Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: By the Ounce
Today’s themed answers are common phrases, but with the letter sequence OZ inserted:
- 57A…How perfume is sold … and this puzzle’s title..BY THE OUNCE
- 17A…Doughnut order from a king?..LION’S DOZEN (“lion’s den” + oz”)
- 25A…Musicians given to tippling?..BOOZY BAND (“boy band” + oz”)
- 34A…Set of data within an atmospheric analysis?..TABLE FOR OZONE (“table for one” + oz”)
- 48A…Occupants of a well-insulated nest?..COZY YOUNG (“Cy Young” + oz”)
Bill’s time: 10m 19s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5…Calyx part..SEPAL
In a flower, the sepals are those green, leaf-like structures that are “interleaved” with the petals, providing support. Prior to acting as support for the petals, the sepals protect the flower in bud.
The calyx is the collective name for the sepals of a flower, the outermost whorl that forms the flower (the pretty part!).
14…Samoan capital..APIA
Apia is the capital city, and in fact the only city, of the Pacific island-nation of Samoa. The harbor of Apia is famous for a very foolish incident in 1889 involving seven naval vessels from Germany, the US and Britain. A typhoon was approaching so the safest thing to do was to head for open water away from land, but no nation would move its ships for fear of losing face in front of the others. Six of the ships were lost in the typhoon as a result and 200 American and German sailors perished. The British cruiser HMS Calliope barely managed to escape from the harbor and rode out the storm safely.
15…Amtrak option..ACELA
The Acela Express is the fastest train routinely running in the US, getting up to 150 mph at times. The service runs between Boston and Washington D.C. via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. The brand name “Acela” was created to evoke “acceleration” and “excellence”.
16…Cabinet dept. formed under Carter..ENER
The US Department of Energy (DOE) came into being largely as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. The DOE was founded in 1977 by the Carter administration. The DOE is responsible for regulating the production of nuclear power, and it is also responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons. The official DOE seal features symbols denoting five sources of energy: the sun, an atom, an oil derrick, a windmill and a dynamo.
19…Fifty percent up front?..DEMI-
Ever wonder what the difference is between the prefixes “hemi-”, “demi-” and “semi-”, all of which mean “half”? Well, the general observation is that words using the “demi-” prefix date back to the days of Norman influence over the English language. As a result, “demi-” turns up in the world of period costume and coats of arms. Words using “hemi-” tend to have Greek roots, and are prevalent in the world of the sciences and the medical field. Words with “semi-” tend to have Latin roots, and are most often found in music and the arts, and mathematics.
21…GPS info..RTE
A global positioning system (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).
23…Pisa possessive..MIO
“Mio” is Italian for “my”.
The city of Pisa is right on the Italian coast, sitting at the mouth of the River Arno, and is famous for its Leaning Tower. The tower is actually the campanile (bell tower) of the city’s cathedral, and it has been leaning since it was completed in 1173. Just shows you how important good foundations are …
28…Writer LeShan..EDA
Eda LeShan wrote several nonfiction books including “When Your Child Drives You Crazy” and “The Conspiracy Against Childhood”. LeShan was also host of the PBS television show “How Do Your Children Grow?”
31…Sergeant Bilko, to friends..ERNIE
Master Sergeant Ernie Bilko was played by Phil Silvers in his TV show that aired in the fifties. “The Phil Silvers Show” was hugely successful in reruns in the British Isles, even more so than over here in the US. Master Sergeant Bilko is routinely referred to as the lower-ranking Sergeant Bilko by viewers, and even by those airing the show in reruns.
32…Tapestry thread..WEFT
When cloth is woven, yarn is drawn back and forth horizontally through vertical yarns called warps. The horizontal yarn is known as the weft or woof.
33…Saturn models..IONS
The Saturn Ion was produced by GM from 2003 to 2007. It was the longest (in length) of any car sold in North America to be marketed as a “compact”.
34…Set of data within an atmospheric analysis?..TABLE FOR OZONE (“table for one” + oz”)
Ozone gets its name from the Greek word ozein, meaning “to smell”. It was given this name as ozone’s formation during lightning storms was detected by the gas’s distinctive smell. Famously, there is a relatively high concentration of the gas in the “ozone layer” in the Earth’s stratosphere. This ozone layer provides a vital function for animal life on the planet as it absorbs most of the sun’s UV radiation. A molecule of ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms, whereas a “normal” oxygen has just two atoms.
40…Quarterback Tony..ROMO
Tony Romo is a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo is also an avid amateur golfer and has even tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to qualify for the US Open golf championship.
