tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3594649749483370962..comments2024-03-28T14:57:33.856-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Fatty tuna part at sushi restaurant / THU 9-1-16 / Tuscan city famous for horse races / Old channel with country music videos / Having variable identity as suggested by four squares in this puzzleRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24080155809010109292016-10-07T03:45:03.889-04:002016-10-07T03:45:03.889-04:00IF you're still counting, I got MFFF, got the ...IF you're still counting, I got MFFF, got the reveal, didn't understand at all how it applied till I came here. I also missed 11 squares in the NE, but never mind. I appreciated this puzzle so much more after reading the comments, particularly @phil phil's bit about the gender-fluid Bonobos apes (which I had never heard of). So I'm continuing my 10th anniversary thanks for this blog.wcutlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08615799228069705972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28932326228070153102016-10-06T16:45:19.837-04:002016-10-06T16:45:19.837-04:00P.S. FUSTY old pen and paper solver here, no digit...P.S. FUSTY old pen and paper solver here, no digital assists, checks, etc.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16100619103681112322016-10-06T15:15:19.868-04:002016-10-06T15:15:19.868-04:00Too clever for me by more than half.
Filled in al...Too clever for me by more than half.<br /><br />Filled in all the squares (and the QUEERs, too), but couldn't see the MF-ing MFs, and might have spent all day resisting MESSUP for "revealing a secret" even if I had found the other MFs.<br /><br />As an OREGONian, the Snake (river) clue was a quick gimme and definitely helped in the NE.<br /><br />Not impressed by the rebus gimmick, and no fun at all.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33946578908160781472016-10-06T14:53:27.594-04:002016-10-06T14:53:27.594-04:00Good for you, @Rondo and @Rainy.
OREGON was one o...Good for you, @Rondo and @Rainy.<br /><br />OREGON was one of the best mid-directs ever. Thus, the NE claimed my dnf. And I did not get the M/F conceit. Clever.<br /><br />I, too, thought QUEER used to be the Q in LBGTQ back when it was gutsy to use a word that had been a pejorative, but that now the Q refers to questioning. <br /><br />For those who read my newspaper's headline in yesterday's post, the paper CHANGED the headline in its online version. Someone must have called them. <br /><br />Happy Thursday all!<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8074926112759821642016-10-06T14:52:31.806-04:002016-10-06T14:52:31.806-04:00I was always told QUEER was considered insulting a...I was always told QUEER was considered insulting and to say gay instead. I guess this is no longer true?Syndyland Solvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15924024905439122542016-10-06T14:18:22.616-04:002016-10-06T14:18:22.616-04:00I don't want to brag, but I figured out the M/...I don't want to brag, but I figured out the M/F possibility once I got ALVA, GEEK, and WARE, and then again in the due North, having gotten some of the words below 5A, F/MUSTY arrived, and so you could say I had all M/Fs. Okay, I do want to brag. Pretty good given I'd been away for 3 days playing golf with 9 friends and sampling too much wine.<br /><br />I really liked the puzzle, and disliked Rex's write-up. He just can't help himself re this vendetta he has with Shortz/NYT. I never see a crossword puzzle as something that will shed light on a new awakening. If someone sees it as important that the NYT publishes one that lightly deals with a complex subject, a simple "thank you", or even no comment would be appropriate. Besides, a large portion of America still hasn't come around, and likely never will.<br /><br />Excellent puzzle, Mr. Tausig.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25480443118148450052016-10-06T12:01:33.336-04:002016-10-06T12:01:33.336-04:00GAG YUAN SOONERS SPUNK
I thought it QUEER THE DAN...GAG YUAN SOONERS SPUNK<br /><br />I thought it QUEER THE DANDY GEEK would OPT to WARE<br />a SHEET and GONEXT into THE SAUNA.<br />I SAYSO ‘cause there’s GENDERFLUID and DNA everywhere -<br />he’ll clean THE ENTIRE MESSUP when he wanna.<br /><br />--- THE EDGE<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10052111016492913482016-10-06T11:31:25.482-04:002016-10-06T11:31:25.482-04:00Epic fail on two fronts: (1) I never got the theme...Epic fail on two fronts: (1) I never got the theme--had MFF and never got to the SE--and (2) Got ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the ENTIRE EAST. Seriously. Other than the AK of WREAK and KIA, not another square east of the tenth column is filled. Two whole sections in which I knew nothing. Couldn't get a foothold anywhere.<br /><br />Now that I see it, the theme makes sense; I just missed it. That doesn't bother me, but a DNF of this magnitude? Yikes! And they call this EASY? Oh dear God. This will have to go down as an incomplete pass.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67088991041368702732016-10-06T10:03:37.928-04:002016-10-06T10:03:37.928-04:00MMFM, and that’s it. Too much MFing around.
