tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3450498684038518384..comments2024-03-29T06:56:04.818-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Young migratory fish / WED 9-14-11 / 2004 movie featuring clash of sci-fi species / Discovery Channel survival show / Chewbacca kinRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5749625530482897342011-10-21T18:44:06.888-04:002011-10-21T18:44:06.888-04:00@gig, 3:27 -
Humans have 206 bones (I'll take...@gig, 3:27 -<br /><br />Humans have 206 bones (I'll take that on faith, not looking it up.)<br /><br />And The answer to Standing O is HAND. Please note clues/answers for 51 A vs. 53 A.Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78280936585912211492011-10-21T15:27:59.792-04:002011-10-21T15:27:59.792-04:00Someone please explain Our 206 as BONES, and Stand...Someone please explain Our 206 as BONES, and Standing O as STS.<br /><br />Totally mysterious to me.<br /><br />gigAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72840144084155290492011-10-20T01:23:15.558-04:002011-10-20T01:23:15.558-04:00Like a proud father, Rex, you must truly enjoy tho...Like a proud father, Rex, you must truly enjoy those days when the commenters flex their literary and language muscles. Today was such a day. Nice blog. Nice comments. Nice puzzle. Maybe the wrong order, but anyway, very entertaining all round.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32075300684236702322011-10-19T16:45:15.918-04:002011-10-19T16:45:15.918-04:00Another thanks to Jeff for his explanations. I par...Another thanks to Jeff for his explanations. I particularly liked the idea of "...STRATEGO (a game with two spies, yes?) where STRATEGY is...", though I wouldn't have got it. I found this very hard, as I've been finding Wednesdays lately (almost DNF, definitely longer solving time than Thursdays). I got them all right in the end, but I didn't know man vs wild, alien vs predator, spy vs spy (! - am I the only one here?), and I resisted venn, thinking Venn diagrams were used more for sociology than logic.wcutlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08615799228069705972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41629148839394908212011-10-19T16:45:09.091-04:002011-10-19T16:45:09.091-04:00@treedweller wrote. "
i realize only a few sy...@treedweller wrote. "<br />i realize only a few syndicated solvers will see this, but I have to say..." given that Rex has said that syndi-solvers constitute over half of his audience, I wonder how many read the comments VS the few who actually write comments?<br /><br />There were a few moments when I thought this might be a DNF but discovering the theme helped fill in the blanks (literally). I was saddened to see STEVE Jobs appear so soon after his passing; sometimes a lot can happen in the 5 weeks it takes the puzzle to show up here. <br /><br />But enough about the present - here are some highlights from RPDTNYTCWP on this date 5 years ago:<br /><br />Solving time: 20:39 (Thursday puzzle)<br />- "I'm trying to find something nice to say about this puzzle ... it's got MARMOSETS in it, which is a fun and unusual word."<br />- "Three is "many" in certain situations. How many tumors in your lungs? How many nipples do you have? How many leeches on your forehead? Three? Damn, THAT'S A LOT OF TUMORS / NIPPLES / LEECHES!" (Clue: Not many; ans: THREE)<br />- "What would even be described as "holdable"? - "You know what I love about McDonald's hamburgers? They're really holdable. I'm holding the hell out of this one right now. Aw yeah.""<br />- " "Sail away, sail away, sail away!" No, seriously, sail away, Enya, because you're bothering me. She's really gunning for a Pantheon position, ins't she? Back in the puzzle for the second time in just a few weeks. And now we know that, despite the fact that I won't be able to listen to it, I will have to include an Enya track on the future soundtrack to "Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle."" I'm having second thoughts about buying this soundtrack.<br />- All of which inspired @Orange to comment, "Wow, you are cranky!..."<br />- There were three (a few) other comments, including this from @Fragola: "Hey this is neat...the only other place I have seen the no-toed sloth mentioned is in an article over at www.wikihowl.com about How to Break Up with Your Pet Rock." And so the weirdness in the comments begins.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17259524769914116682011-10-19T11:36:21.785-04:002011-10-19T11:36:21.785-04:00This involves some "outside the box" thi...This involves some "outside the box" thinking, but if you read your two SPY answers from just to the <i>left</i> of the S, you get (white) SPY and (black) spy. So perhaps not a repeated word after all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22854995019310547892011-10-19T11:22:14.405-04:002011-10-19T11:22:14.405-04:00Like many others, guessed V in the center square. ...Like many others, guessed V in the center square. Didn't even bother to run the alphabet. <br /><br />Loved the <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-13/tech/tech_mobile_woz-iphone-4s_1_iphone-apple-store-apple-co-founder?_s=PM:TECH" rel="nofollow">Jobs/Wozniak</a> clue.<br /><br />I've always loved the homophonous title of that Pearl Jam album (Versus vs. Verses).