tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1554470264910057174..comments2024-03-18T22:08:40.448-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, Jan. 24, 2009 - M. Diehl (Fifth-year exams at Hogwarts / Sands part-owner, once / Longtime North Dakota Senator Gerald and others)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85321110097360687232009-03-03T12:25:00.000-05:002009-03-03T12:25:00.000-05:00One more on JIFFYPOP - I must be the only person w...One more on JIFFYPOP - I must be the only person who arrived back up in the great NW with exactly these letters: ------OP ! Which of course made it look even more like STOVETOP was going in despite "stove" being in the clue! What a relief when JAVAMAN made all things clear.WilsonCPUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13979524409642122336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20928552995734599202009-02-28T23:20:00.000-05:002009-02-28T23:20:00.000-05:00Just back from Maui and this was my first NYT cros...Just back from Maui and this was my first NYT crossword in 2 weeks. Since I solved a Saturday in no time flat, naturally assumed all the exposure to the beautiful weather in Maui had magically rejuvinated all my little gray cells. Alas and alack, reading this blog is to learn that it was the easiest Sat ever. Rats! Oh, well, bring on Monday - I'm ready.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88644784956707387972009-02-28T22:47:00.000-05:002009-02-28T22:47:00.000-05:00In syndication, so it's likely no one will read th...In syndication, so it's likely no one will read this, but...<BR/><BR/>Say it isn't so, Rex. Are you kidding? You lived in California and didn't know LASSEN national volcanic park?! Give us a break. RAE was totally obscure compared to that answer. Sheesh. <BR/><BR/>Enough with California, on to Alaska. I remembered an interview with some family member of Sarah Palin who said something to the effect of "I have no idea why she talks that way, since she's from Idaho," so that clue didn't fool me at all.<BR/><BR/>This puzzle became (needlessly) much harder if you, like me, confidently inked in FOLSOM for Summer of Love locale. FRISCO just didn't even qualify as a valid word, much less an answer, and since FOLSOM caused a string of other equally valid crossings that were also incorrect (such as OKRA instead of RICE, which led to FAILURE instead of SAD SACK)the NE corner, I have to say WAS Saturday-level.<BR/><BR/>But I digress. Why, again, was LASSEN "all kinds of wrong" ? That was a Tuesday-level clue, at least until Mt. St. HELENS becomes a national park as well.cody.riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05883012611419987246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84140038865695770672009-02-28T11:53:00.000-05:002009-02-28T11:53:00.000-05:00As I was born in San Francisco myself, I must invo...As I was born in San Francisco myself, I must invoke the late, great columnist Herb Caen: "May you be boiled in oil, or fried in Crisco, if you call San Francisco 'Frisco'.<BR/><BR/>Too easy today. I was going so fast I was waiting to get mired down somewhere but never happened.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8062405434667553002009-02-28T11:23:00.000-05:002009-02-28T11:23:00.000-05:00Very easy for a Saturday, or any day. But a nice w...Very easy for a Saturday, or any day. But a nice way to end the week. Especially after last Saturday’s buzz kill.<BR/><BR/>One quibble. It appears to be OK to continue bashing S Palin, even after the race is done and we have, hopefully, moved on to better things. Having lived in Alaska for 25 years, I can say with some assurance that neither is she as horrible as the far left says, or as wonderful as the far rights thinks. And that goes for her family, too. There is much to be said for being gracious winners and I think our new President has set a fine example from which we can all learn.<BR/><BR/>I love coming here, even four weeks late, reading the post-puzzle wrap up by Rex and then all the wonderful commentary. However, the negative comments are grating and beneath the intelligence normally on display.Jan Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08709096924012665773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23998949654865428882009-01-26T17:08:00.000-05:002009-01-26T17:08:00.000-05:00@john in NC - Other members of this group have gui...@john in NC - Other members of this group have guided me, so let me pass on the following: You are wrong when you say "No one will read this", because if you check the box which says "Email follow-up comments to . . .", any post made after yours will be automatically sent to your email address. Therefore, most of those who commented will get your comment, and mine. (And I'll bet you see this because as I did, before I knew about this feature, you will come back to see if anyone DID read it.)Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36451832617778305252009-01-25T20:12:00.000-05:002009-01-25T20:12:00.000-05:00@doc john -- no one will read this, but I just wan...