tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1420252377625398410..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, Sep. 13, 2008 - Will Nediger (10-time Gold Glove winner of the 1990s and 2000s / Jazz great seen in the 1967 film "Hotel")Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80524092417814991232008-10-24T21:29:00.000-04:002008-10-24T21:29:00.000-04:00I'm just getting in on this in syndication land. ...I'm just getting in on this in syndication land. I can't agree more that QUANTUMOFSOLACE and SPLOSH are ridiculous and, I believe, out of character for Mr. Shortz. But I haven't seen anyone mention FAN for CAN, which had me messed up for some time. I still think FAN is the better answer.Paul Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17167495014929041650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71305947061140283362008-10-19T15:00:00.000-04:002008-10-19T15:00:00.000-04:00Rex - You did good to call "BS" but you ...Rex - You did good to call "BS" but you did go far enough, IMHO. I'd include the cluing for:<BR/><BR/>- IPODNANO (wouldn't it be a music "player" rather than "maker?")<BR/>- MENTOS (I think of these as mints rather than candy)<BR/>- INRE (more of a law-related phrase; memos I get at work begin only with "Re:")<BR/>- POEM (maybe I missed it, but how is "Rhapsody" considered a poem?)<BR/><BR/>Otherwise, always surprised to see that YMASUMAC and ALSOP are deemed obscure; both names are known to solvers of a certain age and/or experience & ALSOP is a gimme more often clued to Stewart than Joseph.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62929940302873067482008-10-18T20:24:00.000-04:002008-10-18T20:24:00.000-04:005 weeks later: I remember reading a cute book cal...5 weeks later: I remember reading a cute book called "The Silent Miaow" spelled exactly as it is in this puzzle. It would only appeal to cat lovers (or cat appreciators--I think those are separate categories, no pun intended). But there is a "literary" foundation for that spelling. Peace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5698790066190015272008-10-18T14:53:00.000-04:002008-10-18T14:53:00.000-04:00And for once us syndicated puzzle doers get an adv...And for once us syndicated puzzle doers get an advantage - "Quantum of Solace" is currently in theaters now!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17469793257404376694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87240892868927748972008-10-18T12:55:00.000-04:002008-10-18T12:55:00.000-04:00All I can say for now is THANKS, REX!All I can say for now is THANKS, REX!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21310353576183959802008-09-21T16:04:00.000-04:002008-09-21T16:04:00.000-04:00Late comment, but I was stuck with WAKEUPTOREALITY...Late comment, but I was stuck with WAKEUPTOREALITY for quite a while.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52391392488759132262008-09-15T11:03:00.000-04:002008-09-15T11:03:00.000-04:00I have to agree with Richard Mason. QUANTUMOFSOLA...I have to agree with Richard Mason. QUANTUMOFSOLACE was clued legitimately. The movie does exist, and it does star whatsername as the Bond girl. What's exactly the problem? Only three people can see it for the time being? It's not in its final release form? <BR/><BR/>I'd say a clue of London Olympiad with answer XXX (ie, 2012) is legitimate.<BR/><BR/>I know all my Bond films through Roger Moore, and sort of know the next bunch before Daniel Craig. I know pretty much all the authorized Bond fiction (I won't touch the young James Bond at Eton books, for example, and I haven't looked at the secret Moneypenny diaries yet.)<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, my friends have convinced me to never see the Casino Royale remake, so of course I won't be seeing the sequel. In doing this puzzle, I wasn't even sure if QofS had come out yet!<BR/><BR/>In fact, I only got this one after getting the initial QUA, and started racing through Fleming titles. At one friend's request, I had reread the relevant short story and summarized it for him, in the off-chance a bit of it makes it into the film. Of all Fleming's short stories, this was the only one I had absolutely no memory of. The reason is it's not really a Bond story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90945724850146956662008-09-14T05:38:00.000-04:002008-09-14T05:38:00.000-04:00That's a lovely poem; I don't think I've read it b...That's a lovely poem; I don't think I've read it before. <BR/>Goodnight everybody.green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22355196444295038552008-09-14T03:10:00.000-04:002008-09-14T03:10:00.000-04:00wow, if I had known there would be full reporting ...wow, if I had known there would be full reporting I would have tried to dress better and be nicer!