tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3416904742409159169..comments2024-03-28T20:49:13.267-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: 1965 Yardbirds hit / SAT 7-19-14 / Cap'n 1904 novel / Company with the King David Club Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71435209463875257822014-08-24T14:31:44.948-04:002014-08-24T14:31:44.948-04:00A nice little fairly easy themeless. My only hold...A nice little fairly easy themeless. My only hold-up was writing in SCHISM for SCHUSS (hey, a "Run down a mountainside" could be a schism, which is a word for something is split apart). That led to "Be a juggler?" being to MILTITATE ... and everyone knows that the first juggler was some dude named Milt Juggle, right? And that made the central west section rather difficult .. Once I got that sorted out, what little I had left fell right into place.<br /><br />My only other comment is that it is horrifying that the guest blogger had never heard of "For Your Love" before - that was my first entry, and what I thought was an absolute gimme.Bananafishnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79933555775712857432014-08-23T15:54:31.676-04:002014-08-23T15:54:31.676-04:00It's pretty obvious my iPad is doing strange t...It's pretty obvious my iPad is doing strange things, the above post is somehow a pairing of part of yesterday's comments with most of today's. I won't try to straighten it out, just wanted you to know I'm not really that confused. I thi one comes out crazy, so be it!DMFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82626137215809913382014-08-23T15:50:10.174-04:002014-08-23T15:50:10.174-04:00Started, this one It's a good thing I got yest...Started, this one It's a good thing I got yesterday's puzzle, because this one left me gasping for air! My plain "vanilla" told me that "pvt" was right - HAH. Got that there was some BRIDGE, put the CARDINALS in the wrong city. Knew ARRAS from old puzzle days but that wasn't much help with the crosses. Same with a hesitant guess on ORZO, which I never eat with a spoon. Off to do the LAT! <br /><br />Going away for a couple of days to take grandson to Knott's Berry Farm. So see you later next week.<br /><br />A mere 753!"no way"! Then I got SPED, way down there at the bottom, and things gradually unfolded. The songs were entirely unknown to me, and one eventually proved my undoing. Had IMALlSEt, knew something was wrong, but couldn't work it out , so two bad squares on my record! Other "ouch" was how long it took me to get COSMOS, even with CARLSAGAN in place. Kept wanting "heaven", finally got moving again by starting the telescope thing with OCU... and gradually piecing out the remaining parts. Enjoyed the workout!<br /><br />491 DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10398312943127616412014-08-23T15:41:32.686-04:002014-08-23T15:41:32.686-04:00How could any puzzle including rock classics IMALO...How could any puzzle including rock classics IMALOSER and FORYOURLOVE not receive SOLID reviews? <br /><br />Only quibbles are with LIEUP (ugh) and the obscure EMO and AGT clues.<br /><br />Shall now BEGONE to GASUP my CAR as prices are being marked up as we speak.<br /><br />5152 - yes, I know, IMALOSER...Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31519116222070856522014-08-23T13:25:19.867-04:002014-08-23T13:25:19.867-04:00@ spacecraft - only way I knew ENDERS game is that...@ spacecraft - only way I knew ENDERS game is that Harrison Ford starred in the movie not to long ago. eastsacgirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16055501183342008492014-08-23T13:05:27.710-04:002014-08-23T13:05:27.710-04:00Can't believe I finished a Saturday with no he...Can't believe I finished a Saturday with no help! Very entertaining. At first glance didn't think I had a chance but as usual just slogged through and eventually it breaks. eastsacgirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70676054693403629502014-08-23T12:14:42.068-04:002014-08-23T12:14:42.068-04:00Dam good puzzle. Wonderful write-up and comments. ...Dam good puzzle. Wonderful write-up and comments. Enuf said.<br /><br />Ron Diego 9:15 8/23Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17659372568470057482014-08-23T11:34:49.999-04:002014-08-23T11:34:49.999-04:00ITS me...but who AMI? Quite an unusual clue for th...ITS me...but who AMI? Quite an unusual clue for the latter, as it assumes amnesia. No matter; in it goes, AMID the other FOTOS (?). Taking some license there, eh, Barry?<br /><br />Cluing made this less Silk-y than it should have been--and I took longer than I should have, because, duh!, I kept trying to fit the 8-letter UNIVERSE and the 7-letter GALAXY into the six-letter COSMOS. Then the double-duh! CARLSAGAN (of course! my namesake and hero!) hit, how obtuse could I be, which led immediately to 1a. From then on it was cleanup.<br /><br />Is ENDERS Game a thing? Never heard of it. I remember FORYOURLOVE, a very rare pop song in that it changes beat. That's a "brave" leap for those young WARRIORs to make.<br /><br />With the centrally placed gimmes AMADEUS and WILDCARDTEAM, I really should've gotten this done sooner. Oh well, I'll just GOTO [my] ROOM and LIEUP (???).<br /><br />1005: IMALOSER (and I'm not what I appear to be).spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20102334897492330992014-08-23T08:25:17.946-04:002014-08-23T08:25:17.946-04:00@SiS - did you know that shipping alcohol without ...@SiS - did you know that shipping alcohol without a license is illegal? Hopefully your shoes don't arrive with federal marshals. Tiger fans are in a bit of a panic these days. Giving up three touchdowns to the twinkies will do that. At least we blocked an extra point. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20108817388179745842014-08-03T10:45:39.462-04:002014-08-03T10:45:39.462-04:00Nice one.
