Happy February everyone! It’s not most folks favourite month of the year, but at least it’s short. So is this intro – let’s get to it, shall we?
- Title: Measure for Measure
- Grid size: 15×15
- Number of entries: 76
- Difficulty: Medium easy (my solve time: 6:18)
The theme was along the lines of what I expected from the title. The themers are common places, phrases, or things that include a word used in the original phrase that has one sense, but can also be used as a measurement. It’s clued to use the measurement meaning of the word:
- 20A: [Distance equalling .9144 metre in Glasgow?]: SCOTLAND YARD – Also 91.44 centimetres and 9.144 decimetres equal a yard.
- 28A: [Temperature denoting one above zero?]: FIRST DEGREE – You always hear of someone getting the third degree – is the first more or less harsh?
- 36A: [Weights at Best in Show?]: DOG POUNDS – “Best in Show” is a very funny movie, but I can’t recall if they ever weighed any of the dogs in it.
- 48A: [Speed units on cruises for little old ladies?]: GRANNY KNOTS – A knot is a nautical unit of speed that’s exactly 1.852 km/h and approximately 1.151 mph or 0.514 m/s).
- 57A: [Group of twenty Broadway shows?]: MUSICAL SCORE – I wonder if there are even 20 shows on or off Broadway open now?
Not sure if it’s on purpose or not, but the measures are all non-SI units (yard, pound, knots) or are neutral (degree, score). Maybe there just aren’t any common phrases that use metric terms? While this didn’t seem as easy as my time indicates, it was a fairly smooth solve with any entries I didn’t know crossed by enough I did to make it work. Most difficult area for me was NE where I had the wrong entry for 16A, and no idea on 9A, 12D, & 13D. After I fixed 16A and got 19A the rest came easily.
Canadian content
- 3D: [Pilot in the Snowbirds, e.g.]: AEROBAT – I knew the Snowbirds were the Canadian Forces aerobatic team, and I think I may have even seen them perform many years ago. But I first put in AVIATOR until the crosses quickly told me I was wrong.
- 12D: [Toronto-to-Ottawa dir.]: ENE – I talked myself out of this one as a Canadian fact I don’t know, when actually I am quite familiar with the spatial relationship between these two cities so I could have got it with a moment’s thought instead of relying on the crosses.
- 17A: [“Your World Awaits” carrier]: AIR CANADA – I don’t think I’ve seen this slogan, even though I have an Aeroplan account (which has zero points as I got it just before the pandemic began).
- 24A: [Part of M.P.: Abbr.]: MEM – If I have this correct M.P. is Member of Parliament.
- 42D: [___ Saint-Jean, Québec]: LAC – I believe this one has appeared at least once before, but in case it was a different Lac, here’s more information about Lac Saint-Jean.
- 54A: [Political Red Chamber mem.]: SEN – I think the Senate has been referenced as the Red Chamber in this puzzle before, but today I learned why it’s called that nickname.
- 57D: [Toronto’s ____ School of Global Affairs]: MUNK – There was a time in my education when I considered a career in diplomacy. I wonder if I pursued that if I would have considered attending the Munk School of Global Affairs?
Other stuff:
- 2D: [Win through deceit]: CHICANE – I didn’t know this definition of this word, though I’d seen it used in auto racing and skiing, I believe. Nice word that ought to be used more often.
- 8D: [Famed “Casablanca” request]: PLAY IT – Yes! An accurate quote from one of my favorite films of all time. Bogie never says “Play it again, Sam” – just “Play it.”
- 19A: [Runs out quickly]: FLEES – I had the “runs out of gas” meaning in mind, so I had FLAGS in here for way too long.
- 22A: [Indenting tool in Word]: TAB SET – Initially put TAB KEY in here but soon saw that the crosses didn’t work.
- 27A: [“__…sesame seed bun”]: ON A – “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions…”
- 67A: [Warped weirdo]: SICKO – Maybe it’s just me, but I see this image from the wonderfully satirical Kartoonist Kelly whenever I see this word.
Quote of the week:
“You want a prediction about the weather? You’re asking the wrong Phil. I’m going to give you a prediction about this winter. It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be grey, and it’s going to last you for the rest of your lives.”
– Phil Connors (Bill Murray, in “Groundhog Day“)