tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4978350638410547396..comments2024-03-29T08:38:19.158-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Old name of San Jose Sharks arena / THU 1-12-12 / Pet rat in 1972 #1 song / Popular Italian scooter / Veld flowerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46507426256235846292012-02-24T23:08:24.071-05:002012-02-24T23:08:24.071-05:00Yippee, this was fun being Canadian to have a Cana...Yippee, this was fun being Canadian to have a Canadian puzzle. Had the _ANAD_ part of the long answer and figured out it was canadian provinces and went cool! Got through the thing and realized I was missing two including my own (BC) - and yes these are commonly used abbreviations :) Then realized ONEC and CUP did not make a lot of sense. Was expecting a roman numeral in a year clue and was edgy there was a N in there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23106274066248651442012-02-16T19:03:12.123-05:002012-02-16T19:03:12.123-05:00COMPAQCENTER was a gimme and tipped off the rebus,...COMPAQCENTER was a gimme and tipped off the rebus, but here in Sharks territory the home arena is seldom called anything other than "The Shark Tank", or simply "The Tank". So I enjoyed the seeing that beneath the "tiger in your tank" brand.<br /><br />I also liked that Canada's national sport was used to clue 50a, albeit with a US team. But I will point out that no less than five members of the Sharks earned gold medals playing for Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics.<br /><br /> Go Sharks, eh?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34733650212771496652012-02-16T17:19:17.566-05:002012-02-16T17:19:17.566-05:00Fun Thursday creation, albeit somewhat embarrassin...Fun Thursday creation, albeit somewhat embarrassing for this resident of the frozen north since, although I identified the theme early on, the puzzle was still a DNF. Blaming AMBIEN, a product not sold in Canada AFAIK, and EOE, QUARTERPIPE & "on the qui vive" that I just didn't know. <br /><br />BTW, if you use PQ instead of QC, mail will still arrive here. Just get our 6-digit alphanumeric postal code right, eh!<br /><br />Wow, double-whammy captcha today: "igulnou penance" which I'll probably be doing in Nunavut.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39432987587691307642012-02-16T16:33:41.593-05:002012-02-16T16:33:41.593-05:00From the syndicate, I had nine of the provinces in...From the syndicate, I had nine of the provinces in their proper places but alas, I could not find a home for Quebec, my nearby neighbor to the north. It didn't help that I had no idea what the correct abbreviation is. Despite my failure I found it to be an enjoyable exercise and was glad to see Canadians get a tip of the constructor's theme-hat.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7197090726514675622012-02-16T15:07:19.468-05:002012-02-16T15:07:19.468-05:00I loved this puzzle. I started at the middle west ...I loved this puzzle. I started at the middle west with BIC and LSAT then realized we had a rebus with ABONE. BAM came easy and then realized CANA was probably our neighbor to the north. Everything else came pretty easily. My only problem was trying to make BErlin instead of BEIRUT work for a divided city. Good job Mr. Bain.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14752388528793119152012-02-16T13:26:17.601-05:002012-02-16T13:26:17.601-05:00Nobody else mentioned it because according to Cana...Nobody else mentioned it because according to Canada Post's website, QC is correct. I grew up using PQ but it is not official.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-612786973816411192012-02-16T13:02:36.873-05:002012-02-16T13:02:36.873-05:00I noticed only one person mentioned that the corre...I noticed only one person mentioned that the correct official two-letter postal abbreviation for the Province of Quebec is not QC. It's PQ.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70516173103208273002012-02-10T14:45:37.221-05:002012-02-10T14:45:37.221-05:00You made some good points there. I did a search on...<b>You made some good points there. I did a search on the theme and found nearly all persons will go along with with your blog.</b><br><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/saving.newlowonline.3vpn.net/where-to-buy-slow-cookers-small-appliances-appliances-on-sale/best-price-west-bend-84915-5-quart-oblong-shaped-slow-cooker-with-tote-for-54-83" rel="nofollow">West Bend 84915 5-Quart Oblong-Shaped Slow Cooker with Tote</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61681041905933043502012-01-13T07:06:57.657-05:002012-01-13T07:06:57.657-05:00Thanks so much, Z! Will give it a try. CourtoThanks so much, Z! Will give it a try. CourtoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32903787087046415882012-01-13T06:35:24.143-05:002012-01-13T06:35:24.143-05:00@Anon 3:26 - It depends on the program. In Across ...@Anon 3:26 - It depends on the program. In Across Lite on my Mac I hit the "esc" key, a little box opens, I type the letters I want and hit enter. I learned this from the "Tip" box that opens every time I start the program.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15074974004462781392012-01-13T03:26:26.807-05:002012-01-13T03:26:26.807-05:00been reading these comments for some time but have...been reading these comments for some time but have never seen any advice for how to enter more than one letter in a box when solving online. can someone help me with that? thanks! CourtoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5823172302691686782012-01-13T00:05:04.746-05:002012-01-13T00:05:04.746-05:00didn't see the rebus; so i was lost. this is ...didn't see the rebus; so i was lost. this is the 2nd thursday in a row the theme was a canadian reference eh?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18304219838966974942012-01-12T23:03:06.676-05:002012-01-12T23:03:06.676-05:00@JenCT: 36D is ONE BC; the cross is BCUP, not CUP....@JenCT: 36D is ONE BC; the cross is BCUP, not CUP. BC = British Columbia = another rebus square!