tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4224279681955223037..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: THURSDAY, May 1, 2008 - Jim Leeds (HYSTERICAL HEN OF FABLE)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47348586917744483112008-06-13T18:07:00.000-04:002008-06-13T18:07:00.000-04:00@ Luchenchan:And the number of US constructors who...@ Luchenchan:<BR/><BR/>And the number of US constructors who know ANY Urdu or Lithuanian is probably .... In Monty Python phraseology .... nearly ONE.<BR/><BR/>But an interesting thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49230600915815484792008-06-13T15:37:00.000-04:002008-06-13T15:37:00.000-04:00I always love rebuses. Fun to discover. I had STic...I always love rebuses. Fun to discover. I had STick to start what ended up STEELY and was very pleased when discovered STEELY. <BR/><BR/>I think there are too many STICKs in this puzzle. If more than one stick let stick be the theme. If ICK is the theme, one stick is the limit, sez I.<BR/><BR/>My general beef: I am fluent in four languages, have extensive knowledge of other two. French does not happen to be one of them. If we have to have so many French and Spanish answers, could they not be clued a little more humanely? Or conversely, why not have Urdu or Lithuanian answers? That would chastise the francophiles.luchenchanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09908180733803005826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66447678417437715132008-06-12T15:01:00.000-04:002008-06-12T15:01:00.000-04:006weekslater:A good Thursday for me. I caught the r...6weekslater:<BR/>A good Thursday for me. I caught the rebus nearly right away when 11D had to be CH[ICK]EN something or other. Last fill for me was TISCH/CHE cross, but I finished with no errors and no lookups (only recently even started attempting Thursdays)<BR/><BR/>I need help with the rebuses, though. I recall someone (jannieb?) saying use the Insert key to enter multiple letters in Across Lite, but that doesn't seem to work for me. Can anyone help? I am using v1.2aembienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01991001167394653649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50093729150721956322008-06-12T13:20:00.000-04:002008-06-12T13:20:00.000-04:00I got carried away with the "icks" and had "stick ...I got carried away with the "icks" and had "stick to" for 19 down for some time. Also, I guess the SST crossed the ATL and not the IDL. Did poorly with the French in the corner, too. Otherwise, a fun puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55731234193201838232008-06-12T09:46:00.000-04:002008-06-12T09:46:00.000-04:00Urey (54=D) was a gimme (right in the center of th...Urey (54=D) was a gimme (right in the center of the strike zone!) - I met him in 1965 @ UCSD. (Also Stanley Miller, actually.) Another gimme was Ezra (13D) - I started my teaching career at Cornell. 4D ST_S was my entry into the rebus - I was trying to think (17A)of a Dickens character Mr. P_W_ and having no luck - stICKs got me pICKwICK by the cross. I then found I had filled up to almost every rebus square without seeing the rebus. I need to be more attentive to the possibility - thanks for the day-of-the-week tip, Rex et al. <BR/><BR/>@Zach M. - My very tall daughter once lent a dress to a friend. He never did give it back, even though she asked him several times....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25097421384455670732008-05-08T12:41:00.000-04:002008-05-08T12:41:00.000-04:00Until I found that it didn't fit with other answer...Until I found that it didn't fit with other answers, I thought FREE SOILER was the answer for the <BR/>1850s abolitionist.biomedliveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14856043954506656355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56270082655283796602008-05-02T19:50:00.000-04:002008-05-02T19:50:00.000-04:00I had LAST DREG! SO it gave me "Deaf as A GOAT" f...I had LAST DREG! SO it gave me "Deaf as A GOAT" for quite awhile. Baaaaah. Not to mention IDL and SEEMAS...student's declare their TIMER?<BR/>ACK ACK ACK.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61788976579857863082008-05-01T23:04:00.000-04:002008-05-01T23:04:00.000-04:00Thanks Seth G for further data observation, re Reb...Thanks Seth G for further data observation, re Rebi. <BR/><BR/>Yet think of a baseball writer describing a tense two-out situation with two on and a man at third with a count two and two to an English audience?fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9416038334720507372008-05-01T22:04:00.000-04:002008-05-01T22:04:00.000-04:00Stats: Note that the trend is toward more Thursday...Stats: <BR/>Note that the trend is toward more Thursdays--over the last five years, for example, it's about 50% Thursdays, 30% Sundays, 20% other. (And this pattern holds if you look over various periods up to five years.)