tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1700780335993367331..comments2024-03-29T05:08:37.783-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: County ENE of San Francisco / MON 7-26-10 / Monica player on Friends / Brutes in Gulliver's Travels / Native of eastern South AfricaRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33458415245136341422010-08-30T12:55:57.121-04:002010-08-30T12:55:57.121-04:00Being a resident of CONTRA COSTA COUNTY I was PROU...Being a resident of CONTRA COSTA COUNTY I was PROUD to see our little home show up in the big city puzzle..lol. Speaking of CoCo, that's how we in CONTRA COSTA Public Safety refer to our county (Co Co County). Also, we don't pronounce our Costa the same way they do for the other Californian Costas...here it's just the old gringo COST-uh.ResQ405Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47357047542408910362010-08-30T12:49:21.115-04:002010-08-30T12:49:21.115-04:00ContraCosta took me a while to get, finally had to...ContraCosta took me a while to get, finally had to cheat and google it. Courteney Cox was tricky too, otherwise everything fell in place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22236225948039792932010-07-28T01:07:03.493-04:002010-07-28T01:07:03.493-04:00you know that thing where you hear something for t...you know that thing where you hear something for the first time ever (or in this case a long time) and then you notice it everywhere?<br />Well, I just noticed there is a walking tour of SF called "The Whole Shebang".<br /><br />Actually you could do a Sunday-sized puzzle there is so many "whole" phrases...I mean, isn't there one like "The whole kettle of fish" too?acmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79789604685148405372010-07-27T01:08:11.201-04:002010-07-27T01:08:11.201-04:00As someone raised in Contra Costa County, it was n...As someone raised in Contra Costa County, it was nice to see it as an answer. Kinda brought me a smile as I really struggle with the NE/NY geography clues.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90604214019332902662010-07-26T23:39:33.505-04:002010-07-26T23:39:33.505-04:00@ Syndy and sfingi - I too wanted tref @ 61A. Coul...@ Syndy and sfingi - I too wanted tref @ 61A. Could not convince myself it could be spelled treff, so I waited for crosses and treff went away.<br /><br />Easy puzzle - one of my rare sub-5 minute Mondays. Theme was all gimmes, though I did bobble the spelling of COURTENEY.<br /><br />Thanks, Ms. Bender.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75930305721158830152010-07-26T23:37:53.717-04:002010-07-26T23:37:53.717-04:00i thought this a bit sticky for a monday. i also h...i thought this a bit sticky for a monday. i also had difficulty with spelling ms cox's name. i enjoyed the puzzle overall but it felt like a tues. to me, but maybe i'm just rusty as i havent done the puzzles for several months. but i'm baaaack, baby!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15360155815375574042010-07-26T20:07:39.251-04:002010-07-26T20:07:39.251-04:00Didn't anyone else put "regular" for...Didn't anyone else put "regular" for "redcoat?" Being from Boston and visiting the Freedom Trail sites often, I thought "redcoat" was too obvious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68607391261367380392010-07-26T19:56:58.797-04:002010-07-26T19:56:58.797-04:00oops, can't countoops, can't countJonahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84052959715274989672010-07-26T19:55:09.707-04:002010-07-26T19:55:09.707-04:00I might have replaced CONTRA COSTA with COMIC CON ...I might have replaced CONTRA COSTA with COMIC CON and cut the S off of COMMON COLDSJonahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58137182956451477282010-07-26T16:47:15.945-04:002010-07-26T16:47:15.945-04:00Ha! I read 3D "Extracted ore" as "...Ha! I read 3D "Extracted ore" as "Extracted one" so put in MOLAR, so was all discombobulated to the point where I put in CORTAMADERA (which fits, but I practically LIVE in CONTRACOSTA county)<br /><br />A little bit surprised at the love for this theme, as I would never believe in a million years that co-co was enough! Esp when TWO of the theme phrases are as dull as COMPUTERCODE and COMMONCOLDS, esp with the plural to make it work!!!<br /><br />(I have had SO many rejected for less, so perhaps I'm just being TESTY...perhaps if the final word had been COCO instead I would have been less so!)<br /><br />That said, certainly loved ZULU and STCROIX (which was fun to get off just the X) <br /><br />and the J in BAJA, lovely. I will always have a soft spot for BAJA as my final Before & After puzzle on "Wheel of Fortune" was BAJA CALIFORNIA HERE I COME...