tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4272849729176577577..comments2024-03-28T06:11:29.690-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Media icon with eponymous Starbucks beverage / THU 5-29-14 / Afflictions known technically as hordeola / Facetious words of understanding / Where Macbeth Malcolm Duncan are buried / Hillary Clinton wardrobe staples / Writer with most combined Tony and Oscar nominations / The Sphinx's is bland pitiless as sun per YeatsRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75860078538846701572023-03-29T01:05:23.008-04:002023-03-29T01:05:23.008-04:00Thank you! Didn’t get that tic-tac-toe was in a # ...Thank you! Didn’t get that tic-tac-toe was in a # until I read your comment. Agreed that it is not parallel to the other three # clues!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51265282986445698522015-05-21T22:48:48.538-04:002015-05-21T22:48:48.538-04:00I like doing puzzles from a year ago, in the archi...I like doing puzzles from a year ago, in the archives.<br /><br />OMG I TOTALLY PUT IN SHTUP KNOWING IT WOULD BE WRONG AND THEN IT WASN'T TOO!Steve O.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13905833445106549609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1025981432184997922014-07-03T19:11:15.905-04:002014-07-03T19:11:15.905-04:00Don't know Yiddish, PC or not, don't read/...Don't know Yiddish, PC or not, don't read/watch <br />Spiderman, don't know modern slang,.... Too many unfamiliar domains in this one for me. Got 3 of theme answers, with no idea why, stared at SPACE---- and threw in the towel with no regrets. Just one of those days! <br /><br />Captcha 179 does give an pretty good 8, but I'd vote for more poker!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43258745029182615302014-07-03T17:01:28.666-04:002014-07-03T17:01:28.666-04:00I'm another one who did the whole puzzlez with...I'm another one who did the whole puzzlez without noticing the # sitting in the clues, so I put in all the right names without know why. After POUNDSIGN went in I thought of <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/comics-kingdom/index.ssf?feature_id=Zits&feature_date=2014-06-19" rel="nofollow">this comic strip</a>. Still not sure how SPACEMARK fits in but the crosswords made it so.<br /><br />@rainy - you've been reading all of the comments again, haven't you?<br /><br />112 - I'm with @spacy, bring the poker game back.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79811879683042480102014-07-03T15:57:47.165-04:002014-07-03T15:57:47.165-04:00Very slow start to this one mainly because I misre...Very slow start to this one mainly because I misread the clue for 4d as "solids and liquids", missing the French. So the NW remained unfinished until the end. The first themer I got was the Twitter one, and then POUNDSIGN appeared and I re-read 4d (D'oh!). Same thing happend with "transportacion", so I didn't understand what TREN was.<br /><br />Totally unimpressed with the over-the-top discussions about faux political correctnss, pantsuits, and runtpuzs. Why can't some of these commenters simply email each other and keep this stuff out of the blog.<br /><br />Anyway, I liked the puz quite a lot. A different sort of theme which did give me something akin to an OHHHHHHHH moment, as I let SPACEMARK pass.<br /><br />6315 = outrain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43778465911243528602014-07-03T11:20:54.089-04:002014-07-03T11:20:54.089-04:00DNF because there was just too much fill that I di...DNF because there was just too much fill that I didn't know; only a super-intellectual has a chance at this one, which I am not. But I did get the theme (all except "SPACEMARK;" is that a thing?) and stuff like NEILSIMON and the GAZE/FONZ corner. What I got I liked.<br /><br />But some of it...let's see, would Spike be the AANDELEE? Iyiyi!<br /><br />5645 is zero again. Bring back poker!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68679276976511374782014-05-30T17:08:01.862-04:002014-05-30T17:08:01.862-04:00Re crossword apps. I have paid the forty dollars a...Re crossword apps. I have paid the forty dollars annually for the times puzzles. It has been worth it. When I got an ipad, when they first came out, I got the app called " crossword classics". There is a free version, and then I bought it. I love it. You can have it bring in puzzles you are subscribed to, but it also has lots of free weekly puzzles. It works correctly, never crashes, and is far superior to magmic. You can browse the web for puzzles. I can click on links mentioned in this blog, and I can play those puzzles in the app. You can check for wrong answers at any point. I highly recommend it and was surprised that people on this blog rarely mention it. Ps I have no relationship to the app other than being a several year satisfied customer. mjddonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08069055024049098314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50370313958796072432014-05-30T15:53:27.310-04:002014-05-30T15:53:27.310-04:00I haven't read all the comments,
