tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1466956664510858002..comments2024-03-18T23:52:35.781-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: British luxury SUV / MON 10-28-13 / Star-making title role for Mel Gibson / Gulager of Last Picture Show / Thinker's counterpart / Full political assembliesRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65678204083812111142013-12-02T20:38:11.287-05:002013-12-02T20:38:11.287-05:00I meant to add earlier, today I met a service dog ...I meant to add earlier, today I met a service dog named Xe (pronounced Zee); not especially applicable to anything but I thought it was interesting in light of the dog name discussion.<br /><br />@Ginger - thanks for the compliment. I don't have a chocolate lab, but I do have the other three.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22722795157830950262013-12-02T18:51:40.393-05:002013-12-02T18:51:40.393-05:00@SIS yes to being Golden aged, (Har) and have know...@SIS yes to being Golden aged, (Har) and have known many Golden Retreivers, great dogs. But, my all time favorite breed are Samoyeds, beautiful 'people' dogs, and next are pugs, natural clowns.<br /><br />@Diri, love your 'lab' avatar.<br /><br />Big game tonight....GO HAWKS!!Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80478738795839022362013-12-02T16:42:00.951-05:002013-12-02T16:42:00.951-05:00Gee, and here I thought the theme was "Iconic...Gee, and here I thought the theme was "Iconic X-Wprd Bloggers."<br /><br />I have a neighbor named MAX and he has a dog. Does that count? We're fostering two kittens, but their names are Pumpkin and Suzy-Q.<br /><br />So much nitpicky for a Monday. I thought Monday was for the PLENA who don't like tough clues and obscure words.Cary in Bouldernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87113551585508784422013-12-02T15:56:05.411-05:002013-12-02T15:56:05.411-05:00@Ginger & @Rainy, I honestly don't think o...@Ginger & @Rainy, I honestly don't think of either of you as goldens.<br />Rainy is just a shorthand for Rain forest, like Spacy or Diri.<br />Having said that, what a great breed they are. No wonder they're so popular.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83599021962174455202013-12-02T15:55:41.227-05:002013-12-02T15:55:41.227-05:00Not too long ago I tried to make a list of all the...Not too long ago I tried to make a list of all the dogs I have had in my lifetime - I came up with 14 names and none of them were in the grid. <br /><br />RANGEROVER does double-duty as a theme answer because RANGER is also a plausible (but admittedly not iconic) dog name. Now that I think about it, I bet there's a dog somewhere named OEDIPUS and his people call him "Eddie".Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1860049888033274982013-12-02T15:11:40.283-05:002013-12-02T15:11:40.283-05:00@SIS - NOW I see where you get "Rainy" f...@SIS - NOW I see where you get "Rainy" from. Maybe we've talked about this before, but I had a Golden, named Tanner, who pretty well ruled the entire West side of Heffley Lake, just North of Kamloops. Great, great dog.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29799577207515893082013-12-02T15:00:57.791-05:002013-12-02T15:00:57.791-05:00@SIS I've met many 'Ginger's, mostly d...@SIS I've met many 'Ginger's, mostly dogs. However, once when I was working with a customer and I told her my name she said, "Oh, I used to have a cow with that name!" Good deflating laugh...Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45365510739268633672013-12-02T14:22:11.626-05:002013-12-02T14:22:11.626-05:00I've never tried to embed a url in the comment...I've never tried to embed a url in the comment box before, but if you go to this website you'll see one of my favorite Gary Larson comics. If Max is popular as a non-iconic dog name, Ginger is by far the generic Golden Retriever name.<br /><br />https://www.google.com/search?q=gary+larson+blah+blah+ginger&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=hNucUs_DKozxoAT_mIBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=1228&bih=573<br /><br />Our first golden was Nutmeg, who was the unofficial mayor of our 'hood. When she went to doggie heaven at age 15, Rainy took her place. No Rexs, Spots, Rovers or Maxs.<br /><br />Loved the hair splitting discussion.<br /><br />capcha: quityle. A dyslexic's bed cover?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71268991814057737452013-12-02T14:03:48.991-05:002013-12-02T14:03:48.991-05:00Amazing what kind of stuff gets thrown around in h...Amazing what kind of stuff gets thrown around in here. Questions:<br />How many dogs must be named Max for the name to become iconic? What *exactly* is an "iconic" name? My neighbours have two dogs--one named Jake, and the other Kevin. Fun fact.