tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3081252185191784969..comments2024-03-28T06:08:12.377-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Ballerina of children's lit / WED 12-2-15 / Little name in 1960s pop / Horn-honking brother of old comedy / Calligrapher's purchaseRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74885330210676484572016-01-06T22:30:27.111-05:002016-01-06T22:30:27.111-05:00@rondo, that makes sense now. I was wondering why ...@rondo, that makes sense now. I was wondering why you were writing an obit for HARPO Marx. Sorry to hear about your Dad, no matter how long ago it might have been.<br /><br />BTW, regarding Ray LaMontagne, are you referring to the "God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise' release? I have that one but only a couple tracks do anything for me. But he does have a kind of Johnny Lang vibe going on the more up-tempo tracks..Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7643467716600774192016-01-06T17:55:29.719-05:002016-01-06T17:55:29.719-05:00What Rex said about the theme entries, LIEABOVE, a...What Rex said about the theme entries, LIEABOVE, and the medium rating. Which about covers it.<br /><br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45459377347605694592016-01-06T17:25:52.333-05:002016-01-06T17:25:52.333-05:00@centralscrewtinizer - you must e a Zappa fan??
B...@centralscrewtinizer - you must e a Zappa fan??<br /><br />BTW HARPO was my dad's nickname. I need to proofread, I guess.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36871539270105986072016-01-06T13:26:46.179-05:002016-01-06T13:26:46.179-05:00I was in 'a rut' with 'graupel' fo...I was in 'a rut' with 'graupel' for a long time. And having gone to an Ursaline Academy as a kid in Cincinnati, Ursalina looked ok to me. Working back up off the theme, 'light year' saved me, but it took almost that long. centralscrewtinizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03404913280254786506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68088391572814522502016-01-06T11:43:54.589-05:002016-01-06T11:43:54.589-05:00Diana,LIW
To Spacecraft from yesterday - hands up ...Diana,LIW<br />To Spacecraft from yesterday - hands up for ICICLES before ICEDAMS. I too experienced the awful difference between the two some years ago. We had a snowy winter, ice dams formed on the edges of our roof, and formed, and formed, and we had to have a room replastered when the water leaked in. Now we have ice guards, sheets of metal on the edges of the roof that keep the dams from forming.<br />I agree with Rex that having four long lines devoted to the song made it too easy - like it was something other than a crossword. But I enjoyed the song memories and the rest of the solve, so agree with your B+<br />Diana, Lady in Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88309200138536042062016-01-06T11:31:26.386-05:002016-01-06T11:31:26.386-05:00SUPERNOVA would have had me in AJAM if I hadn'...SUPERNOVA would have had me in AJAM if I hadn't recalled at least two other appearances of the deli NOVA in previous NYT puzzles. Strange that OFL hasn't seen it outside of that venue. However, I do agree with him on the LIEABOVE issue. That SE corner provided what little resistance there was today, causing a shift from easy to easy-medium.<br /><br />The theme, of course, is right up my alley. The fill is FEISTY in spots, but those weird partials (AJAM, AHIGH) distract. Is the Appian Way AVIA? Is Ms. Zadora APIA? I'd better row this boat ASHORE; at least this one's legitimate.<br /><br />Loved the NESTS clue. And: "It smelled like turpentine and looked like INDIAINK! I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink! I didn't know if it was day or night; I started kissing everything in sight--but when I kissed a cop on 34th and Vine he took my little bottle of Love Potion #9." Man, they don't make songs like that any more. Music used to be fun.<br /><br />The clue for POLESTAR could have gone a whole nother way; perhaps we could ask luscious SOFIA Vergara to demonstrate...OOH! B+.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17819181516837379292016-01-06T10:32:31.712-05:002016-01-06T10:32:31.712-05:00@spacey – the themers are all in your realm.
