tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3969927253516578680..comments2024-03-28T18:12:10.683-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Mythical king of huns / WED 4-16-14 / Yellowstone bugler / Cuddly sci-fi creature / What scientists use to predict rates of chemical reactions / Arkansas footballers informallyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60490133763568871782014-05-22T11:07:40.638-04:002014-05-22T11:07:40.638-04:00I don't usually have to sleep on a Wednesday p...I don't usually have to sleep on a Wednesday puzzle in order to finish it, but then I don't usually start them at 9:00pm after a couple of stiff drinks. Havint ets for one side in a close encounter blocked the NW corner until clear eyes in the morning spotted their UFO hovering there.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47362569214011735092014-05-21T21:09:30.628-04:002014-05-21T21:09:30.628-04:00Not quite sure why but Brits, Aussies and we Canuc...Not quite sure why but Brits, Aussies and we Canucks spell the 71A type of STORY as STOREY which caused me considerable (OH)BOTHER in the SW.<br /><br />Enjoyed the theme though, like @Rex, was puzzled how THEORY managed to get aboard 28A.<br /><br />Mini wordladder: ECO, EDO, ODOWaxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61118550337077963152014-05-21T17:45:32.460-04:002014-05-21T17:45:32.460-04:00How is it that a grid with OKIE in it can have a c...How is it that a grid with OKIE in it can have a clue of "Oklahoma Indian" in it? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20938122695041205042014-05-21T14:25:45.100-04:002014-05-21T14:25:45.100-04:00@Questina made me laugh out loud.
aniMAL instinct...@Questina made me laugh out loud. <br />aniMAL instinct made the NW the last to fall.<br />With a blank puzzle I wrote in TIPOFTHEICEBERG. Easiest wedpuz ever.<br />MAG wheels should have been clued with "abrev."<br />I had a warped childhood never having read Pooh, Charlotte, et.al.<br />I did read all the Walter Farley books, though.<br /><br />Capcha: Warrior ketsupon. Instead of paintball you use a Heinz condiment? Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11379931297390445962014-05-21T14:24:18.625-04:002014-05-21T14:24:18.625-04:00It's Wednesday, and this seemed as good a Wedn...It's Wednesday, and this seemed as good a Wednesday puzzle as any. Didn't get caught in the "leap" trap because I always check the Down clue before "leaping in", and that indicated JAY. Is there any three letter bird starting with L? Never heard of COLLISIONTHEORY, but it sort of filled itself, and as for that ATLI character, I just go with whatever spelling the present constructor has used. Thought the semi-theme was cute, and didn't see the connection until I got to the disaster itself. Thumbs up!<br /><br />I think all the extra Captcha numbers must have spilled over to me. I have eight numbers: three 4's, two 9's, two 8's, and a leftover 2. Those on the short end are welcome to borrow some.DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8564850589521415122014-05-21T13:18:54.161-04:002014-05-21T13:18:54.161-04:00I found nothing offensive about this puzzle, and I...I found nothing offensive about this puzzle, and I thought that the four themers worked well together. As a former Senior Chemistry teacher, I taught COLLISION THEORY as a useful way to explain why certain conditions affect the rate of a chemical reaction, if not accurately predict it. <br /><br />"Leap tall buildings in a single JUMP", isn't as colourful as the original, but it works. <br /><br />It seems that @Rex cannot judge the difficulty of a puzzle unless he times himself. Well, I am perfectly capable of that judgement without timing. I rule. This puzzle was easy/medium.<br /><br />I too have a three number capcha, but it has a pair of 6's.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32975987639584853232014-05-21T11:52:27.440-04:002014-05-21T11:52:27.440-04:00A filter, a filter, my kingdom for a filter! HOW D...A filter, a filter, my kingdom for a filter! HOW DOES THIS JUNK GET THROUGH??? We beat ourselves over the head trying to decipher illegible captchas, and for WHAT?? I WANT SOME ANSWERS! I am SICK of this S * * T!!!!!<br /><br />Ah, I feel better now. Someone saw "TITANIC" and was...underwhelmed? What would it take to impress you--being in the real thing? Bet THAT'd grab your attention. Although I agree this was easy, it did have a certain off-center feel--like "Bound" for JUMP, etc. I definitely felt the transition from early-week to weekend, cluing-wise, so it's perfectly positioned in the Wedensday slot.<br /><br />I don't share OFL's disdain for this one. At least the revealer clue doesn't contain "...or a hint to the [starts/ends] of {#, #, # and #]-across." So, "THEORY" doesn't fell like it belongs. Picky, picky. And the fill is not that awful. One reason I don't even try to construct is that I don't have alligator skin, apparently a prerequisite.