tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5514506630821532181..comments2024-03-28T16:15:49.885-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Italian sculptor Nicola / SUN 9-5-10 / Wielder of sword Tizona / Short-billed rail / Starting material coal formation / Kazakh land featureRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35682014794561241902010-09-14T08:43:59.175-04:002010-09-14T08:43:59.175-04:00I can't believe nobody else is grousing about ...I can't believe nobody else is grousing about Tirana, but I just looked at the Atlas, and it really is Tirane.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44847754505545173222010-09-12T20:32:40.970-04:002010-09-12T20:32:40.970-04:00ERE is a preposition. Open a dictionary and see.
...ERE is a preposition. Open a dictionary and see.<br /><br />rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73365709412121552712010-09-12T20:28:34.708-04:002010-09-12T20:28:34.708-04:00Why, in all of these posts has no one mentioned th...Why, in all of these posts has no one mentioned that "ere" is NOT a preposition as described in 72 Across??Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02539828647431382902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3824389629539328922010-09-12T20:25:24.707-04:002010-09-12T20:25:24.707-04:00Easy-Medium my a$$! Obscure does not begin to des...Easy-Medium my a$$! Obscure does not begin to describe this vexing puzzle and its clues/answers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53275549192764242992010-09-12T20:10:22.941-04:002010-09-12T20:10:22.941-04:00Total slog for me a week after everyone else had f...Total slog for me a week after everyone else had finished it and moved on. It did not help that I thought I had discovered the theme with TURKEYTalk for slandering a Thanksgiving dish, so I spent way too much time trying to reverse the words in the phrase (ala talk turkey, which makes perfect sense.) Finally with MEASURINGSNOOPS and OUTOFTHEPOOL in place, and a lot of staring I figured out the real theme and that helped a lot. Still DNF with some blank spaces in the mid-Atlantic - wouldn't let go of FICTIon for made-up, and having keg for TUN destroyed any hope of success in that area. No joy today. I am definitely looking forward to our host's debut on the NYT puzzle page - but since I'm 5 weeks behind here in syndication-land it will be a while before I see it.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40231592076019782862010-09-08T10:18:10.536-04:002010-09-08T10:18:10.536-04:00This was not a good day for me. Too many nits in t...This was not a good day for me. Too many nits in this puzzle. "Tot"<br />instead of tote, "taj" instead of<br />"tan"( I do not wear lipstick, and I am not a Hindu). Despite all this, I aced the entire lower half and got all of the "Turning Backs" correct.BobbyFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16353623121906879241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58022716600877797002010-09-06T18:19:10.857-04:002010-09-06T18:19:10.857-04:00We saw PISANO (father and son!) last year, May 3, ...We saw PISANO (father and son!) <a href="http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/search?q=%22may+3%2C+2009%22&updated-max=2009-05-02T21%3A34%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=20" rel="nofollow">last year, May 3, 2009</a>. (The blog banner gives the day of the post, not the puzzle.) So I got this one off of PI----.<br /><br />TORR is short for Torricelli, the inventor of the barometer. He's famous enough.<br /><br />I'm old enough to remember the Falklands War, and I thought EXOCET was a gimme, with one or two crosses to remind me.<br /><br />I actually filled in CRAKE off of C----. I'm not sure how I know that bird, but it was easy enough.<br /><br />As for UBU Roi. Well, I'm surprised at the things I just take for granted that seemingly nobody else has ever heard of. <i>Ubu Roi</i> is extremely famous in drama history, and not just because it was a breakthrough forerunner to dadaism and surrealism and the like. No, it's famous for a more fundamental reason.<br /><br />The opening word is a slightly misspelled and mispronounced curse word. At the first production, on opening night in 1896, King Ubu got as far as saying the first word at which point the audience rioted, the curtain was brought down, the run was cancelled, and the play itself was outlawed in France. I'm surprised this tidbit never(?) made it into the <i>Guinness Book of World Records</i>.