tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3936911185157501463..comments2024-03-28T13:17:40.062-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Land 1954 Kirk Douglas sci-fi role / SAT 8-20-16 / Colorful ornamental with trunk / Dark brown quartz sometimes sold as gemstone / 52rd state quarter localeRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18991975622425197592016-10-01T03:35:00.930-04:002016-10-01T03:35:00.930-04:00I tore through this puzzle, but the NE beat me up....I tore through this puzzle, but the NE beat me up. TEETH, ARTBOARD, HENLEY, TESLA, XANDYAXES, and IMAX wore me out. I finished in 55 minutes. Usually i can knock off a Saturday in a half hour.Sonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21818822068731044422016-09-25T00:46:23.624-04:002016-09-25T00:46:23.624-04:00Azur ticked me off. How does that get in? I was ...Azur ticked me off. How does that get in? I was writing down all the things la mer can be: bleue, mouillé, profonde, agitée ... I knew it couldn't be too fancy, because how many French adjectives can an American audience be expected to know? And then it's the masculine azur. It says right there in the clue: la mer, so you know it's feminine. <br /><br />Thank you, Ken, for knowing.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1338991900987366322016-09-24T21:25:25.586-04:002016-09-24T21:25:25.586-04:00@rainy - I read the clue for the QB and immediatel...@rainy - I read the clue for the QB and immediately thought Bradshaw, which of course did not fit.<br />No brand name of SUPERSTORE, but the MEGA versions of places like WalMart or Target call themselves SUPERSTORES. I try to avoid.<br />HONDO rhymes with @rondo, so I'm almost there.<br />ITT not clued as an Addams cousin? Unheard of.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51409763617789081652016-09-24T20:15:30.465-04:002016-09-24T20:15:30.465-04:00NEEDLES and ANTE were easy so that means STEVEYOUN...NEEDLES and ANTE were easy so that means STEVEYOUNG fit so that had me screwed up for a long time.sdcheezhdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05457420125517948430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44318245374282986512016-09-24T19:10:09.511-04:002016-09-24T19:10:09.511-04:00@rain forest--No Superstores, commercially named, ...@rain forest--No Superstores, commercially named, that I know of in Oregon or anywhere else for that matter, but I live way up here in the PNW, too, so you'll need a larger sample stateside. leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22306026447068707262016-09-24T19:08:26.883-04:002016-09-24T19:08:26.883-04:00Grrr. No paper delivery today, even when I called...Grrr. No paper delivery today, even when I called them at 7:30 am. Bought one at the store, not yet done.<br /><br />Grrr.<br /><br />D,LIWDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74505998007267519792016-09-24T16:57:04.828-04:002016-09-24T16:57:04.828-04:00I coulda been a contendah today, but AcAciA TREE h...I coulda been a contendah today, but AcAciA TREE held me up for way too long. I won't tell you about silly non-words I tried to shoehorn in there, but it was only once I saw that "seal" wasn't capitalized did I get out of the NW. I spent more time there than on the rest of the puzzle, which I enjoyed, despite the very-close-to "green paint" answers (ART BOARD, METAL STAMP).<br /><br />Yeah, yeah, Terry Bradshaw won 4 SBs too, but there is only one J0E MONTANA. At the risk of some raspberries, I would suggest that Tom Brady is close. <br /><br />Just wondering: up here in Canada, we have large supermarkets called Superstores - that's their name. Are there large emporia in The States that are actually called Superstores, or is that simply a descriptive name?rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90989503851255808562016-09-24T14:45:43.991-04:002016-09-24T14:45:43.991-04:00Went from easy to medium to challenging to a DNF.
