tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2297536125958930536..comments2024-03-28T18:12:10.683-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: MONDAY, Apr. 14, 2008 - Christina Houlihan Kelly (CRIME BOSS KNOWN AS THE TEFLON DON)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38899540195570327772008-05-29T02:13:00.000-04:002008-05-29T02:13:00.000-04:00Oner means to me a unique event, while humdinger m...<A HREF="url" REL="nofollow">Oner means to me a unique event, while humdinger means something remarkable. I agree the clue is a bit off target.<BR/><BR/>Retired_Chemist</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7719266464367293302008-05-26T18:36:00.000-04:002008-05-26T18:36:00.000-04:00A dubious advantage of living in syndicationland.....A dubious advantage of living in syndicationland... I would never have heard of Cheri Oteri back on April 14th when this puzzle appeared originally; however, in late April, unfortunately, her father was fatally stabbed. Given the resultant media coverage, I recognized 18A. immediately!<BR/><BR/>Also, who uses the term ONER to mean humdinger? In fact, does anyone actually still use the word humdinger?Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78507245287833042442008-05-26T13:54:00.000-04:002008-05-26T13:54:00.000-04:00What about CORNELIA Otis Skinner-its been years, b...What about CORNELIA Otis Skinner-its been years, but I still remember her marvelous book about two young ladies on a trip to Europe-particularly the part where they discovered the hard way that bedbugs do exist. They had plans for some fancy do (opera/play) and had to buy and use fans as a way to hide their faces. Much better they way she tells it1Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-527133071938758672008-05-26T11:14:00.000-04:002008-05-26T11:14:00.000-04:00I think you're confused. If you are in syndication...I think you're confused. If you are in syndication land, you'll already have done "yesterday's puzzle" ... five weeks ago. If someone on SUNDAY were to refer to "yesterday's puzzle," then yes, a "spoiler alert" might be in order.<BR/><BR/>-RPRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25519996867094213382008-05-26T10:57:00.000-04:002008-05-26T10:57:00.000-04:00The daily puzzle is delayed six weeks in syndicati...The daily puzzle is delayed six weeks in syndication, but the Sunday puzzle only one week. Therefore discussion of "yesterday's puzzle" in the Monday blog might well be preceeded by SPOILER ALERT. (... or not.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6349950554010660422008-04-15T18:27:00.000-04:002008-04-15T18:27:00.000-04:00Quick John Stamos story.I lived in LA for a number...Quick John Stamos story.<BR/><BR/>I lived in LA for a number of years. I was taking care of a neighbor's dog.<BR/>So it gave me a great chance to go to the dog park and hang out. No one works in LA.<BR/>I knew the familiar faces and their dog's name.<BR/><BR/>One day, I was talking to a one of the usuals. I hadn't seen one of our group in a while<BR/><BR/>"I haven't seen that white Lab for a couple of weeks." I said.<BR/><BR/>"Oh, you mean John." he said.<BR/><BR/>"But I don't the guy's name. I just know the dog's." I said.<BR/><BR/>"Ah yeah. That's John ... John Stamos." he said, with a little head tilt.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62137091313463098042008-04-15T12:36:00.000-04:002008-04-15T12:36:00.000-04:00I too enjoy good book cover design. You should ch...I too enjoy good book cover design. You should check out this site, if you haven't already: http://covers.fwis.com/undulatingorbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14077511944551244332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10061909389388375072008-04-15T09:27:00.000-04:002008-04-15T09:27:00.000-04:00@jim in nyc: If you see this: It's in last Tuesday...@jim in nyc: If you see this: It's in last Tuesday's blog--worth going through b/c of the long discussion on speed.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46956217610350416302008-04-15T01:03:00.000-04:002008-04-15T01:03:00.000-04:00Best clue ever: "47A: ____ Francisco"! Didn't take...Best clue ever: "47A: ____ Francisco"! Didn't take me more than five minutes to figure out the answer to that one.