<br /><br />Let's organize several PLENA (but not on a Monday, Heaven forfend) in parks across the continent and invite all the dogs to see how many Maxes are present. This idea has several MERITS, not the least of which would be the efficient depositing and collection of s**t. <br /><br />This puzzle was less offensive than a missing OH might lead you to believe.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18028072337987692582013-12-02T13:59:08.093-05:002013-12-02T13:59:08.093-05:00Back from a week off, to a puzzle with only one wr...Back from a week off, to a puzzle with only one write-over, the badge/MERIT thing. Didn't see the dog name idea, and couldn't understand the blog contents until that light came on. Still haven't figured out the many any CLU references, but that'll hardly spoil my day.<br /><br />Anyone else see the Arizona Republic's "Big" Thanksgiving puzzle? it covers an entire two page spread and the final clues are 876A and 858D. They suggest it as a family project, and I think there is some MERIT to that. I did a tiny piece, and the shifting from clues to grid becomes ungainly. May need to hire a clue-reader. Or maybe just not do it?<br /><br />Happy December, everyone!<br /><br />DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8936466615973098882013-12-02T13:55:50.998-05:002013-12-02T13:55:50.998-05:00Love when a puzzle evokes fond memories, and this ...Love when a puzzle evokes fond memories, and this one did. I have visions of many 4 legged family members, and their ANTICs, some good, some not, gracing our lives over the years.<br /><br />GingerGingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38812834386804796832013-12-02T11:07:05.090-05:002013-12-02T11:07:05.090-05:00MY editing pen's not working too well: "m...MY editing pen's not working too well: "maeit?"spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55184172119186947832013-12-02T11:04:48.542-05:002013-12-02T11:04:48.542-05:00I must confess to not being a Sessa fan; his fill ...I must confess to not being a Sessa fan; his fill is often junky and, as we have seen today, there is a careless attitude about getting something right. OFL came back belatedly and pointed out those Scout thingies: maeit BADGES, if you please, not MERITS. Word is fine; just don't clue it that way. Is Will's editing pen out of ink?<br /><br />Theme payoff? Well, I gotta admit, I finished the grid and had to go back and look for the reason for the asterisks, so there was an aha! moment. MAX is a "common" enough pooch name, but not iconic. Semi-admissable, I guess. Good enough for Ed. See what I mean?<br /><br />PLENA is hardly Monday fare, and I thought sure it'd be OFL's WOD.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33000145051960241102013-10-29T00:27:15.565-04:002013-10-29T00:27:15.565-04:00Who cares if Max is the most common dog name now, ...Who cares if Max is the most common dog name now, what's wrong with it in the context of this puzzle is this: Max is a much more common HUMAN name than it is a dog name. There are/have never been humans named Spot or Rover and precious few named Rex; even if those are no longer popular dog names, they used to be associated EXCLUSIVELY with dogs. Max simply sucks as a "theme" answer here. Tell you what, keep Max and insert three other names from the top ten current dog names, like Bailey and Bella and Lucy and defend this puzzle. Blech. Also, the song the dwarfs sing is spelled "Heigh Ho" -- more carelessness.J Dipintonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74169892015345234742013-10-29T00:13:54.836-04:002013-10-29T00:13:54.836-04:00This 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 7:13, 6:07, 1.18, 97%, Challenging (8th highest ratio of 201 Mondays)<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:16, 3:46, 1.13, 91%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74203295794269636102013-10-28T20:03:11.507-04:002013-10-28T20:03:11.507-04:00I thought the theme was to be where has it "g...I thought the theme was to be where has it "gone" as in all the answers would include "GONE" like AntiGONEY instead of OEDIPUS REX etc.. That was my only hesitation... otherwise easy puzzle. I know many MAX dogs. Also know many MAX cats.Questiniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06225633428852696530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65593123545730267752013-10-28T17:47:26.106-04:002013-10-28T17:47:26.106-04:00This is the second day in a row that REX has shown...This is the second day in a row that REX has shown up in the crossword puzzle. Is Will Shortz trying to send a message?<br /><br />Given that the other words in common are ELAL, HID, and CSI, is Rex an Israeli spy?ahechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04829062560611567654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77750851704357110092013-10-28T17:33:01.299-04:002013-10-28T17:33:01.299-04:00@Gill I.P. -- BOW/WOW is brilliant!
