tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3695934614705039351..comments2024-03-29T00:28:40.417-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Ottoman inns / SUN 9-28-14 / Relative of canary / Chief Justice during Civil War / Synagogue instrument / Flowing glacial feature / Taiwanese computer giant / 2007 purchaser of Applebee's / Shelfmate of Bartlett's / English hymnist / Sparkly topper / Brand with red arrow through its logo / Pituitary gland output brieflyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36452128053395112372014-10-12T17:05:01.515-04:002014-10-12T17:05:01.515-04:00Tenser for overtime periods,give me a break!Tenser for overtime periods,give me a break!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62214008112449050012014-10-05T19:44:17.312-04:002014-10-05T19:44:17.312-04:00I cried out I can't geTaney clues in the
NE bu...I cried out I can't geTaney clues in the<br />NE but what good is serin that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81486720605324146212014-10-05T19:28:35.748-04:002014-10-05T19:28:35.748-04:00Wow! Is he still alive?
Bet he has some expectant ...Wow! Is he still alive?<br />Bet he has some expectant heirs!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39120765726161465552014-10-05T18:06:49.290-04:002014-10-05T18:06:49.290-04:00I had no idea what a SERIN was, nor did I know TAN...I had no idea what a SERIN was, nor did I know TANEY was a judge.<br /><br />But, I had the TA_E_, and and I know there is a Taney County, Missouri, so took a stab that the County was named for this judge. <br /><br />Post-finish, I checked and was right. ((Which lead to the name of Lake Taneycomo (Taney CO. MO.) ))Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29327353360849371682014-10-05T18:05:47.380-04:002014-10-05T18:05:47.380-04:00I finished the puzzle but my filled-in grid is not...I finished the puzzle but my filled-in grid is not a pretty sight as some of my guesses were pretty creative but wrong. Al cApp is the only old-timey cartoonist to come to mind and bootsup seemed perfect for "Activates, in computer lingo". And so it went all around the grid but eventually I got it all straightened out and even guessed right at the Chief Justice/canary relative cross. I enjoyed learning about Chief Justice Taney from the commentary.<br /><br />123 - sequential but not consequential.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74070735626891886652014-10-05T12:55:16.644-04:002014-10-05T12:55:16.644-04:00Here in Canada, we haven't memorized all the U...Here in Canada, we haven't memorized all the US Chief Justice names, particularly from 150 years ago. Likewise, I draw a complete blank on bird's relatives, except for maybe PEWIT. Ergo that SERIN/TANEY cross killed me (I guessed 'T'). Ergo, a DNF on an otherwise easy but quite enjoyable (for me) puzzle.<br /><br />Nice to have a puzzle with pretty well no crosswordese, that one can get through in about a half hour.<br /><br />898 Not quite.<br />rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28894313843960989232014-10-05T12:27:34.048-04:002014-10-05T12:27:34.048-04:00I think OHHI is a terribly awkward puzzle entry, b...I think OHHI is a terribly awkward puzzle entry, but it does bring back memories. For two very short weeks in my youth, I was a door-to-door salesman--would you believe: encyclopedias? Oh yeah. The manager gave us this line: "OH, HI, it's the mister I wanted to see," when the lady of the house (typically) answered the door. This was to confirm that "the mister" was in fact home, as of course you needed both to sign off on the sale. That line left a bad taste in my mouth, because it sounded like you KNEW the mister. One of the reasons I didn't last long.<br /><br />That little anecdote is about the only interesting thing I could blog about for today's offering. As has been stated, the theme is "meh," but the fill, for a Sunday, is not that bad. That whole NE corner, and down the side, was tougher than the rest, made no easier by my choosing "keep" instead of HOLD to start YOURHEADHIGH. And that Cartoon Hall of Fame guy: I wasted untold time trying to think of a cartoon character to fit in there. No, you idiot, it's a cartoonIST. #headslap<br /><br />I guessed N at the natick, so finished in average time.