42…Protection against Mr. Decay Germ, in old ads..IPANA
Ipana toothpaste was introduced in 1915 and was at the height of its popularity in the forties and fifties. Sales declined in the sixties and the product was withdrawn from the US market in the seventies. Bucky the Beaver was the “spokesman” for Ipana. Bucky the Beaver’s slogan was “Brusha… Brusha… Brusha. Get the New Ipana – it’s dandy for your teeth!” Bucky’s nemesis in commercials was Mr. Decay Germ.
45…MDX ÷ X..CLI
In Roman numerals, “MDX” (1,510) divided by “X” (10) equals “CLI” (151).
48…Occupants of a well-insulated nest?..COZY YOUNG (“Cy Young” + oz”)
Cy Young was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1890-1911. Young is remembered for pitching the first perfect game of baseball’s modern era. Soon after he died in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created and is presented to the best pitcher in each baseball season.
50…One of the Coen brothers..ETHAN
I think it’s great to see two brothers working together and being so successful. Joel and Ethan Coen are two movie producers and directors who both live in New York City. The Coen brothers do love the movie-making business and they even married industry “insiders”. Ethan’s wife is film editor Tricia Cooke, and Joel is married to one of my favorite actresses, the lovely Frances McDormand.
52…”10538 Overture” gp…ELO
“10538 Overture” was the first single to be recorded by the British rock group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). ELO’s lead singer Jeff Lynne wrote the song, which is about an escaped prisoner. Lynne didn’t want to give his “hero” a name, and opted for a number. He noticed the number 1053 on a mixing console, and so he used it. The number 8 was later added so that it better fit with the melody. Hence, the song’s title is “10538 Overture”.
53…Ocean bird..ERN
The ern (sometimes “erne”) is also called the white-tailed eagle, or the sea-eagle.
55…M’s favorite agent..BOND
The character “M” in the James Bond stories is the head of Secret Intelligence Service, also called MI6. The name “M” is chosen as a nod to former head of MI5 Maxwell Knight who routinely signed his memos simply as “M”.
57…How perfume is sold … and this puzzle’s title..BY THE OUNCE
Our term “ounce” comes from the Latin “uncia”, which was 1/12 of a “libra”, the Roman “pound”.
60…Commercial exchange fee..AGIO
The term “agio” derives from the Italian “aggio” meaning “exchange rate, discount, premium”. Most often, the agio is defined as the difference between the actual exchange rate and the nominal exchange rate for two currencies. That difference is mainly made up of the service fee for making the exchange.
61…Ames native..IOWAN
The Iowa city of Ames was founded as a stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad in 1864. It was named for US Congressman Oakes Ames from the state of Massachusetts in honor of the role that Ames played in the building of the transcontinental railroad.
62…Future ENT’s exam..MCAT
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
63…”You’ve Got Mail” co-star..RYAN
Meg Ryan is the stage name of the actress Margaret Mary Hyra. Ryan’s big break came with the excellent 1989 movie “When Harry Met Sally”, from which she went on to star in some of the greatest romantic comedies ever made.
“You’ve Got Mail” is a 1998 romantic comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, directed by Nora Ephron. The film is an adaptation of the Miklos Laszlo play “Parfumerie”. The storyline of “Parfumerie” was also used for the movies “The Shop Around the Corner” (from 1940 starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan) and “In the Good Old Summertime” (from 1949 starring Van Johnson and Judy Garland).
Down
1…Biblical seductress..SALOME
In the New Testament, Salome was a dancer and a seductress. She was the stepdaughter of Herod and when she danced for him on his birthday, her mother demanded as a reward the execution of John the Baptist. Salome is not actually named in the account in the gospels, and historians rely on other sources to determine that she was indeed “Salome”. Famously, the seductive dance that she performed is said to be the Dance of the Seven Veils. The dance isn’t named in the Biblical account, and is an elaboration that developed in later Christian mythology.
3…Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in “Field of Dreams”..LIOTTA
The actor Ray Liotta is best known for playing Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie “Field of Dreams” and Henry Hill in “Goodfellas”.
“Field of Dreams” is a fantasy drama about baseball, released in 1989 and starring Kevin Costner. “Field of Dreams” was also the last film in which Burt Lancaster made an appearance. The baseball stadium that was built for the movie can be visited in Dubuque County, Iowa.
