of South America. The tetra is a very popular aquarium fish and millions are imported into the US every year. Almost all of the imported tetras are farm-raised in Asia and very few come from their native continent.

126 Carne __: grilled meat : ASADA

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

Down

1 Pigtails separation : PART

Back in the 1600s, a step in the processing of tobacco was the twisting of leaves together to form a compact braid for curing. That bunch of tobacco resembles the twisted tail of a pig, and earned the nickname “pigtail”. The use of “pigtail” migrated late in the 17th century to describe a similarly braided length of hair.

3 Gymnast Comaneci : NADIA

Romanian Nadia Comaneci won three golds in the 1976 Summer Olympics and was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of ten in the gymnastics competition. Comaneci published a book called “Letters to a Young Gymnast” in 2003, and now lives in the United States.

5 “Dark Winds” network : AMC

“Dark Winds” is a TV series about two Navajo Tribal Police officers in the American Southwest. It is described as a psychological thriller show.

7 Molded jelly made with meat stock : ASPIC

Aspic is a dish in which the main ingredients are served in a gelatin made from meat stock. “Aspic” is a French word meaning “jelly”.

8 2022 NBA Finals MVP Curry : STEPH

Stephen “Steph” Curry is a professional basketball player who was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the 2009 draft. His father is former NBA player Dell Curry, and his younger brother is current player Seth Curry. Steph Curry is noted for accuracy in shooting. Curry set the record for three-pointers made in a regular season in 2013, broke that record in 2015, and broke it yet again in 2016. Then, in 2021, he broke the record for career three-pointers.

11 Rum brand with a bat logo : BACARDI

The Bacardi company was founded in Cuba in 1862 by a Spanish wine merchant named Facundo Bacardi. He purchased a building that housed a copper and cast iron still. Living in the rafters of the structure were fruit bats, which led to the Bacardi brand of rum using a bat as a logo.

13 Summer fabric : LINEN

The textile known as linen is made from flax fibers. The name “linen” probably comes from “linum”, which is Latin for both “flax” and “textile made from flax”.

14 “3 Body Problem” antagonists, briefly : ETS

French mathematician Henri Poincaré was also a physicist, and is often described as a polymath. Notably, he contributed to the “three-body problem” of classical mechanics. That phrase became familiar to the non-scientific community when Netflix started airing the TV series “3 Body Problem”.

15 Garlicky dish : SCAMPI

The Italian dish known as “scampi” is a serving of shrimp in garlic butter and dry white wine.

17 Glass production? : OPERA

Philip Glass is by far my favorite composer of contemporary classical music. His Violin Concerto No. 1 is a piece that I listen to at least as often as my favorite works from Beethoven and Mozart. I was lucky enough to attend a very small and intimate piano recital that he gave a few years ago, and it was a very, very memorable event.

24 Petrol pump brand : ESSO

The gas pump was actually around before there were cars on the road. The first gas pump was the invention of one Sylvanus Bowser from Fort Wayne, Indiana. His first pump was designed to pump kerosene for lamps and stoves, and was introduced in 1885. As automobiles became popular, he modified the design to pump gasoline. He introduced the Self-Measuring Gasoline Storage Pump in 1905. He marketed his devices all around the world, and in some parts the name “bowser” is still used sometimes to refer to fuel pumps, and indeed some fuel tankers.

32 Massaman curry cuisine : THAI

Massaman curry is a rich and mildly spicy Thai curry. The main ingredients in the dish are coconut milk, potatoes, carrots, peanuts, and massaman curry paste. The curry paste is made with a variety of spices, including cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. Yum …

35 Neural transmitters : AXONS

A nerve cell is more correctly called a neuron. The long nerve fiber that conducts signals away from the neuron is known as the axon. The axon is surrounded by a myelin sheath, which acts as an electrical insulator and which increases the rate the impulses pass along the axon.

40 Othello manipulator : 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.

44 Said “Cheers!” : TOASTED

The tradition of toasting someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

46 Young salmon : SMOLT

When young salmon (born in freshwater) are at the smolt stage, they become adapted to saltwater and head for the sea. They return to freshwater to reproduce, often traveling long distances upstream.

47 Big cat : TIGER

The tiger is the largest species in the cat family. Tigers have been known to breed with lions. A liger is a cross between a male lion and female tiger. A tigon is a cross between a female lion and a male tiger.

48 “East of Eden” co-star : JAMES DEAN

In his short life, James Dean starred in three great movies: “East of Eden”, “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant”, for which he received two posthumous Best Actor Oscar nominations (the only person to do so). On a fateful day in September 1955, Dean set off in Porsche for a race in Salinas, California. While driving to the race he was given a speeding ticket. Two hours later Dean was involved in a near head-on collision and was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital in Paso Robles, California.

“East of Eden” is a 1955 film based on the novel by John Steinbeck. Among other things, the movie is noted for providing James Dean his first major role.

52 Roman emperor after Claudius : NERO

Nero was Emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 CE, and towards the end of his reign participated in the Olympic Games in the year 67. The Roman leader raced in a ten-horse chariot, of which he lost control and nearly perished after being thrown from the vehicle. Acting and singing were Olympic events back then, and Nero also took part in those competitions. By all accounts, Nero performed badly in every event in which he vied, and yet somehow still managed to win Olympic crowns that he paraded around Rome on his return from Greece. Just before he died, Nero reportedly declared, “What an artist the world is losing in me!”

I find Claudius to be the most fascinating of all the Roman Emperors. He had a lot going against him, as he walked with a limp and was slightly deaf. Claudius was put in office by the Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s bodyguards) after Caligula was assassinated. Claudius had very little political experience and yet proved to be very forward-thinking and capable.

