tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4268737095379367514..comments2024-03-29T07:01:08.827-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Bygone laborer — FRIDAY, Nov. 13 2009 — Item-concealing shoplifting aid / NFL'er Olsen Toler / Port near Ogre / Kale kin / Debt disregarders slangilyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16120029514666734162010-01-22T10:59:22.758-05:002010-01-22T10:59:22.758-05:00My first time commenting. I started a "weeke...My first time commenting. I started a "weekender" subscription to the Times a couple of months ago and have really started getting into the puzzles. I find this blog a great resource for explaining obscure clues/answers (and so far have been able to resist peeking until I'm done).<br /><br />This puzzle was quite a hard one for me - got the paper & puzzle on Nov 13, and I just finished it! Some of the clues did seem quite obscure. The thing that prompted me to write in today was (were?) the many postings in response to OLEO. I DO like the associated clue (though it took some time to get the answer). Yes, it's uncommon to see an OLEO stick out at restaurants - that's what causes it to STICK OUT when it happens! No?<br /><br />I look forward many future stick outs.Michael Crowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04934257511260403822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22744416133051589712009-12-20T13:53:10.750-05:002009-12-20T13:53:10.750-05:00"Their" is the plural form for "its..."Their" is the plural form for "its".Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08491852040969338431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56832721376107263722009-12-19T00:54:36.994-05:002009-12-19T00:54:36.994-05:0066A: I object to the pronoun "their" ref...66A: I object to the pronoun "their" referring to $10 bills. Shouldn't that be an "its"? Based on the usage of "their", I figured it couldn't be "TENS" ...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00866256824760580920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75791242883085299902009-12-18T15:34:29.361-05:002009-12-18T15:34:29.361-05:00hey, i also started with OU LA!!hey, i also started with OU LA!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17711176604258962982009-12-18T14:41:06.636-05:002009-12-18T14:41:06.636-05:00From syndication:
Wow, I would have rather comment...From syndication:<br />Wow, I would have rather commented on yesterday (which I liked but the comment link was blocked for some reason) than on today, which was a nasty little puzzle. I also had a lot of trouble with the cluing which was just mean, and sometimes obscure to the point of ridiculous. I did finish it, and correctly, but had to Google two answers: the Care Bears (which arrived on the scene just as my youngest had reached an age that they weren't interesting) and NYU. Thought the non-PC welcher was spelled welsher, which slowed me up. Had ah me instead of OH ME. Thought the shop lifting thing started with 'loose' for a long, long time. Had 'et al.' for ALII for a while, but decided that the upper and lower baseball thing had to be HALF, so went first to 'alia', then finally to ALII. <br /><br />I thought ENG referred to English class as the place where students spend time reading.Singernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43610475819015682282009-11-16T17:33:55.499-05:002009-11-16T17:33:55.499-05:00I don't know if anyone is still reading this 3...I don't know if anyone is still reading this 3 days later, but in the paper version of the NYT puzzle, there was on the very same page an ad for <i>That Evening Sun</i>, naming, of course, its lead actor: Hal HOLBROOK.<br /><br />Not that I noticed at the time or until much later.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10162956652542148432009-11-14T10:11:54.584-05:002009-11-14T10:11:54.584-05:00Taffy was a Welshman
Taffy was a thief
Taffy came ...Taffy was a Welshman<br />Taffy was a thief<br />Taffy came to my house<br />And stole a leg of beef.<br />I went to Taffy's house<br />Taffy wasn't home.<br />I returned the compliment<br />And stole a marrow bone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11289545867534993822009-11-14T00:05:02.350-05:002009-11-14T00:05:02.350-05:00@Sue Ellen: Very funny comment.@Sue Ellen: Very funny comment.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83915944075215291852009-11-13T23:01:26.767-05:002009-11-13T23:01:26.767-05:00I'm Welsh, or at least I have a Welsh surname,...I'm Welsh, or at least I have a Welsh surname, and I have found that to be very convenient when I find myself on the losing side of a bet and refuse to pay up.Sue Ellen Llewellynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32444671065531294082009-11-13T22:32:38.976-05:002009-11-13T22:32:38.976-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> for an explanation. 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 6:19, 6:55, 0.91, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 7:40, 8:36, 0.89, 22%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 11:54, 11:47, 1.01, 58%, Medium<br />Thu 20:59, 18:33, 1.13, 80%, Challenging<br />Fri 28:26, 26:06, 1.09, 74%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:22, 3:41, 0.91, 24%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:05, 4:25, 0.92, 28%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 6:03, 5:47, 1.05, 69%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 11:14, 8:59, 1.25, 93%, Challenging<br />Fri 14:29, 12:27, 1.18, 85%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90822571266936703102009-11-13T22:16:03.859-05:002009-11-13T22:16:03.859-05:00I didn't find this particularly hard -- easier...I didn't find this particularly hard -- easier than yesterday for me. And I liked some of the answers -- gas guzzler, yellowbird, poster girl, "was an accountant" == narrated<br /><br />Of course, the puzzle also included oleo, elate, esne, and egad.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40700124456856527972009-11-13T21:58:51.640-05:002009-11-13T21:58:51.640-05:00@Andrea: is that whisky or whiskey?;-)@Andrea: is that whisky or whiskey?;-)machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87461100423521301012009-11-13T21:38:16.627-05:002009-11-13T21:38:16.627-05:00@miriam, mac!
