tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4331302554268914984..comments2024-03-29T07:26:10.918-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: South American carrier founded in 1927 / FRI 12-20-13 / Mexican revolutionary of 1910 / Transport for Miss Gulch / Controversial 1715 measure of Parliament / Clueless protagonist / TV game show on the Discovery Channel, 2005-12Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23804913480245620762014-01-24T20:00:20.364-05:002014-01-24T20:00:20.364-05:00Good puzzle. I had it all finished apart from OPAH...Good puzzle. I had it all finished apart from OPAH/SAMADAMS and kicked myself when I came here and saw the answer. Serves me right for drinking the cheap stuff.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86397433664188309102014-01-24T19:04:15.570-05:002014-01-24T19:04:15.570-05:00Local Chinese restaurant serves the world's be...Local Chinese restaurant serves the world's best PEKIN (spelled that way) DUCK which is why ROAST at 21D was a longtime cookin'. Otherwise pretty straight forward other than 1A where RECROOM prevented MANCAVE's emergence for too long.<br /><br />Wondering if a German grandfather catches one of the great white's fav snacks, can we then say OPA caught an OPAH?<br /> Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28434294187780439742014-01-24T18:12:16.875-05:002014-01-24T18:12:16.875-05:00And Christopher Walken!And Christopher Walken!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12117124504090144242014-01-24T17:35:25.154-05:002014-01-24T17:35:25.154-05:00The puzzle was (simply beautiful/beautifully simpl...The puzzle was (simply beautiful/beautifully simple), and (briefly elegant/elegantly brief). Mix and match in any combination - IT WORKS for me. Fun clues and a grid devoid of drek provides plenty of "WOW" factor for me. Thank you, Mr. Livengood.<br /><br />Nines over fours - not good enough to beat @DMG.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60422322686004948162014-01-24T15:38:26.257-05:002014-01-24T15:38:26.257-05:00Not good on space moons and Vatican sculptures, s...Not good on space moons and Vatican sculptures, so ended up looking up APOLLO which made everything fall. Short comment as I'm watching last night Aus.Open match. Could look up the results iT it's not so much fun when you know the outcome.<br /><br />Four 5's this time"DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72557864105494444722014-01-24T15:03:24.591-05:002014-01-24T15:03:24.591-05:00@August West finished this puzzle in 3:03. I hadn&...@August West finished this puzzle in 3:03. I hadn't finished folding my paper and clicking my ball point that fast. Wow.<br /><br />The SiS LOL comment award of the day goes to @Alias Z 8:39. Before you defined RIOTACT, I thought it was another Amazon feeder. Those S.A. MADAMS in their LEATHER ZAPATAs would know.<br /><br />@Z, I thought you were giving a Clue answer: "Will Ferrell in a HOT TUB with Cowbell."<br /><br />And wasn't AGITA one of the Von Trapp kids. Guess she caused a lot of heartburn.<br /><br />Great clues for 8A & 15A, Ian.<br /><br />@Rex, DETENTE is the warming of relations with another. But I'll bet you really knew that.<br /><br />My boat is a small one 222/88.<br /><br />Have a good weekend, Syndies.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35856277131098390592014-01-24T11:43:57.972-05:002014-01-24T11:43:57.972-05:00@NCA President: Would that be the lovely and delic...@NCA President: Would that be the lovely and deliciously-named Pinky Tuscadero (Roz Kelly)?<br /><br />Sometimes I just don't understand the weekly lineup. Thursday was a complete mystery and a DNF by a long way; today's I would have called straight-easy but for having Pretend instead of PHANTOM, which gave some slight pause in the SW. Easy-medium then.<br /><br />I too had a short delay in getting ROAST to go along with DUCK. BTW, shouldn't they rename their most famous dish Beijing duck? Just askin.'spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34946222320179081132013-12-21T09:32:40.288-05:002013-12-21T09:32:40.288-05:00I wonder if the very first crossword puzzlers thou...I wonder if the very first crossword puzzlers thought the very first puzzle was easy?<br /><br />When I started out I thought they were all very difficult. <br /><br />Today I was a little disappointed that this was easier than I expected, but I would rather jump wholeheartedly on the band wagon honoring and remembering ARTHURWYNNE and his most amazing contribution to the world!