tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1023883268473226762..comments2024-03-29T09:16:59.206-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Judge John who was Time's 1973 Man of Year / THU 6-4-15 / 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit / Girlfriend group 2002 / Many early internet adopter / Schoolmaster in Washington Irving tale / Mythical huntress / Morris signature on Declaration of Independence / Singer with 1994 double-platinum album Under Pink Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27009159030008013112015-07-09T18:04:04.314-04:002015-07-09T18:04:04.314-04:00P.S. USAID is not just a "Humanitarian org.&q...P.S. USAID is not just a "Humanitarian org." It also has less altruistic functions with Cold War roots. leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32087411101626719612015-07-09T17:36:48.821-04:002015-07-09T17:36:48.821-04:00After having read the note and filled in the grid,...After having read the note and filled in the grid, I saw that the STALACTITE-STALAGTITE combo could be reversed. I had it right the first time, but started flipping coins. Fortunately, I went with my somewhat foggy memory and went with what I had.<br /><br />MISSAY made me hesitate because I thought of W's "misunderestimated", which he wasn't.<br /><br />@BS, twice today: Laureate status.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55378895360786760312015-07-09T17:09:18.653-04:002015-07-09T17:09:18.653-04:00Correction-
Sorry, the Vegas paper does print the ...Correction-<br />Sorry, the Vegas paper does print the constructors name. Just not on Sunday's. <br /><br /><br />Cathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35182274055821759382015-07-09T16:31:28.643-04:002015-07-09T16:31:28.643-04:00I Had to look up moil in my badly battered crosswo...I Had to look up moil in my badly battered crossword dictionary. Yes, puzzle completed. Or so I thought. Felt blasé for a Thursday and knew there must be a catch. As with @Spacecraft, the Vegas Sun does not print "notes". Nor the constructors name, (although that wouldn't have made a difference).<br /><br />Liked seeing "AOLER". Me and my Dad use to "IM" each other when AOL first came out. We would write anything (it rained today) cause it was so exciting. I would always throw in a quote from Steven Wright. My Mom couldn't understand the fuss. Still doesn't. 85, No internet, no cell phone.. Yet put her in a casino, hold the fort!! God I love her (and miss my Dad).<br /><br />@Rondo- hope your feeling better. Wasn't sure if you really called in sick.<br /><br />@Burma Shave- wrote morass and thought here we go:)<br /><br />There's no rain today. If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?<br /><br /><br />Cathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75839096391106720572015-07-09T16:06:45.831-04:002015-07-09T16:06:45.831-04:00Warning note left me wondering if this puzzle was ...Warning note left me wondering if this puzzle was made up of "alternates". A theory not helped by the fact while 7A seemed to call for WARNING, maybe it's opposite, "delight" was intended. Thus encumbered, it took me a while to CLAW my way to a solution, but eventually I got there, even if it did involve a last minute transposition of MITESand TITES. And now after reading @Old Timer at 11.10 AM I'm not really sure which answer set is right! A salute to Mr. Schrödinger's cat! Did love the clue for "present day".DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64544909389128858602015-07-09T15:31:25.978-04:002015-07-09T15:31:25.978-04:00I've never been in a cave, but I learned the a...I've never been in a cave, but I learned the ants in pants, tights, mites thing when I was twelve. However, having read the note and having realized that there was the either/and/or (what the heck does "quantum" mean here?), I totally overanalyzed the situation and thought that if JK was being visual, he would have the STALAGMITE reading upwards. Of course he didn't, so I thought that I would have to use logic, a la @old timer, to determine which was which.<br />My logic differed from his, and so I finished with the published solution.<br /><br />I enjoyed solving this one, for the interesting longer answers, and the perceived need to really suss out the meaning of MOIL, TOIL, CAPS, GAPS, -ISMS, -ISTS, CUT, GUT. <br /><br />I'm unbothered by the crossing Roman Numerals (JK has done this before, mainly to tweak critics, I think). Also, I think that to MISSAY is to mispronounce, while to misspeak is to state an untruth. Feel free to disagree. Anyway, I thought this was a very good puzzle.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43109983959558739482015-07-09T14:52:16.013-04:002015-07-09T14:52:16.013-04:00GNAW ORNOT
