tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3722759174438525143..comments2024-03-28T20:49:13.267-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: MONDAY, Mar. 31, 2008 - Jeff Armstrong (Actor and rockabilly crooner Chris)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24931544651024622752008-05-06T22:14:00.000-04:002008-05-06T22:14:00.000-04:00I don't even have this puzzle, but the cheetah c...I don't even have this puzzle, but the cheetah caught my eye so I read the blog entry. I want to second the awed, "I couldn't have filled in this puzzle in 2:48 if someone had been dictating the answers!"<BR/><BR/>My goal though is not for speed, it's to fill in the whole grid, with neat precise, same-sized letters, with a big thick no-cheating pen, and to get the whole thing in a single pass through the clues. By my rules it's cheating to look ahead in the list of clues. I play it like solitaire, dealing myself one clue at a time and I can't go back until I've got to the bottom.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20737821674438316012008-04-04T13:03:00.000-04:002008-04-04T13:03:00.000-04:00Belated thanks to everyone for all the nice commen...Belated thanks to everyone for all the nice comments on my puzzle! As Orange pointed out on her blog, it was my NYT debut. Alas, I got busy this week and neglected to check whether this was the Monday my puzzle would appear, so I didn't even know this was the week until I got my paycheck in yesterday's mail! So, apologies for my tardy post.<BR/><BR/>When I was constructing this puzzle, I don't remember giving much notice to the fact that SPEEDWAY was the only thematic entry that didn't divide into halves of equal lengths -- but to be honest, I'm kind of glad that I didn't, since it was tough enough to squeeze in all those theme entries as it was! I tried really, REALLY hard not to include any "cheater squares", especially the ones after SLAT and before HUNT. But, once I realized that I could cram the grid with 16-divided-by-2 AIR words, a clean fill just would not materialize without the cheaters. Thankfully, their inclusion only had me at 38 black squares, the standard NYT max.<BR/><BR/>FYI, Patrick Berry's "Crossword Puzzle for Dummies" (which includes both dozens of great puzzles to solve and fantastic how-to chapters for would-be constructors) planted the seed in my brain to try to make a "both halves can follow" [or precede] type of puzzle. (I forget what Patrick's main theme word was in his puzzle of this type ...) When I eventually stumbled onto AIR as a possibility, I made an enormous list of every word that could legitimately follow it, and then went through each of those one by one to see which of the others it could be paired with. In other words, the sort of activity only an anal-retentive word-nerd would find enjoyable! :)<BR/><BR/>I had originally clued this puzzle with more of a Tuesday appearance in mind. Despite the MEEKER crossing which made it seem fair, the Chris ISAAK entry (which was key to making the SE section work) did feel more Tuesday-ish to me, since he's a not-quite-superstar despite his good looks and dreamy falsetto. Will thought otherwise, though, so I think he gets most of the credit for easing up on the cluing enough to contribute to the speedy times so many folks turned in. That said, many of my clues did appear intact, including the Chris ISAAK one, but I'm 95% sure the WAFER clue is Will's. (I'd check, but my original files aren't accessible at the moment.)<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'm thrilled so many people enjoyed the puzzle. Thanks again for all the nice words -- you made my day!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90537805465394882592008-03-31T22:26:00.000-04:002008-03-31T22:26:00.000-04:00I shared Rex's blank-out moment on 22A Quenched (S...I shared Rex's blank-out moment on 22A Quenched (SLAKED). What came to me was not the answer, but the image of Radar O'Reilly, ecstatic after his encounter with the tall blonde nurse. Then it took me a couple more minutes to remember his actual malapropism in that scene: "I've just been <I>slaked</I>!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11236449191207527242008-03-31T22:18:00.000-04:002008-03-31T22:18:00.000-04:00@artLvr:Then there's this by Alfred Noyes:"We're o...@artLvr:<BR/><BR/>Then there's this by Alfred Noyes:<BR/><BR/>"We're out to seek a Realm of Gold Beyond the Spanish Main."<BR/><BR/>The Spanish Main was in fact the coastline of Spanish possessions around the Caribbean, and the term ultimately came to denote the seaways in the area.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40771381249102158582008-03-31T20:53:00.000-04:002008-03-31T20:53:00.000-04:00In 1984, while working the Los Angeles Olympics fo...In 1984, while working the Los Angeles Olympics for ABC News, I shared an elevator ride at the Sheraton Universal with a fabulous woman, Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Gos. <BR/><BR/>(I'd have preferred Jane Wiedlin, though we didn't talk about that.)arbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03269237379632406691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66329964262307245622008-03-31T20:33:00.000-04:002008-03-31T20:33:00.000-04:00I saw Carrot Top in a hotel elevator once. He was ...I saw Carrot Top in a hotel elevator once. He was <I>not</I> with a fabulous woman of any type.