tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1559734444015115125..comments2024-03-18T23:52:35.781-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Diminutive for Baryshnikov / SAT 11-24-12 / Like refreshing agua / 1978 sequel set in shopping mall / Peak east of Captain Cook / Like four ill-fated popes / African country with namesake lake / Part of Freddy Krueger costume / South Park co-creator Stone / Killer source material for comedian / Southwest city founded by Mormon pioneersRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35915350132524660412013-01-02T08:21:58.082-05:002013-01-02T08:21:58.082-05:00But I love Mr. Hanky! He's hilarious! Towelie ...But I love Mr. Hanky! He's hilarious! Towelie may be a little silly, but he does have a couple of good catch-phrases. In this day and age, do you need anything more?Anonyratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73623872891310106692013-01-02T01:54:08.380-05:002013-01-02T01:54:08.380-05:00I'm told that Matt & Trey thought Towelie ...I'm told that Matt & Trey thought Towelie was the dumbest character they'd ever created. This, from the people who invented Mr. Hankie, the Christmas Poo!Ellen Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00473445503706985149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76984530783733408352013-01-01T08:36:14.249-05:002013-01-01T08:36:14.249-05:00Ellen - No, I'm pretty sure Towelie came well ...Ellen - No, I'm pretty sure Towelie came well before the Backyardigans. My kids used to watch them all the time (it's off the air now), and when I saw that episode, my (twisted?) mind just conjured up Towelie singing "Do you want to get high."<br />Anyway, it's nice to have found someone here who even knows who Towelie is, let alone a Towelie fan. Every time I took my kids to their swimming lessons I would tell them "Don't forget to bring a towel!" using Towelie's voice (they didn't get the reference, but were amused anyway). Anonyratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12583858088016759672012-12-31T18:33:03.644-05:002012-12-31T18:33:03.644-05:00@Anonyrat, so was Towelie doing a parody of The Ba...@Anonyrat, so was Towelie doing a parody of The Backyardigans? I had never heard of them before this; even my granddaughter at 19 is too old to have watched them. They look like if the Teletubbies and Barney had a baby. Found the "do you wanna make pies" song on Youtube. Definitely something that would be improved by watching while high. Thanks for thinking of me. <br /><br />Oh, god, I must be a robot. I can't read the captcha at all.Ellen Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00473445503706985149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20632632544120227122012-12-30T09:23:32.891-05:002012-12-30T09:23:32.891-05:00@ evil doug 9:43 AM - Cincy just got its first Jac...@ evil doug 9:43 AM - Cincy just got its first Jack in the Crack?! Are you serious? They've been so ubiquitous out here for so long I would have bet they were nationwide. Also, a tip from my teenage me - their two for 99 cent tacos taste much better at 2:00 A.M. when you're starving and drunk off your butt and nothing else is open. Ah, memories ...<br />Never heard of Farina - was guessing maybe Purina was the dog's breakfast until the crosses negated that idea.<br />@ Tobias Duncan 10:46 AM - "Don't forget to bring a towel!" (I know at least @ Ellen S will get that. Ellen, you haven't indicated how old your daughter is, but if she's young enough to have watched The Backyardigans, and if you've ever seen the "Samurai Pie" episode, you might appreciate this - when they were singing "Do you want to make pie; Yes I want to make pie," it made me imagine Towelie singing 'Do you want to get high; Yes, I want to get high'!)<br />@ lawprof 1:08 PM - I also got hung up in the SE (not SW) due to having Souter instead of SCALIA at first - I mean, what are the odds of having two out of six male Justices with six letter last names starting with S? My first thought was Souter, and figured there couldn't be another, and somehow, of the eight Justices I could think of of, Scalia was the one I couldn't come up with for a while. Oh, and for future reference, SCAt is animal poo, or a type of Jazz singing, not a "run-in."Anonyratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73591322448898776042012-12-29T19:01:14.101-05:002012-12-29T19:01:14.101-05:00When I was able to complete this puzzle, I knew it...When I was able to complete this puzzle, I knew it would be rated easy-that's how it goes. My biggest hold-up was thinking I can't really be expected to know the Russian for diminutive, followed by a "doh" when crosses led me to the right word. Coming here I found I mistakenly credited comedians with. PUREGaLl, which made the movie DAYOFTHEDEAL, sounded ok to me for a shopping mall story, and LaG sounded ok for the call thing, so my error got hidden. But, hey, I was THIS close!DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61565112107978442262012-12-29T11:18:18.634-05:002012-12-29T11:18:18.634-05:00@Spacecraft -- Just to clarify, it was @Glimmerg...