<BR/><BR/>Cricket:<BR/>In Australia for The Ashes, a biennial challenge series against England, I saw the following in the newspaper:<BR/><BR/><I>Flintoff's endeavor was rewarded with Hayden's scalp when the opener got the best delivery of the morning, a searing leg-cutter that pitched about leg stump, lifted and cut away to force him to edge an easy catch to slip.</I><BR/><BR/>I recognized all the words, but (even as an avid North American sports fan) it took me much of my trip to understand what they meant together.SethGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13753036404140901368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28344881311413901612008-05-01T22:02:00.000-04:002008-05-01T22:02:00.000-04:00Ulrich: Close. Rubbed with olive oil and Dutch chi...Ulrich: Close. Rubbed with olive oil and Dutch chicken spices from the Dutch Store in Norwalk, with about 6 cloves of garlic, half an onion and a quartered lemon inside. 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, then 45 minutes at 350: you want to do the crisping early on. Then let it sit for at least 10minutes before carving. We'll pick at (ha, ha) the leftovers tomorrow, then the carcass goes into a pot with onion, carrot, celery and (again) a Dutch bouquet garni (ha, ha) and filtered water to make a wonderful stock.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16974162835180901872008-05-01T21:48:00.000-04:002008-05-01T21:48:00.000-04:00@mac: Hmm--Let me guess: Rubbed with olive oil, ga...@mac: Hmm--Let me guess: Rubbed with olive oil, garlic and herbs and roasted slowly until the end, where high heat creates a CRISPY skin--right?Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81114334665375510092008-05-01T21:40:00.000-04:002008-05-01T21:40:00.000-04:00Talley:Sunday 61Thursday 62= 123/161 38% eachM 2T ...Talley:<BR/><BR/>Sunday 61<BR/>Thursday 62<BR/><BR/><BR/>= 123/161 <BR/><BR/>38% each<BR/><BR/><BR/>M 2<BR/>T 3<BR/>W 11<BR/>F 14<BR/>S 8<BR/><BR/>Note Friday almost 10% of total<BR/><BR/>(= 38/161)fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34026506713502246462008-05-01T21:38:00.000-04:002008-05-01T21:38:00.000-04:00Blogger jannieb, Right on 2 counts. Spelled heave...Blogger jannieb, <BR/><BR/>Right on 2 counts. Spelled heavenly wrong ant it is Maxwell house that is good to the LASTDROP.<BR/><BR/>I should be banned....<BR/><BR/>Have I mentioned the plot line from Lathe of Heaven?dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42736492754095433162008-05-01T21:09:00.000-04:002008-05-01T21:09:00.000-04:00Thanks Orange. I think I'll toss the data in to E...Thanks Orange. I think I'll toss the data in to Excel, and let the machine sort it out. Quick 'eyeballing' makes me guess the answers lie somewhere in between.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25983327557613679522008-05-01T20:58:00.000-04:002008-05-01T20:58:00.000-04:00Fergus, I'm thinking it's closer to 90% Thursday, ...Fergus, I'm thinking it's closer to 90% Thursday, 8% Sunday, and 2% other days. If you want to calculate the percentages yourself, see <A HREF="http://www.xwordinfo.com/Rebus.aspx" REL="nofollow">Jim H's rebus puzzle page</A>. There are about 150 of 'em and I'm not in the mood to count the days.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-965954160772834222008-05-01T20:35:00.000-04:002008-05-01T20:35:00.000-04:00Rex, if you don't put artlvr's public service anno...Rex, if you don't put artlvr's public service announcement in the weekly wrap-up I'm not sure I can continue to support this site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9168931034668108102008-05-01T20:30:00.000-04:002008-05-01T20:30:00.000-04:00Very funny, Ulrich, my kitchen smell2 of roasted c...Very funny, Ulrich, my kitchen smell2 of roasted chicken as I comment......<BR/><BR/>To my surprise even my lowly A-Z Crossword Dictionary shows the word as "moni(c)ker).<BR/><BR/>Rex, thanks so much for the cat video, all my friends and relatives send me this sort of thing because they know I enjoy them a lot.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17143351887254029682008-05-01T20:15:00.000-04:002008-05-01T20:15:00.000-04:00Got BAMBA ELROY at once and that presented me with...Got BAMBA ELROY at once and that presented me with MR - - - - at 17A. I know a little Dickens and MRP(ick)W(ick) came to mind. I immediately scanned the puzzle looking for a clue to the theme and found it at 38A and the whole thing fell in short order.