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75476750601723516182008-03-31T20:24:00.000-04:002008-03-31T20:24:00.000-04:00re MAIN = SEA, see old nursery rhyme/song:"Sailin...re MAIN = SEA, see old nursery rhyme/song:<BR/><BR/>"Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main.<BR/>For many a stormy wind shall blow<BR/>E'er Jack comes home again."<BR/><BR/>∑;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65336961993664430252008-03-31T19:34:00.000-04:002008-03-31T19:34:00.000-04:00To the the Baseball entries, I would add HOLY COW ...To the the Baseball entries, I would add HOLY COW a favorite expression of Yankee broadcaster and Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto. RIP Scooter.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07466240197659721721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74181459719690756252008-03-31T19:29:00.000-04:002008-03-31T19:29:00.000-04:002 comments RE: yesterday's Comments:@anonymous 3:4...2 comments RE: yesterday's Comments:<BR/><BR/>@anonymous 3:43 (profphil?) re: the Rx sign on prescriptions and drugstores:<BR/><BR/>the Rx sign evolved out of the symbol for the planet Jupiter.<BR/><BR/>@sobeling 1:33 and @eliezering 1:38<BR/>re: why is SEA the answer to MAIN in 118D:<BR/><BR/>main= obsolete: of or relating to a broad expanse (as the sea)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12754791631970896412008-03-31T18:17:00.000-04:002008-03-31T18:17:00.000-04:00Accuracy is more important than speed. I read ALL ...Accuracy is more important than speed. I read ALL the clues, always. But I encourage all the speed demons to not read clues and not check crossings. :0<BR/><BR/>This puzzle took me 3:50 on paper. I'll never win a sprinting contest (indeed, Adam Cohen beat me at David Kahn's talk last week).Ellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09699703443886498884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10565421578676187582008-03-31T18:13:00.001-04:002008-03-31T18:13:00.001-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51795101551010907722008-03-31T18:13:00.000-04:002008-03-31T18:13:00.000-04:00@andreacarlamichaels:- thanks for the Italian plur...@andreacarlamichaels:<BR/>- thanks for the Italian plural info.<BR/>- I saw Chris Isaaks in a Madrid hotel lobby about 15 years ago - with an attractive Asian woman!<BR/>- I bought Orange's book at Barnes and Noble.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32043643469723592592008-03-31T18:07:00.000-04:002008-03-31T18:07:00.000-04:00thanks bt,that's a perfect explanation.thanks bt,<BR/><BR/>that's a perfect explanation.Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553801283261112820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17057411454594084302008-03-31T18:02:00.000-04:002008-03-31T18:02:00.000-04:00AlsoAirtime is a phrase used among windsurfers and...Also<BR/><BR/>Airtime is a phrase used among windsurfers and kiteboards to refer to the part of the day spent in the air from launcing jumps. <BR/><BR/>"How was your session? It was great I got a lot of airtime out there."<BR/><BR/>It can also be used to describe the amount of time during one jump.<BR/><BR/>"She got a lot of air time on that backloop"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72261660473486826622008-03-31T17:56:00.000-04:002008-03-31T17:56:00.000-04:00I stared doing the early week puzzles on the compu...I stared doing the early week puzzles on the computer to save trees, this naturally led to watching my time. I usuall just use the enter key to rapidly move through the questions instead of trying to navigate across and down (which slows me down}, and I will check the crosses as I go by looking at them in the clue list, but I do not fill them in untill they come up in sequence. I do this two times and then use the mouse to finish up. I find using the right button to change between across and down to be helpful.<BR/><BR/>I usually find the down answers easier ( they are usually shorter and cross the longer theme answers} and wonder if starting with the downs woud be faster? I haven't tried that, but on end of the week puzzles that I work on paper I will usually jump to the down's if I am not getting the first acrosses.<BR/><BR/>I like today's comments on how everyone tries to get faster.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55754888059433038962008-03-31T17:49:00.000-04:002008-03-31T17:49:00.000-04:00Worked all day today and never had a chance to do ...Worked all day today and never had a chance to do the puzzle. Will now read what everyone had to say about itchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12799983516889300722008-03-31T17:25:00.000-04:002008-03-31T17:25:00.000-04:00ronathan:here's one tip i've found to be helpful w...ronathan:<BR/><BR/>here's one tip i've found to be helpful when using across lite. make the window big, but make the clues panel small. use most of the window for the grid (and click ENTIRE so that you can see all of it without scrolling). then, don't look at the clue panel. just look at the highlighted clue above the grid, and process the clues one at a time. this is really only a good idea for very easy puzzles, where you stand a good chance to get any given answer right away from looking at the clue without needing many crosses. for tough puzzles, of course, you'll need to do the usual technique of scrolling through the clues until you find a place to begin.