tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1265059265217432558..comments2024-03-29T08:11:31.723-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Iridescent green bird of tropical America / FRI 1-18-13 / Crop-killing caterpillars / Rock icon for whom Manhattan block is named / Jack of Green Berets 1968 / First European to cross Mississippi / Brasserie offering / Classic brand with bunny mascotRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81469061054752319762013-03-02T11:36:01.598-05:002013-03-02T11:36:01.598-05:00I was struggling with the rock icon when the bus r...I was struggling with the rock icon when the bus reached my stop, so I put away the puzzle and gave it some thought on the walk to work. I had only the Y and the A in place and had already run the alphabet on four-letter names ending in Y. Sometimes putting the puzzle away helps me, so I decided to give it one more round of A-Z. A...how did I miss that the first time? The A lines up too, and New York makes perfect sense! Boy, I couldn't wait for my work day to end so I could sit down on the bus again and write ANDY WARHOL in there.<br /><br />Well, that took a full evening commute and another morning commute to fix.<br /><br />I ended with ARSY WORMS in my garden. Look 'em up, man. Worms with actual arses.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36606021719320119322013-02-22T23:19:02.599-05:002013-02-22T23:19:02.599-05:00Like @ syndy, finished with one wrong square thank...Like @ syndy, finished with one wrong square thanks to hILDA Swinton.<br />It's so frustrating to hack your way through a puzzle like this, only to DNF for lack of knowledge of useless pop culture trivia. If I was into that stuff I'd be doing the TV Guide crossword instead ...<br />Anonyratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66201010714780947772013-02-22T21:06:10.178-05:002013-02-22T21:06:10.178-05:00Very much agree with @sanfranman59's rating cu...Very much agree with @sanfranman59's rating cuz this did feel like an advanced CALC challenge to me in comparison to maybe the average Friday's intermediate algebra level of complexity. Eventually ended with a DONUT, the ugh (see yesterday's puzzle) representing my DNF being SIB, DEMIT, GRADEA (had EGGS) and ARMYWORMS.<br /><br />Ego definitely needs a massage. Think I'll start with a BIERE. ADIOS, I'M DONE!Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77480494594725453062013-02-22T17:00:17.067-05:002013-02-22T17:00:17.067-05:00Lots of grumblings today, I suppose because of the...Lots of grumblings today, I suppose because of the non-finishers. Actually, I ate it up because of the challenge. For some reason I'm on Croce's wavelength.<br />When I see his name, I'm happy. Thank you Mr. Croce. (I live a few blocks from Mrs. Jim Croce in San Diego). She runs a fine downtown reataurant names for her deceased hubby.<br />Ron Diego 2/22/13Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63497462974002804032013-02-22T16:57:12.098-05:002013-02-22T16:57:12.098-05:00Well, I ended up with AtsYWORMS killing my crops i...Well, I ended up with AtsYWORMS killing my crops in the center of the grid, and I was in the popular mEDNING group up top so I guess technically a DNF but I still had fun figuring out the tough clues and getting most of it right. <br /><br />I'll be in prime time tomorrow (probably getting my COIT kicked but I'll see you back here Sunday.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81707581955310093212013-02-22T15:22:39.919-05:002013-02-22T15:22:39.919-05:00I join those who only partially got this puzzle-ju...I join those who only partially got this puzzle-just too many unknowns. Finally discarded Shakespeare using a tree for shade. Side note, stuck for a clue for a word, look it up in his works! Knew Coit tower from growing up in SF, so got the top to work except for that ME thing. <br /><br />The rest? I "feather my oars". I've never heard of GMATS. Actually, since my education pre-dated SATS of any kind, the little I know about them comes from puzzledom. And thinking ?SAT kept me from seeing ARMY.... No idea about JOEYRAMONE who was somehow so famous someone named a WHOLE block after him. Don't FACEBOOK, so no idea there, even with GETTER in place. All in all, I think a puzzle for a younger, smarter (JACAMAR!) generation. I'm glad they let me play along.DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9361689292125603792013-02-22T11:49:18.821-05:002013-02-22T11:49:18.821-05:00I agree with @Tita and @12:28: have recently seen ...I agree with @Tita and @12:28: have recently seen many classics, including "Citizen Kane," enjoying them thoroughly. Last night was "Seven Days in May," a film I never get tired of watching. The suspense seems fresh every time. That's great filmmaking, friends.<br /><br />Also agree about the inane babblings of DB. They ought to lose her.