tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1128783526883965979..comments2024-03-18T21:28:16.946-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Sonatas have four of them / FRI 8-15-14 / Seed in Mexican cuisine / Wuornos Monster role / Location of William Tell legend / Lover of Orion in Greek Myth / Suffix with opalRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76085096649917026662014-09-20T00:12:53.616-04:002014-09-20T00:12:53.616-04:00Syndication here. The wrongness of APOSTLE for Ev...Syndication here. The wrongness of APOSTLE for Evangelist is so glaring that I querulously wonder if the author ever heard of the palindrome before. <br />Aaarrgggh. Joe in Montrealnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67240136882427626742014-09-19T16:04:02.135-04:002014-09-19T16:04:02.135-04:00Done in by PCpS/pLEB. My first thought was actuall...Done in by PCpS/pLEB. My first thought was actually right but then I decided the p looked better.<br /><br />Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day - seriously it's a <a href="http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html" rel="nofollow">real thing</a>.<br /><br />676 - AARRRRGH!Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23873410121908825092014-09-19T14:47:08.846-04:002014-09-19T14:47:08.846-04:00Not much to write home about here. Maybe it's ...Not much to write home about here. Maybe it's me, but this week's puzzles have seemed a big MEH.<br />3365 - also MEH, eveen with too many cards.<br /><br />Must not have been able to read the firsr one 327 second hand loser.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30220296113699351322014-09-19T14:46:47.633-04:002014-09-19T14:46:47.633-04:00Enjoyable Friday puzzle. Much better for me than y...Enjoyable Friday puzzle. Much better for me than yesterday. Technical DNF because of NE_. Always enjoy Jeff Chen & Company. Often see his works in the LA Times.<br />Also remembered when Zsa Zsa replied to an audience about returning a ring if the engagement was broken. "Yes, darling, return the ring....but keep the stone."<br /><br />Ron Diego 9/19Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47286954049258464072014-09-19T14:30:41.200-04:002014-09-19T14:30:41.200-04:00Watching the PBS series this week on The Roosevelt...Watching the PBS series this week on The Roosevelts helped with the identification of today's theme as much was made of Teddy Roosevelt's involvement in getting the Panama Canal built. Don't imagine the world's attention on 8/15/1914 was really focused on the opening of the canal with the competition from the "guns of August" in Europe.<br /><br />Had BOX before ARC for too long at 22D which slowed things down as well as SUIS before ETES at 31A. Always have problems remembering BABKA when an Easter cake is clued and today was no exception.<br /><br />Still, a relatively-simple, fun Friday<br />puzzle.<br /><br />4304 = 2. ISAK at this...<br /> Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90494297671284148142014-09-19T14:15:34.084-04:002014-09-19T14:15:34.084-04:00I am a fan of Jeff Chen puzzles. After reading McC...I am a fan of Jeff Chen puzzles. After reading McCullough's The Path Between the Seas a few years back, the theme fell quickly. Great book about a very fascinating subject.<br /><br />The rest of the puzzle was Friday tough.<br /><br />Q: What do you get if you have a wardrobe malfunction at a Superbowl halftime show? <br />A: 11D<br /><br />2336 - MEH.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48720735159885224252014-09-19T13:38:40.738-04:002014-09-19T13:38:40.738-04:00Found all sorts of trouble spots in this one. My f...Found all sorts of trouble spots in this one. My friend used to make sunTEA, temporarily forgot the h in RHAPSODY, knew the "capilla..." thing had to do with HAIR, but not the rest of the word. In our house Easter means strawberry shortcake, or, when the girls were little, a cake frosted and decorated to resemble an Easter basket with candy and stuff on top. Finally remembered that as a new bride trying out my wedding gift Gourmet cookbooks, I had baked some kind of a special cake in a coffee can ( remember those?) and dredged up that it started with a B which gave me BANNER and I was off and running. Then seeing CANAL helped finish things. All but one letter, don't know much French and have no idea about Zelda, so blanked at the "s". Still a good morning solve!