3 and out.@Gill I.P. -- BOW/WOW is brilliant!<br /><br />3 and out.johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10616112251713611042013-10-28T16:06:47.256-04:002013-10-28T16:06:47.256-04:00In my neck of the metropolis if you yell BUDDY abo...In my neck of the metropolis if you yell BUDDY about 400,000 chihuahuas start singing in unison.<br />Kinda wish this started with BOW and ended with WOW...<br />@nanpilla: BRIEF I DO! Good one...<br />ROCOCO is so OEDIPUS REX - OH ME such AGONY and finally DOOM..<br />Can't wait to see what I can pick apart tomorrow. Should I fear the voodoo?GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10621126072594151622013-10-28T16:02:33.830-04:002013-10-28T16:02:33.830-04:00Nearly everything has already been said, so here&#...Nearly everything has already been said, so here's my lone contribution to today's blog: "oh me! oh my" is a line from the tune "Scotch and Soda."<br /><br />"Scotch and soda, mud in your eye,<br />Baby do I feel high! OHME oh my!<br />Do I feel high!"<br /><br />Sang it at the benefit on Saturday :DFearlessKimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24488916373808580922013-10-28T15:42:09.302-04:002013-10-28T15:42:09.302-04:00@MetaRex - That's one way to look at it.
Don&...@MetaRex - That's one way to look at it.<br /><br />Don't forget to throw in 1 pt for each RRN and RCD (or would these fall under the abbreviations and acronyms category).<br /><br />Then what do we do with the result? I guess the lower the number, the better?Birdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84047021933160394092013-10-28T15:21:59.938-04:002013-10-28T15:21:59.938-04:00Midday 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 (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 7:12, 6:07, 1.18, 97%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:30, 3:46, 1.19, 97%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72991058035541997882013-10-28T15:21:28.244-04:002013-10-28T15:21:28.244-04:00Was thinkin about how ya could quantify the ese-lo...Was thinkin about how ya could quantify the ese-load for today or any other day...<br /><br />The results are posted on the blog cuz there's too much nitty stuff for here...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.valuecompetition.typepad.com/metarex/2013/10/introducing-the-eseometer.html" rel="nofollow">Introducing the Eseometer</a>MetaRexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01697113550216241303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64118259822804957942013-10-28T15:20:34.251-04:002013-10-28T15:20:34.251-04:00m&a 11:18 -- great post from start to finish, ...m&a 11:18 -- great post from start to finish, on a roll, sir.<br /><br />Agree with Rex on Max. Also agree with the earlier poster who said puzzles are fun and thus so was this. PLENA is not a Monday word.<br /><br />I like CLU under GOO.<br /><br />Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62301959550666938452013-10-28T15:19:57.879-04:002013-10-28T15:19:57.879-04:00I forgot to mention Carl Orff's opera, OEDIPUS...I forgot to mention Carl Orff's opera, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCbLFi3v64o" rel="nofollow">OEDIPUS der Tyrann</a>, composed in 1959. It is scored for 9 double basses, 6 pianos, flutes, oboes, trombones, bass drums, harps, xylophone, metallophones, stone chimes, wood block, bongos, timbals, tambourine, triangle, castanets, cymbal and Javanese gong, plus of course the cast and chorus. Not your typical matinée fare, to say the least.AliasZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477396362209386037noreply@blogger.com