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12728583228536978242013-02-22T11:43:10.632-05:002013-02-22T11:43:10.632-05:00Almost finished...the center did me in. No idea wh...Almost finished...the center did me in. No idea what GMATS are, and the clue for RRS, "They have end-to-end cars," is just stupid. I mean, how else, unless there's a pileup or we're talking about multi-level parking garages, do cars appear? Then there's that "rock icon," that giant talent, that multi-platinum album seller...WHO? JOEYRAMONE? Not, Mr. Croce, by the most elastic stretch of the imagination can you POSSIBLY call this guy a "rock icon." You might as well compare Salieri with Mozart. Bah! Worst clue I've seen all year (and I've seen some stinkers!). IMDONE.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78231470553325826022013-01-19T08:23:37.283-05:002013-01-19T08:23:37.283-05:00@Z...I've got 6am Friday meetings for the next...@Z...I've got 6am Friday meetings for the next few months...we can keep each other bleary-eyed company...<br /><br />@12:28...totally agree...with the exception of ET, she is a sad representative of her noble family.Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46721662959589469512013-01-19T00:28:28.690-05:002013-01-19T00:28:28.690-05:00Got it after confirming "demit," "a...Got it after confirming "demit," "army worms," and "jacamar" with Google. "Seawolf"stumped me for a while since I only had "olf" for a while, then got it in a flash of insight. Crappy puzzle. Feh.<br /><br />Rex, didn't know you were a TCM fan. Me too. Can't stand any of the new trendy shows, and don't watch 'em. TCM is it for me, plus The Weather Channel occasionally. Could do without Drew Barrymore, the very model of the modern-day Hollywood blonde airhead, co-hosting "The Essentials" with Robert Osborne on Sat. nights, though, and blessing us with her profound "insights" into the classic films they are screening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49217314962516650462013-01-19T00:13:55.435-05:002013-01-19T00:13:55.435-05:00Anon @ 12:18 pretty much nailed it, "This puz...Anon @ 12:18 pretty much nailed it, "This puzzle was less fun that it should have been."<br /><br />Thank you Sanfranman59 for correcting the difficulty level.<br /><br />I have to wonder if Ms. Swinton signs her name ~ Swinton, or just ~ to friends.<br /><br />6:30 a.m. meetings for the next couple of months of Fridays. I suspect I will be among the last non-syndi posters for awhile. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20958519130810941992013-01-18T22:49:08.864-05:002013-01-18T22:49:08.864-05:00Really, really hard for me - I was amazed when I e...Really, really hard for me - I was amazed when I eventually finished (at 10:30 PM, and I don't mean on Thursday!) I did have to go out early, so there was a 12-hour gap in there. I made virtually all the wrong choices (except I did avoid 'lac' for EAU) and had to struggle back. <br /><br />@Evan, I think Rex is right - sure, you can massage someone else's ego, but you wouldn't say "one's" then. Oh, wait - if someone else is a habitual flatterer I guess you could say "he massages one's ego quite a bit," couldn't you? So all right then (except so many ONEs). <br /><br />But DEMIT? Come on!jberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169065390875378077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58719970151971246532013-01-18T22:08:04.749-05:002013-01-18T22:08:04.749-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.<br /><br />All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 5:58, 6:12, 0.96, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 8:20, 8:37, 0.97, 39%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 9:58, 11:52, 0.84, 13%, Easy<br />Thu 25:11, 17:05, 1.47, 95%, Challenging (9th highest ratio of 160 Thursdays)<br />Fri 31:24, 20:49, 1.51, 99%, Challenging (2nd highest ratio of 160 Fridays)<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:35, 3:39, 0.98, 34%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:54, 4:57, 0.99, 47%, Medium<br />Wed 5:39, 6:34, 0.86, 12%, Easy<br />Thu 15:52, 9:37, 1.65, 96%, Challenging (7th highest ratio of 160 Thursdays)<br />Fri 21:18, 11:47, 1.81, 100%, Challenging (highest ratio of 160 Fridays)sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66540713066958400622013-01-18T21:27:12.118-05:002013-01-18T21:27:12.118-05:00Seems like there are more from SF than NY here aft...Seems like there are more from SF than NY here after seeing so many COIT gimmes vs. the lack of familiarity with the great Joey Ramone. That COIT NIA LONG cross was the part that killed me. Not sure why ONE would think Mr. Ramone would warrant a smelly block. I'm pretty sure that the block in question is right off the Bowery near what used to be CBGB's - E. 2nd maybe? Anyway, my first post here after reading your comments for years. Thanks for the insights and education Rex and commenters!<br /><br />Sandy M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38685020147325445472013-01-18T20:15:58.976-05:002013-01-18T20:15:58.976-05:00@ Man from OZ - never heard that meaning for COIT....@ Man from OZ - never heard that meaning for COIT. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coit_Tower" rel="nofollow">COIT Tower"</a> is, however, pretty phallic, as the photo in the link shows. One apocryphal story is that Ms. Coit chose the design to look like a fire hose nozzle due to her affinity with SF firefighters.