tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post530420449074147810..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Fencing thrust / THU 1-22-15 / Part of Scottish accent / Nonlethal ammo brand / Quaint preposition / Lab assistant for Dr. Frederick Frankenstein / James Bond portrayer / WWII noncombatantRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72316788486128464032015-02-26T18:32:09.656-05:002015-02-26T18:32:09.656-05:00The WFTD and WAFS were merged on August 5, 1943, t...The WFTD and WAFS were merged on August 5, 1943, to create the paramilitary WASP organization. The female pilots of the WASP ended up numbering 1,074, each freeing a male pilot for combat service and duties. They flew over 60 million miles in every type of military aircraft.[1] The WASP was granted veteran status in 1977, and given the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.[2][3]check your own factsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75519005054219816702015-02-26T18:29:01.834-05:002015-02-26T18:29:01.834-05:00@ Anon 6:08 - from Wiki
The Women's Army Corps...@ Anon 6:08 - from Wiki<br />The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554,[1] and converted to full status as the WAC on 1 July 1943. Its first director was Oveta Culp Hobby, a prominent society woman in Texas.[2][3] The WAC was disbanded in 1978, and all units were integrated with male unitsre: noncombatantsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23153446729715370622015-02-26T18:08:35.132-05:002015-02-26T18:08:35.132-05:00The Women's Air Force did not exist during WWI...The Women's Air Force did not exist during WWII. It was formed in 1948. A few weeks ago, the WASPS were listed as combatants, they were not. Is anyone actually editting this stuff?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18911411464544885902015-02-26T17:04:08.244-05:002015-02-26T17:04:08.244-05:00ONETIME VERNE JUPITER had a fine EWE.
He did STEEL...ONETIME VERNE JUPITER had a fine EWE.<br />He did STEELER, we know that itβs TRU,<br />But UNTO him we paid TOPRATE<br />For the mutton that we ATE<br />INERROR, beFOREPAW knew.<br />BS@noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29346953598818869922015-02-26T16:32:26.803-05:002015-02-26T16:32:26.803-05:00ALANSHEPARD crossing EWE. Har.ALANSHEPARD crossing EWE. Har.NotZnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81763509956899080702015-02-26T15:53:45.991-05:002015-02-26T15:53:45.991-05:00Found this one a bit of a workout. got FIFTH COLUM...Found this one a bit of a workout. got FIFTH COLUMN.<br />Have always believed that referred to some kind of spy network, but couldn't figure out what was nefarious about JUPITER, etc. So much for a little learning. I toyed back and forth with sPy and APP, but neither was any help in supplying a fencing term, and as for "apotheosis"- I,m off to look,it up as soon as I'm done here. In the end got all except for the decoder ring thing. Wanted old time radio's Little Orphan Annie, or was it Jack Armstrong, where for a box top or whatever you could get a magic ring to decode the message at the end of the show. sometimes I wish I had a ring to decode these puzzles!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2124349269809388472015-02-26T15:30:28.627-05:002015-02-26T15:30:28.627-05:00Puzzle easy in some places, and difficult in other...Puzzle easy in some places, and difficult in others. I worked down the entire West side first, and that was the easiest section. Then, I asked myself, "self, why that planet? Why that note? Why that element and that book of the Bible?" That's when I stepped on the ping pong ball! <br /><br />Most of the rest of the puzzle was rather more difficult than the West though, and many crosses were needed for the other themers, except for MAY. Who would know the fifth Bond guy, or, in line with @Spacey, that ALAN SHEPARD walked on the moon? But, he said, that's why it is a *crossword* puzzle. And a good one whose traps (radii, spy, raft, etc) i fell into and dug myself out of.<br /><br />rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88925770894953932762015-02-26T13:52:11.755-05:002015-02-26T13:52:11.755-05:00ORSON on NAOMI and ENYA,
CAGE on EDEN too,