<br /><br />"Phantom rough on roughnecks." [Old jungle saying.]<br /><br />What, now my captcha is one three-digit number? NO WONDER the Indonesian hordes invade!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40449742286846280672014-04-16T22:01:31.043-04:002014-04-16T22:01:31.043-04:00This 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 5:45, 6:04, 0.95, 25%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 7:04, 8:32, 0.83, 5%, Easy (11th lowest ratio of 227 Tuesdays)<br />Wed 9:04, 9:54, 0.92, 30%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:42, 3:58, 0.93, 17%, Easy<br />Tue 4:27, 5:11, 0.86, 7%, Easy<br />Wed 5:36, 6:11, 0.91, 26%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62747622378086582632014-04-16T19:09:49.706-04:002014-04-16T19:09:49.706-04:00The TIP OF THE ICEBERG is above water, right? So ...The TIP OF THE ICEBERG is above water, right? So I'm not sure how a COLLISION there would result in the TITANIC sinking. I've always heard/seen/read that the COLLISION occurred <i>below</i> the water line.Anoa Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16185183023273883700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39065776836248084412014-04-16T18:33:14.259-04:002014-04-16T18:33:14.259-04:00@NCA Pres. - Is there a musical in addition to The...@NCA Pres. - Is there a musical in addition to The Unsinkable Molly Brown?<br /> <br />@Questina - Me too for MAgi. Did a head slap when I remembered it was plural.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51452677073367797512014-04-16T16:11:54.506-04:002014-04-16T16:11:54.506-04:00MAG wheels is short for magnesium wheels, an alloy...MAG wheels is short for magnesium wheels, an alloy wheel. Car buffs always call them MAG wheels. I have never heard anyone use magnesium when referring to them.<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy_wheel<br />"...earlier aluminum alloy wheels were quite brittle, and as light alloy wheels at the time that were often made of magnesium and referred to as "mags" these early wheel failures were later attributed to magnesium's low ductility, when in many instances these wheels were poorly cast aluminum alloy wheels."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27842693413838748412014-04-16T16:06:55.855-04:002014-04-16T16:06:55.855-04:00I love Rex. His rants make me laugh.
My husband a...I love Rex. His rants make me laugh.<br />My husband and I finished the puzzle and he said, "Rex isn't going to like this." I asked why, and he came up the exact reason Rex did not like it. COLLISION THEORY is not related to or relevant to the Titanic.<br />I read him Rex's remarks and he said, "I didn't think he'd hate it that much."<br />He hated ATLI too.<br />I hated UKE cluing. A Maui music maker is a Ukulele--unless it is informal or "for short." Sloppy.<br />SET for TV - I get it but I don't like it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78276649762593970732014-04-16T15:39:32.482-04:002014-04-16T15:39:32.482-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Wed 9:04, 9:54, 0.92, 30%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Wed 6:00, 6:11, 0.97, 40%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11968491161034671042014-04-16T15:22:18.494-04:002014-04-16T15:22:18.494-04:00@Daw-Gun welcome!!!@Daw-Gun welcome!!!chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87260081870261172002014-04-16T15:18:35.989-04:002014-04-16T15:18:35.989-04:00Been lurking for a while but finally decided to ju...Been lurking for a while but finally decided to jump in to start sharing the joys and woes of the NYT puzzles.<br /><br />Really liked the theme here with NE, SW, and SE filling in fast. NW was a holdout with the same aniMAL mistake -- had to erase all my entries in that corner and get a second set of eyes. Also, didn't know OSAGE and had double naticks where it crossed ELS and GAS -- needed Google for that one.<br /><br />So after so much easy fun, had to give in to search. Overall still a fun puzzle.DAW-GUNhttps://soundcloud.com/daw-gunnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43480455244296714832014-04-16T15:01:53.488-04:002014-04-16T15:01:53.488-04:00Just yesterday I read a front page interesting art...Just yesterday I read a front page interesting article about a family (all intact and third class passengers) who survived the TITANIC disaster.<br />I'm wondering if the women-and- children-first rule still applies...Maybe I'll ask Captain Schettino of the Costa Concordia.<br />I liked the puzzle. Starting with JUMP and ending with NEXT.....!