but can someo...I haven't read all the comments,<br />but can someone please explain<br />why FACE PLANT is ATE IT and<br />and what did Rex mean by crossing<br />an IT phrase with an IT phrase?ANON Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78368704192133973192014-05-30T10:28:54.491-04:002014-05-30T10:28:54.491-04:00@Paladin and @ anon8:31 - At the top of the blog i...@Paladin and @ anon8:31 - At the top of the blog is a FAQ link. Many questions are answered there. FAQnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54151219428257438682014-05-30T08:31:53.044-04:002014-05-30T08:31:53.044-04:00@Paladin
A Natick is the square where two unknown...@Paladin<br /><br />A Natick is the square where two unknown entries cross; the solver can't get help from either the across or down clue, and is Naticked.<br /><br />It's a town in MA, and was the entry in a puzzle. Someone who didn't know some crossing word coined the term.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28948210431376631082014-05-30T00:21:08.262-04:002014-05-30T00:21:08.262-04:00Anyone please tell me what "Naticked" ...Anyone please tell me what "Naticked" means ?<br />I am late to the dance. Thanks.Paladinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17895067649498089812014-05-29T22:10:20.276-04:002014-05-29T22:10:20.276-04:00This 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 no data<br />Tue 7:37, 8:46, 0.87, 13%, Easy<br />Wed 8:17, 9:54, 0.84, 12%, Easy<br />Thu 19:50, 18:08, 1.09, 66%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon no data<br />Tue 4:57, 5:21, 0.93, 22%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 5:07, 6:11, 0.83, 7%, Easy<br />Thu 11:55, 10:44, 1.11, 68%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49232026249749792382014-05-29T22:10:06.912-04:002014-05-29T22:10:06.912-04:00@Steve J - what you said re UTERI and Starbukks......@Steve J - what you said re UTERI and Starbukks...<br />On no level whatsoever does UTERI work. If you had no way to avoid it, then at least clue it in a less tortuous way.<br /><br />I got it the joke with POUNDSIGN. I really thought Rex would hate it.<br /><br />I did like what y'all liked.<br />Also liked RUBE, Comes from the German for turnip.<br /><br />And sorry to see that in my absence, our oft hilarious and insightful cohort has gone back to his schoolyard bully mode of dropping bombs to see who will bite.<br />Oops - I just did...damn - I hate when I do that.<br /><br />@Gil & @Ellen - have a wonderful lunch!!<br /><br />Thanks Ms. Schectman.Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17853275144789572322014-05-29T21:55:44.961-04:002014-05-29T21:55:44.961-04:00@Loren
That was good. Nice aha when I understood ...@Loren<br /><br />That was good. Nice aha when I understood why the title was so important. 6A was the relic that made it into a runtpuz.<br /><br />Do you know what the world was before October 24, 1945?<br /><br />r.alphbunkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00657275501845781384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6878593616022628632014-05-29T21:53:09.324-04:002014-05-29T21:53:09.324-04:00@AliasZ - I think the sign that denotes a musical ...@AliasZ - I think the sign that denotes a musical sharp is ever so slightly different from the pound sign, in that the horizontals are not level, on order to differentiate the sign from the staff clef. I'm not expressing this too well, since it's a long time since I dealt with scores. But I don't think it would have been proper to insert this slightly different symbol into the mix.geordiegirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69835627314700403272014-05-29T20:24:36.761-04:002014-05-29T20:24:36.761-04:004th post today .. but it is late and hopefully tho...4th post today .. but it is late and hopefully those of us affected by MAGMIC changes can have a place to vent without imposing on everyone else too much for brief moment this evening.<br />The cosmetic changes are just fine and the ability to complete puzzles across different platforms is a nice addition - but, that's about it! Gone is the ability to go back to prior puzzles over a year. That is fine for new subscribers, but for those that have been here for longer than a year, you are SOL.<br />Gone is the tracking of anyone's timing or rank. While I don't give 2 flips what my actual rank is -- it does give me a personal barometer of where I stand or how difficult others found the solve. No longer do you have to wait 24 hours to unlock the puzzle - you can reveal or check answers at anytime. I guess there are other ways to cheat -- but this I'm sure, will make it all the more tempting. wreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08797908615185213756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38565605452874582042014-05-29T20:06:29.637-04:002014-05-29T20:06:29.637-04:00Another TUPpence' worth.