Crossword Synchronicity? - One reason I...Nice one.<br /><br />Crossword Synchronicity? - One reason I did this puzzle today (8/3/14) is that on 7/29/14 I was nearing the end of my vacation in Piombino, Italy, looking across the water at the Island of 10 A, ELBA!Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89599710775035250902014-07-20T22:45:28.790-04:002014-07-20T22:45:28.790-04:00Easy Saturday. 16 minutes and only delay was Mult...Easy Saturday. 16 minutes and only delay was Multitask. Enjoyed it . Loved Attitude. Good review. Thanks BCS.Charles Flasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16588962898277593533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74430854030311647762014-07-19T21:56:33.032-04:002014-07-19T21:56:33.032-04:00I'm old enough to remember when an ATTITUDE co...I'm old enough to remember when an ATTITUDE could be good or bad. Nowadays it always means bad. (And don't even get me started on "transit.")<br /><br />On a completely different subject, now I want a camera that will produce a "photo sphere."Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02004390938711706983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14120542958639360782014-07-19T21:53:15.844-04:002014-07-19T21:53:15.844-04:00@stevej and @aliasz -- I'm coming in late, jus...@stevej and @aliasz -- I'm coming in late, just saw your excellent answers, and thank you for sharing! Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89911908963559403012014-07-19T21:44:27.110-04:002014-07-19T21:44:27.110-04:00Nice job, @Arlene.
BTW - was reading the comments...Nice job, @Arlene.<br /><br />BTW - was reading the comments on my iPhone earlier, which made everyone's comments look much longer.<br /><br />Love the photosphere ad captcha. The captcha robot must be getting bored.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41786357450785750132014-07-19T19:07:44.872-04:002014-07-19T19:07:44.872-04:00@wreck - of course the clue is correct. I just poi...@wreck - of course the clue is correct. I just point out that there is a precedent for the spelling, since he asked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34224847341269048872014-07-19T19:06:58.803-04:002014-07-19T19:06:58.803-04:00
ATE - age, ace, ape, etc.