<br />GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81304327550507682152014-04-16T13:00:15.999-04:002014-04-16T13:00:15.999-04:00@rex -- second day in a row you called the puzzle ...@rex -- second day in a row you called the puzzle more difficult than it is. Surely by now you have an instinct as to the difficulty of a puzzle aside from how long it takes you to do it on the computer.<br /><br />I'm fine with the theme -- it's a loose retelling of the story in order, the leaving on it's first trip, then a collision with the tip of an iceberg, and finally the headline. That's good enough for a crossword puzzle, I believe.<br /><br />I liked the clue for BOSTON. Easy for Wednesday but got the brain rolling...<br /><br />And no, bloviation and @Q do not belong in the same sentence.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21557983072760598192014-04-16T11:40:53.375-04:002014-04-16T11:40:53.375-04:00ANIMAL here; it was AFAR that saved me; for "...ANIMAL here; it was AFAR that saved me; for "lumber" I visualized a large body moving, but lobe & core fixed that; got TITANICSINKS right off; anyone remember the old Clifton Webb - Barbara Stanwyck movie? The two hair clues were good. Asiago is becoming a permanent fixture. Ecu and ecru on either side was nice. If anything Brit in the clue, I spell litre. I think of EGAD as more likely to be said by a man, and GOODNESS GRACIOUS by a woman.Fred Romagnolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11994837736408182418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7147379513047539972014-04-16T11:39:00.439-04:002014-04-16T11:39:00.439-04:00Liked this one very much, even though I typically ...Liked this one very much, even though I typically "pooh" at Winnie clues. I still do use the term "collision theory" when I teach kinetics. How does he drive in the winning run in the Star Wars World Series?----Ewoks with the bases loaded...thanks for a nice Wed. Puzzle, Michael.OISKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808675378318214461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57853603621174343692014-04-16T11:38:18.920-04:002014-04-16T11:38:18.920-04:00@Carola - Thanks for the link to the Atlakviða. C...@Carola - Thanks for the link to the Atlakviða. Can't wait to see the Disney version! ;>)Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85846646823203316752014-04-16T11:32:11.288-04:002014-04-16T11:32:11.288-04:00@Z - Don't care when you apologize, but you go...@Z - Don't care when you apologize, but you gotta apologize. That was just awful.<br /><br />So we spent about 15 minutes on this one, 10 minutes in the NW and 5 on the rest. We fell into the anIMAL trap, then corrected thanks to the gimme leaP. Yikes. Finally remembered the annoying blue JAY who hangs in our backyard all summer and finished the puzz.<br /><br />In spite of the fun of the above misdirection we come down with Rex on this one, worn theme, just not a lot of fun - although OHBOTHER was terrific, especially on the same page as ROO.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40602871495949702602014-04-16T11:27:35.903-04:002014-04-16T11:27:35.903-04:00I don't see COLLISIONTHEORY as the "outli...I don't see COLLISIONTHEORY as the "outlier" suggested by Rex. Over the years there have been myriad theories of, not the nature of the disaster (seems to be general consensus that the ship hit an iceberg), but why the ship's supposedly "unsinkable" design failed, why so many lives were lost, et alia. So, for me, the clue fit perfectly with the rest of the theme.<br /><br />Anyone else have eureka before IDIDIT? Otherwise, pretty zippy, fun puzzle. Oh...hand up for MAgi before MARY.lawprofnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67228834718430586742014-04-16T11:23:36.273-04:002014-04-16T11:23:36.273-04:00@Questina - Far more likely me than you.@Questina - Far more likely me than you.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66449039172768537372014-04-16T11:17:37.317-04:002014-04-16T11:17:37.317-04:00I think Mr. Dewey needs to be cut some slack which...I think Mr. Dewey needs to be cut some slack which Rex won't give. The explanation of “why now for this puzzle” can be found in Wordplay. As for the theme, I view three of the theme answers as common expressions and the headline TITANIC SINKS as more of a reveal how they are all tied together. I agree that as a tribute it is a tad weak, which explains why the actual tribute was published on the centennial.<br /><br />JFCJFCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65813475733600605592014-04-16T10:59:40.474-04:002014-04-16T10:59:40.474-04:00Had leaP for 1A. PRIMAL followed instantly, since ...Had leaP for 1A. PRIMAL followed instantly, since the P was right even though leaP was actually JUMP. Luck thus helped me past the anIMAL roadblock.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.com