tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3342137650412521211..comments2024-03-29T07:51:46.113-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Vaccine letters / FRI 10-16-15 / One of officemates on Office / John of old sitcoms / Frontiersman Boone informallyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15306839918862166562015-11-25T11:53:13.917-05:002015-11-25T11:53:13.917-05:00Way late (was saving the puzzles from this week fo...Way late (was saving the puzzles from this week for vacation). I finished with the same "P" as others. <br /><br />My newspaper--Sacramento Bee--published the pangram note *with the previous puzzle* which threw me off on that one for a long time on that one. There should be standards! <br /><br />I enjoyed this but I rarely complete a Friday, so take my opinion as a semi-skilled puzzler. CathyMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06478774613978516676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64807518935818413142015-11-21T00:18:55.839-05:002015-11-21T00:18:55.839-05:00Thursday all week long...ugh.Thursday all week long...ugh.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16415878801476547323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70164692756019361442015-11-20T17:11:35.765-05:002015-11-20T17:11:35.765-05:00Easy enough Friday though, as an educator (somewha...Easy enough Friday though, as an educator (somewhat EMERITus), I have issues with FAILINGSTUDENTS as any measure of a school's success! Methinks just the opposite.<br /><br />Naticked at DPT/TAVIS.<br /><br />When I started work in industry many moons back, our how-to guide was called the STANDARDSMANUAL - fits into 1D as well.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46742855469658113082015-11-20T15:26:15.296-05:002015-11-20T15:26:15.296-05:00@spacey - RE: the Dad BOD answer. The only reason ...@spacey - RE: the Dad BOD answer. The only reason I got that one was from the comic strip "Dustin" which runs in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A couple of weeks ago the strip focused on Dustin's rather portly dad reading a magazine headline about the "Dad BODy"; he thought it was cool until the other family members pointed out that it really wasn't. The things I learn from the comics . . .rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48121418479676824962015-11-20T14:19:12.415-05:002015-11-20T14:19:12.415-05:00This was on the easy Friday side.
Most longs beca...This was on the easy Friday side.<br /><br />Most longs became gettable with a few crosses, but PROCEDUREMANUAL was the last to go.<br /><br />VISCID was new to me, while viscous is familiar. Dad BOD is new, too, but not something I will add to my vocabulary. The B came with elimination of all other letters of the alphabet.<br /><br />The NEW thing to me about this puzzle is the black and white checkered edge. Otherwise, as Rex noted, it's just a pangram.<br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84475370243522785932015-11-20T13:57:16.466-05:002015-11-20T13:57:16.466-05:00The note about the pangram was there in my paper, ...The note about the pangram was there in my paper, so that was a huge help. Never heard of DadBOD, but I get the inference. Me, I have the Grandad BOD as someone mentioned. <br /><br />For a Friday puzzle, this was easier than most, but much fun to do. Almost thought the first name on PBS was Mavis, but remembered DPT in time. Never heard of a TAVIS. <br /><br />It's been a good week of 'different' puzzles, and of course some of them are riffs on well-known themes because what else could they be? At any rate, this one was the best so far. Tomorrow, I'm betting on a Steinberg.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63256718138932805632015-11-20T13:33:40.273-05:002015-11-20T13:33:40.273-05:00You know, the more I look at that 3-down clue, the...You know, the more I look at that 3-down clue, the more I'm bothered. "Not exactly the male ideal?" I'm sorry, but what better thing can a man be than a dad? It's certainly the crowning achievement of MY life. I HATE that clue, whatever the hell it means. I just had to come back and say that.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77316361441267501372015-11-20T11:59:16.422-05:002015-11-20T11:59:16.422-05:00Earlier we had SPACEY; today CRAFTY. Aw gee guys, ...Earlier we had SPACEY; today CRAFTY. Aw gee guys, ya shouldn't have.<br /><br />I have to record a DNF on this one; I have never in my life heard of the expression "Dad BOD." Given the parenthetical addendum, this phrase makes absolutely NO SENSE to me. I went with gOD, as in, he thinks he's omnipotent or something. Oh, the alphabet thing? We syndies are not privileged to receive accompanying notes, and I never noticed the uniqueness of all the single letters. Though I'd have appreciated the heads-up, I still take the blame for not seeing the border pangram.<br /><br />Maybe I could cry "no fair" and not count that one, but there was another place that stymied me. That diabolical clue for 46-down, where I had _EA_, forced me into the other half of the natick, so ASALASTRESORT I had to scan the dictionary for NI_A palms. Nobody but a dedicated botanist has a shot at knowing that. After I found the P, I worked out PEAK; CRAFTY clue indeed.<br /><br />Come to think of it, had I seen the pangram pattern (and why wouldn't I? The letters certainly didn't spell out anything, which was an early disappointment), I might have narrowed 3 and 46 down to B and K; BOD has to be better than KOD, and with _EAK I could have run down that P. All right, I claim a DNF* with the * standing for Why Don't You Print The WHOLE Puzzle, Notes And All, Mr. Publisher? Grrr. B.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12963190486126227902015-11-20T10:14:58.330-05:002015-11-20T10:14:58.330-05:00CRAFTY REVENGE