<br />which won me a motorhome!andrea gawk michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75814038952484979242010-07-26T16:37:23.289-04:002010-07-26T16:37:23.289-04:00I must be half asleep - never noticed the 1st CO i...I must be half asleep - never noticed the 1st CO in the themes.<br /><br />Had tIe before ZIP, as in making fishing flies, but it didn't work for crosses. <br /><br />Many mystery writers have used curare - in their tales. (Someone mentioned Chandler.) <br /><br />Don't know Mr. Ellis.<br /><br />AVA, NY is known around here for getting stuck with a dump and a JD CF (juvenile delinquent correctional facility). <br /><br />@Purple Guy - ETS - we used to call the Evil Testing Serpent. These tests, such as SAT, GRE, etc. aren't as weighty as they used to be in getting into college.<br /><br />@Greene - I used to do the some thing as C. Brown, and then try to get someone to type it and slip it under the professor's door. In grad school, my son taught me how to study by his example. <br /><br />But, everyone should read Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. All the wonderful characters. The Lilliputians who tie him up with a thousand little strings are my favorite.<br /><br />@Syndy - I'd say more NewYawkuhs know treff than the other coastals. That naive, fey, coast, land of the opium eaters, etc, until they get hit with a volcano, earth quake or mountain debris flood. <br /><br />@Jesser - forgot that awful image. But it's not chow time here.<br /><br />But, isn't OPEC initials (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), and shouldn't it be clued thus on a Monday. Not that we didn't all get it.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87151624328613905272010-07-26T15:36:37.487-04:002010-07-26T15:36:37.487-04:00@30A: "Missile that might be tipped with cura...@30A: "Missile that might be tipped with curare" refers to the fact that some South American Indians would put curare on their arrows ("missiles")as a means of poisoning their enemies. Curare is still available in the United States as a muscle relaxant to be used before/during surgery (although it has almost totally been replaced by other drugs.)PIXnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66010597347738638682010-07-26T15:08:13.790-04:002010-07-26T15:08:13.790-04:00@Sydney - To make matters worse, my FIL (he of cor...@Sydney - To make matters worse, my FIL (he of corn on the cob recipe fame) was fluent in Russian, and said that the names also had hidden connotations, e.g. Raskolnikov intimates "Stinky". So, not only were they meaningless strings of words to me, the underlying meanings were lost.Zekenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56321403361154222582010-07-26T14:49:22.601-04:002010-07-26T14:49:22.601-04:00@zeke started "The Idiot" 3 times but al...@zeke started "The Idiot" 3 times but always got lost in the names.Read clue to 11A and thought Shortz is still a little testy with us and yanking the chain a little (CUTE)Perfectly fair!ContraCosta is revenge for all the NYCENTRIC JUNK that's in the puzzle sometimes (theatre on 5th and Broadway?) wanted treff for 61 acrosssyndyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16814698406887041710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75258817920582507522010-07-26T12:48:14.883-04:002010-07-26T12:48:14.883-04:00Rex, Thanks for the Shortz defense of Jewfro (Spaz...Rex, Thanks for the Shortz defense of Jewfro (Spaz & Gyp).<br />Noticed he didn't take on "Night Rider."<br /><br />Oh, the puzzle. ZIPped through it.<br />Got a laugh that it ended with TESTY.<br />Nice FUN Monday.<br /><br />@Van55 My mantra:<br />"Never do today what you can put off to tomorrow.<br />And if it's really FUN, you can do it again, then."Tinbenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14661395078047234853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5190595381847447042010-07-26T12:33:18.229-04:002010-07-26T12:33:18.229-04:00@Greene -- perhaps you share my mantra. "Nev...@Greene -- perhaps you share my mantra. "Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after tomorrow."Van55https://www.blogger.com/profile/15904942044695917615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45537631598110160552010-07-26T12:29:43.367-04:002010-07-26T12:29:43.367-04:00@Joel Cairo - What the hell you doing quoting from...