tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5191505496698836454..comments2024-03-28T13:46:36.605-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: WEDNESDAY, Jun. 17 2009 — 24-line verse form / Tool at Henley / Kiltie's instrument / Feature of Las Vegas bandit / Flying Cloud automakerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91958521195903134022009-07-22T14:15:42.863-04:002009-07-22T14:15:42.863-04:00So you didn't get that "key contraction&q...So you didn't get that "key contraction" refers to Francis Scott Key, "O'er the ramparts we watched"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33467309391186831912009-06-18T14:38:09.753-04:002009-06-18T14:38:09.753-04:00This is the second time in ten days or so we'v...This is the second time in ten days or so we've had OATEN. I thought it was a made up word the first time & I'd hate to see it become a regular fill.<br /><br />I worked this puzzle old school, on line instead of online. Waiting on the standby line for Twelfth Night (you <i>must</i> see it), I worked with my pencil & did most of it, but got distracted by some very nice people online in front of me (Hi Arlynn if you're reading). She's a big fan of Rex's, but I'm not sure if she posts or reads the comments. Anyway, I finished it on the subway this morning. I'm definitely a quicker solver electronically.ileennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8529984930106674712009-06-18T04:41:25.646-04:002009-06-18T04:41:25.646-04:00@Ulrich
So, my friend Hannah Leider's name mea...@Ulrich<br />So, my friend Hannah Leider's name means "Unfortunately"?!! Alas.<br />(She was the first person I made a crossword for!)<br /><br />My landlord, the evil Mr. Fong will not let us plant a tree in front of the building insisting the roots will wrap around the plumbing pipes and warp the sidewalk. :( <br />We were offered beautiful trees for $25 from some Friends of the Forest City org, including planting... <br />I'm horrified to find out he might have credibility on any level.<br /><br />Still have that "Come on Eileen" video in my head...tho being slowly pushed out by Jack-in-the-Box's mini buffalo ranch chicken sandwich jinglealkaline carla michaelshttp://acmenaming.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86843443185881582682009-06-18T02:42:32.341-04:002009-06-18T02:42:32.341-04:00@chefwen - if you are still up and reading the blo...@chefwen - if you are still up and reading the blog. I know what you are going through. My mother was the same way. Good luck!chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33688529998050350832009-06-18T01:32:48.024-04:002009-06-18T01:32:48.024-04:00Lisa, that place is extraordinary.
And yet encla...Lisa, that place is extraordinary. <br />And yet enclaves in San Francisco seem equally enticing. <br /><br />I am torn at the moment with a preference for the broad stretch of Northern California or the wider reaches of Puget Sound.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8985935935328768132009-06-18T01:19:40.306-04:002009-06-18T01:19:40.306-04:00Foodie is a probably a better cold calculator of r...Foodie is a probably a better cold calculator of results than I may be, yet I see a trend. Which forms a consistent solving graph, from week to week with little variation. <br /><br />Friday and Saturday are the stick-ends of hockey, but that is only because they stop and give pause to quick-wits, like Orange. And then give some wild standard deviations. Those of us trending her way will dance through till Friday, and then be stuck for a while. <br /><br />And regret it when we're done, since it was too easy.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2674556695471204952009-06-18T00:40:48.252-04:002009-06-18T00:40:48.252-04:00@fergus, Yes, the UW Huskies, my first thought as ...@fergus, Yes, the UW Huskies, my first thought as well. The arboretum you mentioned is wonderful--many times we have canoed beneath the roadways of SR520 amongst the lilly pads and widgeons. As to the puzz, the tree was a cinch, but I had a hard time with the rest of it (like ZJ Wahtzizname ; ) )Lisa in Kingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15793732995251623365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11239687657715326252009-06-18T00:38:50.932-04:002009-06-18T00:38:50.932-04:00Happy to oblige, Fergus. I live in the city in the...Happy to oblige, Fergus. I live in the city in the Laurel Hts neighborhood, within shouting distance of the Presidio.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37222050113210571382009-06-18T00:22:32.232-04:002009-06-18T00:22:32.232-04:00Thank you SF man for providing data.