<BR/><BR/>Lots of fun, very lowkey and twice the pre-registered 25 folks, which was lucky bec it was for such a sweet cause...A Dictionary for every 3rd grader in California (and maybe one for the governor?)<BR/><BR/>Green Mantis is gorgeous and ups the hipness factor of any gathering by at least 68%...<BR/>and she is obviously more psychic than I, as I inexplicably thought Green Mantis was a man and that Fergus would be over 70!<BR/>(and no, Mac, he didn't spend the night with me that I know of)<BR/><BR/>Yes, yes, they are all referring to the lovely and talented, affable, Lee Glickstein.<BR/><BR/>It's amazing how much readin gthis blog helped with solving these puzzles, which onbviously I can't discuss yet, but suffice to say that a million entries had appeared and have been discussed in this column...some even from today's puzzle will reappear this week.<BR/><BR/>I had to run off to a Bat Mitzvah so didn't get to say proper goodbyes (esp to the delightful karmasartre), nor even see where I placed.<BR/>I made a one-letter error on the last puzzle that I will complain about at length on Thurs! <BR/><BR/>Byron made one too and didn't end up in first (tho his was totally accidental, mine was pure lack of knowledge).<BR/><BR/>It is BRUTAL if you get ONE letter wrong as you don't get the 150 pt bonus, you get minus 25 for a wrong letter AND by def two words wrong, further penalty, so you are out @ 200 pts!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <BR/>For one missed letter! (like imagine you had put SplIsh or SplAsh instead of splOsh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)<BR/><BR/>So I was too afraid to see where I had dropped to, plus my eye was sort of bleeding or some mystery weirdness going on with my lid <BR/>(I swear Tyler hadn't punched me and everyone indeed is sweeter, gentler, nicer, more erudite, funnier, than they appear on line.<BR/>Why is that 'xactly?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71364026526206748842008-09-14T01:56:00.000-04:002008-09-14T01:56:00.000-04:00I just had to come by and brag that I did this in ...I just had to come by and brag that I did this in under 17 minutes, which is unusually fast for me. I got QUANTUMOFSOLACE off one letter (the second A) and it is a <I>totally legitimate answer</I>. Totally legitimate I say.Richard Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00833387144768089695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17599837077132914322008-09-14T01:36:00.000-04:002008-09-14T01:36:00.000-04:00The Yeats poem I mentioned(and check the line brea...The Yeats poem I mentioned<BR/>(and check the line breaks)<BR/><BR/>---<BR/><BR/><BR/>WHO will go drive with Fergus now,<BR/>And pierce the deep wood's woven shade,<BR/>And dance upon the level shore?<BR/>Young man, lift up your russet brow,<BR/>And lift your tender eyelids, maid,<BR/>And brood on hopes and fear no more.<BR/>And no more turn aside and brood<BR/>Upon love's bitter mystery;<BR/>For Fergus rules the brazen cars,<BR/>And rules the shadows of the wood,<BR/>And the white breast of the dim sea<BR/>And all dishevelled wandering stars.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82227693964497490892008-09-14T00:27:00.000-04:002008-09-14T00:27:00.000-04:00Must be Lee Glickstein, since he lives in the Bay ...Must be Lee Glickstein, since he lives in the Bay Area. Damn—Lee, Andrea, Byron, and Tyler? Plus assorted blog denizens I haven't met? I missed a good party.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47688320811807181452008-09-14T00:26:00.000-04:002008-09-14T00:26:00.000-04:00Glickstein?Glickstein?green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82462103012706767012008-09-13T23:41:00.000-04:002008-09-13T23:41:00.000-04:00monday not modelmonday not modeldkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46322400072360798012008-09-13T23:40:00.000-04:002008-09-13T23:40:00.000-04:00Whoa late night post for me. You go green mantis....Whoa late night post for me. You go green mantis. <BR/><BR/>This one was ok for me, mostly as I had to solve in fits and starts as today was a work day. Demo crew shows up on model to start the home remodel project.<BR/><BR/>I had to look up the Bond movie and Olga, I got a google warning about nudity that I thought was funny.<BR/><BR/>MIAOW nope<BR/>UNHOOK nah more like take off than adjust<BR/>IPODNANO neat<BR/>USURER nice<BR/><BR/>nighty nite,dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62009581306479745152008-09-13T23:29:00.000-04:002008-09-13T23:29:00.000-04:00@fergus: Our comments crossed, I did mean weary, o...@fergus: Our comments crossed, I did mean weary, of course, but glad you slept in your own bed.... <BR/>It all sounds like a lot of fun, thank you for giving us a description of it!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12676224343212921682008-09-13T23:24:00.000-04:002008-09-13T23:24:00.000-04:00@green mantis: Thank you for reporting on this aff...