IOWA large debt because I RANATAB down...GNAW ORNOT<br /><br />IOWA large debt because I RANATAB down at the CAVERN Inn,<br />The PILAF sucked and you know what ELSE AS SAD? The NYSTRIPS were PAPERTHIN.<br /><br />--- DIANA CASTAWAY<br />BS2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89014323771207423032015-07-09T13:00:02.025-04:002015-07-09T13:00:02.025-04:00As is always the case, my paper does not print &qu...As is always the case, my paper does not print "notes" to the day's NYT puzzle. Thus for me, I had to come here to realize that the four acrosses were interchangeable. There was no confusion in my weird brain; I was on a cave tour as a kid, learned the names, and that was it. Never needed any mnemonics. Though the theme seems exceptionally thin (only two down words, really, plus a common six-letter word that could fit in anywhere), the addition of the dual solutions--which both work--thickens it considerably. Pulling that off was a tour de force. But again: there's only one way for it. Why bother creating a second solution if it's WRONG?? Same reason a dog licks himself.<br /><br />I don't quite know why the fill has to suffer so much. Two RRNs intersecting is bad enough; do we have to take MISSAY as well? Spellcheck red-lines that one! MISSPEAK I buy (and so does spellcheck). It's In The Language. MISSAY is not. Flag that baby.<br /><br />Lost time in the NE with that sailor's wArnIng; was surprised that I had to go all the way down to @dk's post before finding another. I'd have thought that misdirect would have been nearly universal. The clue "Present time, informally" was particularly nasty to solvers. Oh, THAT kind of "present." O-o-okay. Fair enough. Nasty as hell, but fair.<br /><br />Should TSE even be allowed in the same grid with TSETSE? I think a successful constructor's career would be one in which he never used TSETSE, EKE, or ALOE. At least an NYSTRIP tastes good. Overall: C.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25678116498909571222015-07-09T11:45:19.031-04:002015-07-09T11:45:19.031-04:00I did the wArnIng thing like others so the NE was ...I did the wArnIng thing like others so the NE was a write-over mess. And gAPS first (think Lauren Hutton, yeah baby) before correction. I remembered all the “rules” so knew the correct spellings. <br /><br />I had more write-over ink in @spacey’s bane of RRNs (crossing, no less) by having ACTtwo. Didn’t remember how many acts. And almost “aroni” for PILAF before checking a cross or two.<br /><br />Appreciate yeah baby Taylor Swift as a clue for IDOL. Now there’s a doll.<br /><br />I was afraid to put in MISSAY, seems like misspeak is the commonly used term. MISSAY seems clunky. Mostly tolerable, and no more than one correct letter in each square. Kind of a VANILLA Thurs-puz. <br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66943178086453922212015-07-09T10:32:58.804-04:002015-07-09T10:32:58.804-04:00REARMOST SLAM
It’s a BADSIGN when the PATERNITY ...REARMOST SLAM<br /><br />It’s a BADSIGN when the PATERNITY test DATA HINTs that you didn’t pass,<br />Just OPENUP and ADMITONE time that U SAID you were after MORASS.<br /><br />--- ICHABOD SIRICA<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30367061716810186172015-06-05T08:04:20.582-04:002015-06-05T08:04:20.582-04:00
Am here to testify what this great spell caster ...<br />Am here to testify what this great spell caster done for me. i never believe in spell casting, until when i was was tempted to try it. i and my husband have been having a lot of problem living together, he will always not make me happy because he have fallen in love with another lady outside our relationship, i tried my best to make sure that my husband leave this woman but the more i talk to him the more he makes me fell sad, so my marriage is now leading to divorce because he no longer gives me attention. so with all this pain and agony, i decided to contact this spell caster to see if things can work out between me and my husband again. this spell caster who was a woman told me that my husband is really under a great spell that he have been charm by some magic, so she told me that she was going to make all things normal back. she did the spell on my husband and after 5 days my husband changed completely he even apologize with the way he treated me that he was not him self, i really thank this woman her name is Dr Aluta she have bring back my husband back to me i want you all to contact her who are having any problem related to marriage issue and relationship problem she will solve it for you. her email is traditionalspellhospital@gmail.com she is a woman and she is great. wish you good time.<br />He cast spells for different purposes like<br />(1) If you want your ex back.<br />(2) if you always have bad dream<br />(3) You want to be promoted in your office.<br />(4) You want women/men to run after you.<br />(5) If you want a child.<br />(6) You want to be rich.<br />(7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever.<br />(8) If you need financial assistance.<br />(9) HIV/AIDS CURE<br />(10) is the only answer to that your problem of winning the lottery<br /> <br />Contact him today on: traditionalspellhospital@gmail.com<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289534177301155692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8959863790291217042015-06-04T23:47:10.832-04:002015-06-04T23:47:10.832-04:00We seem to be in a mini-groove of puzzles with nea...We seem to be in a mini-groove of puzzles with neat themes undercut by poor fill.<br /><br />delight before wArnIng before BADomen before BADSIGN.<br /><br />ACTone before ACTIon before ACTIII. I think ACTIon would have been an excellent answer, given the play chosen.<br /><br />Ameer before ASSAD.<br /><br />Did not like TSETSE as clued as they are found in in savannah as well. Although I suppose that's a minor point in a puzzle with ROBT and ISMS and AMS and, lord help us, MISSAY and AOLER.<br /><br />I did fully expect the STALAGMITE to read bottom to top. A little surprised and a lot disappointed that it didn't.kitshefnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49256912139711650752015-06-04T20:59:00.902-04:002015-06-04T20:59:00.902-04:00