ASALASTRESORT stop RAISINGTHEBAR,...CRAFTY REVENGE<br /><br />ASALASTRESORT stop RAISINGTHEBAR,<br />The NEW PROCEDUREMANUAL stresses prudence.<br />Don’t say, “OOPSIDIDITAGAIN and gone too HIGH and far<br />when EYETEST those FAILINGSTUDENTS.”<br /><br />--- TAVIS VISCID<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68495669468234030132015-11-20T10:06:55.617-05:002015-11-20T10:06:55.617-05:00OOPS - yeah baby wild child MILEY.OOPS - yeah baby wild child MILEY.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9543513160865553132015-11-20T09:59:53.526-05:002015-11-20T09:59:53.526-05:00EZ, for a pangram (usually disliked) with all thos...EZ, for a pangram (usually disliked) with all those unchecked letters (supposedly against the rules). Huh. I’ve done some Swedish xwords and you might see a grid that appears somewhat like this one, with more black squares in the inner regions, not unusual to have unchecked letters in those. A pangram in Swedish would be a bit harder since there are three more vowels to consider.<br /><br />I guess the closest thing to a yeah baby today is Britney in the clue for OOPSIDIDITAGAIN, which I will admit was my very first entry. Who’da thunkit?<br /><br />Just hope tomorrow’s nonsense will be RAISINGTHEBAR. Maybe I’ll go see what the WSJ has today.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56718351050062431172015-11-20T09:35:59.579-05:002015-11-20T09:35:59.579-05:00The Star-Tribune left off the last word in Clue 46...The Star-Tribune left off the last word in Clue 46D and all of 49, 51 and 52. "Where people are drawn to" (missing "scale") did NOT help me come up with "peak" but I remembered nipa for a type of palm and used a process of elimination to place T, M, and W in the other blank spaces, leaving only K to fill that last edge space. I came here to see if the omission of the clues was part of the puzzle and to understand why people were drawn to peaks. I have never heard of a "Procedures" manual, and I've been subjected to many "Procedure" manuals. I have rolled over some IRAs and can't imagine why someone would have read that answer as "rollover" an IRA. Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11388625213446706697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29989162414390162492015-10-17T11:46:50.442-04:002015-10-17T11:46:50.442-04:00Haven't had time fir crossword puzzles in a lo...Haven't had time fir crossword puzzles in a long time, I managed to get PEAK because I watched Everest and then became so obsessed with what drives people to climb it that I binge read books and movies for a week or twoAketihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07059835429995060000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58829023066589886432015-10-17T08:35:50.214-04:002015-10-17T08:35:50.214-04:00@M&A,
I liked your Dad KOD piece.@M&A,<br /><br />I liked your Dad KOD piece.Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15210326129947627352015-10-17T01:20:15.611-04:002015-10-17T01:20:15.611-04:00Lo & behold, Rex is disappointed with the &quo...Lo & behold, Rex is disappointed with the "pomposity" of this week's crossword themes. <br />Thou shall all bow before the King of Crosswords...errrrr....Humility. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23572239144312745852015-10-17T01:02:01.634-04:002015-10-17T01:02:01.634-04:00DPT is a three-in-one shot. Diphtheria, pertussis ...DPT is a three-in-one shot. Diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. And much like this puzzle, a pain in the rear.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05551213750643737787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81805126431099474092015-10-16T22:27:07.649-04:002015-10-16T22:27:07.649-04:00Since @Gill I sort of asked, TECATE has been owned...Since @Gill I sort of asked, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecate_(beer)#Tecate" rel="nofollow">TECATE</a> has been owned by Heineken since 2010. Supposedly, the lime thing is a British sailor import (a scurvy prophylactic). As far as I can tell, Heineken's ownership has had only one marked change, an increase in advertising spending (Heineken also owns Dos Equis). Finally, to anyone who claims to discern a difference between TECATE, Corona, Sol, PBR, Bud, Miller, Labatt's, et cetera, I suggest a blind taste test. If that's what you're drinking, buy on price (if your bad experience with a beer was a draught, the culprit was more likely the bar, not the brew - my microbrewer friends are always concerned about the cleanliness of draught lines) Now, off to pour a Two-Hearted Ale.