<br /><br />TEARDOWNTHISWALL saves the theme: I think it's one of the greatest 4x4 quotes in all history. I'm actually going to give this one a B. Oops, there's the RRN; add a -.<br /><br />1305: take that, you dirty rat!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47118437155007527742014-09-29T22:46:52.849-04:002014-09-29T22:46:52.849-04:00Went DNF on the northern arid plain and I'm a ...Went DNF on the northern arid plain and I'm a history buff AND a novice birder. Harumpf. But I entirely agree on the lameness. I can't recall a Sunday where I've filled out theme answers without any crosses. Mr. Gorbachov, Tear Down This Grid!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86327909938950483082014-09-29T17:19:56.662-04:002014-09-29T17:19:56.662-04:00before I got Aliases, I had NRA for 31A. Freudian ...before I got Aliases, I had NRA for 31A. Freudian slip???<br />BartBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35339661782275972682014-09-29T13:21:37.033-04:002014-09-29T13:21:37.033-04:00@Noam D. Elkies, THANK YOU! (You may pronounce th...@Noam D. Elkies, THANK YOU! (You may pronounce that "th" however you'd like.) I knew it would make me d'oh once I learned, and d'oh I did!Bouvitudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01639525239603638499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5725989410950243622014-09-29T10:36:08.036-04:002014-09-29T10:36:08.036-04:00@ Nancy, Yeah I went to the crossword to get some ...@ Nancy, Yeah I went to the crossword to get some relief from the cryptic. It's tough.jonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35797027042812272782014-09-29T10:31:21.566-04:002014-09-29T10:31:21.566-04:00Quelle snooze. I was busy yesterday with the Vari...Quelle snooze. I was busy yesterday with the Variety Cryptic, so I didn't get to this till this morning (Monday). For those of you who were as bored with this as I was, yesterday's Cryptic offers the challenge you're looking for.Nancynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78961518516598218472014-09-29T10:00:35.221-04:002014-09-29T10:00:35.221-04:00Easy theme made for overconfidence. Atra and Boobs...Easy theme made for overconfidence. Atra and Boobs were surely a distraction and the clue for Joan was a bit ghoulish. I got egg on my face with NBAer too.Jonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27922695990033067142014-09-29T01:31:44.108-04:002014-09-29T01:31:44.108-04:00@Andrew Morrison wrote: "Exxon Valdez was a ...@Andrew Morrison wrote: "Exxon Valdez was a tanker, not an oiler." But, on another level, Exxon Valdez was a tanker which <b>became</b> an oiler. :)<br /><br />@AliasZ: The point is not that the puzzle was easy to construct, or was not. It's that it was no fun to <b>solve</b>. But don't feel bad; Mr. Shortz obviously doesn't get this concept, either. ;)<br /><br /><br />I had to guess at the N in SERIN but this was my fastest solve ever by more than 20 minutes, which made this puzzle, to paraphrase 1984, doubleplusunfun.paulsfohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07721639286466422944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11358504493160234232014-09-28T23:33:25.209-04:002014-09-28T23:33:25.209-04:00Medium. Two sittings for a total of 18 minutes.
At...Medium. Two sittings for a total of 18 minutes.<br />Atra was hard to erase. Got TANEY. as we have seen SERIN before.<br />Also Taney is a Philly neighborhood the Little League team came from--+--team with the much-publicized female pitcher.<br />Probably named after Justice Taney.<br />Loved clue for OBIT.<br />Thanks TG<br />Charles Flasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16588962898277593533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26235409772258156482014-09-28T21:41:22.244-04:002014-09-28T21:41:22.244-04:00The greatest speech Reagan ever gave imho was the ...The greatest speech Reagan ever gave imho was the Normandy speech of June 6th, 1984, on the 40th anniversary of D-day. If you haven't read it or listened to it, you should. It resonates.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />johnjohn towlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66007347896914702772014-09-28T19:48:27.228-04:002014-09-28T19:48:27.228-04:00Boring, that's what it was.