<BR/><BR/>JAE, no, you shouldn't feel bad about your body of knowledge any more than say, Rex, should feel bad about his areas of expertise. Rex describes clues in English lit as "over the plate" for him. Others who have knowledge of architecture, geography or politics accept those kinds of clues as gimmes and move on. I certainly am not embarrassed by knowing who Walter ALSTON is.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I don't feel superior to others for knowing it either.<BR/><BR/>I speak a little French and have a smattering of Latin but I always find clues like <B>WHO:It.</B> or <B>SPANISH PRONOUN</B> to be frustrating: three- or four-letter-words full of interchangeable vowels.<BR/><BR/>It's funny, but UREY is one of those <B>XWORD GIMMES</B> that I have known for years: Once I get the U or Y . . .Bill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77851410493122015952008-05-01T20:04:00.000-04:002008-05-01T20:04:00.000-04:00This one fell into place very quICKly today, from ...This one fell into place very quICKly today, from Walt ALSTON to the LAST DROP. I wonder if he was ever the pitchman for Folger's coffee?<BR/><BR/>I don't think I saw it mentioned but a STICKY WICKET is a good situation for the batsman in Cricket, but not so good for the bowler. To take a wicket in cricket is like an out in baseball. The flyouts are the same; groundouts are similar to being run out; and a strike out is analogous to knocking the little bit of wood off the three stumps behind the batsman. If it's prone to staying there, the batsman gets to stick around. <BR/><BR/>It took a while, but I got to quite enjoy cricket when I lived in England -- never quite as much as baseball, though.<BR/><BR/>As Doc John said, any time spent at UCSD leads to a familiarity with Dr. UREY. His name is all over the place. Maybe they even have a college named after him now?<BR/><BR/>I would guess the distribution of Rebuses would be about 60% Thursday, 30% Sunday and the remaining 10% on the odd Wednesday or Friday. This is probably similar to what Rex meant -- I wonder whether the great information hound, of reddish yellow hue, might know the precise historical percentages?fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15358987075942235102008-05-01T19:43:00.000-04:002008-05-01T19:43:00.000-04:00For all who haven't had enough of chickens yet: Th...For all who haven't had enough of chickens yet: The bonus puzzle by Fred Piscop the NYT offers is titled "Spring Chicken" and contains the most theme answers I have ever seen in a puzzle--after doing it, you will definitely be sick of chicken in all of its forms.<BR/><BR/>Since there are so many theme answers, the answers are generally short, which makes for an easy romp (but not for those who can't stand chicken)Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38055987889418069962008-05-01T19:26:00.000-04:002008-05-01T19:26:00.000-04:00I enjoyed this puzzle and didn't find it hard. But...I enjoyed this puzzle and didn't find it hard. But I wasn't happy about "monicker" and kept wanting to write in either "henny penny" or "chicken little." Glad to see that I am not alone.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58305489514664571052008-05-01T19:20:00.000-04:002008-05-01T19:20:00.000-04:00Can't get this out of my mind after 18 across: Dro...Can't get this out of my mind after 18 across:<A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO5Y1OuQIxo " REL="nofollow"> Drop Kick me Jesus.</A>Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07466240197659721721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76610537719079909462008-05-01T19:02:00.000-04:002008-05-01T19:02:00.000-04:00When I was a kid, I got a toy with Cap'n Crunch bo...When I was a kid, I got a toy with Cap'n Crunch box tops called a STICKY WICKET. That's how I learned the term. For years I had no idea what it meant!Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58816073722428495672008-05-01T18:48:00.000-04:002008-05-01T18:48:00.000-04:00This is why I read this blog: I knew sticky wicket...This is why I read this blog: I knew sticky wicket, but I had vaguely assumed that it has to do with candles that would not burn because they had a sticky wick(et) : )<BR/><BR/>When Mac said it has something to do with cricket I checked it out, and sure enough, wicket is some sort of cricket surface. Who knew? <BR/><BR/>I agree with the objection to breadsticks as appetizers-- not even close!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75736492368110674022008-05-01T18:16:00.000-04:002008-05-01T18:16:00.000-04:00Wade, thanks. I'll probably get in touch with you...Wade, thanks. I'll probably get in touch with you when my semester is over. Arrrr.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com