Thanks for coming to my defense...bu...@miriam, mac!<br />Thanks for coming to my defense...but unnecessary!<br />glitch has now explained he was teasing me for commenting on "ten foot poles" as if it were yet another penis nickname!!!<br />Actually, very funny!<br /><br />But sweet of you to rise to the occasion (oy, glitch, you see, it never ends!)<br />It's like the folks who didn't get I was teasing about the Scotch<br />(Is if Scot or Scottish, how does one explain the term Scotch-Irish?!) when trying to explain the Welch/Welsh thing.<br /><br />All is well in nickname land<br />:)<br />Good night!andrea carla michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71141776425116345532009-11-13T21:30:45.326-05:002009-11-13T21:30:45.326-05:00@glitch: Andrea was just punning on my speculatio...@glitch: Andrea was just punning on my speculation as to whether some OLEO might be Kosher, and my statement that I wouldn't touch OLEO uith a ten-foot pole. I don't see how, in context, this could be deemed objectionable.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76212267902659145692009-11-13T20:29:28.405-05:002009-11-13T20:29:28.405-05:00@mac ... a great friend told me to read "When...@mac ... a great friend told me to read "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" and now I definitely will.<br /><br />I'm sick of hearing about PC. Let's just all say what we think hopefully with a good heart and a sense of humor.johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9561069193744046972009-11-13T19:39:50.645-05:002009-11-13T19:39:50.645-05:00@mac & @Andrea
Sorry I wasn't clear, the ...@mac & @Andrea<br /><br />Sorry I wasn't clear, the "nickname" I was referring to was at 1:48p just before "Catholic" ;-)<br /><br />OTOH, I look forward to variations of the "nom de blog"<br /><br />.../GlitchGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62260860653500003212009-11-13T19:31:23.694-05:002009-11-13T19:31:23.694-05:00Re 57D: yes, "Symphonie des" could also ...Re 57D: yes, "Symphonie des" could also be French, but "Grauens" makes it visibly Teutonic, especially with the final -s matching "des" — which I imagine Ulrich would identify as a genitive case ending.<br /><br />NDENoam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26468163581724920052009-11-13T19:25:17.596-05:002009-11-13T19:25:17.596-05:00I love the Welsh, they grow the largest, whitest l...I love the Welsh, they grow the largest, whitest leeks I have ever seen. I lived in England for two periods of several years, and I didn't notice a strong prejudice against the Welsh - against the Irish more so. It's a beautiful part of the country. Once we were there with my two sisters, and at a scenic lookout point we spoke Dutch. Some people came over and asked if this was Welsh! <br /><br />@Glitch: I like Andrea's nicknames!<br /><br />This afternoon my husband handed me David Sedaris's "When you are engulfed in flames" and had me read the chapter "Solution to Saturday's Puzzle". What a riot. I'm reading the whole book.<br /><br />@Ulrich: there you go!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60939433015991776372009-11-13T19:16:45.516-05:002009-11-13T19:16:45.516-05:00@Two Ponies: Get happy, transitive, as in "g...@Two Ponies: Get happy, transitive, as in "get (someone) happy." A little cute, yes, but of such angles are Friday puzzles born.<br /><br />Agreed with everyone ASTO ASTA. Always thought of ASTA ASA wire-haired terrier, perhaps an Airedale, but not a schnauzer. One of innumerable examples of a difference between well known movie(s) and the lesser-known book(s) from whence they came.<br /><br />My $.02 is that WELSH and WELCH are both acceptable, if not in this grid, then in that expression. Neither P.C., but both in the language.<br /><br />My band in high school was called Literary Schnauzer.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04754156636762779545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71059033441961270622009-11-13T19:07:31.700-05:002009-11-13T19:07:31.700-05:00I'm gonna side with the two different dictiona...I'm gonna side with the two different dictionaries I consulted, both of which say the origin of the verb 'welsh' is unknown. Lexicographers work their butts off to find the real origins of each word in the dictionary, so if they settle on 'unknown,' I'll believe it's unknown.