<br /><br />And thanks also to Todd Gross, David Steinberg, Will Shortz and all who so devotedly nurture and grow the world of crosswords!johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14789048651937344292013-12-21T02:26:47.949-05:002013-12-21T02:26:47.949-05:00@joho... when my stepson was little, his favorite ...@joho... when my stepson was little, his favorite dish at the local Chinese restaurant was"Romantic Honey Duck"... It took a little while to figure out he was asking for "Aromatic Honey Duck".<br />Well, I like all those clever clues. in the context of Fridays, this was on the easy side. Have flown Varig, but the food was terrible, @gill...<br /><br />As an astronomy major, and classics minor, was delighted when I learned that Mars'chariot was pulled by Fear and Terror...Phobos and Deimos, so that's what we named the two moons.<br /><br />Thanks, Ian.Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6736679569710000762013-12-20T22:08:41.065-05:002013-12-20T22:08:41.065-05:00This 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 7:08, 6:13, 1.15, 93%, Challenging<br />Tue 7:27, 8:12, 0.91, 21%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 10:28, 9:56, 1.05, 66%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 24:56, 17:56, 1.39, 93%, Challenging<br />Fri 16:51, 19:47, 0.85, 25%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:30, 3:49, 1.18, 95%, Challenging (11th highest ratio of 208 Mondays)<br />Tue 4:56, 5:09, 0.96, 35%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 6:29, 5:58, 1.09, 73%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 16:33, 10:24, 1.59, 95%, Challenging (11th highest ratio of 208 Thursdays)<br />Fri 9:50, 11:32, 0.85, 25%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31958703801979825582013-12-20T20:58:12.677-05:002013-12-20T20:58:12.677-05:00@Tom. Congrats on the great effort regarding the G...@Tom. Congrats on the great effort regarding the Google doodle. As I was solving it this morning I wondered if someone had to write a full crossword puzzle code just to put up the doodle. I found it very smooth and easy - well done! <br /><br />Regarding Ian's lovely Friday puzzle, for me it was a dominos falling into place one after the other experience. I really enjoyed it. Had a DNF with the VAYA VARIG cross. Can't wait for tomorrow's puzzle!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04983081176623722693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52192406229363993752013-12-20T20:18:11.682-05:002013-12-20T20:18:11.682-05:00@Questinia: Even baroque composers had to keep an ...@Questinia: Even baroque composers had to keep an eye to the larger picture as they worked within their self-imposed parameters of form, harmony, counterpoint, and etc. <br /><br />I think the music analogy is apt because any creative endeavor will use rules/parameters to keep things reined in, but as important as those rules/parameters are, they get broken quite often. <br /><br />Ian made a rookie mistake in staying within strict observance of his rule. eventually he will find the nuance of it and will construct even more amazing puzzles.Dorothy Biggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06148036083217174024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61179069583004634582013-12-20T18:56:40.261-05:002013-12-20T18:56:40.261-05:00@august west - make sure you type in google.com an...@august west - make sure you type in google.com and nothing is after the com. Znoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91884802020291331082013-12-20T18:22:59.260-05:002013-12-20T18:22:59.260-05:00With ya'With ya'Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17369386841641471325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46496367474805219452013-12-20T17:12:32.718-05:002013-12-20T17:12:32.718-05:00Sorry @August, missed part II of your question. T...Sorry @August, missed part II of your question. The amount of "hits" or entries appears in lighter print just above the first item in a Google search.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25366331532890321782013-12-20T17:11:22.806-05:002013-12-20T17:11:22.806-05:00Thanks Sam. Not on my office PC. We must be runnin...Thanks Sam. Not on my office PC. We must be running an obsolete version. I'll nab it when I get home. August Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09919963003128838777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40888700264851969502013-12-20T17:04:37.597-05:002013-12-20T17:04:37.597-05:00@August West - There is an overlaid arrow ala what...