This ...MMFM, and that’s it. Too much MFing around.<br /><br />This is OFL’s idea of a “good one”? And EASY? UGH! A SLOG through the MIRE in isolated corners and N and S subsections. And at least 19 threes, kinda high count. And in the SW TEN-ACE? Shoulda been clued “1972 World Series MVP Gene”. And then OFL doesn’t know of Willie SUTTON? Cmon. Gimme. Better than cluing it “Seattle ___”. Did have one s/o at OVERLOad. <br /><br />The puz is OK on its own, but calling it a “good one” just because of the theme? Pretentious. And no reason for a big hooray, either. The puz finally caught up with the rest of the paper. Big deal. And QUEER doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with GENDERFLUID. That’s overbearing, as is the 35d clue “not straight” and answer ending in Y, a pompous, preachy misdirect. There’s even yeah baby Lucy playing XENA, who was in a lesbian relationship with Gabrielle, which is already 15-20 years ago. Nothing offensive or even new here, except this puz tries too hard to make PTS. Only new in that it got published.<br /><br />I was hit on by a QUEER some 45 years ago, about the time FM radio was becoming a big deal. Nothing new about this ENTIRE MFing stuff to me. Don’t really care that it finally appeared in THE NYTXword. Not really great nor cutting EDGE.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60268656477487128642016-09-03T08:49:30.462-04:002016-09-03T08:49:30.462-04:00Ditto, on bothDitto, on bothShortShriftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57655950029962522092016-09-03T08:35:38.949-04:002016-09-03T08:35:38.949-04:00FFFF for me - guess I'm not as Ann-drogynous a...FFFF for me - guess I'm not as Ann-drogynous as I'd thought! Fun puzzle!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51696226508715996622016-09-03T03:54:42.640-04:002016-09-03T03:54:42.640-04:00I got a couple of emails from people asking how I ...I got a couple of emails from people asking how I made the changes I described above. Sometimes I forget that not everybody who reads these blogs knows that I'm the founder of Puzzazz. Sorry for any confusion.<br /><br />So, to clarify, I changed how Puzzazz handles this puzzle for everyone. There's no option that an individual solver can turn on or off.<br /><br />The way this works is that Puzzazz does special handling of the NYT puzzle every day to restore it to match the print edition. We do this because the ancient .puz file format is pretty limited and doesn't support much of what gets done in crosswords today. On most days, this just means fixing the quotes and apostrophes, but several times a week, people who solve from the .puz file outside of Puzzazz are missing something. This can be something like shading in the grid or italics or symbols in clues, but it can also be pictures in the clues, merged clues that have been split apart, rebuses and Schrödinger cells that aren't handled properly, missing artwork in the grid, void cells, etc. The NYT's app handles, some, but not all, of these things.<br /><br />We always match the print edition in appearance, but, because we can't see the print solution until the next day, and the constructor and editor's intent isn't always obvious, we can't always get it right. In this case, we goofed, and that became obvious as I read comments here and on Wordplay. We didn't handle it any worse than the NYT's app, but I knew we could do better. So, late Wednesday night, I decided we should change it.<br /><br />While the change doesn't help people who already solved the puzzle, the NYT crossword has a pretty long shelf life. People who solved during the day on Thursday or who solve it in the future will get a better experience. So, thanks to everyone who commented.<br /><br />(hopefully, this is my last comment here ... feel free to email me if you have more questions)Roy Lebanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16120240595362341255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70394198313903976322016-09-02T17:49:49.484-04:002016-09-02T17:49:49.484-04:00I thought the "Q" in LGBTQ stood for &qu...I thought the "Q" in LGBTQ stood for "questioning," no?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53908373107192557612016-09-02T12:05:17.562-04:002016-09-02T12:05:17.562-04:00Feh or Meh.Feh or Meh.Ameliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983199184835619743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-310109428018369152016-09-02T10:42:05.319-04:002016-09-02T10:42:05.319-04:00Did anyone else notice that the middle of the puzz...Did anyone else notice that the middle of the puzzle is shaped like a wave. I actually got the fluid part before I got the gender, because I thought it would have something to do with wave/fluid/etc. right off. I thought that was a great, and subtle addition. I think Rex missed some of the fill stuff to, like Dolly Parton and Cher being icons, and the not straight clue. Great puzzle. Harryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17214234074189311126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62382299396189694262016-09-02T03:04:23.256-04:002016-09-02T03:04:23.256-04:00After reading the comments here and on Wordplay, I...After reading the comments here and on Wordplay, I called an audible and changed slightly the way Puzzazz handles this puzzle. Originally, as pointed out by @Tita A, Puzzazz automatically showed M/F in each Schrödinger cell when you finished the puzzle. However, this implies that M/F is the "correct" answer while the other answers of FM, M, and F are wrong. But they are just as correct — the puzzle is intended to be fluid and it's always our goal to match the intent of the constructor and editor.