55 Screwdriver need : VODKA

The cocktail called a screwdriver is a mix of fresh orange juice with vodka. Apparently the drink originated with a group of engineers in the late forties who used to spike small cans of orange juice with vodka, and then stir it in with their screwdrivers.

62 London lang. : ENG

London, England has been a major settlement for over 2,000 years and was founded as a town by the Romans who named it Londinium. The name “Londinium” may have existed prior to the arrival of the Romans, and no one seems too sure of its origins. Famously, the City of London is a one-square-mile area at the center of the metropolis, the area that marked old medieval London. “The City”, as it is commonly called, has its own Mayor of the City of London (the Mayor of London is someone else), and its own City of London Police Force (the London Metropolitan Police are the police usually seen on the streets, a different force).

64 eBayer’s option : UPS

United Parcel Service (UPS) is based in Sandy Springs, Georgia and has its own airline that operates out of Louisville, Kentucky. UPS often goes by the nickname “Brown”, because of its brown delivery trucks and brown uniforms.

71 Policy honcho : CZAR

“Honcho” is a slang term meaning “leader”. The word comes to us from the Japanese military, in which language a “hancho” is a “squad” (han) “leader” (cho).

72 Puerto __ : RICO

Puerto Rico (PR) is located in the northeastern Caribbean (in the Atlantic Ocean), east of the Dominican Republic. The name “Puerto Rico” is Spanish for “rich port”. The locals often call their island Borinquen, the Spanish form of “Boriken”, the original name used by the natives.

78 Longhorn, e.g. : STEER

The Texas longhorn breed of cattle live up to their name, as they have horns that span over 8 feet from tip to tip.

80 Even prime : TWO

The first three prime numbers are 2,3 and 5.

86 “The Crown” role for Erin Doherty : ANNE

Anne, Princess Royal was born in 1950 and is the only daughter of British Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Anne has been in the public spotlight for many things, including her success as an equestrian. Princess Anne was the first member of the British Royal Family to have competed in an Olympic Games. Her daughter Zara Phillips continued the tradition and competed as a member of the British equestrian team in the 2012 Olympic Games. Zara’s medal was presented to her by her own mother, Princess Anne.

English actress Erin Doherty got her big break in television when she landed the role of a young Princess Anne in season 3 of “The Crown”. She then played the protagonist on the British psychological thriller TV miniseries “Chloe”.

87 Many an audio receiver : HI-FI

Hi-fi systems were introduced in the late 1940s. They are pieces of audio equipment designed to give a much higher quality reproduction of sound than cheaper systems available up to that point. “Hi-fi” stands for “high fidelity”.

96 Dix x trois : TRENTE

In French, “trente” (thirty) is “dix x trois” (ten x three).

98 To whom Anna sings “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” : ELSA

“Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” is a very popular song from the 2013 Disney musical film “Frozen”. It is performed by three of the cast members who play Anna, Princess of Arendelle, at various stages in her life, i.e. Katie Lopez (Anna at 5 years old), Agatha Lee Monn (Anna at 9 years old) and Kristen Bell (Anna at 18 years). It is one of the best-selling holiday songs of all time.

99 Italian fashion house : PRADA

Prada started out in 1913 as a leather-goods shop in Milan, one established by the two Prada brothers. One of the brothers, Mario Prada, prevented the female members of his family from participating in the running of the company as he didn’t believe women should be involved in business (!). When the sexist brother died, his son had no interest in the business so it was his daughter who took over and ran the company for about twenty years, handing it over to her own daughter. I’d say the devil loved that …

101 __ nous : ENTRE

In French, something might perhaps be discussed “entre deux” (between two) or “entre nous” (between us).

102 ASOS biz : E-TAIL

ASOS is an online retailer of fashion and cosmetic items. Headquartered in London, the company name stands for AsSeenOnScreen. This a reference to the initial focus, selling imitations of clothing seen in films and on television.

103 Like a Scrabble board, in a way : TILED

The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, and is the invention of an architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts was born on April 13th, and we now celebrate National Scrabble Day on April 13th each year in his honor.

104 Gal of “Death on the Nile” : GADOT

Gal Gadot is an actress and former Miss Israel. She played Gisele Yashar in the “Fast & Furious” film franchise, and then began portraying Wonder Woman in superhero movies.

“Death on the Nile” is a spectacular 2022 film adaptation of the 1937 Agatha Christie novel of the same name. It is directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also leads the cast playing the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The movie “Death on the Nile” serves as a sequel to “Murder on the Orient Express”, in which Branagh also played Poirot. The critics didn’t heap praise on this one, but personally, I loved both films …

107 Valerie Harper sitcom of the 1970s : RHODA

The seventies sitcom “Rhoda” was a spinoff of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” that starred Valerie Harper. The eighth episode of the show was an hour-long special in which Rhoda married her fiance Joe (played by David Groh). At the time of airing it was the second-most watched television episode in history, second only to the 1953 birth of Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy”.

Valerie Harper was best known for playing Rhoda Morgenstern on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and on her own spin-off sitcom “Rhoda”. Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009, and in 2013 was given just months to live. Despite the prognosis, and her age of 74 years, she decided to appear in the 17th season of “Dancing with the Stars”. Harper eventually passed away in 2019.

112 Saints city, informally : NOLA

The New Orleans Saints football team takes its name from the jazz song “When the Saints Go Marching In”, a tune that is very much associated with the city. The team was founded in 1967, on November 1st, which is All Saints’ Day in the Roman Catholic tradition.

116 Summer hrs. in Houston : CDT

The city of Houston (sometimes “H-Town”) was named for General Sam Houston, who served as President of the Republic of Texas and then as Governor after Texas was annexed as a US state in 1845. As the city is home to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston was officially given the nickname “Space City” in 1967.