tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post174617537016698504..comments2024-03-29T05:08:37.783-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, Sep. 6, 2008 - Barry C. Silk (Improvisatory composition / Westinghouse/Intel award winner, e.g. / Ancient Negev dweller)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40116551970084740912008-09-07T16:19:00.000-04:002008-09-07T16:19:00.000-04:00PLAND: Great videos, amazing pond, and edifying so...PLAND: Great videos, amazing pond, and edifying sounds. Thanks!fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12699557347141395232008-09-07T14:58:00.000-04:002008-09-07T14:58:00.000-04:00There's another, less obvious cluing issue than th...There's another, less obvious cluing issue than the icing infraction:<BR/>Not all ducks quack. <BR/>The <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq-1ZOQZy-k" REL="nofollow"><BR/> Bufflehead </A> is a duck, but <A HREF="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/audio/Bufflehead.html" REL="nofollow">the sounds it makes </A>are only described as "quacking" by those who have never actually heard one.<BR/>Now, <A HREF="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/audio/Mallard.html" REL="nofollow">this is a quack.</A>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03495438332396330092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57830393500658623172008-09-07T09:35:00.000-04:002008-09-07T09:35:00.000-04:00Wow. That is the worst song I have ever heard. Or ...Wow. That is the <I>worst song</I> I have ever heard. Or seen. No wonder I blocked out the 80s. Yeesh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55528556755347587242008-09-07T07:08:00.000-04:002008-09-07T07:08:00.000-04:00@foodie let me know how the icer is when you rece...@foodie let me know how the icer is when you receive it. I think I need one alsochefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53257054086633168332008-09-07T01:56:00.000-04:002008-09-07T01:56:00.000-04:00Late , late but I'm back home. Did this one in the...Late , late but I'm back home. Did this one in the airport. Wanted to scream out ICERS!!! but screaming at the airport not a great idea.<BR/><BR/>I got the TOCCATA/OOCYTE crossing wrong - guessed an L. nobody else seems to be bothered by that crossing so it is a personal NATICK I guess. <BR/><BR/>Rest has been said by others.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2343494212182684162008-09-06T23:35:00.000-04:002008-09-06T23:35:00.000-04:00got 1-across instantly, since many of my college m...got 1-across instantly, since many of my college mates were westinghouse and/or intel finalists and winners.<BR/><BR/>but i had a lot of trouble finishing. could not get anywhere with the NE corner or with part of the SW due to QUAALUDE and having STEEL instead of STERN in 27-Across. ended up passing my patience threshold and just looked up a few answers to finish.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55949981427722053082008-09-06T21:45:00.000-04:002008-09-06T21:45:00.000-04:00Besides learning the correct spelling of just DESE...Besides learning the correct spelling of just DESERTS today, I also learned that biceps is singular, thus the answer was FLEXOR, not flexors, which I fought for a long time.fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86201614960706309432008-09-06T21:35:00.000-04:002008-09-06T21:35:00.000-04:00RP, I know I require constraint at times, but this...RP, I know I require constraint at times, but this was still a thread on 18A -- GEMINIS. Over and out. FFfergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47266931736634917872008-09-06T21:29:00.000-04:002008-09-06T21:29:00.000-04:00well, reading this blog has cost me over $30 today...well, reading this blog has cost me over $30 today. Mr. Silk's tidbit about the original clue for icer, followed by Mac's information about the existence of an icer by Calphalon sent me looking for one. I found an "icer", an all purpose "turner" and a "cookie spatula" all made by Calphalon, and realized I desperately needed each of them. Now I am eagerly awaiting their arrival. I will remember you all as I use them, and especially that an icer is NOT a penalty in hockey. Never has a cooking gizmo had so many associations...foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5418860496220184182008-09-06T21:19:00.000-04:002008-09-06T21:19:00.000-04:00Puzzle. Puzzle. Or nothing.rpPuzzle. Puzzle. Or nothing.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6507449636527165842008-09-06T21:16:00.000-04:002008-09-06T21:16:00.000-04:00How about phenomena as a singular? The media is a...How about phenomena as a singular? The media is a lost cause, I reckon since it seems too pedantic to fuss about.