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28867997531733768512013-01-18T19:59:34.688-05:002013-01-18T19:59:34.688-05:00Tough challenging. I had "ate" at 42D, o...Tough challenging. I had "ate" at 42D, ochre for maize, mending at the top and don't even ask about he bottom couple of lines.<br /><br />It looks good from a distance, this grid.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74255152379799641592013-01-18T19:56:09.158-05:002013-01-18T19:56:09.158-05:00Got the top, got the bottom. But the middle did me...Got the top, got the bottom. But the middle did me in. DNF.<br />michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46411245146689981902013-01-18T18:36:49.673-05:002013-01-18T18:36:49.673-05:00Shouldn't SIB have been clued with some indica...Shouldn't SIB have been clued with some indication it was an abbreviation? That was my first guess but wrote it off because twin and triplet were full words...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37793975354330187502013-01-18T18:08:55.457-05:002013-01-18T18:08:55.457-05:00Really tough for me, never heard of the Ramones, T...Really tough for me, never heard of the Ramones, Tilda Swinton, or Nia Long. But I plodded on, and finished, or thought I did. Like others here, I had Mending instead of Wending, and Do you mena Me instead of We. Careless - I don't consider a single missed square a DNF, by the way! <br />Despite my difficulties I thought this was a very well constructed puzzle. Perfect for a Friday.<br /><br />OISKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808675378318214461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61861327896987687722013-01-18T17:46:49.326-05:002013-01-18T17:46:49.326-05:00Rex's obscure fauna comment was my LOL for the...Rex's obscure fauna comment was my LOL for the day. Amen. Watched Tilda Swinton's fantastic performance on Wednesday (Netflix) and forgot her first name this morning. Sheez.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52906377887597550412013-01-18T17:14:17.260-05:002013-01-18T17:14:17.260-05:00Solving this puzzle reminded me of a Twilight Zone...Solving this puzzle reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode where the astronaut lands his spaceship in what appears to be a parallel world. Everything is similar, but not quite right. In this puzzle it seemed every answer I tried was viable, but not quite right: tanager instead of jacamar, where a tanager has characteristics that fit the clue, "I'm gone" instead of "I'm done", "mer" or "lac" instead of "eau" for the French boat, WBA instead of WBC. Just absolutely on a different wavelength, couldn't get lucky with a single educated guess. In a parallel world I'd have soared through this one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43978322166720334602013-01-18T16:14:53.386-05:002013-01-18T16:14:53.386-05:00@E. Doug...Thanks for the info on JOEY RAMONE. I ...@E. Doug...Thanks for the info on JOEY RAMONE. I did finally look him up and (I guess) I'm ashamed to say he still doesn't ring a bell...<br />@Tita - Are you thinking of the BofA tower in NYC? In SFO it's called the BofA Center.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28194090865200526732013-01-18T16:05:40.581-05:002013-01-18T16:05:40.581-05:00Midday 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 31:20, 20:49, 1.51, 99%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Fri 22:43, 11:47, 1.93, 100%, Challenging<br /><br />Medium-Challenging Rex? Seriously? I think not.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51851427081730174972013-01-18T15:52:14.856-05:002013-01-18T15:52:14.856-05:00I actually finished the bottom first, then the top...I actually finished the bottom first, then the top. But the middle of this puzzle destroyed me. I probably spent 2/3 of my time on this puzzle staring blankly at that mess. I finally had to do a lot of Googling, which makes this the worst DNF I've had in a very long time.Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15336260911834780345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84786136376752761042013-01-18T15:44:33.392-05:002013-01-18T15:44:33.392-05:00Must come back to read posts this evening.
Major D...Must come back to read posts this evening.<br />Major DNF.<br />Only certainties were GTO, BONN/GER (how many European lands changed capitals? Well, coulda been lira, I suppose.<br /><br />Qtip before QUIK - figured mebbe they had a bunny with a cottony tail?<br /><br />ALso had ARsonbugS before ARMYWORMS. How do they strike matches without thumbs?<br /><br />bOfa tower (BofA was hq'd there...) before COIT.<br /><br />My brother's cat is named BALOO - that didn't help me with the clue, though. <br /><br />Loved WHATDOYOUMEANWE, and nasty misdirects for ATTIC, MAIZE...<br /><br />NIA who? TILDA?<br /><br />I'll join y'all later when work is done and when cookies are made for tomorrow's guests.Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.com