As a whatev...Thank you SF man for providing data. <br /><br />As a whatever, no, as someone who does incorporate data into offering opinions, I am pleased to see the results in a Tycho Brahe sort of way. While I may have some doubts, I hope I can find the wisdom of Kepler in sorting out your starry findings. <br /><br /><br /><br />(Where in SF are you, by the way?)fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91673118767413686982009-06-17T22:39:34.467-04:002009-06-17T22:39:34.467-04:00Someday 'Huskie's school' might clue M...Someday 'Huskie's school' might clue MICH TECH or MTU (Michigan Technological University).Clarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83403437191005345222009-06-17T22:30:24.214-04:002009-06-17T22:30:24.214-04:00@Anne -- Thanks for your nice comment. I wasn'...@Anne -- Thanks for your nice comment. I wasn't really disagreeing with you, by the way, just sharing another perspective.<br /><br />Today's puzzle: Thumbs up. Likewise today's blog -- best arborial humor ever!Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74141137535851108642009-06-17T22:10:33.251-04:002009-06-17T22:10:33.251-04:00This week's numbers so far. (I don't know ...This week's numbers so far. (I don't know what happened to my post from last evening. I must have forgotten to hit the "publish" button.) The number in parentheses is the number of solvers. I'm also including last week's numbers for comparison.<br /><br />Mon (all) 7:02 (960) last week: 6:55 (856)<br />Mon (Top 100) 3:44 last week: 3:43<br /><br />Tues (all) 8:17 (877) last week: 8:09 (878)<br />Tues (Top 100) 4:19 last week: 4:06<br /><br />Wed (all) 12:03 (723) last week: 14:33 (626)<br />Wed (Top 100) 5:35 last week: 7:26<br /><br />Judging from the solve times, today's puzzle wasn't as easy as some of you seemed to think. Certainly not a Monday. The consensus last week seemed to be that the Wednesday puzzle (Richard Silvestri's "44" puzzle) was more like a Thursday puzzle, so it's not surprising that today's solve times are faster than last week's. The median solve time among those under 1 hour was almost 2 minutes longer than the Wednesday puzzle two weeks ago.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48392513795522782832009-06-17T21:34:02.223-04:002009-06-17T21:34:02.223-04:00Mac -- to me the Huskies are the team from the Uni...Mac -- to me the Huskies are the team from the University of Washington. (No dis of Connecticut -- a point out double U, which might be more of a double V to many Europeans.) I know the UCONN Huskies too. UofW has a most beautiful urban campus in Seattle, complete with an Arboretum.<br /><br />My irritation with this puzzle stems from the intersections of the circled words. I wanted the limbs and roots to be connected to the trunk, and herein they're not attached organically, but rather crudely appended.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30706317491834606712009-06-17T21:18:06.035-04:002009-06-17T21:18:06.035-04:00Interesting idea, capably executed. This may be th...Interesting idea, capably executed. This may be the first Krozel kollaboration that didn't disappoint after the initial glance. Kongrats.Oscarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72656764679398777482009-06-17T21:15:57.660-04:002009-06-17T21:15:57.660-04:00@ imsdave -- Many thanks for being inspired to ACT...@ imsdave -- Many thanks for being inspired to ACT AS Greene Jr. today! More please --I DO I DO enjoy it. <br /><br />@ chefwen -- My thoughts are with you and your mom too... <br /><br />Maybe we can have more Arbor Day celebrations? It was great hearing from everyone today!<br /><br />∑;)ArtLvrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19567511833144189682009-06-17T20:44:50.468-04:002009-06-17T20:44:50.468-04:00@Peter and Joe: Looove that the tree is not symmet...@Peter and Joe: Looove that the tree is not symmetrical! That extra limb starting at tub is just the best. Good Wednesday puzzle for me!<br /><br />@fergus: what's wrong with the huskies?<br /><br />No problem with mms and inches on my ruler, I use both.<br /><br />@Chip Hilton: welcome back!<br /><br />I once, for a short time, knew a family with several members with webbed fee. I was just fascinated.<br />It wasn't all the toes, just a few.<br /><br />Ballade des Dames dys temps jadis sounds a lot better than Dead Ladies....machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27239536200411971342009-06-17T20:33:52.762-04:002009-06-17T20:33:52.762-04:00I bow to the master.