Several have alr...Boring, that's what it was. <br /><br />Several have already defended Taney as being someone who anyone who knows much about U. S. history must regard as important. This is not to endorse or condemn his rulings. Whether right or wrong, his rulings were of major importance. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11914827405469193332014-09-28T19:30:25.342-04:002014-09-28T19:30:25.342-04:00First time commenter but longtime reader of blog. ...First time commenter but longtime reader of blog. I miss Loren Muse Smith and her remarks. They are almost better than solving the puzzleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23622191711335419792014-09-28T19:14:57.892-04:002014-09-28T19:14:57.892-04:00What @Norm said about Scalia succeeding Rehnquist....What @Norm said about Scalia succeeding Rehnquist. A little worrisome that lawyers needed this explained, but then that kind of political detail probably plays absolutely no part in a lawyer's actual daily work.<br /><br />As for the puzzle, perfectly EELY, in the crossword sense of the word.<br /><br />I've been recalling my Intro Psych class discussions on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction_%28psychology%29#Operant_conditioning" rel="nofollow">extinction</a> lately.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36448808101784443402014-09-28T18:16:20.104-04:002014-09-28T18:16:20.104-04:00This 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 5:57, 6:03, 0.98, 42%, Medium<br />Tue 9:29, 7:50, 1.21, 90%, Challenging<br />Wed 12:32, 9:30, 1.32, 96%, Challenging (12th highest ratio of 247 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 19:34, 16:57, 1.15, 79%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 14:55, 19:38, 0.76, 13%, Easy<br />Sat 27:09, 25:57, 1.05, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br />Sun 24:02, 27:44, 0.87, 24%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:56, 3:57, 1.00, 43%, Medium<br />Tue 6:25, 5:21, 1.20, 92%, Challenging<br />Wed 7:30, 6:12, 1.21, 90%, Challenging<br />Thu 12:36, 10:29, 1.20, 77%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 9:49, 12:34, 0.78, 14%, Easy<br />Sat 19:12, 17:42, 1.08, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br />Sun 16:49, 20:46, 0.81, 12%, Easy<br /><br />History is kind of a hobby of mine, so I'm sure that biases my crossword sphere of trivial knowledge, but surely, everyone learned about Roger TANEY in high school, no? I'm surprised by the number of solvers who struggled with that name. OTOH, I'm sure there are solvers out there who are surprised that I was stumped by EVA LARUE. That, and way too much commitment to ATRA at 117D made the SE my sticking point in this puzzle (I shave with an electric and have never had a blade touch my face).sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57644216409471976152014-09-28T18:11:32.989-04:002014-09-28T18:11:32.989-04:00Guessed right on Taney-Serin, so only Tuesday'...Guessed right on Taney-Serin, so only Tuesday's Sunra ruined a perfect week. Shofar was particularly timely, since I heard it blown during Friday (Rosh Hashonah) services. There was a brief discussion of Bush's Presidency yesterday, (worst President?) and Scalia's views today. Just my personal preference, but I don't enjoy controversial political comments here; I stifle my urge to respond so as not to encourage that kind of debate here. The puzzle was certainly less than scintillating, but I enjoyed it. "Tear down this wall" was one of the great lines from our greatest President! ( I am playing the game from the other side here…just kidding around….)OISKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808675378318214461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26524795312269657632014-09-28T17:31:19.898-04:002014-09-28T17:31:19.898-04:00Easy to medium for me - but not much to it. I gues...Easy to medium for me - but not much to it. I guessed at the N for TANEY and SERIN, but they both sounded right from vague memory. Glad to see Casco Kid back!wreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08797908615185213756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16117926120516462212014-09-28T17:29:29.383-04:002014-09-28T17:29:29.383-04:00@Courtenay Bouvier THOU = short for thousand = G ...@Courtenay Bouvier THOU = short for thousand = G as in "grand" (and with the unvoiced pronunciation of the th sound in "thou").<br /><br />NDE Noam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27513788924328949762014-09-28T17:27:21.114-04:002014-09-28T17:27:21.114-04:00Rex's review, in brief:
Good authors too who ...Rex's review, in brief:<br /><br />Good authors too who once knew better words, <br />Now only use four letter words…<br /><br />(http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/anythinggoes/anythinggoes.htm)<br /><br />NDENDEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17595341505403534494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32626494138110440132014-09-28T17:26:58.619-04:002014-09-28T17:26:58.619-04:00Can someone please tell me how "thou" is...Can someone please tell me how "thou" is the correct answer to the clue "G"? (18 down) <br />I finished the puzzle, but I still have zero idea how or why that's an answer....Bouvitudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01639525239603638499noreply@blogger.com