<br /><br />In addition, it's clear that not everybody figured out the theme even if they completed the puzzle. Therefore, showing the M/F immediately takes away from the puzzle.<br /><br />So ...<br /><br />If you solve the puzzle (or go back to it), nothing changes in the puzzle when you complete it, no matter which combination of M, F, MF, or FM you have. Instead, a Show Explanation button appears at the top. For people who didn't completely figure out the theme, it clues them in that they missed something, but it doesn't spoil it. When you tap Show Explanation, <b>M/F</b> appears in red in the four Schrödinger cells.Roy Lebanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16120240595362341255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46026612747481197272016-09-01T23:59:48.771-04:002016-09-01T23:59:48.771-04:00This puzzle taught me the problem with Schrödinger...This puzzle taught me the problem with Schrödingers -- sometimes you don't notice you're doing one, you just find the right answers and, well, done. Like a couple people above I saw the X and Y in the bottom corners and figured all corners would contain X's one direction and Ys in another, but alas no. I liked that in this particular puzzle "Not straight" wasn't what you'd expect. <br /><br />Based on the hype (from Slate.com in particular) I expected more. Meh. <br /><br />To Anonymous above: I don't know what the facebook live event was but I'm sure I'd absolutely agree. Anyone who confidently entered OWEN as the Wilson either knew the answer or was possessed of dumb luck. SkippyFlipjacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67637676284086921552016-09-01T23:21:06.187-04:002016-09-01T23:21:06.187-04:00Fun puzzle, easy for a Thursday but hard enough th...Fun puzzle, easy for a Thursday but hard enough that it had a lot of a-ha moments after maybe a minute of being stuck, which is just how I like them. I got FFFF and couldn't figure out how the clue related until I read about it here. As a person who doesn't really identify with a gender it was nice to see some recognition for less mainstream sexual minorities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47690875965375677592016-09-01T23:17:27.845-04:002016-09-01T23:17:27.845-04:00I liked this puzzle very much. I liked the NYT'...I liked this puzzle very much. I liked the NYT's trumpeting it a bit less, but it's ok. They are justifiably proud, and Deb Amlen's personal connection is touching.<br /><br />But I am compelled to say how much I hated Deb's FaceBook Live event about the puzzle. I watched it out of curiosity and because this puzzle is such an interesting and significant one. Fortunately, I had solved the puzzle before I watched, because Deb completely RUINED the puzzle for anybody who didn't know the solution. I don't think any solver out there would immediately jump to the fact that there were Schrodinger squares in the puzzle based on the vague clue "part of a house" which, as was immediately pointed out could be ROOF, ROOM, or WALL. Or maybe DOOR or HALL or LOFT or even WING. Constructors and editors have ambiguous clues like this all the time! In fact, the very first clue Deb enters, with great confidence, is such a clue, since OWEN's brother LUKE can also BE clued as "Actor Wilson".<br /><br />Only somebody who already knew the solution would definitively state that OWEN had to be the answer to 19-Across and jump to how this puzzle works with zero crossing words on 1-Across, the second entry she put in anywhere. Shame! I think solving puzzles live with commentary might have promise in attracting new solvers, but this is not the way to do it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17376334359734902102016-09-01T20:50:44.616-04:002016-09-01T20:50:44.616-04:00Karen's experience was mine as well. MFFM, no ...Karen's experience was mine as well. MFFM, no clue (X-Y didn't work out). In 1969 I ran the Snake River rapids in a tiny raft, but it was in IDAHO. Finally realized the River doesn't stop at the border & got the NE.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16453483477723975706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61791497325074336112016-09-01T19:42:47.953-04:002016-09-01T19:42:47.953-04:00MFFM and I had no idea what the gimmick was till I...MFFM and I had no idea what the gimmick was till I got here.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15086033722247408723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53108726158483337632016-09-01T19:06:34.835-04:002016-09-01T19:06:34.835-04:00Haven't read all the comments so. . . .