@green mantis: Thank you for reporting on this affair. It may grow, you know, just like the one on the East Coast. It used to be quite modest, held in Stamford, Ct., then outgrew its venue. <BR/><BR/>Wonderful to hear that some of the top puzzle people made it out there, a sign it's taken seriously. I'm sure you had a lot of fun at lunch with Andrea and her colleagues. I probably would have described Fergus more or less the same way you did, hope to meet him in NY. I still laugh when I think of his description of his vision of you..... By the way, where did he sleep last night?<BR/><BR/>You ended up in just about the top third of this group, that seems pretty decent for a first time. I just went to watch on the final day of last February's Brooklyn tournament, and was also struck at how friendly the crowd was. I had conversations with lots of people, and all seemed helpful and out to have a good time. Lots of professorial types, teenagers with backpacks (I probably would know their names now) and septagenarians, locals and people from all over the country and beyond. I came back more excited about puzzling than I had been before.<BR/><BR/>Wow, I did go on.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29957594545587521902008-09-13T23:05:00.000-04:002008-09-13T23:05:00.000-04:00Mac, did you mean weary or deliberately type wary?...Mac, did you mean weary or deliberately type wary? That's funny for a number of reasons that Green Mantis may have inferred from a discussion about a writers Garden Party in the Haight, that I thought (wrongly, it turns out) I wasn't invited to. Anyway I just stayed at home last night, and after the tournament I wasn't up for haunting the old stomping grounds, or crashing the party that involved a bridge toll and SF parking. <BR/><BR/>So, it was quite an experience to be doing the puzzle(s) with all these other enthusiasts in a High School cafeteria, with the spectral presence (and I mean this positively) of Tyler Hinman distributing the puzzles and acting as judge. It was great to meet Andrea right off, to get into the swing of things (GM and I both confessed to nervous jitters). Then Byron Walden and Karmasartre, and so felt like this was truly a confabulation. Lee, the constructor whose last name eludes me right now, was there, as well. <BR/><BR/>It would be a bad idea to comment on the puzzles, but the first two went reasonably well, despite the jitters, and the resulting poor penmanship. I used a pen, by the way, to trade on the accuracy emphasis. Then we got lunch and sat on the lawn in front of the school, with an amiable group of fascinating people discussing construction and literature, education and art, physics and chemistry, and most of all how it all comes down to the play of language.<BR/><BR/>The puzzle after lunch went fine, but the last one threw me. Looking up to see how many others had finished and left, feeling lost at sea with at least twenty squares still, I summoned some inspired guesses and the puzzle fell. And I strutted out of the overly warm chamber with a kind of sheepish relief. And thus I became the 23rd best solver in some Zipcode. <BR/><BR/>Very nice to see some of these people I've become familiar with. Green Mantis was even more delightful and engaging than I possibly could have expected. She finished before me each time and came through flawlessly. (Memo to Easterners, follow through with the sponsorship.) Tyler was really quite a charming gentleman, which was not the impression that I got from WORD PLAY. Karma is killer funny and cool; Byron's intelligence is almost palpable; Lee was most amusing, and Andrea was as suave and entertaining as you already knew she was. <BR/><BR/>I could go on, but I won't. Took a few pictures that I could send to Rex. Please let me know in what format, if you're interested in having them sent along.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63476211400313052612008-09-13T22:59:00.000-04:002008-09-13T22:59:00.000-04:00Thanks all. Mac--they only had us doing 4 puzzles...Thanks all. Mac--they only had us doing 4 puzzles, Mon-Thur, so not too intimidating. You're on your own in NY--a completely different animal, I think.<BR/><BR/>This was amateur night, but that worked fine for me, as I am an amateur. <BR/><BR/>I did the "slow and steady wins the race" thing. My reasoning: ain't no way I'm winning this thing, so why bother speed-racing myself into an error. I think I was channelling Rex who, in describing this year's tourney, talked about just focusing and not trying to be a hero. If I recall quasi-correctly. Anyway, tips from this tournament have limited value as applied to NY, probably. My best advice is to ingest something more than eleven gallons of coffee beforehand so that you are not twittering around like a cracked out side show attraction and then crash like so many Hollywood starlets on the fast track to rehab. Lesson learned, ahem.