Shoeless Joe Jackson was an outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Naps/Indians and most famously for the Chicago White Sox. Jackson was one of the eight White Sox players accused of accepting a bribe to throw the 1919 World Series, in the so-called “Black Sox” scandal. Jackson earned his nickname early in his career, while playing for a local mill team. A new pair of cleats fitted badly giving him blisters, so Jackson removed them before going to bat. A fan noticed him running the bases in his socks and yelled out “You shoeless son of a gun, you!” The name stuck.
4…Mother of Perseus..DANAE
In Greek mythology, Danaë was the mortal mother of the heroic slayer of monsters Perseus, with the father being Zeus. Danaë herself was the daughter of King Acrisius of Argos and his wife Queen Eurydice.
5…Marquis de __..SADE
The Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat with a reputation for a libertine lifestyle. De Sade was also a writer, well known for his works of erotica. He fell foul of the law for some of his more extreme practices and for blaspheming the Catholic church. On an off, de Sade spent 32 years of his life in prison and in insane asylums.
7…Product with a Simpsons set..PEZ
PEZ is an Austrian brand name for a particular candy sold in a mechanical dispenser. Famously, PEZ dispensers have molded “heads”, and have become very collectible over the years. The list of heads includes historical figures like Betsy Ross and Paul Revere, characters from “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”, and even British royalty like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (“William and Kate”). The name PEZ comes from the first, middle and last letters of “Pfefferminz”, the German word for “peppermint”.
8…Last Olds models..ALEROS
The Oldsmobile Alero was the last car made under the Oldsmobile brand. The Alero was produced from 1999 to 2004.
9…Andy Panda creator..LANTZ
The cartoonist Walter Lantz is best known for creating Woody Woodpecker. Lantz’s wife suggested the idea of a cartoon woodpecker when she heard one pecking at the roof while the newly-wed couple were on their honeymoon. Lantz debuted Woody in a cartoon short featuring Andy Panda, his most successful character up till that time. Woody became a hit, and Lantz’s wife Grace Stafford provided the woodpecker’s voice.
12…Like “executrix,” e.g…FEMININE
An executrix is a female executor of a will. Nice word …
13…Old TV parts..TRIODES
A triode is like a diode, in that it has a cathode from which electrons flow to an anode. However, there is a third terminal called a grid, between the cathode and anode. By applying a potential to the grid, the flow of electrons can be regulated.
22…”Beauty is bought by judgement of the __”: Shakespeare..EYE
“Love’s Labour’s Lost” is a comedy by William Shakespeare that was first performed in 1597, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth I. Here are some lines spoken by the Princess of France to Lord Boyet, one of her attendants:
Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,
Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:
Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,
Not utter’d by base sale of chapmen’s tongues:
I am less proud to hear you tell my worth
Than you much willing to be counted wise
In spending your wit in the praise of mine.
26…Certain footrest..OTTOMAN
The piece of furniture known as an ottoman can be a couch, usually with a head but no back or sides. Here in the US, the term more usually applies to a padded and upholstered seat or bench that can also be used as a footrest. The original ottoman couch came from the Ottoman Empire, hence the name.
27…Verve..BRIO
“Brio” is borrowed from Italian, in which language it means vigor and vivacity. “Con brio” is a musical direction often found on a score, instructing the musicians to play “with energy, vigor”.
30…Quilting party..BEE
Back in 18th-century America, when neighbors would gather to work for the benefit of one of their group, such a meeting was called a “bee”. The name “bee” was an allusion to the social nature of the insect. In modern parlance, a further element of entertainment and pleasure has been introduced, for example in a “quilting bee”, or even a “spelling bee”.
35…Rain forest region..AMAZONIA
The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest, 1.4 billion acres of rainforest that includes territory in nine different countries in South America. Those 1.4 billion acres represent more than half of the rainforest that’s left on the planet.
37…Former PBS “Mystery!” host..RIGG
Diana Rigg is a marvelous actress from England who is best known for playing Emma Peel on the hit sixties show “The Avengers”. Rigg also won an Emmy for her performance in a 1997 television adaptation of “Rebecca”. In my humble opinion, she was also the best-ever Bond girl (opposite the worst ever Bond guy: George Lazenby), in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” …
39…Louisiana genre featuring the accordion..ZYDECO
Zydeco is a style of folk music that evolved from Creole music in Louisiana. The name “Zydeco” is imitative of the French word for green beans, “les haricots”. The term arose from a popular dance tune called “Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés” (“The Green Beans Ain’t Salty”).
