tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4858472725273763782..comments2024-03-28T12:49:16.793-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Figure skater Kadavy / FRI 3-21-14 / Funny or Die web series hosted by Zach Galifianakis / Sir Henry pioneer in steelmaking / Semicircular recess in Roman architecture / 1961 Michelangelo Antonioni drama / Renaissance woodwindRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9606409689113845492014-04-25T16:32:49.434-04:002014-04-25T16:32:49.434-04:00I saw the Zach bit with Obama on the news, but sai...I saw the Zach bit with Obama on the news, but said OHIDUNNO as to what Zach's series is called. I WANTEDTO know the answer, but I was INAPET and felt HOPELESS. I just couldn't DOITBYTHEBOOK, so, like Ron Diego, I googled BETWEENTHEFERNS. !@#$% CRUMHORN *&^%$!<br /><br />Thereafter, completely sullied by cheating, I ATONES, took the google EXITLANE, and LEGO of the interweb. <br /><br />The rest of the puz went down in a MINNIE CAVORT at the MENAGE with EDDA and CARYN. Good thing we had plenty of EXEDRA TOWELS and TEXASTEA.<br /><br />nuff. Have a good weekend, Syndies.<br /><br />Capcha: The Taboardi. Rival group in the Di Vinci Code.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90259648975002069112014-04-25T15:25:18.237-04:002014-04-25T15:25:18.237-04:00I never let go of HOraS for "dances on stage&...I never let go of HOraS for "dances on stage" but I somehow convinced myself that the resulting gibberish were words BEQ invented just for this puzzle (I never claimed to be the NEATEST solver in syndiland - or anywhere, for that matter).<br /><br />Two pairs and adios.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26690461653146177672014-04-25T14:44:47.170-04:002014-04-25T14:44:47.170-04:00Way out of my league. All those names I know nothi...Way out of my league. All those names I know nothing about. Solved what I could, leaving blanks in the NE and SW, and quit, knowing there was no way I could ferret out the rest. Came here to discover that most of them were things/people I have never heard of. Did think the drink should be a Zombie, the scary, never tried, mash-up of my college days. <br /><br />And with all that, one miserable pair!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13381154237207007582014-04-25T13:36:06.414-04:002014-04-25T13:36:06.414-04:00P.S. New to Between Two Ferns and would like to t...P.S. New to Between Two Ferns and would like to thank BEQ for the introduction.<br /><br />Ron DiegoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87218052954831212232014-04-25T13:33:37.682-04:002014-04-25T13:33:37.682-04:00OK, I'll admit it. I had to google for "B...OK, I'll admit it. I had to google for "Between Two Ferns," but after that everything went smoothly. Not fast, but smooth. I did have play by the book instead of, which was corrected. I kinda think "cast up" was unfair, just sayin. I do like BEQ.<br /><br />Ron Diego, La Mesa, CA 10:30 AM PSTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33016525141731967512014-04-25T11:57:50.324-04:002014-04-25T11:57:50.324-04:00Good 'un. Tough, as Fridays should be, and in ...Good 'un. Tough, as Fridays should be, and in the SW very nearly backbreaking. Had lifELESS, but completing the section with that in place was, er, HOPELESS. Couldn't think of the old pizza chain--who, ME???--until I put that O at the end. And then, of course--headslap!--SBARRO! Ah, and "Paper-clip" is a VERB in this clue! But CASTUP? Looks like a misspelling of CATSUP, what Hunt's calls ketchup. "OK, Hank, we have the script, we have the sound stage, time to CASTUP." The natick was that U, but no other letter made sense with CAST_P. So, CRUMHORN, eh? All right, Bequey, if you say so. Had I been in charge of Naming That Instrument, I may have opted for something that didn't sound so...crummy. Whatever.<br /><br />I like the conversational feel of GETSOPEN, SIZESUP, DOITBYTHEBOOK and OHIDUNNO. This is what people say in real life, unlike so many of the made-up phrases, or archaic words, I see on this page. Take "notes," you STENOs out there who WANTEDTO build a crossword.<br /><br />I didn't do any better in real-life poker yesterday than I did here, busting out on QQ vs. KT offsuit (!) when the idiot spiked a king. I'll try again today with four 4's.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36212506195680847062014-03-22T11:03:25.596-04:002014-03-22T11:03:25.596-04:00There's also a TBAR at the Breckenridge ski ar...There's also a TBAR at the Breckenridge ski area in Colorado.<br /><br />I had the pleasure of sitting next to BEQ in the ACPT judging room; he's not mean at all...