<BR/><BR/>I remain impressed with how non-native English speakers adopt the language so well, yet there are always some instances of idioms that don't turn out so well. I cite a German guy from last night's dinner party who worried about throwing the kid out with the bathtub, and a former German colleague who asked for ballpoint figures. (I'm not picking on Germans, Ulrich; this is actually a veiled compliment.) <BR/><BR/>Anyone can make these minor errors, of course, but I find extra amusement when they're stated in a slightly foreign accent.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56101293513448181742008-09-06T20:58:00.000-04:002008-09-06T20:58:00.000-04:00@fergus: Having had Latin for 9 years is a decided...@fergus: Having had Latin for 9 years is a decidedly mixed blessing: It's no fun to cringe every time "data" or "gemini" is used as a singular. I know, I know, it's perfectly acceptable, but it's hard to get rid of instincts that were developed over a decade and at a very impressible age.<BR/><BR/>@fikink: I love your dropping German words, even if they leave me a bit non-plussed:-)Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13754641086558489482008-09-06T19:54:00.000-04:002008-09-06T19:54:00.000-04:00The father on "Eight Is Enough" was Dick Van Patte...The father on "Eight Is Enough" was Dick Van Patten, in case anyone cares.JannieBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18282015159638078416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2359172395393511722008-09-06T19:28:00.000-04:002008-09-06T19:28:00.000-04:00I wish we could lose weight by thinking, cuz this ...I wish we could lose weight by thinking, cuz this one had me going all day. But I can report success finally and no googling! Thank you Mr. Silk.<BR/>You'd think QUAAYLUDE would have been a looper for me, but wives of small-town pharmacists must be as Caesar's wife. Sheesh!<BR/>Thanks for RATT (and quit calling us old, you whipper-snapper!)<BR/>As for Volltreffer, we sent up 99 luftballoons in your name. Viva la...<BR/><BR/>So I wanted NOG as the answer to "egg head?"<BR/>@badir, I so wanted BIKINIS, too. <BR/>@phillysolver, I had the same reasoning re: GEMINIS and the night sky.<BR/>@john in nc - I, too, love the word FOMENT, or perhaps all of you had already guessed that.<BR/>@acme, I had SLOTH for the longest time, too, because of yesterday's comments. (I thought the GEMINI were aligned again. Hey, and I waited on the dad from Eight is Enough in a bookstore in St. Louis in the '80s.)<BR/>First had SHELVER for librarian. You can tell I've worked in very small libraries. Anybody remember that film where the shelvers skated the NYC library? If so, may I know the name?<BR/>And ICERS are routinely distributed to pharmacy students for compounding purposes (most of which have found their way into my kitchen drawer).fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9391947174885463202008-09-06T19:24:00.000-04:002008-09-06T19:24:00.000-04:00Ulrich,Perhaps even sillier than plural GEMINIS is...Ulrich,<BR/><BR/>Perhaps even sillier than plural GEMINIS is a singular fellow I met, a purveyor of herbal products in Washington Square Park, who went by the name Gemini. I asked him whether it wasn't a bit odd to be without his twin, but he seemed a bit nonplussed.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41975082284110277562008-09-06T19:22:00.000-04:002008-09-06T19:22:00.000-04:00Lots of sports references, all gettable via crosse...Lots of sports references, all gettable via crosses. <BR/><BR/>My son is one of those GEMINIS.<BR/> <BR/>A guy I knew in high school was a Westinghouse winner. This now (ahem) mature WHIZKID is an eminent astronomer at CalTech. Thanks, Mr. Silk. Nice Saturday fare.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80638597805198543232008-09-06T18:11:00.000-04:002008-09-06T18:11:00.000-04:00Despite all sorts of seemingly-hard fill, I went t...Despite all sorts of seemingly-hard fill, I went through this faster than usual for a Saturday. I was helped by looking for Qs and Zs and Xes. Even though I know well the Westinghouse/Intel contest, I had "quiz kid" for a while because of my fixation on high-scoring scrabble letters.<BR/><BR/>new to me -- bufflehead, almay, azera, toccata, edomite, kixx, troi, oocyte.<BR/><BR/>I knew something didn't seem right with "icers" but hockey is one sport I know little about.