tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2211319706608633035..comments2024-03-29T03:22:09.826-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Textile city of north-central England / MON 4-26-10 / Widespread language East Africa / Early Fords that put America on wheels / Bygone love interestRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70817237392132393502010-05-31T14:00:13.053-04:002010-05-31T14:00:13.053-04:00pandas are not bears!pandas are not bears!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29112702737857650292010-04-27T03:47:50.923-04:002010-04-27T03:47:50.923-04:00@Sfingi
(Leaping to the defense of okra) Try it pi...@Sfingi<br />(Leaping to the defense of okra) Try it pickled! No 'sliminess' at all, plus delicious. (Actually, I love it in all forms and grow a few plants of a 'burgundy' variety. Yankee husband won't touch it, so it's all just for me. It turns green when I cook it--a light saute in butter. Goes well with bluegill. :0) )Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195458656221202202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39033292449249441402010-04-27T00:37:54.257-04:002010-04-27T00:37:54.257-04:00@sparky-
Nice to welcome another woman to the cre...@sparky-<br /><br />Nice to welcome another woman to the crew. I really like the fact that this blog is ecumenical in scope.<br /><br />A very lovely puzzle from the Queen of Monday although nice to see acme checking in. I'm not Jewish but I know from SHUL.edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13847640067099443852010-04-26T22:56:24.243-04:002010-04-26T22:56:24.243-04:00@Sparky
Welcome to the party, gal!
I toast you wi...@Sparky<br />Welcome to the party, gal!<br /><br />I toast you with my avatar.<br />Pinch, snifter, neat.<br /><br />Cheers!Tinbenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14661395078047234853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72736966621127593862010-04-26T22:26:36.973-04:002010-04-26T22:26:36.973-04:00as she was packing, i suggested,"holly go lig...as she was packing, i suggested,"holly go light!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58013341692558048052010-04-26T22:23:16.667-04:002010-04-26T22:23:16.667-04:00We the people of Rexville could write to Freakonom...We the people of Rexville could write to Freakonomics the blog and ask them (Fred Shapiro) to research the origin of the government work expression. They love to do that, and keep an ongoing column on the subject of expressions and their origins. <br />(although I agree that what Sanfranman describes sounds plausible). <br /><br />@archaeoprof, I think you're channeling @chefbea. Except she used to ask newcomers if they loved beets.<br /><br />@Sparky, do you eat beets while you listen to country music, as you're solving the puzzle?foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90540112516139052042010-04-26T22:15:38.272-04:002010-04-26T22:15:38.272-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> 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 6:00, 6:55, 0.87, 20%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:19, 3:40, 0.91, 26%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />In spite of the Easy-Medium rating in the Top 100 group, this puzzle has the 5th fastest median solve time of the 45 Monday puzzles in my spreadsheet and the 3rd fastest for the All Solvers group. After I have a year's worth of data, I plan to start reporting percentiles that are specific to each day of the week rather than using the ratios of all puzzles as the basis for the percentiles. For example, while the Top 100 ratio for today's puzzle places it in the 26th percentile of all 261 puzzles in my spreadsheet, it's in the 11th percentile of the 45 Monday puzzles (5th out of 45 = 11th percentile). This method will better control for the floor effect for the fastest solvers in early week puzzles (i.e. a human can only read puzzle clues and key in answers so fast).sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19311922547196235142010-04-26T21:30:18.881-04:002010-04-26T21:30:18.881-04:00@Elaine, et. al., "close 'nuf for gubmint...@Elaine, et. al., "close 'nuf for gubmint work" is just too cynical in my estimation. But what do I know, I am just a YOKEL.<br />Nice sneering!fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30945968630026421102010-04-26T20:58:16.329-04:002010-04-26T20:58:16.329-04:00@Chefbea - I've only had sorrel as a garnish o...@Chefbea - I've only had sorrel as a garnish or straight out of the garden when I'm pulling weeds. It's too bad it turns slimy. That's why I hate okra - only ok for crosswords. I do swear by milkweed buds, boiled in water with the water changed 1-3 times. It has its own signature veggie taste.<br /><br />@Sanfranman - sounds about right.Sfinginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19221734502476977802010-04-26T20:53:31.068-04:002010-04-26T20:53:31.068-04:00@Sparky: welcome! Do you like country music?@Sparky: welcome! Do you like country music?archaeoprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956231727789223463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35221765682464143722010-04-26T20:53:26.360-04:002010-04-26T20:53:26.360-04:00Maybe the phrase should be "close enough for ...Maybe the phrase should be "close enough for Wikipedia."Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77882062758540646532010-04-26T20:23:37.800-04:002010-04-26T20:23:37.800-04:00FWIW, according to Wiktionary, the phrase "cl...FWIW, according to Wiktionary, the phrase "close enough for government work" "Originated in World War II. When something was "good enough for Government work" it meant it could pass the most rigorous of standards. Over the years it took on an ironic meaning that is now the primary sense, referring to poorly executed work." Unfortunately, as with all too much information on Wikipedia, whoever entered this information didn't include a source.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87755185711350039522010-04-26T20:19:46.011-04:002010-04-26T20:19:46.011-04:00@Zeke and @Foodie: thank you. I really had no idea...@Zeke and @Foodie: thank you. I really had no idea.<br /><br />Welcome, Sparky, to a great site!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83297475406099964772010-04-26T20:16:26.946-04:002010-04-26T20:16:26.946-04:00@puzzlegirl
