Rufus today ... explanations please?

[joggerjayne]

Rufus must have been in a good mood when he set today's crossie.

But there are a couple that I don't understand.

1a. Fit retaining 45-inch screw (9)

I'm pretty sure the answer is PROPELLER.

I see that "fit" is PROPER ... but I don't understand the 45-inch bit.

3d. Eastern lake found in the West? Strange (5)

I think the answer is EERIE (because it's a lake, and it fits).

But apart from the "E" for East, I don't really understand where the answer comes from.

Anyone ???

=0)

[kayakamina]

Ell is a measurement of 45inch

Erie = lake + e (eAST) = eerie - WEIRD

[dr b]

ell = "Any of several historical units of measure corresponding roughly to the length of the arm, especially the English measure equal to 45 inches (114 centimeters)."

[jno]

an ell is 45 inches, I think?

[rowanwitch]

Ell early linear measure

Lake Erie one of the great lakes

[dr b]

What the ell, I always say.

[ulysses100]

1a an ell is an old measurement of length
3d eastern = E
a lake in the Western part of the world = Lake Erie

[jno]

as explained, Erie is the lake, eerie is strange.

[joggerjayne]

Aaah ... so the problems were ...

(1) I didn't know what an "ell" was; and

(2) I was mis-spelling Lake "Eerie".

Duuuh me !!!

Thank you, guys.

J x

[kayakamina]

Hi JJ

Another couple of 'measurement' favourites with setters are EM & EN so look out for them next time.

K x

[joggerjayne]

Okay, K.

I'd better Google them to see what they are !

J x

[jno]

they're spaces dating from the old days of lead type (that is they're slugs of metal of a fixed width but without any raised letter) - an em is the width of a letter M, an en is the width of an N.

[joggerjayne]

Golly !

Thanks, jno.

x