Shirley Sen/Sect'...Another TUPpence' worth.<br /><br />Shirley Sen/Sect'y Hillary is aware of the pantsuit buzz. My guess is that if she were perturbed about it, she'd either speak out or leave off wearing them. Since she has done neither, apparently it is that big a deal to her, and probably shouldn't be for others. It's just another Bengazi.<br /><br />The Khulture Khorner was VERY nice, though I thought the lullaby was going to wake the baby at around half-time. The Flower Duet was pure magnificentce, but will note as a very minor point it's a mercy Sutherland never bore a child to Jay Leno.<br /><br />Condolences to Magmic users.Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69176344148834083482014-05-29T19:38:07.956-04:002014-05-29T19:38:07.956-04:00@Dan Ruby and other Magmic users: I hate it. I jus...@Dan Ruby and other Magmic users: I hate it. I just hate it. All my history wiped, nothing beyond a year of archives. I'm not much of a complainer, but I've already submitted 2 feedback emails. Very disappointed.adrenalinrunnoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29794288108269780092014-05-29T19:15:47.562-04:002014-05-29T19:15:47.562-04:00@Z - Agreed on 'bout everything. And yes, if ...@Z - Agreed on 'bout everything. And yes, if someone is offended always ask why - and respect what they say whether you agree or not.<br /><br />PC story: About 15 years ago I was asked to do business with a Native American group on a reservation in upstate NY. I drove to the reservation and the native met me at his construction site wearing a Cleveland Indians baseball cap with the image of Chief Wahoo. I stood 1/2 a head taller than the man and my eyes looked straight at the offending cap. "Surprised by the cap?", he said. "Umm, yeah", said I. "So I should root for the f--king Cowboys?" said he. Talk about an ice-breaker.<br /><br />Good decision with the dishwasher, btw. Post #4 for me - see ya.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76436109767007005072014-05-29T18:52:34.457-04:002014-05-29T18:52:34.457-04:00@Mohair Sam - Not sure what words I put in your mo...@Mohair Sam - Not sure what words I put in your mouth, lots of "I" in that post. Closest I can see is "you seem to be saying..." which you did, indeed, <b>seem</b> to be saying. I'd like to think that, "@PC police - shut up," was not meant as harshly as it comes across. I agree that constructors, and people in general, can't anticipate everything that might offend; "can't" as in "it isn't possible." It probably wasn't evident, but the only answer/clue/comment I, myself, found troubling was the Hillary/Mao joke. The, to me, harmless clue reminder that Hillary is noted for pantsuits is unremarkable. Still, if someone says "x is offensive" I ask "why?"<br /><br />As for the repair - Yep - but this is the dishwasher in the house we will be selling - I'm not spending a lot of money for someone else's dishwasher. So I'm replacing the $75 control panel myself and uttering all sorts of things that will not appear in the xword anytime soon.<br /><br />I'm pretty sure that, with my half correction, this is post #5, so I'm shutting up for the day. Please hold your applause.Outlaw Znoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87918216589843942212014-05-29T18:51:51.883-04:002014-05-29T18:51:51.883-04:00Saw "Chef" last night, it was great!Saw "Chef" last night, it was great!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51428340206705756972014-05-29T17:35:10.434-04:002014-05-29T17:35:10.434-04:00Also surprised to see SHTUP, which I always consi...Also surprised to see SHTUP, which I always considered the Yiddish form of F*CK. For a second I thought I was on BEQ's puzzle site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90522792590442647242014-05-29T17:32:08.671-04:002014-05-29T17:32:08.671-04:00Hated, hated, hated this puzzle. I don't know...Hated, hated, hated this puzzle. I don't know what Rex sees in this.<br /><br />Among the faults:<br /><br />The theme was confusing. What do the numbers in the clues (1, 2, 3, 4) have to do with anything?<br /><br />Golfer Aoka AGAIN? Isn't that in, like, every other puzzle?<br /><br />Since when is SNOW a symbol of softness?<br /><br />Twins don't share UTERI. They share a single UTERUS. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83091446648785754072014-05-29T17:21:32.722-04:002014-05-29T17:21:32.722-04:00@z - Man, you put a lot of words in my mouth. My p...@z - Man, you put a lot of words in my mouth. My point is that we cannot expect the NYT and crossword constructors to anticipate that words like PANTSUITS and GAYANTHEM may be offensive to someone. It's the Times for Heaven's sake, they avoid offense at all costs. I am however going to back off my defense of "greaser" - that is normally meant to be offensive. I was wrong.<br /><br />And the Hillary joke was funny - we have to be able to laugh at our politicians, even if they are not Republicans.<br /><br />Back off Z, you're talking to a guy who spent the last two decades lending to minorities, made a lot of friends, and learned a lot about respect. And a lot about diversity - it's part of what makes life in the USA enjoyable.<br /><br />Trash the dishwasher and get a new one, btw, those things never hold a repair.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63011151633261772732014-05-29T17:18:34.770-04:002014-05-29T17:18:34.770-04:00SHTUP crosses the line. It's just a common vul...SHTUP crosses the line. It's just a common vulgarity, no matter how entertaining it is to find it in the NYT. But, given the pedestrian fill, I guess we should be grateful.WSnoreply@blogger.com