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14216318209454560292011-09-15T13:02:35.249-04:002011-09-15T13:02:35.249-04:00i realize only a few syndicated solvers will see t...i realize only a few syndicated solvers will see this, but I have to say: ACME may be a strong proponent for gender equity in the puzzle, but I never saw her as anti-man.<br /><br /> And, I am a man who watched the Gilmore girls weekly. And parents get to spell their kids' names however they want. I'd definitely do better at finding that alt spelling than I am at getting roughly 75% of sports clues.treedwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12634227778469664442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58548097773046161532011-09-15T12:59:42.998-04:002011-09-15T12:59:42.998-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.treedwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16342530371183121220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55404060673379415412011-09-15T00:19:52.955-04:002011-09-15T00:19:52.955-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 post 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 6:43, 6:51, 0.98, 47%, Medium<br />Tue 8:15, 8:54, 0.93, 32%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 9:44, 11:50, 0.82, 13%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:41, 3:40, 1.01, 53%, Medium<br />Tue 4:21, 4:35, 1.00, 56%, Medium<br />Wed 4:36, 5:50, 0.79, 6%, Easy (7th fastest median solve time of 115 Wednesdays)sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79861099066938028392011-09-14T21:00:42.283-04:002011-09-14T21:00:42.283-04:00The puzzle was fun. When I started with 1A I assum...The puzzle was fun. When I started with 1A I assumed that 71A would also be SPY but for some reason I didn't see the right clue for 71A. Well, the reason was that I was trying the app today instead of the usual paper. No, I won't reveal my time.<br /><br />I knew NEVIS after a letter or two but for some reason wanted to start with RENT or BUY. Despite SPY vs SPY I hadn't gotten the theme yet.<br /><br />Thanks for the visit from Jeff as well as the Will Shortz article, great insight about how these things get put together.skua76https://www.blogger.com/profile/15450051465313263422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49891913219458411112011-09-14T20:17:42.604-04:002011-09-14T20:17:42.604-04:00Played easy for me except for that central "V...Played easy for me except for that central "V." I know I've seen both NEVIS and ELVER, but couldn't pull either from the pre-coffee fog.<br /><br />Great comments today.<br /><br />Loved the lessons on Hamilton and Aragones. Always loved Spy vs. Spy and the Marginal Art. <br /><br />Looked on Ebay - lots of Classic Comics for sale there, including a set going for over $42.<br /><br />Usain is now famous enough to get mentioned in these comments even when he isn't in the puzzle - excellent. <br /><br />captcha - mednes - crossword puzzlers state of mind when he cannot come up with the central V.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2329625075870154172011-09-14T20:17:41.922-04:002011-09-14T20:17:41.922-04:00@Tobias. Havn't wised up by now; doubt I eve...@Tobias. Havn't wised up by now; doubt I ever will. Laughed out loud, no kidding. Thanks @TwoPonies and Mac for the kind information. I am becoming addicted to this blog.Sparkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11149915526159432838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51578383692674051982011-09-14T20:05:23.148-04:002011-09-14T20:05:23.148-04:00Great puzzle. Lots of original fill. I knew spy vs...Great puzzle. Lots of original fill. I knew spy vs spy right off but since it is a bit rule-breaking, I had to check on it before filling it in.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63694442733337836052011-09-14T18:47:39.768-04:002011-09-14T18:47:39.768-04:00Wonderful Wednesday puzzle! Had just a little wind...Wonderful Wednesday puzzle! Had just a little window of time to do it before the Dutch coffee/lunch crowd arrived and it sufficed. Great write-up, nice that the constructor visited, and the posts are also amazing.<br /><br />Nevis and elver were crosswordese to me, no prob. A lot of the clues/answers were totally unknow, i.e. the pop-culture sort of things, but I got the whole thing through very fair crosses. In hindsight, I love Spy vs. Spy! Or should I say Spy v. Spy??<br /><br />Only word I didn't like much was incog. <br /><br />@Tobias: mean!! @Sparky: that's your trash can. You can erase your own comment, even after you publish. Comes in very handy sometimes.<br /><br />@Bob Kerfuffle and @dk: you guys are funny. <br /><br />@Jesser: loved it.<br /><br />WOD: generalship/strategy.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37096400754072689552011-09-14T16:01:31.116-04:002011-09-14T16:01:31.116-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Wed 9:39, 11:50, 0.82, 10%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Wed 4:38, 5:51, 0.79, 6%, Easy<br /><br />I'm surprised that this one's slotting well into the Easy range. Like Rex, my own solve time places it firmly in my Medium Wednesday range. At the outset, I thought I had a shot at a personal Wednesday best when I got SPY and SPY immediately and soon thereafter filled in all of the theme answers. But I stumbled on (1) RENTVSown for <b>45A: Home-seeker's decision</b>, (2) the ELVER/NEVIS crossing and STRATEGY as the answer for <b>41D: Generalship</b> and (3) the spelling of WOOKIEES, its crossing with DREVIL and ELvIN rather than ELFIN in that same section.