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18252505463207023572015-10-16T21:07:32.029-04:002015-10-16T21:07:32.029-04:00Last letter was the p in PEAK, followed by OHHHHHH...Last letter was the p in PEAK, followed by OHHHHHH NICE! TGIF is right my friend, TGI F* F. Some answers seemed a little forced, but I enjoyed it. Music manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12461992972280438819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79459573683014728612015-10-16T20:55:28.073-04:002015-10-16T20:55:28.073-04:00@Leapfinger: I know, right? While I am an avowed (...@Leapfinger: I know, right? While I am an avowed (and outspoken, at times) hater of the Pun, I like the P&A puzzles because they are basically two puzzles in one. There's the clue/answer part, but there is also deciphering which part of the clue (or any at all) is the salient part to the actual answer, which usually has little to do with the face value clue. I wouldn't make a steady diet of them, but I do binge solve those like others binge watch "LA Law" or "Thirty-Something" on Netflix.Dorothy Biggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06148036083217174024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5696594635594879242015-10-16T20:34:56.569-04:002015-10-16T20:34:56.569-04:00@Anoa Roberto...OK...I'll be the first to admi...@Anoa Roberto...OK...I'll be the first to admit I really know very little about beer. Thanks to out friend @Z, I've learned a bit more than I ever did. But I've been travelling to all parts of Mexico for the last 40 plus years - I practically lived there - and I never EVER met one single Mexican that drank TECATE. Pacifico si and at Christmas time Noche Bueno. TECATE is for Americanos....;-) GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83016750861516155102015-10-16T20:30:17.572-04:002015-10-16T20:30:17.572-04:00I'm liking all the puzzles this week. Before ...I'm liking all the puzzles this week. Before I got the online subscription, I used to just buy the newsstand NYT for Thurs-Fri-Sat and do those puzzles; now, I often do the whole week while relaxing after work. So I don't have 1/10th the exposure to crosswords that RP has. That said, I've solved what I thought were really great puzzles and been surprised to see RP have issues (sometimes major issues) with them. It's his blog, he can be disappointed or upset if he wants, but I will say: I'm not sure what it would take to get a truly ecstatic reaction from him. RP, what recent puzzles (say, within the last year) would you consider the stars?KevinDenelsbeckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15352119482423851245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82943442608104823822015-10-16T20:11:09.924-04:002015-10-16T20:11:09.924-04:00Late to post but just wanted to remark on the beau...Late to post but just wanted to remark on the beauty of the grid art. Wow! Overall, my solving experience was much like Rex's, with the pangram helping me finish, albeit with ZEN and CURATED, both of which I had trouble seeing.<br /><br />I've enjoyed this week of new (or not-so-new, depending on your POV) ideas, even if the results have been spotty. And props to Rex for posting all the negative comments from the nattering nabobs, any one of which he could have moderated out of existence.<br /><br />Okay, off to watch the Jays thump KC!Happy Pencilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15922219641923871092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3065981670507594132015-10-16T20:03:58.729-04:002015-10-16T20:03:58.729-04:00This routine is beginning to feel like a museum cr...This routine is beginning to feel like a museum creating a show out of stuff in their collection/basement. Clearly the puzzles were not created specifically for this week.<br /><br />Very easy but not bad at all. I thought of "build a nest egg" before roll over an ira appeared, and several words had to be helped by crosses (tecates, Lin and Nipa).<br /><br />Thanks, Rex!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61514028275061133652015-10-16T19:40:57.475-04:002015-10-16T19:40:57.475-04:00What @LobsterXI said.What @LobsterXI said.Unanymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30494807767515289552015-10-16T19:34:50.011-04:002015-10-16T19:34:50.011-04:00Started very slow with MENOTTI and not much else b...Started very slow with MENOTTI and not much else but got progressively easier. Must have required some caffeine. Made me sad to see RITTER as the answer to old time sitcoms. First, because I do not think of them as old time (@lms Sargeant Bilco is in fact old time -and brings back great memories), but more importantly, how young Jon Ritter died. Saddened me during what was otherwise a fun solve. <br /><br />I think the puzzles have all been both interesting and different all week, and all marvels of construction. While not as much fun as last year's meta puzzle, a well thought out and executed week. RAD2626https://www.blogger.com/profile/18196568765752439378noreply@blogger.com