then BR...ORSON on NAOMI and ENYA,<br />CAGE on EDEN too,<br />then BRUNO and VERNE and INGA<br />YERN for someone to do.Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21219347454685935362015-02-26T13:32:51.319-05:002015-02-26T13:32:51.319-05:00JOSS Stone would have been a better clue for me. A...JOSS Stone would have been a better clue for me. A lotta soul in a white gal.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5500799641032257812015-02-26T13:30:31.148-05:002015-02-26T13:30:31.148-05:00Gotta agree with @Spacey about not being easy; nev...Gotta agree with @Spacey about not being easy; never got the FIFTH COLUMN idea, seems obtuse.<br />Like so many others I did the left side, then the right, then the struggle in the middle where tImothydaltoNwas of no help except on top and bottom. Also hand up for rAdiI. Again, not easy.<br /><br />Still say EMEER ain't correct, says Emirates on their planes.<br /><br />The wife thought BRUNO hilarious, I laughed a little.<br /><br />YERN?! that's urine.<br /><br />NAOMI still more a looker than Wynona. Dated a NAOMI once; nympho almost killed me.<br /><br />Miss ACME.<br /><br />Didn't know the Hercules deal, all crosses. Struggle of a puz until the right Bond guy appeared. <br /><br />I am not a robot.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28208861134221298772015-02-26T12:15:31.557-05:002015-02-26T12:15:31.557-05:00First and foremost: kudos to whoever filtered out ...First and foremost: kudos to whoever filtered out those #$*&^ spellcasters! May they never return.<br /><br />On to today. After reading the revealer clue (haven't I told you guys that an unusually long clue is gonna grab my attention?), I was thinking FIFTH COLUMNS right away. Accordingly, I started in the NE and filled in my anchor gimme: RADII. Come on. Neighbors of ulnae?? No question! That turned out to be a misdirect of "Herculean" proportion--in fact, to my mind, flaggable. The entry very nearly unraveled the whole solve.<br /><br />A bit hazy on my astronaut history here--I didn't know ALAN SHEPARD walked on the moon. I thought he was way earlier. I also lack OFL's familiarity with Herky's labors; that one had to go in all on crosses.<br /><br />Now, about those "straightforward" (?) clues?? You kidding me? CIA is a decoder ring, for short? "Bean, for one" turns out to be ORSON--a guy whose chief claim to fame was being a Hollywood Square?? And, of course, the already flagged armbone one. My friend, if you think these clues are "straightforward," I hope you don't get stopped and asked to walk a straight line, or you'd be "put behind bars."<br /><br />All of this is to refute the "easy" rating. True, once one realizes that they're asking for fifths in series, most of the themers fall in. But other problems make this one about a medium. By the way, no fewer than three of the Bond portrayers have 13 letters; Besides the erstwhile Remington Steele, there were George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton.<br /><br />I kinda liked it; theme and fill both better than recent efforts--and that's not saying much. B+.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2928194751539171622015-01-24T15:04:11.257-05:002015-01-24T15:04:11.257-05:00@ George Barnry, thx for the link to the video cli...@ George Barnry, thx for the link to the video clip. Loved the double eraser pencil<br /><br />@ leapfinger, having had to pluck chickens in Peace Corps I can definitely see how it could lead to carpal tunnelAketinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41090902257253321172015-01-23T00:39:49.508-05:002015-01-23T00:39:49.508-05:00Anony 12:15
Neigh not so.
Simpler, yes, but unfo...Anony 12:15<br /><br />Neigh not so.<br /><br />Simpler, yes, but unfortunately inadequate as argument. Your favorite neighbor 5 houses away is a neighborhood-only neighbor. A "real" neighbor must be adjacent or abut. No ifs, ands or abuts.Hands-on Etceteranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34704997434107306952015-01-23T00:15:10.422-05:002015-01-23T00:15:10.422-05:00@Hands-on That's all well and good, but a simp...@Hands-on That's all well and good, but a simpler argument is that "neighbor" isn't that specific. We have next-door neighbors and neighbors. My favorite neighbor lives 5 houses away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14831014265239342152015-01-22T23:31:58.157-05:002015-01-22T23:31:58.157-05:00@redanman, @anonyMD 3:59
Let's not get too hu...@redanman, @anonyMD 3:59<br /><br />Let's not get too hung up on the fine technical aspects.<br />A. The 8 carpal bones constitute 1 carpus. By the Law of the POC, carpus (pl.)= CARPI<br />B. So the actual <b>articulation</b> of the wrist is between the distal radius and the proximal row of the carpus, specifically the lunate and, to varying extents, the navicular and triquetrum, depending on the degree of radial and ulnar deviation, respectively. However, is there any bony structure intervening between the ulnar styloid and the triquetral-pisiform area? No? In that case, speaking skeletally, the ulna and the carpus could be called neighbors.Hands-on Experiencenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28875560923545721412015-01-22T22:33:28.204-05:002015-01-22T22:33:28.204-05:00@Tita" Tissues, schmissues. Anyone who can ...