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9733362486340516852011-09-14T15:38:53.943-04:002011-09-14T15:38:53.943-04:00@william e emba ... along the lines you were think...@william e emba ... along the lines you were thinking about ROYAL and SKY, I would have liked DRAB near ARMY clued something like "Military green?"johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85444619778814793122011-09-14T15:24:21.031-04:002011-09-14T15:24:21.031-04:00Antonio Prohías, the creator of "SPY vs SPY&q...Antonio Prohías, the creator of "SPY vs SPY", had been a Cuban political cartoonist. His mockery of Batista made him a hero to the revolution. His later mockery of Castro led to his losing his jobs and his leaving for America. Sergio Aragonés arrived in the US two years later, and while shopping his cartoon portfolio around, was told to go to <i>Mad</i>. He did, and expected to rely on Prohías to be his translator. It turned out Prohías knew less English than Aragonés.<br /><br />I would have preferred if ROYAL, crossing SKY, had also been clued "Shade of blue".<br /><br />DINAH Washington was also in the Sunday puzzle.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6180119584277219152011-09-14T14:31:44.132-04:002011-09-14T14:31:44.132-04:00Thanks to our constructor, Mr. Chen, for stopping ...Thanks to our constructor, Mr. Chen, for stopping by and sharing a glimpse behind the grid.<br /><br />Great blog comments today. @Octavian, @TheNewGirl, @ACMe. @Jesser, you brought a tear to my eye, then I had to laugh.CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68577441437952570402011-09-14T13:54:12.399-04:002011-09-14T13:54:12.399-04:00So nobody has a problem that "evil" is b...So nobody has a problem that "evil" is both in a clue "Evil empire" and an answer (DR EVIL)? A minor nitpick at best.<br />I had trouble with the ELVER/NEVIS cross. It was definitely a Natick for me but then I thought about the puzzle theme and realized it had to be a V.Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64237671062649363802011-09-14T13:41:51.029-04:002011-09-14T13:41:51.029-04:00This was originally supposed to be a Monday puzzle...This was originally supposed to be a Monday puzzle according to Mr. Chen, and the top half felt like it. I just slammed that thing down.<br /><br />The rest of the puzzle felt like a Wednesday.<br /><br />@jesser -- loved your account!Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5991743721589973492011-09-14T13:35:23.709-04:002011-09-14T13:35:23.709-04:00Lovely puzzle. I was a fan of Marginal Art as a de...Lovely puzzle. I was a fan of Marginal Art as a devout reader of Mad, as well as the back cover fold-in.Campesitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01852123189179333049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56689721333660415082011-09-14T13:20:49.693-04:002011-09-14T13:20:49.693-04:00i was never a spy vs. spy fan, but thought this wa...i was never a spy vs. spy fan, but thought this was an awfully cool gimmick, and very nice puzzle.<br /><br />@new girl - thanks for sharing that link. timely article given the recent discussions/uproar over the "heavy editing hand" of W. Shortz. v. interesting to hear his perspective. <br />@evank - antipodal. niiiice word choice.<br />@evil - you got a shoutout! i'm still waiting. sigh. <br />@self - charming anecdotes alot more interesting to read than tiresome rants. try not to forget!<br />@braves - go!hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64567673719938093992011-09-14T13:16:30.722-04:002011-09-14T13:16:30.722-04:00@The New Girl: Thank you for posting that article ...@The New Girl: Thank you for posting that article on how Will Shortz edits a puzzle.<br />I'm not a constructor by any stretch of the imagination but I have enormous respect for those that do.<br />After reading this article I asked myself if I could fairly rate a puzzle I disliked. How much of the "dislike" would be the author's clue or, would it be the editor's?<br />A case in point is the example ACME cited regarding the "SOMBRERO" clue. I hated the way it was clued and I actually wondered why Ms. Gorski did so in that fashion. I'm happy to find out it wasn't her's.<br />I can't imagine (ever) spending a ton of creative time to construct a puzzle that might be enjoyed by millions, only to find it's pretty much not my own.<br />I'm talking from the other side and could be very wrong in my assesment but I will say that I am sure glad when the author's do pipe in.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31186686750408520152011-09-14T12:36:09.542-04:002011-09-14T12:36:09.542-04:00Neat puzzle, and good reason to duplicate 1A/71A:S...Neat puzzle, and good reason to duplicate 1A/71A:SPY. Might have liked it better with the original STRATEGO version.<br /><br />Yes, 55A:WOOKIEES is correct. You could <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Wookiee" rel="nofollow">wook it up</a>.<br /><br />33D:<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gamut" rel="nofollow">GAMUT</a> has an interesting etymology: from "Γ ut", the lowest G of the musical scale some 500 years ago, from the same source as the much-maligned E_LA.<br /><br />NDE (captcha = trisms = 3-sided prisms? Wait, prisms already have three sides, at least the standard optical prisms... Pun on "truisms" left as exercise)Noam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.com