<br /><br />I remember seeing a spectacular off-off Broadway production of <i>Ubu Roi</i> in NY 30 years ago. Loud, intimate, overacted in all the right ways.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5356822315782511982010-09-06T17:52:16.503-04:002010-09-06T17:52:16.503-04:00I liked this one quite a bit. LIVING MOOR is one ...I liked this one quite a bit. LIVING MOOR is one of my favorite NYT answers in recent memory.<br /><br />Sadly, I couldn't finish this one without help, having heard of neither CRAKE nor EXOCET previously (I had just turned 6 when the Falklands war began). But I don't mind failing when the puzzle is legitimately hard, and that would be this puzzle.Matthew G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07957320012395569238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53043552847111056922010-09-06T12:11:24.520-04:002010-09-06T12:11:24.520-04:00"Grebe" fits nicely where CRAKE should g..."Grebe" fits nicely where CRAKE should go. And I didn't see any problem with the crosses. Had "ALOES" Not SLOES. What is a SLOE anyway?<br /> I did know about the Dams. and even about CRISTAL. Living Moor was staring me right in the face, but I couldn't see the reversed word.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90591815383875560662010-09-06T11:53:48.144-04:002010-09-06T11:53:48.144-04:00@ Lindsay - Geico ads on the radio? I don't k...@ Lindsay - Geico ads on the radio? I don't know where you live, but there is probably a very good Public Radio station nearby. Give it a listen. No Geico ads, and plenty of information that might even be useful in completing crosswords.Ira Glassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75019806579601466082010-09-06T00:47:19.061-04:002010-09-06T00:47:19.061-04:00Many thanks to @Falconer for the derivation "...Many thanks to @Falconer for the derivation "The Exocet was named after the French word for flying fish (exocoetidae)." I love it when commenters add so much arcane knowledge and I find it at the end of the day...<br /><br />Thanks also to @JJ too for the EL CID info, and to the Anonymous who brought up the PI correction!<br /><br />Happy Labor Day, all.<br /><br />∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26590928055419147732010-09-05T23:51:24.762-04:002010-09-05T23:51:24.762-04:00Bleh, definitely got annoyed by today's puzzle...Bleh, definitely got annoyed by today's puzzle---it seemed riddled with unreasonable answers and crosses.<br /><br />CRAKE by itself is already a stretch, but a 5-letter word certainly shouldn't have <b>3</b> crosses that have to be blindly guessed. I'll give OMSK the benefit of the doubt and assume I'm just unusually slow to memorize the Russian cities, but CAPA's a foreign language, EXOCET is a crazy proper noun that had to be referenced through the Falklands War, and ESHARP could have been any sharp note to non-musical solvers.<br /><br />I just wish CRAKE had been the only area that was so frustrating. PISANO and TORR were another, for sure, especially since TOT still sounds fake to me. I happened to get PARTB and UBU, but that certainly doesn't make the crossing any more acceptable. Even some gettable-through-crosses answers like DOZY and ELKO just seem silly. And though Google finds both, I feel like I've only ever read about YMIR as a giant, not an ogre, so the cluing seemed off to me.<br /><br />I don't know, huge chunks of the puzzle just felt like the constructor couldn't find legit fill that worked with the theme answers, leaving a mess that I stopped enjoying solving.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13631743840776360363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91331147708746673462010-09-05T23:22:10.465-04:002010-09-05T23:22:10.465-04:00Córdoba was related to two clues. El Cid's sw...Córdoba was related to two clues. El Cid's sword was supposed to be from there.JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44776333673774806702010-09-05T18:18:17.668-04:002010-09-05T18:18:17.668-04:00@Evgeny: yes--when I'm looking at the 3-letter...@Evgeny: yes--when I'm looking at the 3-letter country abbrevs used, for example, in tennis (here I go again), GER stands for Germany and AUS for Australia, as you said. Austria is AUT. The problem is that the cluer(s) wanted to indicate that an abbreviation was called for, and there isn't really a country neighboring Australia that could be used for that purpose. Which brings us back to my point: Why treat AUS as an abbreviation in the first place?