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04847354689026938324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87283568439131631802008-04-15T00:16:00.000-04:002008-04-15T00:16:00.000-04:00Ulrich, if you're still reading this, on which dat...Ulrich, if you're still reading this, on which date did Tyler discuss speed-solving in the comments?<BR/>thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70096030367779523302008-04-14T23:45:00.000-04:002008-04-14T23:45:00.000-04:00P.S. Last week at bar trivia, one of the questions...P.S. Last week at bar trivia, one of the questions asked what fruit was in the same category as apples an pears. It's quince, our pome friend!Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62344699606146685392008-04-14T23:44:00.000-04:002008-04-14T23:44:00.000-04:00Scriberpat, remember that the clue and answer need...Scriberpat, remember that the clue and answer need part-of-speech agreement. The answer, QUINCES, is a noun. Thus, the clue must be one, too. (Preserves fruit, as in "a fruit used in preserves.") What made that a tricky one is that "fruit" can be singular or plural, so if you didn't have all of QUINCES filled in but had the S at the end, you'd be pretty sure that the clue was a verb ending in S. But you'd be wrong, which makes the "aha" moment when the noun is unmasked all the sweeter. (This remark passes no judgment on the sweetness, or lack thereof, of quinces.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21476948474552636592008-04-14T22:44:00.000-04:002008-04-14T22:44:00.000-04:00@Miriam -- first read of the clue I was perplexed...@Miriam -- first read of the clue I was perplexed. But one of my dictionaries defined quince as a fruit that preserves fruit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61428156208756146082008-04-14T22:28:00.000-04:002008-04-14T22:28:00.000-04:00@scriberpat: True, quinces are unusually high in ...@scriberpat: True, quinces are unusually high in pectin. But I still maintain that "preserves" is a noun here, and the clue means "fruit used for preserves". The clue might also have read "jelly fruit"; i. e., "fruit used for jelly". I wish the constructor would weigh in on this!miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64198841160153094042008-04-14T21:31:00.000-04:002008-04-14T21:31:00.000-04:00By the way, regarding yesterday's answer QUINCES t...By the way, regarding yesterday's answer QUINCES to 90D preserves fruits:<BR/><BR/>The clue uses "preserves" as a verb. Quinces are fruit used along with the fruit being preserved. Something about the quinces helps to preserve the other fruit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71806163256871284722008-04-14T21:13:00.000-04:002008-04-14T21:13:00.000-04:00@scriberpat,Your thank-you card was the first one ...@scriberpat,<BR/><BR/>Your thank-you card was the first one to hit the mail, earlier today. <BR/><BR/>All the best,<BR/>RP<BR/><BR/>PS CUTLERY has been in puzzles a few times in the past decade, but not since 1999 in the NYT, which seems weird for a perfectly serviceable 7-letter word with reasonably common letters.Rex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50350956409149247882008-04-14T20:18:00.000-04:002008-04-14T20:18:00.000-04:00Picnic hamper is perfectly acceptable in my part o...Picnic hamper is perfectly acceptable in my part of the world, to the east of the big pond known as the Atlantic. It's usually made of wicker, with elastic straps to hold down the china plates and (real) glasses, and separate spaces for knives and forks, which are known as CUTLERY. Now that would be a good word for a crossword. Compilers, are you listening?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19621843470389020652008-04-14T20:04:00.000-04:002008-04-14T20:04:00.000-04:00Rex I checked my bank balance today and see you ha...Rex I checked my bank balance today and see you haven't cashed the check I sent as a gift to you for providing this magnificent website. Please cash it before you receive ten thousand dollars worth of gift checks because once you receive too much you'll have to pay taxes, no? is that the way it works? Perhaps you should stipulate whether you'd prefer to receive IHOP gift cards instead of checks. If everyone sent you a $50 IHOP card, would you get tired of IHOP?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38928659203153025112008-04-14T19:45:00.000-04:002008-04-14T19:45:00.000-04:00@phillysolver - Thank you. e Pluribus or we are t...