@Spacecraft -- Just to clarify, it was @Glimmerglass and @dk who had protested that ski jumpers did <b>not</b> use poles. My feeling was that they did use them, but when I looked at Google images to find a picture to illustrate the point, it turned out to be more difficult than I expected. I did post a link to such a picture, but I had to concede that not all jumpers used poles.Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84626300936846989982012-12-29T10:31:20.585-05:002012-12-29T10:31:20.585-05:00@Bob K: I don't know what ski jumping you'...@Bob K: I don't know what ski jumping you've seen, but poles are essential for balance. Every jumper I've seen has them.<br /><br />I AMBLED through the NW in nothing flat, and wondered if it really WAS Saturday. Then came the DARKROOM in the SW. TUNER at 46d held me back some. The breakthrough came with SKIM for "Far from whole." I'm getting better with these Shortzian clues.<br /><br />DASHING across the center with all those THE's, I arrived at the SE: no PICNIC, because like others I didn't know SCALIA from Souter. I am the world's worst timeline solver. Couldn't even give you the decade. Finally remembered MOE which gave me GOALIE; done there but for the SCA_/NE_EAN cross. Was it T? NETEAN?? Nah. Then I applied the Shortz principle to the clue for 51a, and saw of course it was SCAM.<br /><br />On to the NE. SKI--what? Run? Nope, need 4. Wrestled with that for a time before seeing JUMP, and fini. LOG filled on crosses. "Call log?" Whassat?<br /><br />An enjoyable solve, though if I were making it I'd want something besides NTH for the centerpiece down word.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65220723566384021792012-11-28T15:55:07.645-05:002012-11-28T15:55:07.645-05:00Medium. Took a while to get a toehold, then it a...Medium. Took a while to get a toehold, then it all fell into place. Of course, writing CEREAL in for 2D right away didn't help much.Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65727452126522203652012-11-25T18:48:23.618-05:002012-11-25T18:48:23.618-05:00Could we just use the word "chewy" to de...Could we just use the word "chewy" to describe food texture please? Medium for me. Had Bishon for Afghan, which bowed me up. It's nice to finish a Saturday with no mistakes, even if it's considered "easy".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58810981020097874122012-11-25T08:57:13.831-05:002012-11-25T08:57:13.831-05:00Rex, Captain Cook is a city on the western coast o...Rex, Captain Cook is a city on the western coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. The volcano is to its east.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15538636162604336152012-11-25T03:41:15.447-05:002012-11-25T03:41:15.447-05:00@z, I dunno if I'm reading @sanfranman59's...@z, I dunno if I'm reading @sanfranman59's figures right, but seems like today (Saturday) is in the 6th percentile for the Top 100, and the 5th for All Solvers. That's in the "Easy" bracket for both groups, but more easy for All Solvers by 1 percent, than for the Top 100. But the disparity on the other days is indeed puzzling. I don't understand why it would throw off the figures that much if the slower solvers as "solving for fun" -- meaning they aren't timing themselves? The masses should still be, and are, slower than the Top 100. I do not understand why Weds was Easy-Medium for the totality of solvers and Challenging for the Top 100. <br />But I fear I'm a robot. We'll see. <br /><br />Ellen Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00473445503706985149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85537461747695269082012-11-24T21:25:49.891-05:002012-11-24T21:25:49.891-05:00@SanFranMan59 - I see that every day this week but...@SanFranMan59 - I see that every day this week but today that there is a sizable difference in rating between All Solvers and Top 100 Solvers. Is the count still down? Is the "slowest solvers are solving for fun" hypothesis still the likeliest reason?Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13826372870278216472012-11-24T20:41:58.242-05:002012-11-24T20:41:58.242-05:00Weekend Puzzle Partner and I attacked this when I ...Weekend Puzzle Partner and I attacked this when I got home from work and had it done (with OWS) in an hour - that's lightening fast for us on a Saturday! Only writeover was because I thought the "Extra desire" would be a rolE instead of the much less ambitious LINE. Like others, we wanted the "Hookups" to be IvS and the cross wasn't familiar so the error stayed in. Yesterday's syndicated puzzle was equally easy so we are feeling pretty cocky this weekend - I'm sure our comeuppance is lurking nearby.