@Tita" Tissues, schmissues. Anyone who can say "a handkerchief made of paper" in Portuguese is one hell of a linguist in my book!Nancynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15199684632772014832015-01-22T21:47:41.630-05:002015-01-22T21:47:41.630-05:00Regarding the Bond issue, "All this and Niven...Regarding the Bond issue, "All this and Niven too?"CaseAceFoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790502576006684050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48555775058342091262015-01-22T19:38:15.267-05:002015-01-22T19:38:15.267-05:00With most of the SE filled, I put eUSTAcE in for 4...With most of the SE filled, I put eUSTAcE in for 43D. MAGIC eventually fixed it, but I think many years of getting the New Yorker had me thinking of Mr. Tilley.<br /><br />Wrote in TOPRAsE as a typo, which gave me HAst so although I wanted FIFTH, it wasn't making SENSE until I realized I was INERROR.<br /><br /><br />oMBre briefly before AMBER. Wanted something like a Ti-DE for the El NiΓ±o clue - foiled by the TILDE again, though not for long.<br /><br />I agree with those who thought the center was by far tthe toughest but it was a great Thursday. Thanks Mr Polin.<br />Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11281175246740555022015-01-22T19:01:25.420-05:002015-01-22T19:01:25.420-05:00Thanks @Numie Never in a million years was that bu...Thanks @Numie Never in a million years was that buried in my brain, so no duh moment. Happy to fire you up @Tita!Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52281046858741636052015-01-22T18:03:43.441-05:002015-01-22T18:03:43.441-05:00@MolyShu
Leeloo Dallas, MultiPass.
Hee.@MolyShu<br />Leeloo Dallas, MultiPass.<br />Hee.SenorLynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12758850318030773855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11148711938958385022015-01-22T17:37:30.895-05:002015-01-22T17:37:30.895-05:00πππ (3 mOONs)
OK 5D made my heart flutter.
Up...πππ (3 mOONs)<br /><br />OK 5D made my heart flutter.<br /><br />Upon filling in JUPITER and MAY I got the other fifths. Perhaps a fifth of rum might have helped.<br /><br />Big deal for me was my misspelling of ALOOF. I put a U in. I seem to recall a tun rate has meaning so the Northeast was making no SENSE.<br /><br />Constructing this puzzle took some thought and I appreciate the result.<br /><br />Thanks Tim<br /><br />Also a balanced post day. Coming here at the end of the day has its merits.dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36929383867848252202015-01-22T17:32:59.970-05:002015-01-22T17:32:59.970-05:00Anyone else get a chuckle from the SHEPARD/EWE cro...Anyone else get a chuckle from the SHEPARD/EWE cross?Martel Moopsbanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54158587445540918812015-01-22T17:32:25.466-05:002015-01-22T17:32:25.466-05:00Maybe some people are too easily insulted...Maybe some people are too easily insulted...aging sopranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01085649464857246925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54170968420214764382015-01-22T17:25:15.817-05:002015-01-22T17:25:15.817-05:00Clearly, I'm in the minority, but I believed a...Clearly, I'm in the minority, but I believed almost from the beginning that this was an unremittingly dreadful puzzle. The reason is simple: the meta- theme or challenge is not connected to the solution itself--if, for example, the word "fifth" was necessary to solve the vertical/columnar clues, then the meta theme would be integral. But it's not, and in fact, it's only after completing the puzzle than you can really see how "fifth" is a component of those disparate answers (and how truly arbitrary they are in every conceivable way). <br /><br />I expected this puzzle to be condemned heartily (in the way that unreasonably hard Tuesday puzzle a few weeks ago was). But to each his own. <br /><br />I love the Times crossword puzzle. I have done it faithfully for 30 years, and will continue to do so. But there have been moments in the last year or so when I thought that Shortz had lost the plot in terms of what solvers want--instead of what he and constructors want. I'm surely/clearly wrong, but had to say my piece.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62418980505282026512015-01-22T17:07:08.718-05:002015-01-22T17:07:08.718-05:00I was sure you would send us somrthing emphasizing...I was sure you would send us somrthing emphasizing the circle of fifths. Now there's an interesting idea for a grid.aging sopranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01085649464857246925noreply@blogger.com