@phillysolver - Thank you. e Pluribus or we are truly in this together.dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75859776650556516042008-04-14T18:28:00.000-04:002008-04-14T18:28:00.000-04:00Easy with a fun theme. @bill in nj: I also made t...Easy with a fun theme. <BR/><BR/>@bill in nj: I also made the UPTO error and failed to correct it (read look at the downs) until much later. <BR/><BR/>@ronothan: ELHI I too only know from crosswords and I still occasionally put in ELEM.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7459996382611831722008-04-14T17:46:00.000-04:002008-04-14T17:46:00.000-04:00Relieved to get back to a Monday after being worke...Relieved to get back to a Monday after being worked over by the Friday and Saturday puzzles. I eventually finished both, but it took a while.<BR/><BR/>I wanted AGGIE for AGATE, but a quick check of the downs put me right. Originally had ELEM for the crossword favorite ELHI and SODS for SOTS. Also wanted BASKET for HAMPER, and since I use a "PEN" to fill the puzzle in "INK", it took me a few seconds to sort out the middle.<BR/><BR/>Back on Friday one of the answers was LSTs, and there was some dialog on this military abbreviation. I've summarized similar types of landing craft/amphibious vehicles in case they should appear in future grids:<BR/><BR/>AMTRAC - Amphibious Tractor<BR/>DUKW - code for 1942 amphibious all-wheel-drive 2½-ton truck<BR/>LCA - Landing Craft, Assault<BR/>LCI - Landing Craft, Infantry<BR/>LCM - Landing Craft, Mechanized<BR/>LCP - Landing Craft, Personnel<BR/>LCT - Landing Craft, Tank<BR/>LCVP - Landing Craft, Vehicle/Personnel<BR/>LSD - Landing Ship, Dock<BR/>LST - Landing Ship, Tank<BR/>LVT - Landing Vehicle, Tracked<BR/><BR/>As you can see there is some near-redundancy here; the first and last ones are all but interchangable, eg. They and the DUKW ("Duck") are amphibious vehicles - the Duck is a GMC 6x6 truck with a boat-like body. Some Coast Guard stations down on the Jersey shore had Ducks when I was a kid. At the Wisconsin Dells at least two tour operators are using refurbished Ducks for rides over the rivers and through the woods there. A number of US coastal cities, including Boston and Baltimore, have joined in on the fun. Where they are acquiring all these old Ducks, which haven't been manufactured since WW II, is beyond me. I doubt any were shipped home from the war zones, so all that are left must have been stateside.<BR/><BR/>All the rest are boats of varying sizes. The ubiquitous wooden LCVP, famous in D-Day movies, was built largely by Higgins of New Orleans. Not one survives, and the National D-Day Museum in that city had to have a replica built.Bill Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741876820211768387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80358047719039801212008-04-14T17:33:00.000-04:002008-04-14T17:33:00.000-04:00Werewolf stories...Aside from the vampire novels w...Werewolf stories...Aside from the vampire novels with weres as side characters (my favorite werewolf clan is in Blood Trail by Tanya Huff), there aren't that many good ones. I remember reading Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint a couple decades ago and enjoying it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19591755717646027382008-04-14T16:54:00.000-04:002008-04-14T16:54:00.000-04:00OK Rex, I'm in - taxes were awful, not that that's...OK Rex, I'm in - taxes were awful, not that that's unusual, but they left me a crumb. FYI, imsdave, and imsdave1 are the same (work and home computers). Still looking forward to picking up a dinner for you this summer, providing we can agree on cuisine (egregious red meat eater here, but can live on seafood)imsdave1https://www.blogger.com/profile/05801936953212432824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33854901946278134322008-04-14T16:34:00.000-04:002008-04-14T16:34:00.000-04:00@phillysolver - I'm still laughing!! that was a ri...@phillysolver - I'm still laughing!! that was a riotchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78270949564159028112008-04-14T16:32:00.000-04:002008-04-14T16:32:00.000-04:00I remember seeing, years ago, the following simpli...I remember seeing, years ago, the following simplified tax form:<BR/><BR/>A: How much did you make last year?<BR/><BR/>B: How much do you have left?<BR/><BR/>C: Send B.<BR/><BR/>Easy puzzle . . .<BR/><BR/>Had a small problem in the SE with UPTO and ACHE. I went right on by this without checking and it took a little time to straighten outBill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.com