...Went from easy to medium to challenging to a DNF.<br /><br />Committed to "issued" at 39A, and trouble ENSUED. Thought issued was better answer than ENSUED for "Came (from)" clue. Then MERINO/NED cross eluded me too. All this in the middle.<br /><br />Next and last, the SE. There, didn't know BOK/SMOKYTOPAZ and blanked at NAPOLITANO (whose name I've read and heard countless times).<br /><br />A fair and gettable puzzle, given available opportunities of helpful crosses, but not my day.<br /><br />I'M DONE.<br /><br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65112222149794778412016-09-24T12:46:12.431-04:002016-09-24T12:46:12.431-04:00@spacey - nice call on IONE Skye@spacey - nice call on IONE Skyerondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72534679895154623752016-09-24T12:33:08.388-04:002016-09-24T12:33:08.388-04:00Inoffensive enough puz TODAY now that IMDONE with ...Inoffensive enough puz TODAY now that IMDONE with it, but there’s probably enough green paint to do a house, partially (har). And the eastern seaboard takes the XANDYAXES all the way from ATOZ. Harmless enough though.<br /><br />ODESSA always conjures memories. The first time I was there the closest thing to a SUPERSTORE was a large-ish building filled with individually run stands and kiosks, much like the MN State Fair Grandstand building. Everything ATOZ, TVs to cosmetics (which I purchased for Natasha #1, who would then SAYYESTO about anything and pleasure ENSUED). The shopping situation has since ELEVATED and the last time I was there they had a good sized mall on Derebsovskaya Street, but no SUPERSTOREs.<br /><br />I would’ve clued 54d as yeah baby and former desperate housewife DANA Delaney.<br /><br /><br />Nothing really “wrong” here, just seemed kinda plain, but I’m fine with it all. IMDONE.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6117246464281493672016-09-24T11:45:09.853-04:002016-09-24T11:45:09.853-04:00A couple of pleasant memories ENSUED from doing to...A couple of pleasant memories ENSUED from doing today's puzzle. While in England with the service, a friend and I decided to ride a train to Wales (absolutely beautiful!) and return via a boat ride on the Thames. Oh, not, like, a guided tour: he said we'd have no trouble finding an old rowboat, people were always leaving them sitting around. I'm still amazed at the things I let myself get talked into in those days. Anyway, we "found" (cue J.J. Evans) one and actually rowed right through HENLEY, and visited Windsor Castle (again, enchantingly beautiful). Quite a weekend.<br /><br />The other memory--and man am I dating myself!--is a ride in the RUMBLESEAT of a Buick Roadster when I was a kid. All the openness of a motorcycle on four wheels! YAYS!<br /><br />Had a little trouble with 1-across until I noticed that "seal" wasn't capitalized. Heh heh. And that "Usual Suspects" thing eluded me for way too long: it was just MEN, DUH! The Dutch krONE had to become LEONE (?), I guess something newer, never heard of it. And SENSing went to SENSATE. So I wouldn't call it easy-medium, maybe just plain medium.<br /><br />I don't understand OFL's criteria for "exciting" fill, except that it has to be current. I think perhaps he's terrified of growing old, and is bent on freshness in everything. It's all AGERELATED. Sorry, dude, you're turning into us. It will happen. The alternative...well, we won't discuss that. Anyway, for me, fill is exciting if it jogs good memories, so on that score I have to call this one a rousing success. Touchdown--but he bricked the extra point: let us not play Battleship on our crossword grids, please. We have exotic beauty IONE Skye for the DOD. See ya tomorrow.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8472747060748573272016-09-24T11:44:24.057-04:002016-09-24T11:44:24.057-04:00ANTE DILLY PREVUE
TODAY I’m WISETO the fact that ...ANTE DILLY PREVUE<br /><br />TODAY I’m WISETO the fact that I’m WARTy,<br />IMDONE taking NEEDLES that I’m portly.<br />INTHISWAY the MEN that I DEW<br />are those that I SAYYESTO,<br />it’s APT that IMAX out at ONEINFORTY.<br /><br />--- IMELDA MERINO-NAPOLITANO<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52096038012253219042016-09-23T21:51:10.984-04:002016-09-23T21:51:10.984-04:00@Lefty from yesterday - One of the things I apprec...@Lefty from yesterday - One of the things I appreciate about Syndielanders is their honesty about completion vs. dnfing. <br /><br />Lady DiDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21689707080369385602016-08-21T19:27:33.017-04:002016-08-21T19:27:33.017-04:00@Nancy - They get the appellation "anonymouse...@Nancy - They get the appellation "anonymouse" for a reason. Here's the thing, if I discover that someone's posts consistently don't appeal to me I manage to skip right past them without anyone knowing I did so. As far as I'm concerned, you're fine. Now, if Rex takes umbrage, that's a different story.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48469017147999626492016-08-20T19:10:09.090-04:002016-08-20T19:10:09.090-04:00@jberg, 72? Forget about it, you're still a yo...@jberg, 72? Forget about it, you're still a youngster!!<br /><br />@AliasZ, the Warlock capriccio (?) was bewitching, if somewhat marked by athetoid movements. Perhaps they were expressing the musical mood IN THIS WAY. I hope @Fred Romanogla caught the CarUSO TOUR: I remember he's a very big fan. I'm fond of the Neapolitan myself -- you get not only the vanilla, but the strawberry <i>and</i> the cioccolata too!<br /><br />Mmmmm...Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69706911774121742672016-08-20T18:24:09.933-04:002016-08-20T18:24:09.933-04:00Sorry, Anon. When someone here goes to the time a...Sorry, Anon. When someone here goes to the time and trouble to offer me advice, sympathy, a delightful joke, a compliment, a puzzle they think I'd like, or any other friendly, good-natured banter, I think it's only polite to respond. In fact, I think it would be <i>rude</i> not to. That's just the way I was brought up. But you're in luck. I'm running out to dinner now, and I <i>am</i> turning off my computer. Enjoy the rest of the evening.