44…His stories inspired “Guys and Dolls”..RUNYON
“Guys and Dolls” is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. It was first produced on Broadway, in 1950, and ran for 1200 performances. The show was based on a book written by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, which book was inspired by the short stories :The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure” by Damon Runyon. “Guys and Dolls” was chosen as winner of a Pulitzer in 1951, but the award was cancelled as Abe Burrows was having problems with the House Un-American Activities Committee at the time.
49…”__ non sufficit”: the world is not enough..ORBIS
“Orbis non sufficit” (Latin for “the world is not enough”) was the motto of English Baronet Sir Thomas Bond. Ian Fleming decided to name real-life Sir Thomas as an ancestor of his fictional spy James Bond. And that’s the backstory to the book and movie title “The World Is Not Enough”.
54…Beltway VIPs..SENS
The phrase “inside the Beltway” is used to refer to the infrastructure and politics of Washington, D.C. The Beltway in this case is Interstate 495, also known as the Capital Beltway.
58…BOAC competitor..TWA
Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan Am, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the initialism “TWA”) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was one of the two airlines that were merged in 1974 to form British Airways (the other was British European Airways, known as BEA).
59…Storied cauldron stirrer..HAG
“Hag” is a shortened form of the Old English word “haegtesse” meaning, “witch”.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Talked into, with “on”..SOLD
5…Calyx part..SEPAL
10…Typical artist’s apartment..LOFT
14…Samoan capital..APIA
15…Amtrak option..ACELA
16…Cabinet dept. formed under Carter..ENER
17…Doughnut order from a king?..LION’S DOZEN (“lion’s den” + oz”)
19…Fifty percent up front?..DEMI-
20…Recorded..ON TAPE
21…GPS info..RTE
23…Pisa possessive..MIO
24…Recording device..METER
25…Musicians given to tippling?..BOOZY BAND (“boy band” + oz”)
28…Writer LeShan..EDA
29…Is next to..ABUTS
31…Sergeant Bilko, to friends..ERNIE
32…Tapestry thread..WEFT
33…Saturn models..IONS
34…Set of data within an atmospheric analysis?..TABLE FOR OZONE (“table for one” + oz”)
40…Quarterback Tony..ROMO
41…Swamplike..MIRY
42…Protection against Mr. Decay Germ, in old ads..IPANA
44…Continued violently..RAGED
45…MDX ÷ X..CLI
48…Occupants of a well-insulated nest?..COZY YOUNG (“Cy Young” + oz”)
50…One of the Coen brothers..ETHAN
52…”10538 Overture” gp…ELO
53…Ocean bird..ERN
54…Gets rid of..SCRAPS
55…M’s favorite agent..BOND
57…How perfume is sold … and this puzzle’s title..BY THE OUNCE
60…Commercial exchange fee..AGIO
61…Ames native..IOWAN
62…Future ENT’s exam..MCAT
63…”You’ve Got Mail” co-star..RYAN
64…Grabs..SNAGS
65…Turtles, sometimes..PETS
Down
1…Biblical seductress..SALOME
2…Offered a view..OPINED
3…Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in “Field of Dreams”..LIOTTA
4…Mother of Perseus..DANAE
5…Marquis de __..SADE
6…Prefix with friendly..ECO-
7…Product with a Simpsons set..PEZ
8…Last Olds models..ALEROS
9…Andy Panda creator..LANTZ
10…Took charge..LED
11…Two-run homer situation..ONE MAN ON
12…Like “executrix,” e.g…FEMININE
13…Old TV parts..TRIODES
18…Urban __..SPRAWL
22…”Beauty is bought by judgement of the __”: Shakespeare..EYE
25…Fit and muscular..BUFF
26…Certain footrest..OTTOMAN
27…Verve..BRIO
30…Quilting party..BEE
34…Math branch concerned with surfaces..TOPOLOGY
35…Rain forest region..AMAZONIA
36…Beyond slender..BONY
37…Former PBS “Mystery!” host..RIGG
38…Extractable natural resource..ORE
39…Louisiana genre featuring the accordion..ZYDECO
40…Grain-based treat..RICE BAR
43…”Understood, Cap’n”..AYE
44…His stories inspired “Guys and Dolls”..RUNYON
45…Luck..CHANCE
46…Pet that needs a sitter?..LAP CAT
47…Many Alaska maps..INSETS
49…”__ non sufficit”: the world is not enough..ORBIS
51…Outdo..TRUMP
54…Beltway VIPs..SENS
56…Put on..DON
58…BOAC competitor..TWA
59…Storied cauldron stirrer..HAG
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