Oh, for sure 'Close enough for gu...@puzzlegirl<br /><br />Oh, for sure 'Close enough for gubmint work' came before any modern rock n roller or jazz musician used the phrase. I think it originated in Ancient Rome, possibly.Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195458656221202202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35323069441844006602010-04-26T19:49:09.200-04:002010-04-26T19:49:09.200-04:00Queen Elizabeth was also served agouti (locally kn...Queen Elizabeth was also served agouti (locally known as "gibnut") when she visited Belize. It caused something of a furor in Britain.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3489667038361651012010-04-26T19:47:55.685-04:002010-04-26T19:47:55.685-04:00Fastest Monday so far this year. But I felt like i...Fastest Monday so far this year. But I felt like it had enough interesting entries to keep it, um ... interesting. Sorry, it's been a long day. <br /><br />THANK YOU belatedly for the birthday wishes over the weekend. I wasn't online much over the weekend, but I did read the comments and, of course, solved the unbelievable puzzle Andrea, Doug and Elizabeth made for me. I'm verklempt!<br /><br />I'm pretty sure the original phrase was actually musically oriented: "Close enough for jazz." Then it turned into "Close enough for rock and roll" (as in the John Mellencamp song). Not sure when "Close enough for government work" came along but I'd bet it was later. Of course, I could be totally wrong.<br /><br />Welcome, Sparky!PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06835502266781516627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56547748229562545752010-04-26T19:45:12.793-04:002010-04-26T19:45:12.793-04:00Agouti seem adorable enough...I regret to say that...Agouti seem adorable enough...I regret to say that I've eaten agouti more than once, in both Peru and Belize where my hosts served them to me and it would have been rude to refuse. The taste was unmemorable....michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47086098381840320462010-04-26T19:43:46.227-04:002010-04-26T19:43:46.227-04:00@tptsteve - That was pretty damn funny, but....
@...@tptsteve - That was pretty damn funny, but....<br /><br />@ACME -Your "I didn't know from shul" entry easily wins funniest comment of the day. <br /><br />@Sparky - welcome! This blog is the source of much knowledge, laughs, and motivation (after hearing how people finish a Saturday in less than an hour....). You are now officially hooked!CoolPapaDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11542059534657415505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29230207151078497202010-04-26T19:23:28.732-04:002010-04-26T19:23:28.732-04:00@lit.doc. PaperMate EraserMate works just fine on...@lit.doc. PaperMate EraserMate works just fine on newsprint. @max.Not a dental tech. A bureaucrat most or worklife. My father nicknamed me after Sparkplug, Barney Google's horse. I'm an old gal who will remember WW II trivia. I'm so touched people responded that I'm tearing up. Thank you.Sparkynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70734635783104718212010-04-26T17:29:52.338-04:002010-04-26T17:29:52.338-04:00@tptsteve, you gave me the best chuckle of the day...@tptsteve, you gave me the best chuckle of the day.Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7750203030140356752010-04-26T16:49:29.955-04:002010-04-26T16:49:29.955-04:00@sfingi I sauted the sorrel in a little olive oil ...@sfingi I sauted the sorrel in a little olive oil along with some onion and garlic. Ten added some chix broth and it turned into horrible slime.chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49290173304363903232010-04-26T16:47:02.835-04:002010-04-26T16:47:02.835-04:00@mac, re "close enough for government work&qu...@mac, re "close enough for government work" implies that the standards are lower... (I think). <br /><br />We try not to think that way, given that we get government (NIH) money for our research. But just this morning, I was struggling with formatting a grant report and was being perfectionistic, and then told myself to stop it, it was surely cefgw...foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5828466493000571722010-04-26T16:42:32.811-04:002010-04-26T16:42:32.811-04:00Back in 2001 when people were still getting used t...Back in 2001 when people were still getting used to this hip thing called the internet, I got a Hotmail account. I needed two words to form an e-mail address. I got one of those vocabulary books they give you in elementary school and went to the index and picked two random words. One was YOKEL. It's been a favourite word of mine ever since.<br /><br />Also, easiest Monday I've done in a while. I consider it easy if I get sub-10 minutes but today was sub-7 minutes. Things just clicked.Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737623629003356329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9104452362026716922010-04-26T16:41:36.379-04:002010-04-26T16:41:36.379-04:00@bluebell- How ironic that you got shul from the c...@bluebell- How ironic that you got shul from the crossesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40528101907149240532010-04-26T16:37:02.123-04:002010-04-26T16:37:02.123-04:00Easy. USA Today was harder.
Chefbea - How did yo...Easy. USA Today was harder.<br /><br />Chefbea - How did you prepare the sorrel?<br /><br />Shul is from German Yiddish, Hochdeutsh, even. <br /><br />Leeds has a pretty good University, I hear. <br /><br />I always thought the words to My Old Flame were stupid:<br />My old flame, <br />I don't even remember his name.<br /><br /><a href="http://kidcrave.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/kids-helmets-nutcase.jpg" rel="nofollow">Nutcase Helmets</a>Sfinginoreply@blogger.com