@August West - There is an overlaid arrow ala what you see on YouTube right on the word "Google" in the inset. Click on it and the puzzle will expand. Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23057014041462414262013-12-20T16:58:51.512-05:002013-12-20T16:58:51.512-05:00An average Friday for me with an average (for me) ...An average Friday for me with an average (for me) time.<br /><br />Then I solved the very first; "Fun's Word-Cross Puzzle". I saw it first through an @George Barany link then had to go to http://www.fun-with-words.com/worlds_first_crossword.html to find a clean copy, made my own grid and had at it. Nearly DNF as I couldn't believe some of the answers but managed in spite of that. It seems that there are words our great grandparents were familiar with that we no longer are. They can all be verified in one way or another via Google though.<br /><br />Too bad the iPad doesn't have the 'play' button so I can't do that puzzle. Oh well, I've still had a satisfying solving Friday.Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49197267335716853192013-12-20T16:52:01.524-05:002013-12-20T16:52:01.524-05:00I'm apparently Google-challenged. How do you g...I'm apparently Google-challenged. How do you get to this puzzle? I read George's 12:44P, but the only "play" button on my homepage leads to the apps store. <br /><br />Also, I sometimes see folks mentioning how many Google entries this or that widget has as compared to another variation of said widget. Where is that information stored/accessed? <br /><br />TIA, <br /><br />Mike August Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09919963003128838777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86037187767075128222013-12-20T16:01:01.916-05:002013-12-20T16:01:01.916-05:00I was actually a contestant on Cash Cab. This was...I was actually a contestant on Cash Cab. This was by far the easiest Friday EVER. Not one snag, which is highly unusal for me.Epee Ogeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83499683333525175582013-12-20T15:51:38.664-05:002013-12-20T15:51:38.664-05:00Yeah 15 minutes for me on fridat rates EASY, but i...Yeah 15 minutes for me on fridat rates EASY, but it waa lot of fun and really interesting at the same time. LA times was actually harder today and that's really unusual.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27898605224383765572013-12-20T15:41:44.089-05:002013-12-20T15:41:44.089-05:00@Questinia, just in case you believed every word o...@Questinia, just in case you believed every word of my post, don't. It's true, Aaron Copland's father changed the family name from Kaplan to Copland, but I made up the rest of the story. CROPLAND made me do it. I apologize for my goofy play on words.AliasZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477396362209386037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46506475719016653072013-12-20T15:21:35.432-05:002013-12-20T15:21:35.432-05:00Google Doodle is cute (although Rex would probably...Google Doodle is cute (although Rex would probably pooh-pooh the word search part). I like this Friday puzzle. Played more challenging than medium for me, but no Naticks, no weird words, no completely obscure rapsters -- I got nothing to complain about. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10032302346488486116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2465795748283259972013-12-20T14:47:02.596-05:002013-12-20T14:47:02.596-05:00I loved this puzzle. Polished, some great clues a...I loved this puzzle. Polished, some great clues and answers that many have pointed out, and I love the concept of constructing a puzzle beginning with the small fill.<br /><br />SAMADAMS totally flummoxed me -- even with just two letters missing I didn't see it because my brain was insisting that it was a single word.<br /><br />Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62226508250652196462013-12-20T13:40:55.412-05:002013-12-20T13:40:55.412-05:00Enjoyed a Friday puzzle, the only trouble coming i...Enjoyed a Friday puzzle, the only trouble coming in the SW where I insisted on YElpS instead of YEOWS and thus fOuled up ITWORKS and RIOTACTS. YHe rest went surprisingly SMOOTHly. Given the cluing. Particularly liked MANCAVE, MUGSHOT and SAMADAMS, but was not familiar withTAROIL (which could have appeared yesterday.)LaneBnoreply@blogger.com