Didn...@spacey – the themers are all in your realm. <br />Didn’t have much trouble with it, though I might have clued SUPERNOVA as a hot rod Chevy.<br /><br />Gotta like a puz that has HARPO in it. That was his nickname from grade school until the day he died. I had to put “HARPO” in his obituary because I thought that a lot of folks didn’t realize or recognize what his real first name was.<br /><br />And a wealth of yeah babies in ALLISON, ANGELINA, EVA and Ms. SELES, most all in the upper regions.<br /><br />OFL could have had a more current SUPERNOVA link withRay LaMontagne. Though Ray’s previous album with the Pariah Dogs was much superior.<br /><br />Not a bad little weds-puz. MAYI say even easy. <br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52158433527899934532016-01-06T10:09:53.907-05:002016-01-06T10:09:53.907-05:00SLO, REPEAT
IMGLAD ANGELINA is a FEISTY ACROBAT, ...SLO, REPEAT<br /><br />IMGLAD ANGELINA is a FEISTY ACROBAT, <br />OOH, she’s shaking her TAIL, OVER at the BAR.<br />Not PATIENT, her LEOTARD is off like that,<br />with no SHRED of evidence, she’s AHIGH POLESTAR.<br /><br />--- MRHYDE <br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37238708705786283302015-12-12T19:47:59.579-05:002015-12-12T19:47:59.579-05:00Was I the only one who put "Nets" for th...Was I the only one who put "Nets" for the "Knick rival" clue??MBActresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01638148452649048325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76006867157126283202015-12-05T14:37:31.567-05:002015-12-05T14:37:31.567-05:00"On a tear" for bingeing? You had best v..."On a tear" for bingeing? You had best visit Newfoundland, my son. Laurence Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16512608792667325309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68968910324749252372015-12-03T01:13:46.265-05:002015-12-03T01:13:46.265-05:00Nova Scotia Lox, super nova! Nova Scotia Lox, super nova! +wordphanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05693465770426693314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39628078084019168372015-12-02T23:49:23.592-05:002015-12-02T23:49:23.592-05:00I agree LIE ABOVE was totally convoluted. But, wha...I agree LIE ABOVE was totally convoluted. But, what about ON A TEAR for bingeing? And ARE for live and breathe? Those are pretty weak too.the flickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15341983254947323606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77901348861353757212015-12-02T18:28:11.731-05:002015-12-02T18:28:11.731-05:00the minute we saw ICERAIN , we knew you would be a...the minute we saw ICERAIN , we knew you would be all over it......and btw us dentists call it a LEAD SHIELD, though im sure with 200K of us someone must call it a radiation vest..Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07073028377341874616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7722461949980516402015-12-02T16:40:04.884-05:002015-12-02T16:40:04.884-05:00@Anonymous11:50 - If you fail your final I'm s...@Anonymous11:50 - If you fail your final I'm sure Prof Rex will let you do it another time. ...let you do it over.<br /><br />@Old Philosopher - No. That's a feature not a theme.<br /><br />@Jon88 - I was curious so I popped <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sclient=tablet-gws&site=&source=hp&q=ice+rain+definition&oq=ice+rain+def&gs_l=tablet-gws.1.0.0i22i30l2.4078.10937.0.12505.19.16.3.0.0.0.493.2721.0j14j1j0j1.16.0....0...1c.1.64.tablet-gws..1.18.2598.0.iejTV4Lurik" rel="nofollow">ICE RAIN definition</a> into two search engines. Notice the results? So yeah, ICE RAIN is a thing, a thing called "freezing rain" which at least is something different than sleet (one is crystallized as it falls, the other as it hits the ground).<br /><br />@kitshef - Many non-speed solvers have floated this conjecture. I don't think it is true. Check out Monday's review, for example.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25450151246912462142015-12-02T16:32:48.867-05:002015-12-02T16:32:48.867-05:00TEAR appears in both the clue for 68-Across (Tear ...TEAR appears in both the clue for 68-Across (Tear apart) and the answer to 29-Down (ON A TEAR). Unlike with OVER, the repetition appears in different areas of the grid, but the repetition is entirely unnecessary: REND could just have easily been clued "Pull apart."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11292806089549341991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16512121264429335362015-12-02T15:34:50.828-05:002015-12-02T15:34:50.828-05:00Whattsamattah you Rex? No nova salmon on bagels in...Whattsamattah you Rex? No nova salmon on bagels in Vestal? Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06015235271199446903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33714582151117261172015-12-02T15:28:00.138-05:002015-12-02T15:28:00.138-05:00Many thanks to @jberg, @Joseph Michael, @Mohair an...Many thanks to @jberg, @Joseph Michael, @Mohair and @Carola for your good wishes. After feeling like bloody hell yesterday, I feel considerably better today. The repercussions of the fall are 1)two sore arms, which hurt when I take off or put on clothes, open windows or reach into a cupboard and 2) a slightly swollen nose (the swelling's gone down),with a small scratch on it, which hurts only when I blow it; and what appears to be something of a black eye, though my eye never touched the ground. Had my reflexes been a tad slower, I'd be in the hospital with a smashed-in face; but had they been a tad faster, I might have kept my nose off the pavement entirely. Intellectually, I know that I should be grateful: that I dodged a bullet and am exceptionally lucky. Viscerally, I find myself feeling the way the man who was tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail felt: "If it weren't for the honor of the occasion, I could have skipped it."