<br /><br />@Dobby: You sort of just have to know that Thursdays tend to be the trickiest puzzles in the Times. Like @loren said, last week's puzzle wasn't so much instructing you to write the word on the other side of the grid but to replace all letter strings of "one" with "all" and vice versa… it turned out that the new words were symmetrically placed with their partners. If you think something weird's going on on Thursday, it's likely something tricky like a rebus. There's no explicit instruction that says this anywhere, you just feel it out. Here's a listing of some past rebus puzzles to give you an idea of what they're like. As you can see, they're mostly on Thursdays and Sundays: http://www.xwordinfo.com/Rebus<br /><br />I greatly enjoyed this puzzle! Tough, tough solve, finally finished in the NW. (Always so interesting to hear that that's where some people got their toehold… I couldn't break in until the very, very end.) Thanks, Gareth! Loved the SA vibe, too.fvigelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01432477374403343832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8224727781902702442012-01-12T22:01:31.061-05:002012-01-12T22:01:31.061-05:00Got the theme at AMBIEN, but still struggled - ult...Got the theme at AMBIEN, but still struggled - ultimately, DNF.<br /><br />Liked OVER IT, BLAB; got QUARTER PIPE from my son; had SPACY before LOOPY.<br /><br />Not getting 36D ONE B? As in, BC?<br /><br />Liked the puzzle, but found it tough.JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61562585987615514992012-01-12T21:52:12.036-05:002012-01-12T21:52:12.036-05:00@RobC - The Will Shortz thing was on NPR on the Ca...@RobC - The Will Shortz thing was on NPR on the Canadian show that comes at at 7 PM here.<br /><br />The Gareth Bain on LA was seriously easier than this one.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77289155959779867462012-01-12T21:02:30.447-05:002012-01-12T21:02:30.447-05:00Just Sayin: I have read about ILLN or however the...Just Sayin: I have read about ILLN or however the f#*K it was spelled in 4 different places today I expect it will be a part of the GOP debates in South Carolina. Wuzup? Are we not men! (Great quote from Island of Lost Souls).<br /><br />Andrea, just cause you post under different names does not mean your boorish humor is not noticed... swooned dkdkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-971766616423781892012-01-12T20:25:39.030-05:002012-01-12T20:25:39.030-05:00@Clark - Look up; look waaaayyyy up and I'll c...@Clark - Look up; look waaaayyyy up and I'll call Rusty!<br /><br />@Kurt - It has been done several "times" before, but still very impressive.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21754301843189024852012-01-12T20:13:46.770-05:002012-01-12T20:13:46.770-05:00This puzzle was a doozie. Even though the theme wa...This puzzle was a doozie. Even though the theme was revealed quickly by 24a, 39a and 50a, it was difficult for me to reel off the Canadian provinces, let alone abbr.<br /><br />But hey, there were some interesting 4-letter answers: BOER, URDU (not the only language to be read Right to Left) and ESSO (Put a Tiger in your Tank!)Rudynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60315320127038288292012-01-12T20:11:36.440-05:002012-01-12T20:11:36.440-05:00I can't believe that more people haven't w...I can't believe that more people haven't weighed in on the NYT/LAT double header. Has that ever been done before? And both were very worthy puzzles. Mr. Bain: I am in awe! More please!Kurthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15015697522634469827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33259893229441576672012-01-12T19:50:11.622-05:002012-01-12T19:50:11.622-05:00@Gareth -- Very cool puzzle. I paused when I figu...@Gareth -- Very cool puzzle. I paused when I figured out what was going on and listed the Provinces. I'm surprised how many of them I remembered. Growing up on the shore of Lake Superior helped I guess. Does anyone else remember the Friendly Giant?Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17459992224851404501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71608734243049169902012-01-12T19:45:36.516-05:002012-01-12T19:45:36.516-05:00I know Canadian geography and wrote down easily th...I know Canadian geography and wrote down easily the names of the provinces. But I sure don't know their abbreviations....michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80876366413917591872012-01-12T19:39:22.736-05:002012-01-12T19:39:22.736-05:00Couldn't finish this morning. Why? Because the...Couldn't finish this morning. Why? Because the clue "Much-advertised sleep aid" had me trying to make cialis or viagra work. I blame it on watching too much sports on tv, where ED meds are advertised far more heavily than sleep aids. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85185116626368576252012-01-12T18:39:13.571-05:002012-01-12T18:39:13.571-05:00Yes, this is a hit. Maybe because (not in spite) o...Yes, this is a hit. Maybe because (not in spite) of the unfamiliar province codes and South African clues. Whatever you think, they're not boring.<br /><br />Hey Gareth, I am one of the few Americans who has read an entire book about the Battle of Rorke's Drift. This was for a graduate film course that included the movie "Zulu." Our teacher didn't want any class discussion about whether the film was politically offensive, so he showed only films that were politically offensive.<br /><br />In summer, we have lots of tourists from Quebec in these parts. Nice folks, and thankfully they do not all listen to Celine Dion.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18263554597325427422012-01-12T17:33:21.991-05:002012-01-12T17:33:21.991-05:00What a day for Gareth Bain! A double header, NYT a...What a day for Gareth Bain! A double header, NYT and LAT! That one was pretty tough for me, too.<br /><br />I finished correctly via SAFRICANPROVINCE, PANASIANPROVINCE and GAS, of course. There, I said it.<br /><br />This must be the theme-densest Thursday we ever had. Once I figured it out I wasn't sure I knew all of them, but it worked out. One BC and Bcup were my favorites. <br /><br />I also dove in, but we've had the wade in discussion.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33947216269525627272012-01-12T17:32:44.378-05:002012-01-12T17:32:44.378-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.com