<br /><br />I mentioned the "Will no one defend the Welsh against this insult?" comments here to a friend, who immediately slammed the Welsh for their overreliance on consonants. She's got a point. Down with the Welsh!Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49362006573611300192009-11-13T18:59:47.214-05:002009-11-13T18:59:47.214-05:00Being Jewish, I sometimes refer to myself in the t...Being Jewish, I sometimes refer to myself in the third person, humorously, as a "nice Jewish boy." And there are people, some IN MY OWN FAMILY, who resent my using that phrase because it reduces Jewish people to a stereotype that some people find offensive.<br /><br />Some people? When we reach the point, and it is fast approaching, where words can have one meaning and one meaning only, language will lose its abilty to be colorful and we will all be impoverished indeed. Thank you Ulrich for your usual insightful comment.Bill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1264164784440423912009-11-13T18:33:09.951-05:002009-11-13T18:33:09.951-05:00What I find most disconcerting about this discussi...What I find most disconcerting about this discussion about being PC in general and "welcher" in particular is that it points to the very real possibility of offending someone inadvertently: I have used the term "welcher", in jest (and not knowing how it was spelled), with someone who once did not pay when she had lost a bet--whenever she wants to bet again, I refuse and proclaim that I never bet with welchers. I had no idea where the term came from...now I know, and I wonder how often I may have offended someone out of ignorance, not out of malice. <br /><br />The lesson I take from this is that it may indeed be in order to loosen up a little on the PC side--I mean, there's a reason I called my blog KrautBlog...Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26242104392712616712009-11-13T18:18:57.861-05:002009-11-13T18:18:57.861-05:00sanfranman59: Perhaps I am differently abled, but ...sanfranman59: Perhaps I am differently abled, but it seems to me that every group, subgroup and subsubgroup (unto the least atom of humanity) is entitled to its own warm, secure corner among the cooling ashes of the hearth of civility, upon which we dare not tread for fear of giving offense.<br /><br />On the other hand, fuggeddaboutit. Language is not linear. English survived rock-'n'-roll. Rap is non-PC. God's in his heaven. Obama is not giving a knee-jerk response to McCrystal. Hey! things could be worse!slypetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537129206516720012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67171569762597996652009-11-13T18:04:17.237-05:002009-11-13T18:04:17.237-05:00dk, I have 5 Kens (well, knock-offs) left from G-T...dk, I have 5 Kens (well, knock-offs) left from G-Town, let me know if you want 'em. And...Benford? Remind me why I don't work with you...?<br /><br />This puzzle irked me. Probably 5 times I had all but one letter of a word and still had no clue what the answer was, and I hate when that happens. Especially with longer answers, like xOOSTER BOX. I finally broke through when I changed ALIA to ALII--*BIRD made much more sense...<br /><br />The GREG Toler clue sure is timely--he just had his first tackle this week! And y'all can keep on parsing, I'm much more curious how Sosa got a New York parade.<br /><br />ASethG AOUT.SethGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13753036404140901368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10422329066670443302009-11-13T17:52:27.529-05:002009-11-13T17:52:27.529-05:00@Darkman ... If it's considered "PC"...@Darkman ... If it's considered "PC" to refrain from using a derogatory term to refer to a group of people based on their country of origin, then I'll gladly wear that mantle.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.com