<br /><br />@Mohair: Great minds think alike. To paraphrase the email I sent to a friend under the headline: ICE: Its Many Uses. "When I came home just now, I took an ice tray from the freezer. Half the ice went into an ice bag for my swollen nose. The other half went into my vodka martini cocktail shaker -- actually an old bottle -- for my shaken nerves. Let's see which remedy works more quickly."<br /><br />I only heard from two people yesterday -- @ludyjynn offline and @Tita online. But as I told @Hartley 70 on the phone today (who had missed my post, too): "It's my own damn fault, you know. I buried the lead."<br /><br />Thanks again, everyone, for your kind wishes.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72762294160895612702015-12-02T15:18:56.010-05:002015-12-02T15:18:56.010-05:00@Chuck McGregor - Easy for me too. Lots of stuff ...@Chuck McGregor - Easy for me too. Lots of stuff in my wheelhouse also including ALLISON Janney who is a Kenyon grad. The SE was probably the toughest section but not tough enough to overcome an easy rating from me.<br /><br />The clue for RADIATION BELT seems odd. I've had a few Xrays and my bride has had lot of them and I don't remember ever seeing or wearing any type of BELT.<br /><br />I could say this one was heavenly, but I'll stick to liked it.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16496151326406207032015-12-02T14:53:46.808-05:002015-12-02T14:53:46.808-05:00I have never seen salmon referred to as NOVA. Not ...I have never seen salmon referred to as NOVA. Not sure when it was that I got the spacey theme but after seeing SUPER, NOVA became apparent. I've never heard of ICE RAIN either but when the clue fits, wear it. The real problem with this puzzle was, for me, the NE with all the proper nouns. I finally had to google to get MAHRE of whom I'd never heard. Finally seeing ANGELINA Ballerina rang a few vague bells for me. I've also never heard of Monica SELES but what had to be ALLISON settled that hash. This one took me a tad longer than average so I'd have to rate this as Medium. as well.<br /><br />@Nancy, I was sorry to realize, last night, that your tale of woe was an actual event. I'm glad to see that, even at this late hour, you're getting the requested SPECks of sympathy and well-wishes. If I had a well, I'd toss a silver dollar into it for you. <br /><br />Speaking of well-wishes, thank you @Casco! I never expected to become the septugenarian I am today. In Georgia, it is unusual for it to rain all day long the way it can in the SF Bay Area where I grew up. Today, that's exactly what's happening; reminding of ther rainy birthdays of my childhood. I suppose there''s some evidence that I'm not senile as none of that seems like "it was only yesterday." It all seems so very long ago with so many rivers crossed since then.Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9396868216561330132015-12-02T13:35:23.531-05:002015-12-02T13:35:23.531-05:00@theoldphilosopher -- Good question. I don't ...@theoldphilosopher -- Good question. I don't think it would be a theme, however, it would just be a quality of the puzzle. A constructor can set out to make a pangram and succeed, but that won't be the theme.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13326581814665414932015-12-02T13:34:45.349-05:002015-12-02T13:34:45.349-05:00If you are not a fellow geezer, it might be reason...If you are not a fellow geezer, it might be reasonable to wonder what INT(erest) is in a bank account. Not much of it these days, and often nothing in a basic account, without a ton of money in it.big steve 46noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25242631854359448012015-12-02T13:25:25.296-05:002015-12-02T13:25:25.296-05:00There's no such thing as ice rain. Not here, n...There's no such thing as ice rain. Not here, not in La La Land.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32401962649677483762015-12-02T13:21:06.541-05:002015-12-02T13:21:06.541-05:00I enjoyed watching this theme unfold. I fell into ...I enjoyed watching this theme unfold. I fell into A rut at 1A and had to orbit around the puzzle to get back up to fix that.. Had wOw for OOH, misspelled 11D as FieSTY (maybe thinking Fiery?) and I started 37D with INk so my Starbucks order ended with ANkE for a while. I agree with @Rex on the freezing RAIN and LIE ABOVE quibbles but otherwise, no complaints and a successful solve.<br /><br />Thanks, Alan Arbesfeld, for the space-y theme.<br /><br />@Nancy, if your tale of woe from yesterday caused actual damage to your nose, you have all my sympathy and best wishes for a speedy recovery.<br /><br />@Numinous, if I interpret @Casco's comment correctly, birthday greetings are due. Have a great one!Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27464965547602799892015-12-02T13:15:32.093-05:002015-12-02T13:15:32.093-05:00@Nancy..I too went back to yesterday and read your...@Nancy..I too went back to yesterday and read your post...Hope you are on the mendchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67953063897083740672015-12-02T13:14:49.123-05:002015-12-02T13:14:49.123-05:00Nice Wednesday - got the theme - and loved the lox...Nice Wednesday - got the theme - and loved the lox.<br />It was my understanding that NOVA refers to NOVA SCOTIA LOX - which is the more expensive variety - the plain old lox is much saltier. Arlenehttp://www.listeningclosely.comnoreply@blogger.com