PYXES - what a word!I bow to the master.<br /><br />PYXES - what a word!retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26611941674978364982009-06-17T20:28:57.660-04:002009-06-17T20:28:57.660-04:00Wow, I can get extra extra credit! And I still ha...Wow, I can get <b><i>extra</i></b> extra credit! And I still haven't exhausted my three posts for the day. Let's see...<br /><br /># A A A # # # # #<br /># B F T S P L K #<br />K L T P Z Y X M #<br />G E E # E X I S T E N C E<br />B R R # L E I # _<br /># # # E L S # _ _<br />_ _ _ _ # #<br /><br />Rather a lot of cheater squares, but it does work.<br /><br />NDENoam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57633266762011749472009-06-17T19:49:56.283-04:002009-06-17T19:49:56.283-04:00@ Noam - for extra extra credit, stack them.@ Noam - for extra extra credit, stack them.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4799693517223125822009-06-17T19:46:44.119-04:002009-06-17T19:46:44.119-04:00Hroom, hm, lets not be too hasty about this tree-m...Hroom, hm, lets not be too hasty about this tree-mendous puzzle.Treebeardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6836533554186849952009-06-17T19:17:35.204-04:002009-06-17T19:17:35.204-04:00Trivia time: In Villon's Ballade des dames du...Trivia time: In Villon's Ballade des dames du temps jadis, he mentions Berte au grand pié. She, otherwise known as Bertha Bigfoot, reportedly had webbed feet. She was the wife of Pepin and the mother of Charlemagne. Some say there was a Mother Goose connection.<br /><br />Off topic, but I just have to share this joke:<br /><br />Nurse: Doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room!<br /><br />Doctor: Tell him I can't see him.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88574325090652966642009-06-17T19:12:55.954-04:002009-06-17T19:12:55.954-04:00@Noam
Ooof--I forgot about that. I'll have t...@Noam<br /><br />Ooof--I forgot about that. I'll have to try again.treedwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12634227778469664442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71277992911681748122009-06-17T19:00:49.965-04:002009-06-17T19:00:49.965-04:00@treedweller 4:50 — besides other problems with yo...@treedweller 4:50 — besides other problems with your variant SW, it kills one of the theme ROOTs.<br /><br />@retired_chemist 5:45 — for extra credit, cross BFTSPLK with MXYZPTLK (or KLTPZYXM).<br /><br />EDNNoam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79837887645676678792009-06-17T18:23:05.920-04:002009-06-17T18:23:05.920-04:00@PlantieBea
That problem exists everywhere. IMO,...@PlantieBea<br /><br />That problem exists everywhere. IMO, the quality of the sidewalk has more to do with the problem than the trees. In Austin, particularly, clay soils expand and subside as moisture fluctuates, and tree roots merely fill in the gaps created. Next time you see a heaved sidewalk, check to see how much reinforcing metal is in there.<br /><br />Whatever the source of the problem, forward-thinking communities have begun to correct it by either rerouting the sidewalks or using different materials (rubber being one common example).<br /><br />I'm way over my limit here, and the relationship to the puzzle is getting sketchier all the time, but I'd be glad to continue to debate and discuss if anyone wants to send me an email--arborworks at austintx dot com.treedwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12634227778469664442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78961869052435697122009-06-17T17:49:40.019-04:002009-06-17T17:49:40.019-04:00@treedweller: Down here, trees do indeed send roo...@treedweller: Down here, trees do indeed send roots out under the sidewalks; they cause the pavement to heave. Sadly, some subdivisions have removed the heaved concrete, root pruned the trees, and poured fresh concrete into the newly leveled area. It will be interesting to see how these de-rooted trees do when a hurricane blows through. What's even sadder is that landscapers continue to plant new and potentially very large trees (live oaks) too close to the pavement.PlantieBeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960277851368508036noreply@blogger.com