<BR/><BR/>the other thing that can really help your time is use the keyboard shortcuts, NOT the mouse, to move around the grid. if you really understand what the arrow keys, shift-arrow keys, enter, and shift-enter do, you'll be able to move around the grid much faster so that you can spend every precious second solving rather than moving. (sadly, i've found that shift-enter doesn't do what i want on the macintosh version of across lite, so i'm reliant on shift-arrow keys when i'm using a mac.) also, knowing the behavior of the cursor when an answer is partially filled is key. across lite will generally skip over filled squares to the next unfilled square in the entry as you type, even if that means skipping back to the beginning; however, if an entry is already totally filled (even with wrong letters), it won't skip back to the beginning of a word when you get to the end. home/end works the way you want it to on a PC; many macs don't even have home/end, but fn-left/right do the job.<BR/><BR/>one big exception is that i use the mouse when i see a clue like "See 43-down." then i click on 43-down in the clues panel (not the grid, it takes too long to find it there) and the highlighted entry jumps to 43-down.<BR/><BR/>i don't use the applet any more, but i'm pretty sure many of these things are not true of the applet. (...which is basically why i don't use it any more.)Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6050446455106022372008-03-31T17:17:00.000-04:002008-03-31T17:17:00.000-04:00Easy, yes. I took my time, said hi to the kids, s...Easy, yes. I took my time, said hi to the kids, scratched an itch. Speediness is for the younger crowd, like Rex. ;) A good puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53667941088920585742008-03-31T16:51:00.000-04:002008-03-31T16:51:00.000-04:00since there was a little speedbump for some yester...since there was a little speedbump for some yesterday with SLUTSKAYA/ERIK and today with ISAAC/ISAAK, may I throw in one of my little namedropping stories?<BR/><BR/>I agree ISAAK might be a tad hard for a Monday, but here in SF, we used to see Chris IsaaK regularly performing in the Haight in the early 80's and if you were lucky, you'd run into that actor/rockabilly crooner/gorgeous man on the street (shorter than you'd think and always with a different fabulous Asian woman on his arm).<BR/><BR/>As for the LIRA/LIRE/ROME/ROMA thing, (perhaps Orange covers this in her book which is getting many shoutouts today and which I forgot to pick up at the ACPT) if the clue says "Italia" it will most probably be ROMA as a tipoff that you are saying it in that language; but if it just says "capital of Italy" it could easily be either ROME or EURO.<BR/><BR/>And the easy way, altho not 100%, to pluralize in italiano is that masculine words ending in "o" become "i" (like libro/libri or gatto/gatti) and feminine "a" becomes "e" (as in donna/donne or pasta/paste...and in this case, lira/lire).<BR/><BR/>ciao for niao!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73906276123878611182008-03-31T16:39:00.000-04:002008-03-31T16:39:00.000-04:00@emjo: You've reminded me of the time I saw a guy...@emjo: You've reminded me of the time I saw a guy flossing his teeth while driving. He must have been either on his way to the dentist or to keep a heavy date. Either way, everyone gave him a wide berth.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14059455261604818982008-03-31T16:18:00.001-04:002008-03-31T16:18:00.001-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37245133019951715952008-03-31T16:18:00.000-04:002008-03-31T16:18:00.000-04:00@ Orange- someone had to say it: "R-r-r-ruffles h...@ Orange- someone had to say it: "R-r-r-ruffles have r-r-r-ridges!"Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89336073359125152332008-03-31T16:14:00.000-04:002008-03-31T16:14:00.000-04:00i was a little disappointed with the easiness here...i was a little disappointed with the easiness here. it was not challenging enough to distract me from the guy next to me flossing his teeth on the subway. OAFISH indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12772788920191562982008-03-31T16:04:00.000-04:002008-03-31T16:04:00.000-04:00Shamik: Well, if the word wale had never been appl...Shamik: Well, if the word <I>wale</I> had never been applied to corduroy, we could call 'em wide-ridge and skinny-ridge corduroy pants...Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61350847607480281182008-03-31T15:57:00.001-04:002008-03-31T15:57:00.001-04:00Rex, let me add my congrats to the chorus. A new ...Rex, let me add my congrats to the chorus. A new record is definitely something to be proud of.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but since I have traditionally done crosswords on the actual printed newspaper page I have found that my times have gone DOWN considerable since I started doing them on the computer. I've only recently (within the last couple of months) been trying out AcrossLite, and I am finding it to be very cumbersome as compared to the old fashioned paper-and-pencil method (and it's not as if I am computer illiterate; I'm 29 and having been using computers since I was 6).<BR/><BR/>Maybe it's just me, but I like having all the clues laid out in front of me at one time. It helps me answer clues if I can also think about the crosses at the same time. Am I the only one who is having problems making the transition from paper to computer? Does anyone have any tips (besides what has already been mentioned) to make the transition a little easier?<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/>ronathan :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com