tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1341581357518166018..comments2024-03-28T14:47:02.517-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: War-torn Syrian city / MON 12-28-15 / Irish language family / 2013 film queen who sings Let It Go / One-named art deco artist / Where Army brass is trained in briefRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6261113093142530232016-02-02T11:30:23.308-05:002016-02-02T11:30:23.308-05:00"Relo" is commonly used in real estate"Relo" is commonly used in real estate lodsfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05345395843784742434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24151257804093282862016-02-01T18:27:22.872-05:002016-02-01T18:27:22.872-05:00My my. Didnt care for yesterday (I tried posting?)...My my. Didnt care for yesterday (I tried posting?) or today's. And by the same constructor? Sorry CC.<br /><br />Both boring. And what's up with this FROZEN movie. Hi @Rondo. And AVES to STS? Rubbish I tell ya.<br /><br />Hey @Spacecraft, I also skip the "nothing" puzzles and feel that's what these both were.<br /><br />What a BOO I am! <br /><br />Later:)Cathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76198878150102329082016-02-01T17:55:18.591-05:002016-02-01T17:55:18.591-05:00@rain forest:
My sentiments, exactly,@rain forest:<br /><br />My sentiments, exactly,leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69647470905138254492016-02-01T17:03:10.373-05:002016-02-01T17:03:10.373-05:00Didn't @spacey or someone used to call a puz l...Didn't @spacey or someone used to call a puz like today's Mondayne? (mundane)For tomorrow I think I have used Tue-staid.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58747993879491011982016-02-01T14:40:06.154-05:002016-02-01T14:40:06.154-05:00I hope I don't SPEAK TOO SOON, but one might A...I hope I don't SPEAK TOO SOON, but one might ARGUE that rarely does a Monday puzzle rise to frame-able status. They are what they are, he said, in his coolly raffish way. Every once in a while, though, a Monday puzzle will excite, amuse, or entertain. This is why we solve them even if they are, basically, easy. Usually, regardless of the level of sparkle, they are competently constructed. This is what we have today.<br /><br />@Spacey - so you think this effort by CC is SOSO? My my.<br /><br />In my opinion, it is just fine. Straightforward, yes, but just fine.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27401244792825044332016-02-01T13:47:16.902-05:002016-02-01T13:47:16.902-05:00Agree, Spacecraft. However, I remind myself that ...Agree, Spacecraft. However, I remind myself that back in the day, when I was in crossword pre-school, I would be thrilled as all get out to finish any puzzle, much less the NYT. So I would let Monday be Monday. And I was wondering what kind of sandwich spread Abril was, esp. since Mayo was mayo. And I spelled LASar wrong. <br /><br />@Tita - 3 of my favorite writing sources - Zinsse's "On Writing Well," Safire's "How Not to Write," and O'Conner's "Woe is I." My #1 rule for writing? "Context matters." Your context is selling a service. "You" is perhaps the #1 selling word. "We make YOU kook good." "We're working for YOU." "YOU are the last thing we think of at night and the first thing in the morning." "YOU are my sunshine." So go ahead, use you, youse!<br /><br />http://blog.hubspot.com/sales/the-ultimate-list-of-words-that-sell<br /><br />(Also, I answered your confusion on Saturday.)<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90268471870501893112016-02-01T13:12:12.224-05:002016-02-01T13:12:12.224-05:00Easy STS Monday. Paused at NOTCH/HOMS crossing, bu...Easy STS Monday. Paused at NOTCH/HOMS crossing, but SCOUT led me safely to the other side.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13715039997199442712016-02-01T12:01:18.974-05:002016-02-01T12:01:18.974-05:00STS are not aves, STS cross aves. STS could be blv...STS are not aves, STS cross aves. STS could be blvds or pkwys or lns (lanes), etc. So I didn’t like the revealer clue. The phrases were harmless enough on their own.<br /><br />Another Frozen clue/answer. Known to me only from xwords since I have avoided those movies, having no grandkids to please.<br /><br />It might BEE a stretch to list US Open winner Monica SELES as a yeah baby, but not a stretch for Michelle WIE (though she must up her game), who has also won a US Open. LANA Del Rey is a shoo-in, OFL’s link is well deserved. <br /><br />Wonder if ESAI has ever met Ed ASNER. Both are popular xword fodder.<br /><br />This is representative of what we get most Mondays and why I started the yeah baby searches in the first place.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72992391574572195392016-02-01T11:26:34.957-05:002016-02-01T11:26:34.957-05:00LET SINS TAP
SINBADTHESAILOR found ANNABELLEE