@doc john -- no one will read this, but I just wanted to register my complaint with your impressively offensive "joke" at the end of your post. No high horse here (I'm not exactly one to shy away from bad jokes or whatever), I'm just saying I think that joke crossed a line (and a line that was, interestingly, referred to in this day's puzzle...). Very few comedians could pull off an "ebonics/ho" joke on stage, and even fewer of them would refer to going to Hebrew School earlier in the bit... I'm just sayin'... ok, I guess there's a little bit of a high horse here. Sorry, but that was just bad taste.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77259030276600969942009-01-25T18:36:00.000-05:002009-01-25T18:36:00.000-05:00A fun puzzle, but it needed some Saturday cluing.H...A fun puzzle, but it needed some Saturday cluing.<BR/>How about 3D(Clue for Woodward and Bernstein) FELTTIP <BR/><BR/>I liked ALL GUSSIED UP. With ESTRELLA's adopted mother Miss Havisham, constantly in her wedding dress.<BR/><BR/>Didn't Tyler Hinman write something about FRISCO being an inapt appelation for SF ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19551388023863367232009-01-25T04:16:00.000-05:002009-01-25T04:16:00.000-05:00@allanOld and easy? Who are you , me?Crosscan is ...@allan<BR/>Old and easy? Who are you , me?<BR/>Crosscan is my favorite poster<BR/>(If you don't count the giant one of the Beatles in my room) so by transitive property, all is well.<BR/>Still working on the pink neon thing.<BR/>Thanks for the unexpected compliment, tho! :) Zei gesund and kreplach to all!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1674194155007003192009-01-25T02:10:00.000-05:002009-01-25T02:10:00.000-05:00@crosscan: Okay, it's a tie (see how easy I am...@crosscan: Okay, it's a tie (see how easy I am?)<BR/><BR/>@all: good night & pleasant dreams.allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13781898738812454336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19443028407433239002009-01-25T00:20:00.000-05:002009-01-25T00:20:00.000-05:00Yay -- I finished a Saturday!(Okay so it was appar...Yay -- I finished a Saturday!<BR/><BR/>(Okay so it was apparently the easiest one ever...)<BR/><BR/>@Greene: you know a lot about movies -- more than me. Nice comments on 'Mildred Pierce'.<BR/><BR/>Minor point: there is no writer whose last name is "de Sade" -- it's "Sade" (spelled but not pronounced like the singer). What's his first name, "Marquis"?Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55112198936857892852009-01-24T23:23:00.000-05:002009-01-24T23:23:00.000-05:00I wished Eve Arden didn't have the same number of ...I wished Eve Arden didn't have the same number of letters as Ann Blyth. Eve deserved the nod and as it turns out she got it, too! And she got to say this about Ann Blyth's character "Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young."Linda Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12417535881100246975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30891330572469285332009-01-24T22:47:00.000-05:002009-01-24T22:47:00.000-05:00"I haved lived in San Francisco for 30 years. The ..."I haved lived in San Francisco for 30 years. The first thing you learn is to NEVER call it Frisco. It's either 'San Francisco' or 'The City.'" -Danny<BR/><BR/>"SF" is also acceptable. "Frisco" and "San Fran" are considered very rude and are never heard within the city itself, and neither are considered proper in any part of the Bay Area, though the latter is less severe. The real test for an outsider, however, is to have to pronounce Gough or Noe! Back on topic now...<BR/><BR/>Only four errors for me today, certainly a Saturday record, but I definitely don't feel like I earned it given the easy clues. Despite that, there was a high amount of unfamiliar people names. Out of 11 I recognized only 4 (BRET, PELE, SINATRA, RAE) and should have recognized a fifth (DESADE). The were bad enough that just one of my errors was in a cross of two regular words. TIERNEY, ADELA, and ESTELLA are common enough to guess, and I didn't realize YMA referred to a person until I came here (end even then after some head-scratching).<BR/><BR/>Errors:<BR/>-Cur/ADuNAI/DErADE: I'm kicking myself over DERADE, I should have known better. I would pronounce ADUNAI and ADONAI the same way, so it was good enough to match whatever the hell I dragged out of my memory.<BR/>-ANaBLYTH/aYES: Both unfamiliar names, I didn't worry about it too much.<BR/>-HAIRBOb/SPEEDbAY: If this wasn't one of my last fills I probably would have gotten it, but it was good enough at the end.<BR/><BR/>PS: Love the Harry Potter clue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29788079821674142052009-01-24T21:46:00.000-05:002009-01-24T21:46:00.000-05:00Darn. I was hoping to be allan's favorite poster.Darn. I was hoping to be allan's favorite poster.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13197541281832542832009-01-24T21:25:00.000-05:002009-01-24T21:25:00.000-05:00@Steve: Congrats. You passed the test and now ho...@Steve: Congrats. You passed the test and now hold the title of Head Rabbi. (:?)