For ...Haven't read all the comments so. . . . <br /><br />For the past couple of years I have followed a "girl" named Jazz. Jenkins. She was born male but since the age of four or younger, she has had a distinct preference for things feminine. She is about fifteen or sixteen now. Her journey has been difficult. She can be found on YouTube. In fact there are many clips about her. She's been featured in an ABC documentary and apparently has a "Reality Show" now. What she makes apparent is that she is not alone in the world, that she is not the only one like her. She appears publicly and answers questions and criticisms with stunning maturity. Her mother even says that sometime Jazz makes her feel like the child. Her maturity and clarity of purpose, in spite of a brief glitch when she was uncertain, has impressed me enormously. I wish some of the other kids I know and have known had had such clear understandings of themselves.<br /><br />I thought the puzzle was pretty good if really easy, I did it in half my usual Thursday time. I suppose it's nice to see the NYT embracing contemporary issues or at least recognizing them. This might even be a landmark puzzle for the Grey Lady. I know the LGBTQ issue bothers some people but but it's here and not leaving any time soon so they all have to just grit their teeth and get used to it. Having followed Jazz's story and knowing a few other GENDER FLUID individuals I just have to say, let them live their own lives as they see fit without bowing to any GENDER Fascism. <br /><br />Sorry if anyone else has mentioned Jazz before me. This whole issue, the fact that it <i>is</i> an issue bothers the hell out of me.Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52978135143140865722016-09-01T18:53:08.801-04:002016-09-01T18:53:08.801-04:00@MohairSam -- I used to go there a lot myself on o...@MohairSam -- I used to go there a lot myself on our way to Montauk. If you need someone to manage it now, hmu! I used to go to the Candy Kitchen back in the day when it had real candy in jars and real ice cream sodas, or am I thinking instead of the Penny Candy store? Last time I was in Water Mill I was shocked to see the old convent hedge had been chopped down. All that sense of mystery and intrigue gone. :)QuasiMojonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4717273056911147702016-09-01T18:43:34.952-04:002016-09-01T18:43:34.952-04:00@Chaos344 - I've been behind the counter of th...@Chaos344 - I've been behind the counter of the candy shop a few times. Incredible fun negotiating atomic fireball and Mexican hat prices piece by piece with intense six-year-old kids clutching a dollar or two in their hand. Maybe I ripped off your nephew for a nickel or two.<br /><br />My sister-in-law has been too old to keep the place going for years. She has been close to selling several times, but the deals seem to fall through. I dunno, we kinda think the wonderful memories of 40+ years in that shop keep her from getting to the closing table.<br /><br />Way off topic - sorry Rexites. Blasted nostalgia. I'm doneMohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49842452803879196662016-09-01T18:36:05.308-04:002016-09-01T18:36:05.308-04:00@Whirred Whacks, haha you could fill an entire cro...@Whirred Whacks, haha you could fill an entire crossword puzzle and more with MFs from that clip. My brother the firefighter adores Samuel L Jackson because of the firefighters in my brother's firehouse were asked to be extras in one of SMJ's film. According to my brother,, he's a nice down to earth guy. Aketihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07059835429995060000noreply@blogger.com