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40682643648975439322008-09-06T16:58:00.000-04:002008-09-06T16:58:00.000-04:00Gadzooks! Milton Berle! I think he preferred and l...Gadzooks! Milton Berle! I think he preferred and looked better in drag than any other garb! The nastiest clue of the bunch was "Notorious company." Unless you are a true aficionado of old Hitchcock movies, this would be almost impossible. The entire country west of the Mississippi was no fun at all.Judgesullyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05432097692447224159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48603911856759856262008-09-06T16:15:00.000-04:002008-09-06T16:15:00.000-04:00@mac - what a great tool - that Icer. Think I need...@mac - what a great tool - that Icer. Think I need onechefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46134924892535662582008-09-06T16:05:00.000-04:002008-09-06T16:05:00.000-04:00I knew Kixx somehow and Xraymachine but got killed...I knew Kixx somehow and Xraymachine but got killed in the rest of the puzzle. I've been on a good run lately but today's just murdered me. Might have been the hangover...who knows?<BR/><BR/>Thanks to Barry Silk for his comments on the puzzle. Always interesting to get the perspective of the creator of a puzzle.The Asian Badgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15099126490170266724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75086852870599663602008-09-06T16:01:00.000-04:002008-09-06T16:01:00.000-04:00I'm sitting with my standard poodle, Willie, and p...I'm sitting with my standard poodle, Willie, and practically done with the puzzle - but this penalty thing is just holding me up. Then I said, "Will, icing is not a penalty". He replied RUFF and I acknowleged Roughing, Slashing, Tripping are all penalties but not icing.<BR/>My other delays were spelling Haim as Hiam and Deserts as Desserts but other than that, this went pretty quickly.<BR/>And, I remember when Sal Maglie pitched and somewhere in my house I have a Sal Maglie card. I remember him pitching for the Giants.alanrichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06395356843823270129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75568044762779684732008-09-06T15:46:00.000-04:002008-09-06T15:46:00.000-04:00Just checked (I know, should have done so before) ...Just checked (I know, should have done so before) but Calphalon sells a double-edged spatula that they call an icer.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50435678754380830552008-09-06T15:33:00.000-04:002008-09-06T15:33:00.000-04:00This one was medium to challenging to me, although...This one was medium to challenging to me, although the only word I looked up was Arapaho, everything else I just kept on plugging away at (that sounds as bad as "I'm done plugging away"):-). <BR/><BR/>I was pretty happy with myself for getting icers via an actual hockey word I remembered, icing, but of course I have no idea how they get punished. @Barry, the original clue, bakery gizmos, wouldn't have passed the test because there is no such thing. An icer is a human being, maybe wielding an off-set spatula or a knife. We may have to double check with Chef Bea.<BR/><BR/>I learned a lot of new words and names today: Arapaho, Kixx, Azera, Oocyte, Haim (the only Corey I know cuts our lawn), Troi, ruffs<BR/>and toccata. I also had a few mistakes I didn't want to correct, such as bikinis at 18A, at 33D I started out with "per", then "cum" before I got "dum" DARN IT, "uni" and "tri" before "epi" at 11D. It's a good thing my Pantel Twist Erase has such a long eraser. <BR/><BR/>I loved a lot of the words, and it's great to find out that they are original. I spent a fun time on this one, and as usual the write-up and comments greatly added to my enjoyment.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63122898816257492032008-09-06T15:08:00.000-04:002008-09-06T15:08:00.000-04:00Foodie, Woody Allen already wrote Andrea's biograp...Foodie, Woody Allen already wrote Andrea's biography. It's called "Zelig."RodeoToadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03374112725461339067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81058785561085333372008-09-06T15:03:00.000-04:002008-09-06T15:03:00.000-04:00Yeah, this was another fun, Scrabbly puzzle all th...Yeah, this was another fun, Scrabbly puzzle all the way. Unfortunately, this time around that ICER error caused my whole top-left section to unravel, as I'm a bit of an avid hockey fan, and I kept discounting that '<B>I</B>' because the best possibility with that letter, 'ICERS', didn't quite fit the clue, so I kept erasing what turned out to be correct answers in the applet. Oh well, win some, you lose some. We're all entitled to a let a few goals in every so often.Howard Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00766792795622192271noreply@blogger.com