whi...LET SINS TAP<br /><br />SINBADTHESAILOR found ANNABELLEE<br />while in the TROPICs, searching from STEMTOSTERN.<br />“When ABROAD like you TELLSTALES to me<br />don’t SPEAKTOSOON, and LEMME have my turn.”<br /><br />--- NOAH PRATT<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20956160262111354362016-02-01T10:43:33.632-05:002016-02-01T10:43:33.632-05:00I'm beginning to see why the blogger known as ...I'm beginning to see why the blogger known as "I skip m-w" skips M-W. I mean, there are two 15x15 crosswords, side by side, on the feature page of my paper--besides the NYT syndicated one that I do for here. These are "nothing" puzzles; they might just as well be fill-ins, with a word list below instead of clues. I DO skip those. Today's offering fits into that category. The "theme," if you want to call it that, is SOSO at best.<br /><br />As for the fill, if I have to look at ESAI one more time, I'm gonna scream. OBOE still has two or three times to go, ILSA maybe half a dozen. ERTE is a little farther down on the list--but is rising with a bullet. And RELO (JLO's twin??) just joined the top 40.<br /><br />I am dismayed, because our constructor is capable of so much more. It looks as though she needed grocery money, so she cranked this one out while waiting for some real inspiration. Nothing really WRONG with it; just...bleah. C-.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25061404888200254832015-12-29T00:27:39.035-05:002015-12-29T00:27:39.035-05:00@Cer -- OFL => Our Fearless Leader, i. e. Rex@Cer -- OFL => Our Fearless Leader, i. e. Rex<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69039474489175667112015-12-28T23:57:28.637-05:002015-12-28T23:57:28.637-05:00@To all the anti-OLEO, pure butter enthusiasts -- ...@To all the anti-OLEO, pure butter enthusiasts -- a great big greasy AMEN! Of course OLEO isn't food; I tasted it once, and I don't need finicky mice to tell me that. And for those of you who worry about your health: Julia Child pretty much overdosed on butter and she lived to be 92. Yay butter!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22872698837651470252015-12-28T23:25:08.951-05:002015-12-28T23:25:08.951-05:00@Cerinthe M... Our Fearless Leader...aka Rex.
@Z ...@Cerinthe M... Our Fearless Leader...aka Rex.<br /><br />@Z and those who wrote me off line..thanks for the tips! I know I can count on this group for a gentle nudge in the right direction.<br /><br />@AnoaB...I do just love your PoC obsession, and not only read down past the *, but read both your links. Thanks!<br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30398073568593828922015-12-28T22:08:59.417-05:002015-12-28T22:08:59.417-05:00@Anonymous 4:02, I believe I can write for all of ...@Anonymous 4:02, I believe I can write for all of Rexworld when I say I feel your pain. The pity party will commence at 10:30pm. Black tie optional.Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32049757652278097172015-12-28T21:44:07.739-05:002015-12-28T21:44:07.739-05:00@ 4:02 PM - What's OFL?@ 4:02 PM - What's OFL?CerintheMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54155176538527987212015-12-28T21:42:32.170-05:002015-12-28T21:42:32.170-05:00@bhny and @someone earlier, JUSTDESERTS was in an ...@bhny and @someone earlier, JUSTDESERTS was in an earlier puzzle and I too questioned the correctness at the time. I discovered that DESERTS is correct and the original spelling of a variant of "deserved". Nowadays we incorrectly use "desserts".Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6165121625014905342015-12-28T21:28:37.086-05:002015-12-28T21:28:37.086-05:00@Chuck MCGregor, sounds like freshened milk is col...@Chuck MCGregor, sounds like freshened milk is colostrum, which can be all sorts of different colors from yaks. <br /><br />@Anoa Bob, I'm definitely still a nerd. Not only did I read that far I read your links too! It was far more enjoyable to count esses this morning than finish reviewing the paper I was reading for an international journal. The Grammar Nazi would have simultaneously had a heart attack and a stroke while reading it even though it was not too bad for nonnative English speakers. I've read far worse. As for the insertion of foreign words, it completely surpassed my sprinkling of familiarity wth other languages. I even had to google references on religious groups. The statistics however were within my wheelhouse. Aketihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07059835429995060000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44262205067398077532015-12-28T20:35:15.120-05:002015-12-28T20:35:15.120-05:00@Hartley70 I agree...only use butter@Hartley70 I agree...only use butterchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9149945793479611492015-12-28T20:31:38.778-05:002015-12-28T20:31:38.778-05:00@bhny - see my 12:45 post. The mini clue is correc...@bhny - see my 12:45 post. The mini clue is correct. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26293653802212939312015-12-28T19:28:46.135-05:002015-12-28T19:28:46.135-05:00@aketi, if you become one who obsesses about esses...@aketi, if you become one who obsesses about esses and always feel possessed to count the number in every grid, you will be very busy indeed. In xword construction, just as in Scrabble, the letter S is uber-useful. In Scrabble they are limited to four (out of one hundred), while in xwords, however, there is no such limit. <br /><br />The estimates I've seen on the net put the frequency of the letter S in standard English text at around 6.5%. It's not uncommon to find esses appearing at three to four times that rate in xword grids.<br /><br />Today's count of 20 is about 11% of the 189* letters in the grid. There is a mitigating factor, however, and that is half of the esses are required for the theme, two esses each for the four themers and two more for the reveal.<br /><br />All in all, I don't see today's grid as significantly different, S-wise, from the typical NYT grid.