@Old Timer --
I too am an admirer of both Ike an...<br />@Old Timer --<br /><br />I too am an admirer of both Ike and Clinton, and most of their policies.<br /><br />However, I think that the Congress with its control of the purse strings, and the Fed with its control of monetary policy, have more effect on the economy than the President. The President can influence the economy by leadership actions that bolster consumer confidence, and he can influence Congressional actions, but these are indirect levers whose coupling to the economy is indirect, and with a longer timeframe for realization than actions of the Fed and the Congress. jMO ...<br /><br />So while I credit Ike and BC for some of the economic wellbeing during their terms, I am not as strong in this as I think you are.<br /><br />Billy Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38484216732909255562015-06-04T20:52:12.574-04:002015-06-04T20:52:12.574-04:00I'm not feeling too smart. I puzzled over 11 d...I'm not feeling too smart. I puzzled over 11 down and didn't get it until I filled it by crosses. That might be understandable except that I live in 11 down...Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54835816159810996092015-06-04T20:44:05.782-04:002015-06-04T20:44:05.782-04:00Do you have any idea who Tori Amos is? She's ...Do you have any idea who Tori Amos is? She's a trained classical pianist who writes modern art songs. I'm 70 years old and love classical music and appreciate what you post but there is always the pleasure of learning something new.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69330955754577959512015-06-04T20:07:14.235-04:002015-06-04T20:07:14.235-04:00And @Tita, since my husband and I are enamored of ...And @Tita, since my husband and I are enamored of all things Portuguese, I will try to consider the obligatory social hugs and kisses as a chance to emulate those lovely people!Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35983968926211227332015-06-04T20:00:29.508-04:002015-06-04T20:00:29.508-04:00@LMS, my two shudder-inducing mispronunciations ar...@LMS, my two shudder-inducing mispronunciations are "realtor" (reel-a-tor, and yup, it's a choice in the online MW dictionary) and asterisk (as-ter-ix, not in MW).<br /><br />Back when Bushisms were being ridiculed, I read an article that listed numerous well-educated people who said 'nucular'. Jimmy Carter is the only one I remember, but it seems to be a regional thing (but I still don't like it).<br /><br />Like many here, 7A caused me problems. AMS and IOWA worked with wArnIng. So did cAutIons but I finally got BDAY and fixed it.<br /><br />I was relatively certain that STALACTITES hung down and STALAGMITES went up but with no handy mnemonic in my brain, I experienced a tiny bit of DRED that I wouldn't get the Happy Pencil Rag played at the end of my solving but no problem.<br /><br />And 14A makes me want to say, "Well, MISSAY, tell us what you've been up to or we'll have to give everybody a PATERNITY test. And don't try giving us any of those PAPER THIN excuses either as to where you got those DIRT STAINS!"<br /><br />Thanks, JK, for a GUT Thursday puzzle.Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87862079370200851132015-06-04T19:10:58.530-04:002015-06-04T19:10:58.530-04:00I'd love it of Krozel read my post and admitte...I'd love it of Krozel read my post and admitted I was right. It was a delightful puzzle, if I did not say so before. And written by someone who, I tend to believe, could easily do OFL's job as a professor of English.<br /><br />I also wanted to give a belated shout-out to SIRICA, My friend and I, both lawyers, watched Watergate pretty much from start to finish, except when we had to be in Court. In some ways, Watergate Summer was the best moment of my life -- or at least the best moment of my virtual life. I loved Sam Ervin. I was transfixed by John Dean's testimony. And I was GOBSMACKED when that guy from the Nixon White House revealed that everything the President said in the Oval Office had been recorded.<br /><br />Oh -- and much as I despised Shrub when he was in office, I will not blame him for saying "nucular". Why? I am old enough to remember Eisenhower, who pronounced it the same way. And NYT liberal though I may (almost) be, I think Ike was one of the best presidents in my lifetime. Clinton was best. The 50's (until 1958 anyhow) were the most prosperous time in recent history, and the Clinton era was even better. I attribute it to the policies of the Presidents, and would love to see more Republicans like Ike and more Democerats like Bill.<br />old timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70474669680759660202015-06-04T17:57:20.241-04:002015-06-04T17:57:20.241-04:00@Wood - Here you go. Have fun.