BED - bid, bud, beg, be...<br />ATE - age, ace, ape, etc.<br />BED - bid, bud, beg, bet, etc.<br />BUD - see above<br />MAP - mop, maw, mar, lap, tap, zap, etc.<br />CRAM - clam, crab, etc.<br />GORE - gone, tore, wore, etc.<br />RAMP - camp, damp, rasp, etc.<br />SPED - shed, seed, sled, spew, etc.<br />OSMOSE - cosmos, ozma (just kidding)<br />AliasZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477396362209386037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20956111780340529792014-07-19T18:53:24.625-04:002014-07-19T18:53:24.625-04:00Congratulations, @Arlene - way to go!Congratulations, @Arlene - way to go!Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75242483323082736382014-07-19T18:51:00.187-04:002014-07-19T18:51:00.187-04:00I think this is the first Saturday I've ever f...I think this is the first Saturday I've ever finished without Googling. Now that's a confidence booster!<br />YAY!Arlenehttp://www.listeningclosely.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69359354524707828822014-07-19T18:27:20.259-04:002014-07-19T18:27:20.259-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. 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 5:37, 6:02, 0.93, 18%, Easy<br />Tue 7:46, 8:14, 0.94, 32%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 8:13, 9:40, 0.85, 16%, Easy<br />Thu 17:37, 17:28, 1.01, 56%, Medium<br />Fri 19:31, 20:33, 0.95, 41%, Medium<br />Sat 21:14, 25:17, 0.84, 17%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:47, 3:55, 0.97, 28%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 5:04, 5:21, 0.95, 28%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 5:19, 6:08, 0.87, 15%, Easy<br />Thu 11:25, 10:31, 1.09, 64%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 13:48, 13:48, 1.00, 50%, Medium<br />Sat 14:41, 16:43, 0.88, 29%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53810901919975843832014-07-19T18:14:04.771-04:002014-07-19T18:14:04.771-04:00Actually, FOTO is just a nickname for photo and t...Actually, FOTO is just a nickname for photo and the clue was "snaps" - also a nick name for photos - so it is ok as clued.wreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08797908615185213756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65144334218300535672014-07-19T17:56:32.004-04:002014-07-19T17:56:32.004-04:00@RooMonster - I think foto comes from Fotomats, wh...@RooMonster - I think foto comes from Fotomats, which were drive-up kiosks for film processing years ago. Perhaps before your time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2306281090585803402014-07-19T17:41:38.997-04:002014-07-19T17:41:38.997-04:00@susierah, I think my solving experience will impr...@susierah, I think my solving experience will improve when I start making bolder leaps to the right answers and stop making crazy leaps to dead ends. And when I learn the difference between bold and crazy. ;) <br /><br />Today, CARLSAGAN was a bold leap while MIRROR as a telescope part was crazy. SLALOM as a way to run downhill? Crazy. WILDCARDTEAMS? Bold. <br /><br />Kinda hard to tell crazy from bold, huh? But I'm just a first grader with a lot to learn. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39750713520336478512014-07-19T17:39:29.059-04:002014-07-19T17:39:29.059-04:00@Lewis: Posting before looking at other answers (e...@Lewis: Posting before looking at other answers (even though I'm late enough in the day that they're up):<br /><br />HURL to curl<br />WROTE to write<br />LOOP to hoop<br />CRAM to clam<br />LOVE to live<br />GONE to hone<br />DINE to line<br />TASK to tase<br />ROOM to roam<br />BUD to bid<br />TEAM to ream<br />RAMP to romp<br />BED to bud<br /><br />Thirteen, if I count correctly.<br /><br />As to the original puzzle. Smooth as, well, you know. I also had galaxy instead of COSMOS at first, which slowed me down a bit, but aside from that it was fun seeing this steadily come together. Lively cluing, good long and medium fill, precious little to take issue with. Excellent themeless. <br />Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43915466026139298432014-07-19T17:21:27.937-04:002014-07-19T17:21:27.937-04:00ummm - meaNER, not mesNER.ummm - meaNER, not mesNER.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10961124219640341462014-07-19T17:19:00.547-04:002014-07-19T17:19:00.547-04:00Medium here. No ugliER - I had mesNER, eventually ...Medium here. No ugliER - I had mesNER, eventually corrected by guessing FOR YOUR LOVE (didn't know it) and finding the V made sense for 43D. Before ODESSAN, rusSiAN. <br /><br />Favorite writeover 4D: Be a juggler? Off the K, cook a booK. Soon fixed.<br /><br />As usual for a Barry Silk puzzle, I stared for a few minutes at a HEAP of white space, then got a couple of answers, then a few more, and then things started to click. Once finished I could see how truly nicely constructed this puzzle was. Interesting answers, challenging clues, stuff I didn't know but enjoyed learning.<br /><br />Italian <i>vs.</i> Latin tip:<br /><br />First declension singular -A (It), -A (LAT); plural, -E (It), -AE (Lat). Second declension singular -O (It), -US (Lat); plural, -I (It), -I (Lat). So, LIRA, LIRE; RAVIOLO, RAVIOLI. That's the thing about RAVIOLI - you can't eat just one. <br /><br />Thanks, Mr. Silk.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.com