<br /><br />Captcha is a hard to see, total loser: 145!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86513407157053165222014-09-19T12:44:07.458-04:002014-09-19T12:44:07.458-04:00Pretty easy for a Friday. Got ZAZU right off the ...Pretty easy for a Friday. Got ZAZU right off the bat (love the Lion King) and theme quickly appeared. Fun puzzle.eastsacgirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44923588802593725562014-09-19T11:02:10.661-04:002014-09-19T11:02:10.661-04:00Wedensday called; he wants his puzzle back.
This ...Wedensday called; he wants his puzzle back.<br /><br />This is a nice tribute to the P.C., but as OFL said the theme was all gimme, so even with toughened cluing this one RANLATE. It's not a Friday grid, for sure. Oh, we're coinciding with the anniversary--that's why.<br /><br />Some WOEs, gettable from crosses: PEPITA, SESE, NOURI, REDTEA, ABEL (as clued; I don't understand second issue) and EURO (as clued; EUROzone???)<br /><br />Yet there were gimmes aplenty outside the theme, too: THEPILL, RETTON, and my favorite captain JEANLUC.<br /><br />Not quite a RHAPSODY, but still pretty enjoyable. B+.<br /><br />715: MEH. IMOFF.<br /><br />spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21784558012901985512014-08-16T11:02:19.700-04:002014-08-16T11:02:19.700-04:00True, the theme was super-easy to get, but the clu...True, the theme was super-easy to get, but the cluing was very Berry-esque. It felt like a Patrick Berry, and was actually better than Berry's last few. Especially to be praised are 45A, 58A, 60A, 4D, 46D. I'm amazed Rex found this too easy, because it took me a whole evening. Very enjoyable, as long as you treat it as a themeless puzzle. I don't understand the complaints about the NE corner --- you've never eaten a butter babka??? You've never seen a tit (bird, that is)? You don't know that etes is a word you learn in your first French class? Maybe it's because you folks are listening to too many rappers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71927065918043635582014-08-16T10:55:31.686-04:002014-08-16T10:55:31.686-04:00@Rex, for "Yo-heave-ho" check out Song o...@Rex, for "Yo-heave-ho" check out Song of the Volga Boatmen.Trombone Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37847817654818991102014-08-16T02:26:04.699-04:002014-08-16T02:26:04.699-04:00NE corner ridiculous. These are not words: NES ETE...NE corner ridiculous. These are not words: NES ETES ANI N(O)URI. And BLUE TIT and BABKA barely qualify. Make the clues difficult, but ease up on the gibberish answers. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16890093701722987032014-08-15T18:04:41.095-04:002014-08-15T18:04:41.095-04:00Came back late to check in and was rewarded by lea...Came back late to check in and was rewarded by leapfinger's great Zsa Zsa quote. Never heard it before. Plan to steal it if the opportunity ever arises.Nancynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6397105526748876272014-08-15T16:39:11.211-04:002014-08-15T16:39:11.211-04:00@Fred Romagnolo, that something would be an SOC (S...@Fred Romagnolo, that something would be an SOC (Spelling of Convenience), right?<br /><br />But a SOC here or a POC there, hey, no problemo.<br /><br />And, yes, I did notice that this grid leaned pretty heavily on the latter to get 'er filled. Do CLAPS cause SEISMS? Here's hoping that all your APPLE PIES are free of PCBS. I'll stop. Don't want to provoke any TIRADES<br /><br />Sometimes a single entry can make up for perceived short-comings, and tip an otherwise iffy overall impression into the "Liked It" column for me. Today RHAPSODY (45A) did the trick. <br /><br />Anoa Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16185183023273883700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14499157964533415222014-08-15T15:53:52.029-04:002014-08-15T15:53:52.029-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Fri 17:15, 20:16, 0.85, 23%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Fri 10:50, 13:00, 0.83, 23%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91590054339659927762014-08-15T15:11:44.244-04:002014-08-15T15:11:44.244-04:00Ha @Lewis! Interestingly, there were 5 among the A...Ha @Lewis! Interestingly, there were 5 among the Acrosses alone, then got a lone outlier among the Downs. Had that sidewinding UMLAUTS not been a POC, we'd have had another.