@Michael C. - Neen...@Wood - <a href="http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/worldsworstcrossword.pdf" rel="nofollow">Here you go</a>. Have fun.<br /><br />@Michael C. - Neener Neener. ��Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12822392489218533572015-06-04T17:57:04.419-04:002015-06-04T17:57:04.419-04:00@Wood -- There is nothing new under the sun:
www...@Wood -- There is nothing new under the sun:<br /><br />www.fireballcrosswords.com/worldsworstcrossword.pdfBob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85440020173768388092015-06-04T17:27:53.858-04:002015-06-04T17:27:53.858-04:00Saw the note and got the gist almost immediately -...Saw the note and got the gist almost immediately -- but didn't know TITE from MITE so I appreciated the quantum cluing and the possibility of a double solution. It happened that I guessed right the first time, but had an error elsewhere so there was some switching around before finally getting everything right.<br /><br />CAMP can be an adjective as well as a noun. "Helena Handbasket wore fantastically camp gogo boots rivaled only by her RuPaulesque wig."<br /><br />I appreciate roman numerals (in moderation) because they reduce the number of possibilities for their squares from 26 letters down to 7. It's frequently a help for crossing answers. I wonder if anyone has ever tried constructing a puzzle consisting of ONLY Roman Numerals? The puzzle could be titled "When in Rome."Woodnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31282006830423423212015-06-04T17:04:31.489-04:002015-06-04T17:04:31.489-04:00@Mohair: Yes, exactly. Except that @Hartley 70 i...@Mohair: Yes, exactly. Except that @Hartley 70 informed me earlier, off-blog, that the person in question died in 2007. I checked it out myself just now, thinking: Can this really be true? Is she REALLY dead? And, sadly, she is. I gather that Hartley has been laughing at me all day, thinking it's just about the funniest post she's ever seen. I imagine you've been laughing too. (Or is it possible that you didn't know she was dead, either?)Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78579133509258187142015-06-04T16:33:24.683-04:002015-06-04T16:33:24.683-04:00Yes, SIRICA! AMOS amusing Xword TORI by King Kroze...Yes, SIRICA! AMOS amusing Xword TORI by King Krozel, that IOTA mention ranks right up there with his best!<br /><br />All Jokes ASSAD...<br /><br />ENVELOP, Please!Warren Howie Hughesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52896444173898827502015-06-04T15:50:12.540-04:002015-06-04T15:50:12.540-04:00A little knowledge can be a dangerous
thing. At 7A...A little knowledge can be a dangerous<br />thing. At 7A, there's an old saying, "Red sky<br />at night, sailor's delight, red sky in the<br />morning, sailor's warning."<br /> So I immediately put in "warning" which<br />gave me all kinds of trouble.<br /> Sorry if I'm repeating somebody else's<br />comment. I didn't read them all.ANON Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67702223672075334632015-06-04T15:20:51.932-04:002015-06-04T15:20:51.932-04:00Started with wArnIng, AMS, IOWA, ADMITONE for a ve...Started with wArnIng, AMS, IOWA, ADMITONE for a <i>very confusing</i> NE until I decided no way did 12D start "NN.." and ADMITONE was too solid to be the ONE to go.<br /><br />Wanted Bushism for MISSAY before realizing I was one letter two long.<br /><br />Least favorite ese: HIE. Wish it would dIE.mike253https://www.blogger.com/profile/03359356638289633525noreply@blogger.com