<BR/><BR/>Andrea was one of us for the day. Tyler Hinman was the celebrity judge, and Byron Waldon was there as an entrant--very nice, humble person who wiled away our chatty lunch hour speed solving absurdly hard puzzles with one brain tied behind his back. There was also another very sweet constructor whose name is escaping me at the moment (sorry awesome guy). My point is that there were, proportionately, lots of heavy hitters in the crowd. <BR/><BR/>I wrote to Andrea in an email last night that in my imagination Fergus was on the skinny side, had a little salt-and-pepper going on, and had kind eyes. I batted a thousand. Seriously, I rule. And so does Fergus.green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84242356737623924932008-09-13T21:56:00.000-04:002008-09-13T21:56:00.000-04:00green mantis: congrats! sounds like you had a good...green mantis: congrats! sounds like you had a good time.<BR/><BR/>aunthattie: welcome. i daresay you have already written a comment of your own. see, it wasn't so hard, right?<BR/><BR/>liverpool 2-1 man utd, and i smoked the newsday saturday stumper for the first time ever. could this day get any better?Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2641435935306713752008-09-13T21:46:00.000-04:002008-09-13T21:46:00.000-04:00@green mantis: congratulations! We are all proud o...@green mantis: congratulations! We are all proud of you, and want to hear all the tips for participating in a contest. How many puzzles did you have to do on this one day? That's one thing I'm worried about, aren't we supposed to do 5 on the Saturday in NY?<BR/><BR/>You say you immediately recognized Fergus, but what does he look like?(I will ask him the same question).<BR/><BR/>Did Andrea participate or was she a judge or something?<BR/><BR/>I can't wait for the Brooklyn tournament, and not just for the puzzles.<BR/><BR/>@aunthattie: welcome, and next time tell us about your experiences!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49910534809875467652008-09-13T21:22:00.000-04:002008-09-13T21:22:00.000-04:00Just want to say to all of you that I am finding t...Just want to say to all of you that I am finding that the most fun in doing the puzzle, whatever day it is, is finishing it up and then reading Rex and all of your comments. One of these days I will write one of my own (like, I have been to Sagamore Hill dozens of times, and used to read Joseph Alsop, and have given up on James Bond)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24709560919528062172008-09-13T21:00:00.000-04:002008-09-13T21:00:00.000-04:00congrats green mantis!!! Guess we will hear more a...congrats green mantis!!! Guess we will hear more about the tournament tomorrow.chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66712489182246151722008-09-13T20:51:00.000-04:002008-09-13T20:51:00.000-04:00I am the 16th greatest crossword puzzle solver in ...I am the 16th greatest crossword puzzle solver in Alameda! <BR/><BR/>So there were about 50 entrants. I was (and still am) running on about 3 hours sleep, so after my initial rally I faded abruptly and began whining. Fergus was very patient with me. <BR/><BR/>Speaking of Fergus, he is exactly Fergus, and Andrea is exactly Andrea. If I may toot my own horn, my mental image of Fergus was so accurate that when he passed me on the sidewalk in front of the high school, I stopped in my tracks and pointed absurdly at him. Yeah, just stared with my finger sticking out. He eventually helped me transition into an actual human greeting.<BR/><BR/>Karmasartre is perhaps the nicest person ever. And so was everybody else. The nerd quotient was dizzying, as high things go, and I felt that I had found my people. Except for that lady who took my seat. She needs to go.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, so fun. I had no errors on my puzzles, which normally wouldn't be a brag-worthy Monday through Thursday feat, but the competition atmosphere had me all freaked out, so I was pleased with that accomplishment.<BR/><BR/>Okay, longest post ever, so I'll leave it there. Thanks everybody for being so great.green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46142590290260369412008-09-13T18:33:00.000-04:002008-09-13T18:33:00.000-04:00Thought I was going to make it through a Saturday,...Thought I was going to make it through a Saturday, as the NW and SE came fairly quickly. But the rest of the puzzle was brutal. Even after guessing RETURNTOREALITY, almost nothing else came. <BR/><BR/>I was born during the Eisenhower administratio, but I bought and enjoy the Fall Out Boy album "Infinity on High." Is that wrong?<BR/><BR/>@noam: very funny cartoon<BR/><BR/>I did click on the third Google item, and all I can say is VA-VA-Vomit. (sorry)<BR/><BR/>MIAOWS? Really? Looked it up, so I guess yes, but...Really? (The album cover is great, though.)jeff in chicagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10492964479021891094noreply@blogger.com