<br /><br />Note to self (and any other interested parties): There's more than one way to skin a BLEB.Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28444413476124921762014-08-15T14:49:49.637-04:002014-08-15T14:49:49.637-04:00That should have been M&A.That should have been M&A. allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13781898738812454336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32123051421747365172014-08-15T14:45:56.713-04:002014-08-15T14:45:56.713-04:00@M$A I finally have gained some respect for WS aft...@M$A I finally have gained some respect for WS after reading Jeff's comments. I think the puzzle would have been a DNF for me if Mr. Chen had his way. His original PLAN for the CANAL would have made him an evil MAN (IMO). PANAMA!!<br /><br />As to the Nuri - Nouri "controversy", I think we just need to expect alternate spellings. Until Mr. Maliki chimes I with his preferred spelling, it's going to be at the constructor's discretion. allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13781898738812454336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11525511535706297122014-08-15T14:45:15.348-04:002014-08-15T14:45:15.348-04:00@nemo - NES = Nintendo Entertainment System - Ano...@nemo - NES = Nintendo Entertainment System - Another chunk of trivia acquired by doing a bunch of crosswords.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50609887865408781962014-08-15T14:41:06.596-04:002014-08-15T14:41:06.596-04:00My copy of the Canadian newspaper National Post ha...My copy of the Canadian newspaper National Post has it spelled NOURI on page Aj7.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26238187462776441822014-08-15T14:40:01.387-04:002014-08-15T14:40:01.387-04:00Legend of Zelda platform = "nes?"Legend of Zelda platform = "nes?"nemo paradisenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14702885242001391622014-08-15T14:27:33.479-04:002014-08-15T14:27:33.479-04:00@m&a and @allan -- I stand corrected, and than...@m&a and @allan -- I stand corrected, and thank you! I did consider that A/Z possibility, Allan. M&A, loved those coupons...Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68801551865926273942014-08-15T14:25:42.929-04:002014-08-15T14:25:42.929-04:00Easy for me except the northeast. Just couldn'...Easy for me except the northeast. Just couldn't get babka (kept thinking of baba) and couldn't remember al-Miliki first name (kept thinking it was "Nurit" which apparently is only one letter off with some spellings). After I googled nouri and babka, got the rest.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87900329234808619152014-08-15T14:24:36.524-04:002014-08-15T14:24:36.524-04:00I guess the editorial staff of the Times follows a...I guess the editorial staff of the Times follows a different style guide, because on the front page Maliki's name is spelled Nuri.<br /><br />A quibble: I quickly caught on to the theme, so I filled in the diagonal with PANAMACANAL and 50-A with PACIFICOCEAN. I got momentarily stumped at 20-A, though, because ATLANTICOCEAN wouldn't work. It didn't take long to realize that it was CARIBBEANSEA. But, by symmetry, shouldn't 50-A be PANAMABAY or GULFOFPANAMA? Except, of course, neither would fit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21912502603975491342014-08-15T14:08:22.947-04:002014-08-15T14:08:22.947-04:00Being half Russian-American, I wanted pAsKA for Ea...Being half Russian-American, I wanted pAsKA for Easter cake. Front page Nuri( not NOURI) also a hold-up. Biggest blunder of all: I wanted the cities at each end of the canal, took a while to get at the bodies of water. As with Nuri-NOURI I guess we gotta go along with HAJJI-Hadji. But, it's a (something) of convenience, isn't it.(?) Fred Romagnolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11994837736408182418noreply@blogger.com