@Joel Cairo - What the hell you doing quoting from Chandler you ungrateful SOB? I created you, gave your pathetic live whatever worth it had, and you go round dissin me by quoting that Chandler fool? What, I never wrote anything worth qoting?Dashiellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5458250520335363132010-07-26T12:24:02.623-04:002010-07-26T12:24:02.623-04:00Every time I hear Gulliver's Travels I'm i...Every time I hear <i>Gulliver's Travels</i> I'm instantly reminded of a story arc from <i>Peanuts</i> (which ran in late 1964 and early 1965) where Charlie Brown has an assignment to read the book and write a report over his Christmas vacation. In typical Schultzian fashion, Charlie Brown finds endless ways to procrastinate and ends up writing the paper at 3 AM the night before it's due. I think he ends up getting a D minus.<br /><br />The same idea was recycled in the musical <i>You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown</i> and even has an entire musical number devoted to it called "The Book Report." In the musical the book was changed to <i>Peter Rabbit</i>, but I guess that's just artistic licence. Anyway, themes of procrastination always ring true with me since I notoriously wait until the last minute to do just about everything.<br /><br />Oh, the puzzle? Delightful Monday creation which I thoroughly enjoyed solving. My daughter and I are <i>Friends</i> addicts, so Courteney Cox was not a problem (extra "e" and all).Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10412634072650228847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29316630454437379422010-07-26T12:19:03.470-04:002010-07-26T12:19:03.470-04:00Not much to add other than that it was my fastest ...Not much to add other than that it was my fastest time ever! (It did help to know that Ms. Cox's name had that extra E.) BTW, who knew that her first exposure was as the girl that Bruce Springsteen pulls up onto the stage in one of his videos- Dancing in the Dark, perhaps.Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18108670791927664892010-07-26T12:03:51.778-04:002010-07-26T12:03:51.778-04:00While we're talking GT, let's not forget t...While we're talking GT, let's not forget the Brobdingnagians. I'm hoping to see that one in a crossword soon.archaeoprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956231727789223463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5169681560017159752010-07-26T11:38:26.033-04:002010-07-26T11:38:26.033-04:00Easy for me too, though a bit slower than usual.
...Easy for me too, though a bit slower than usual. <br /><br />Had LOB, then POP, then finally ZIP. Then COURTNY-COURTNEY-COURTENEY. Whaaa?JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63861231415851440792010-07-26T11:36:24.670-04:002010-07-26T11:36:24.670-04:00Nice easy puzzle, only writeover, ADA to AVA befor...Nice easy puzzle, only writeover, ADA to AVA before I saw Burl.Guessed at the S of CONTRACOSTA, sounded Californian to me. Wish IKE and ENOS to the moon but you can't have everything.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09137198432140767652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82430807529520868852010-07-26T11:25:27.697-04:002010-07-26T11:25:27.697-04:00Very enjoyable Monday romp, from GAWKing OGLERS an...Very enjoyable Monday romp, from GAWKing OGLERS and YAHOOS to BAJA, SHINTO, ST CROIX, URDU and ZULU... <br /><br />re ETS, Educational Testing Service in Princeton NJ -- I mentioned it here last week as I worked there years ago in Test Development:, noting that we always referred to tests, not "exams". <br /><br />∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17550876665877927922010-07-26T11:25:26.307-04:002010-07-26T11:25:26.307-04:00A Monday puzzle that teaches me something is alway...A Monday puzzle that teaches me something is always good.<br />Yahoos? Really? Wow.<br />Only nit for me to pick is the cross referenced clues for Esso and OPRC. Not needed.<br />I got the S of Costa like @chefwen did. Lots of Costas in CA.<br />@ Zeke, I agree about Bret Ellis. I was sorry I picked up American Psycho. I'd rather see some sports guy that I probably won't know.<br />@ Rex, Thanks for the link to Will's comments. It all sounds fair to me but I wasn't very concerned in the first place.<br /><br />Secret word : snesser. @ jesser, Some relative of yours?Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23038703259762083322010-07-26T11:13:15.638-04:002010-07-26T11:13:15.638-04:00I'm embarrassed to admit I know that Coco is a...I'm embarrassed to admit I know that Coco is also the name of Courteney Cox's little daughter, coincidence of the puzzle or maybe a hidden shout out to her? After all, Courtney Love's daughter made it into a Sunday puzzle in June (Frances Bean Cobain), so it's not out of the question...puzzlejunkienoreply@blogger.com