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65383322970690889322016-08-20T17:17:17.273-04:002016-08-20T17:17:17.273-04:00"La mer" is feminine, while "azur&q..."La mer" is feminine, while "azur" is masculine. The correct answer should be "azurE"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02952153924155187789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56001612703731315432016-08-20T17:09:51.776-04:002016-08-20T17:09:51.776-04:00Solved entire puzzle with my daughter. We put with...Solved entire puzzle with my daughter. We put with great confidence ELI MANNING for 25D as the first. Then we tried to force DAN MARINO only to finally realize that JOE MONTANA fits the bill. Shows you how much I know about football. I liked the puzzle very much. Lots of aha moments when you get the answers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75580422508659453152016-08-20T16:54:19.497-04:002016-08-20T16:54:19.497-04:00Why do similar clues often show up in ensuing days...Why do similar clues often show up in ensuing days--viz. "merino"? Dolgohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881395438982320077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68238118865170560282016-08-20T16:32:42.907-04:002016-08-20T16:32:42.907-04:00Very tough for me. I just stared at the NE for th...Very tough for me. I just stared at the NE for the longest time. Just came home from 2 weeks upstate, where the only NY papers I could get were the News and the Post. Two lovely weeks, but where did The Times go? (I only solve on paper). Enjoyed yesterday's a lot, and found it easier than this one.<br /><br />For one thing, my sports fan persona overpowered my inner scientist, and for "Lightning in his hand" I was looking for a pitcher, or a tennis player. I don't like the clue for IMAX, "tall tale producer"? Because it is a tall screen? Boo! Had I not been familiar with Henley, I don't think I would have finished. Metal stamp? Art board? I don't like the clue for Bet on either. Believe in? Bah! How about "Support," or the easier "Back in Vegas"? Sure, it is Saturday, and I understand that "You can bet on it" justifies the clue, but iI don't care for it at all. <br /><br />But I finished!! B- OISKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808675378318214461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15668026425134263352016-08-20T16:30:59.786-04:002016-08-20T16:30:59.786-04:00OK. That's your 6th comment. Turn off your com...OK. That's your 6th comment. Turn off your computer now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6834682064554911092016-08-20T16:23:07.653-04:002016-08-20T16:23:07.653-04:00@Anon 3:57 -- That's too funny! This morning,...@Anon 3:57 -- That's too funny! This morning, I found Delia's email contact info and wrote her a letter of commiseration of a sort -- telling her that she had it easy, that she only lost her Internet connection, whereas I lost both my Internet AND my landline and that I had no cell phone and no way of communicating with the outside world. I also told her that I had filed a blistering complaint with the NY State A/G's office, for all the good it will probably do. Wonder if Delia will get back to me?<br /><br />I might well have written a Letter to the Editor at the NYT instead of writing Delia directly, but it turns out I already have a Letter to the Editor -- on a totally unrelated subject -- appearing early next week. You can only get one letter in the paper every six weeks, so it would have been pointless to write again at this time. I really, really hope, though, that Delia's Op Ed will goose other people who've had horrible experiences with Verizon to chime in. The more light that is shone on their outrageous operation, the better!!! Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61346036790332885572016-08-20T15:57:14.492-04:002016-08-20T15:57:14.492-04:00@All - I think I've decoded @Nancy's true ...@All - I think I've decoded @Nancy's true identity: she's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/opinion/love-and-hate-on-hold-with-verizon.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region" rel="nofollow">Delia Ephron</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78364648698159153772016-08-20T15:55:36.536-04:002016-08-20T15:55:36.536-04:00Thanks, George B and thanks JC66...I think. I not...Thanks, George B and thanks JC66...I think. I not only linked to that Mark Diehl puzzle, but I solved it online, cursing at the computer screen the whole time. I was putting in Across answers where I was trying to put in Down answers, and vice versa and I <i>could not for the life of me</i> control the process. Grrrr. But at least George made it possible for me to solve online in the first place, which usually doesn't happen with online puzzles, so for that I'm very grateful. It must have taken me a full hour to solve, hunched over tensely and sullenly at my desk, and erasing more letters than I was putting in because of my enormous difficulty manipulating the tech. I see the marked similarities to today's puzzle, but it was still mostly very different. And I thought it was much, <i>much</i> harder than the puzzle today, though I'm wondering how much of it was due to the frustration of the process. I DON'T KNOW HOW ANY OF YOU CAN SOLVE PUZZLES ONLINE, I REALLY DON'T.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26051868787137545382016-08-20T15:30:59.563-04:002016-08-20T15:30:59.563-04:00Medium to medium-hard for me.
I truly do not und...Medium to medium-hard for me. <br /><br />I truly do not understand the criticism of today's puzzle. "Improvised" is a bad thing for a crossword puzzle answer to be? How the hell could it be anything else?<br /><br />gpo<br />GPOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15269293782984698915noreply@blogger.com