<br /><br />Jimmy Fallon did a cute bit on SBARRO the other night: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNLuE6Zdk8/" rel="nofollow">Thank you Sbarro</a>JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19742710561638793942014-03-22T10:47:59.512-04:002014-03-22T10:47:59.512-04:00Texas Tea is oil. I had several wrong squares in t...Texas Tea is oil. I had several wrong squares in the northeast corner, so maybe I'm just sour grapes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66774881871154026842014-03-22T09:51:38.602-04:002014-03-22T09:51:38.602-04:00I finished this one before Rex posted, and then ha...I finished this one before Rex posted, and then had to leave for an early meeting, so I'm just getting back to post now.<br /><br />Finished, but with an error -- incredibly, I had kARYN and could not see that CUBES was a better answer. I was fixed on the idea that in-line skates had some kind of brand-name wheels in them. Sigh.<br /><br />kRUMHORN before the English spelling. I've not only played them, I once bought a kit to make my own (it's been half finished for maybe 15 years now). For those of you not familiar with them -- the last line in that Wikipedia entry about helping the player with intonation is a little in joke. Crumhorns are always out of tune, unless you're playing a matched set.jberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169065390875378077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14694449872878870462014-03-22T01:17:09.499-04:002014-03-22T01:17:09.499-04:00@jae, I was pretty well down the rabbit hole as it...@jae, I was pretty well down the rabbit hole as it was. kEenEST had a high likelihood of being right. cLn for conclusion was [End: abbrev] and gave me the n. It was a matter of pushing my brains to make everything else work around it. <br /><br />This was a tough puzzle because of many credible (superior?) alternate solutions. latEncy is a much better answer technically speaking than TIMELAG for the Skype clue. decEased is better than HOPELESS for nonviable. LEGS is not a synonym for durability, but it is for potential. TEXASTEA is a well-known euphemism for oil. Call me a smooth-cortexed literalist, but I find that I have to defocus to get into BEQ's clue structure here. EDDe was my guess at defocusing. Just my luck he went with the "right" answer on that one. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61515488805648767062014-03-22T01:15:44.977-04:002014-03-22T01:15:44.977-04:00@Rex, you smart-aleck young whippersnapper.
Why,...@Rex, you smart-aleck young whippersnapper. <br /><br />Why, in my day, they made puzzles the good, old-fashioned way... on birch bark, usin bits of charcoal. I had to walk ten miles, just to get my first clue. And none of this commie-pinko unfair trickery with them clues, neither. A topnotch solver had to plain and simple know his stuff. Why, if you didn't know what a bitter vetch was, you were toast out of luck with marmalade on it, Clarabelle. grumble. grumble. snort. kahoptooie.<br /><br />And get off my lawn.<br /><br />(Best I got, on short notice.)<br />M&ARhymin Ancient MandArinernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9382011957745670622014-03-22T00:49:02.971-04:002014-03-22T00:49:02.971-04:00P.S. Also didn't know LANOTTE. "Blowup?&q...P.S. Also didn't know LANOTTE. "Blowup?" Sure. "Zabriskie Point?" No prob. LA NOTTE, no.<br /><br />Laughed at ARTMAJOR, though.foxaronihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00085435659928443459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14707575755097931242014-03-22T00:42:38.853-04:002014-03-22T00:42:38.853-04:00Being totally and completely unfamiliar with a &qu...Being totally and completely unfamiliar with a "web series hosted by Z.G." meant DNF. Tried, though. Thought maybe I had it with BETWEENTHELINES...but no. Crumhorn took care of that. So I changed it to BETWEENTHEFERNS. Why not? That made a "bush beast" a REO. Why not? But "became tiresome" was looking like HORETKIN (because of OKIDUNNO). That's when I threw in the towel.<br /><br />Thought CARYN was pretty esoteric and a bit unfair for "most" solvers.<br /><br />Now I'm all set for another epic Saturday fail. ;-)foxaronihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00085435659928443459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57315366450386149512014-03-22T00:40:18.697-04:002014-03-22T00:40:18.697-04:00@RC - Elevated Trains@RC - Elevated TrainsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33191170938183278412014-03-22T00:36:38.476-04:002014-03-22T00:36:38.476-04:00Why are "els" "high rollers?"Why are "els" "high rollers?"RCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26817274138504158062014-03-22T00:27:58.339-04:002014-03-22T00:27:58.339-04:00Ahhhh.... BEQ. Magnificent, fun, lively, topical,...Ahhhh.... BEQ. Magnificent, fun, lively, topical, interesting. I made it through the NE names quagmire by sheer luck, and ended up a DNF because I went with a PUB for Duchamp. The whole puzzle would have been hopeless with Baraks recent web appearance. As it was, I loved every minute of it. Thanks Will and BEQ!