<BR/><BR/>@Joho: I'm still laughing. <:o)<BR/><BR/>@acm: You have quickly become my favorite poster. By the way, did you see my instructions for posting in neon fonts yesterday. If not, check it out. [;>)<BR/><BR/>In case you haven't noticed, my emoticons make me a man of many hats; a Kippah for Steve, a clown's hat for Joho, and as close to a fedora as I could get for acm.allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13781898738812454336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26044669973198977512009-01-24T21:00:00.000-05:002009-01-24T21:00:00.000-05:00Maybe Will is on vacation, gearing up for the tour...Maybe Will is on vacation, gearing up for the tournaments, the first of which will be in Westport, CT in TWO WEEKS! I finally met a crossword puzzler, who works at Barnes @ Noble, in that town! We will meet again at the library on the 7th. It will be fun, I think 7 or 8 Rexites will be there. I'll have them over for drinks afterward!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74185603893893987732009-01-24T20:15:00.000-05:002009-01-24T20:15:00.000-05:00Rex and Chemist: ew.I sixteenth the Frisco issue, ...Rex and Chemist: ew.<BR/><BR/>I sixteenth the Frisco issue, and had what I thought was a great early misfill in Arizona: Civic club= LoJack, because I have it in my mind that LoJack is The Club thing you put on your steering wheel, which it is not, but still.<BR/><BR/>Your share car has one of those Andrea, right?<BR/><BR/>I don't understand how this puzzle got to show up today. Will has lots of puzzles marinating for each day level, right? Why would this happen? It's so wind-out-of-sails-making to gear up for the Saturday and have such a limp challenge.green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37859918704772387402009-01-24T19:05:00.000-05:002009-01-24T19:05:00.000-05:00PINKBOX as a condition perhaps is related to HAZEL...PINKBOX as a condition perhaps is related to HAZELNUTS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57973597432335049832009-01-24T18:13:00.001-05:002009-01-24T18:13:00.001-05:00Rex, bite your tongue! LOLRex, bite your tongue! <BR/>LOLfikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7794858412827088372009-01-24T18:13:00.000-05:002009-01-24T18:13:00.000-05:00Damn, I thought I was a real smarty-pants to final...Damn, I thought I was a real smarty-pants to finally solve a Saturday puzzle. Well, I'm keeping it anyway!<BR/><BR/>I haved lived in San Francisco for 30 years. The first thing you learn is to NEVER call it Frisco. It's either "San Francisco" or "The City". Just a little peeve with the puzzle's (apparently) east coast constructor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18329229657687346302009-01-24T17:45:00.000-05:002009-01-24T17:45:00.000-05:00PINKBOX sounds like a most unfortunate condition.....PINKBOX sounds like a most unfortunate condition...<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31239869881776044392009-01-24T17:41:00.000-05:002009-01-24T17:41:00.000-05:00Didn't anyone else jump to PINKBOX instead of loaf...Didn't anyone else jump to PINKBOX instead of loaf pan?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35754909842429410612009-01-24T17:36:00.000-05:002009-01-24T17:36:00.000-05:00I'm with the crowd who was feeling proud of themse...I'm with the crowd who was feeling proud of themselves before visiting the blog. Solved it very fast for me (under 30 minutes) which is very slow for a lot of you. I guess maybe they should have made the clues tougher, because it seems like a pretty good-looking puzzle once filled.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09251376991793478372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28069907714015639062009-01-24T17:29:00.000-05:002009-01-24T17:29:00.000-05:00I was afraid that Rex would rate this puzzle's sup...I was afraid that Rex would rate this puzzle's super easy. Like Anne (congrats!), today is also my first Saturday solved sans Google. I knew it would be the easiest Saturday ever for the expert solvers when I finished almost all of it without pausing. I was slowed down by having finetip instead of FELTTIP and by not knowing ADONAI and ADELA. <BR/><BR/>My first entry was IDAHOAN- "Palin" jumped out at me (she's always kinda scared me) when I pulled the puzzle out of the printer and didn't really solve it acrosses first like I usually do.<BR/><BR/>After I finished, I Googled Ann Blythe and Gene Tierney just to learn more about them- and found out that Tierney lived a very tragic life. She contracted Rubella when she was pregnant with her first child (father was Oleg Cassini) when a sick fan snuck out of quarantine to meet her at the Hollywood Canteen. The child was born deaf, partially blind and severely mentally disabled among other things and supposedly Tierney's struggles with this child's health triggered bipolar disease. Tierney was hospitalized several times as a result and suffered through 27 shock treatments and a suicide attempt. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I am still on a high from my first non-Google Saturday!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88062203643384939702009-01-24T17:27:00.000-05:002009-01-24T17:27:00.000-05:00@ Andrew -- Thanks for filling us in on the NYE co...@ Andrew -- Thanks for filling us in on the NYE committee of 1935! I still enjoy learning about such nuggets of US history, though I totally gave up an early passing thought of such a major when my final exam in one course consisted of one question: "Name all of FDR's Secretaries of State, in order, with details of when each one left and why." Egads, my only D in college, and I would still draw a blank!ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.com