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51923442453346284162012-11-24T19:06:07.245-05:002012-11-24T19:06:07.245-05:00I got it all and enjoyed the puzzle, but found it ...I got it all and enjoyed the puzzle, but found it more medium than easy. I had ivs, but then thought mevelaus wrong and vaguely remembered menaelaus.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54572391639980233022012-11-24T18:03:13.965-05:002012-11-24T18:03:13.965-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation. 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 7:08, 6:46, 1.05, 76%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 8:18, 8:57, 0.93, 37%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 11:11, 11:49, 0.95, 39%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 17:02, 18:47, 0.91, 34%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 20:40, 24:21, 0.85, 25%, Easy-Medium<br />Sat 20:59, 29:00, 0.72, 5%, Easy (9th lowest median solve time of 167 Saturdays)<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:09, 3:41, 1.13, 91%, Challenging<br />Tue 4:41, 4:41, 1.00, 56%, Medium<br />Wed 6:49, 5:57, 1.14, 85%, Challenging<br />Thu 9:57, 9:23, 1.06, 67%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 11:47, 12:10, 0.97, 48%, Medium<br />Sat 11:36, 16:29, 0.70, 6%, Easy (10th lowest median solve time of 166 Saturdays)sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80327958170953345382012-11-24T17:01:03.207-05:002012-11-24T17:01:03.207-05:00I guess I'm the only person to mos-read the &q...I guess I'm the only person to mos-read the "Mandalay" clue as "Manderley" and wonder what Rebecca had to di with Burma. The Anonymous Penguinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17247528381141300584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65490702366651090442012-11-24T15:49:47.038-05:002012-11-24T15:49:47.038-05:00wordie - Yes,'las aguas'. Typ0. Sorry. ...wordie - Yes,'las aguas'. Typ0. Sorry. el alma, las almas, etc. D_Blackwellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63661866511270072602012-11-24T15:29:11.430-05:002012-11-24T15:29:11.430-05:00YES Rex, your last sentence summed it up perfectly...YES Rex, your last sentence summed it up perfectly! And my solve was very much like yours, except it wasn't as easy for me. But I did remember Myanmar because of the recent news. And I love the long stack in the middle, with a mini-theme of [blank][blank]THE[blank].<br /><br />I figured you'd rate it easy when I completed it without Googling, but I'm still at the stage where I'm still pleased as punch just to successfully complete a Saturday.<br /><br />Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39635864657434815712012-11-24T15:06:49.136-05:002012-11-24T15:06:49.136-05:00Nice job, Knapper.Nice job, Knapper.Nickname Givernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75641700568614046102012-11-24T13:42:55.755-05:002012-11-24T13:42:55.755-05:00@ D Blackwell, it's las Aguas, because with th...@ D Blackwell, it's las Aguas, because with the s on the end of las, there's no double vowel problem.wordiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18169510982915122171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79288793642270230062012-11-24T13:39:05.175-05:002012-11-24T13:39:05.175-05:00@poc, agua is actually feminine, it takes el inste...@poc, agua is actually feminine, it takes el instead of la because it starts with a vowel. <br /><br />I never got smith! So DNF. <br /><br />Thanks for explaining LINE, just couldn't see that. Had LovE for a while. . . .wordiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18169510982915122171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65118367070277938032012-11-24T13:35:43.776-05:002012-11-24T13:35:43.776-05:00@D_Blackwell is quite correct. In fact I realized ...@D_Blackwell is quite correct. In fact I realized my mistake almost as soon as I posted, but for some reason the comments page wouldn't accept a second contribution to correct it. Apologies all round.pochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08861361305246858918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83309145129669019732012-11-24T13:29:03.771-05:002012-11-24T13:29:03.771-05:00PS - I'll grant that the clue seems a bit slop...PS - I'll grant that the clue seems a bit sloppy as written. I threw down FRIO first.D_Blackwellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60576434856471341782012-11-24T13:24:37.373-05:002012-11-24T13:24:37.373-05:00FRIA is correct as clued. By itself, 'el agua...FRIA is correct as clued. By itself, 'el agua' is correct; 'el agua' and 'los aguas' Also, 'el' is an exception to avoid the double 'a' situation, where one word ends in 'a' and the next word starts in 'a'; 'la agua is not correct. However, in this situation, the reference is 'agua fria' (cold water) and is correct.D_Blackwellnoreply@blogger.com