<br /><br />*If you have read this far, you may have been at one time, or may even still be, a nerd. To quickly calculate the number of letters in a 15X15, symmetrical grid, count the number of black squares in the first seven rows of the grid, double that, and then to that number add the number of black squares in the 8th/middle row. Subtract that total sum from 225, and there you have it. More on esses obssessions <a href="http://anoabob.blogspot.com/2013/05/poc-doc.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://anoabob.blogspot.com/2013/06/poc-levels.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Anoa Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16185183023273883700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60821839067871408232015-12-28T19:25:48.379-05:002015-12-28T19:25:48.379-05:00errors in both the answers and clues are creeping ...errors in both the answers and clues are creeping in. The other day the letter Y in Andy (as in Roddick) led into "oys" but the online answer grid didnt recognize that as being correct. Am I alone out here or are other people seeing these errors - that no one even bothers to correct online later in the day? bhnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05447695339569299334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64111180288879969322015-12-28T19:22:17.044-05:002015-12-28T19:22:17.044-05:00For those of you who complete the puzzle online, a... For those of you who complete the puzzle online, are any of you noticing the increase in errors in both the answers and the clues. In the mini puzzle today the clue was ____deserts rather than ___desserts (the answer being just.) The other day the letter Y in Andy (as in Roddick) led into "oys" but the online answer grid didnt recognize that as being correct. Am I alone out here or are other people seeing these errors that no one even bothers to correct online later in the day? bhnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05447695339569299334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40814609392972946742015-12-28T18:07:09.625-05:002015-12-28T18:07:09.625-05:00Well, I SEEn the S-T-S initialism when the 2nd the...Well, I SEEn the S-T-S initialism when the 2nd themer filled in, and thought there'd be some trick of parsing that would develop, but neither SEAL_TEAM'S_IX (RRN) nor SILVER_TEASE_T held out a lot of promise. Then, when 63D threw 'Aves' at me, I thought '<i>I don't see no steenking birds here!'</i>. For sure, there were no Rarae Aves to be found; admittedly STEMTO'S_TERN is mildly unusual, but every RAIL is quite common, even if it's called a crake, a coot or a gallinule. So the theme itself was a bit of a let-down, though the theme choices are a feather in SEE SEE's cap.<br /><br />Had to think twice about 'Window frames'and SASHES: the glass itself is framed by two horizontal sashes and two vertical stiles, while the frame to the whole window unit has different names. Guess that works. The other one that made me go Hmm was the ICEAXE clue. As I know it, an ICEAXE is most useful on um, ICE, like if you're sliding downhill out of control, you can use the ICEAXE which is hopefully looped around your wrist and smack the point into the ICE. That will usually stop the headlong slide and save you from being dashed to pieces at the bottom of the slope. In climbing a snowy peak, I'd say an ICEAXE is only useful in poking the snow you're about to step on, to make sure there isn't a bergschrund (snow crevasse) hidden below the surface, waiting to swallow the unwary climber who isn't roped. I guess that's useful also, if less dramatic. I remember my first climb in the Alberta Rockies: at the airport, I checked my backpack with the ICEAXE securely fastened to the outside. Like that could possibly happen nowadays. <br /><br />@Anonyms (assorted) and @CerintheM, yes, people do say RELO if they live in RealEstateLand.<br /><br />Thought people might also like to know that John Deere makes a nice set of dinnerware featuring the iconic green tractor logo as a centerpiece.<br /><br />At the risk of being Stoned Till Senseless, I'll SINE off with a WAVE AT the COGS knows CENT TEE, ANNA BELLEE up to the Bar, Boys!<br /><br />Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88671133492738077802015-12-28T17:16:12.547-05:002015-12-28T17:16:12.547-05:00Raises hand. Glad I'm not the only oneRaises hand. Glad I'm not the only oneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58778233504274859882015-12-28T16:02:56.540-05:002015-12-28T16:02:56.540-05:00Easy Monday, making it all the more infuriating th...Easy Monday, making it all the more infuriating that the app short-circuited and refused to bestow a gold star for my correctly completed puzzle, thus ending a previously unimaginable 28-day streak just before I ran all of December, a feat I planned to sing from every mountain top.<br /><br />My wife doesn't get my pain so I turn here. <br /><br />If I'm forced to look on the bright side, I'd say it's a nice problem to have. For years, I was convinced anything deeper into the week than a Wednesday required Mensa membership to solve. Bring on a long train commute, the app, OFL, and many of your comments, and I'm a new man. (New Years Resolution: actually send Rex a Thank You this time.)<br /><br />I still want to kick someone in the shins though.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com