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04983081176623722693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22729104608603337832014-03-22T00:25:00.869-04:002014-03-22T00:25:00.869-04:00@Casco -- My rule of thumb which has served me fai...@Casco -- My rule of thumb which has served me fairly well is that "if it doesn't look right it isn't." EDDe was a cue to erase stuff.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69168401576334032682014-03-21T23:27:17.035-04:002014-03-21T23:27:17.035-04:00I called it at 42 minutes and 10 googles, and I...I called it at 42 minutes and 10 googles, and I'm glad I did. I had kEeNEST for "Most smart" giving me EDDe for the Norwegian tales. Now, I know EDDA is correct, but correctness is not a requirement, so I'd decided that EDDe was an allowed misspelling, the way CUBES is an allowed misspelling of bonES, the 5-letter word for dice. When you start second guessing rules like this, it is time to quit. So I did. Really,it is Will Shotz's job to protect us from this level of second guessing. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51501682746937387152014-03-21T23:13:12.309-04:002014-03-21T23:13:12.309-04:00Wow, lots of candidates for the Abe Simpson award ...Wow, lots of candidates for the Abe Simpson award in the comments today. Keep it up, folks!Rex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76683755047450441482014-03-21T22:24:08.332-04:002014-03-21T22:24:08.332-04:00Crappiest puzzle in recent memory. Don't know ...Crappiest puzzle in recent memory. Don't know where to begin. In a pet? I'm 70 years old, never heard of it. A gaff is not a spear, it's a gaff! A hook! Get it? Oh, I dunno. Not fun. Not clever. Rubbish. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-743843351309461442014-03-21T22:02:54.252-04:002014-03-21T22:02:54.252-04:00This 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 6:01, 6:15, 0.96, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 12:39, 8:20, 1.52, 100%, Challenging (2nd highest ratio of 223 Tuesdays)<br />Wed 10:17, 10:13, 1.01, 55%, Medium<br />Thu 16:47, 18:41, 0.90, 29%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 21:23, 21:24, 1.00, 49%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:55, 3:59, 0.99, 36%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 7:56, 5:11, 1.53, 100%, über-Challenging (highest ratio of 223 Tuesdays)<br />Wed 6:26, 6:14, 1.03, 59%, Medium<br />Thu 10:31, 10:44, 0.98, 44%, Medium<br />Fri 13:50, 12:39, 1.09, 67%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40803950563557562312014-03-21T20:00:11.398-04:002014-03-21T20:00:11.398-04:00Hardly a week, nay, a week, neigh, an hour goes by...Hardly a week, nay, a week, neigh, an hour goes by without my seeing IDI or AMIN or Ed MEESE in my puzzle. Not today, of course, but HARDLY A DAY. Keep politics out of my puzzle, NYT! Signed, an idiot.<br /><br />Rex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69494481333395249022014-03-21T19:43:20.946-04:002014-03-21T19:43:20.946-04:00@anon 6:45
Yawn.@anon 6:45<br />Yawn.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85203139128603498022014-03-21T18:45:51.023-04:002014-03-21T18:45:51.023-04:00I stand by fawning. The BETWEENTWOFERNS was nothi...I stand by fawning. The BETWEENTWOFERNS was nothing more than yet another PR blitz to prop up Obamacare. Plus I do the NYTimes puzzle every day and hardly week goes by, sometimes a day, without OBAMA as a clue or answer. I've done the Sunday puzzle and more dating back to '99 and beyond. There is no such comparison for any other president. Keep politics out of my puzzles and I'll shut up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39361281604652540482014-03-21T18:19:28.291-04:002014-03-21T18:19:28.291-04:00I enjoyed this one, felt easy at first until I end...I enjoyed this one, felt easy at first until I ended up in the Caryn/pun/La Notte area. Had four empty boxes when I gave up.<br /><br />Write-over at gets open: gets past. Almost funny, the in a pet/oner/Edda and Tbar, maybe BEQ pulled our leg.<br /><br />@Greene, our theater specialist, calls<br /> Disney "The House of Mouse"!<br /><br />@Gill I.P.: after I told my husband about the Texas tea, he told me that in college they mixed a drink called Purple Jesus. They did this on Sundays, and included all the leftovers in all the bottles. He figures there must have been a lot of red wine, thus "purple".machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.com