<br /><br />But having done English xword puzzles now for almost 3 years (w/o getting noticeably better), I've learned not to question abbreviations--it's too frustrating b/c some rationale can always be found, and the NYT checks for those (they do get German grammar or history wrong at times, tho). And I have bruises from my battles for better clues for ACH:-). Mind: It's really common in combinations like "Ach Gott!" or "Ach so"!Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71012237659689587002010-09-05T17:41:03.250-04:002010-09-05T17:41:03.250-04:00@ Ulrich: yes, I thought about the German 'aus...@ Ulrich: yes, I thought about the German 'aus' as well... just went with the Australia suggestion to keep the name-the-country theme. Still, wouldn't you agree that 'Aus.' is at least an uncommon, if not odd, abbreviation for Austria?Evgenynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29082422267639507232010-09-05T17:10:12.652-04:002010-09-05T17:10:12.652-04:00Oops!!! Looks like I made the same wrong assumpti...Oops!!! Looks like I made the same wrong assumption that the other Anonymous made re: the Golden Ratio. So Phi or φ it is. My apologies. Consider me re-educated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55904551213678332432010-09-05T16:00:46.502-04:002010-09-05T16:00:46.502-04:00Fantastic puzzle -- right in my wheelhouse as I kn...Fantastic puzzle -- right in my wheelhouse as I knew every item of trivia and pop culture immediately, from Geico to Cristal. Figured out the reverse-a-word theme quickly from Snoops/Spoons. <br /><br />I guess this is backwards words week at the NYT, following the Thursday puzzle. Only paused at ARDEN but English poets are a missing limb on my knowledge tree.<br /><br />Re EXOCET -- for anyone paying attention to the news during the Falklands War this was a gimme. It was a French-made missle that the Argentines used to great effect against the British. The Falklands conflict saved the political career of British PM Margaret Thatcher, coming at a time when unemployment was at post-WW2 highs and the UK economy was terrible. It cemented her stature as the "Iron Lady," and later Ronald Reagan's soulmate in the Cold War vs the Russians. The conflict in which 250 Brits and 650 Argentins died was a throwback to the colonial glory years for the Brits and quickened the collapse of the wretched Argentine military junta.<br /><br />The Exocet was named after the French word for flying fish (exocoetidae). They were compact and handy in that they could be launched by air, land, sea or submarine against enemy warships. The U.S. Navy equivalent is the Harpoon, made by Boeing.<br /><br />Here is a description of the Exocet from a war post mortem by the great NYT military analyst Drew Middleton in July 1982:<br /><br /><i>LONDON, June 18— The land-based Exocet missile that hit and damaged the British light cruiser Glamorgan was almost the last shot of the air-sea war around the Falkland Islands. This was perhaps fitting since the Exocet was the weapon used in the South Atlantic that has given military planners and ship designers the most to think about.<br /><br />Senior British and NATO military sources say the war was also a testing ground for several other weapons. Among the most important was the British Harrier jump-jet and the American Sidewinder heatseeking missile with which it is armed. The British land forces also used Rapier and Blowpipe antiaircraft missiles for the first time, and the Royal Navy sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano with the new Tigerfish torpedoes. Mirages Did Not Stand Out<br /><br />For the Argentine Air Force, the major disappointment was probably the ineffectiveness of its Mirage III fighter jets. Even allowing for the fact that they were operating at extreme range and were therefore unable to remain over their targets for long, they proved reasonably easy game for the Harriers.<br /><br />The first effective use of the Exocet, when it wrecked the British destroyer Sheffield, raised the significant issue of the use of aluminum in ship construction. The metal, according to reports, burned uncontrollably and resulted in the total loss of the ship. </i>Falconernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7123002429946910192010-09-05T15:58:41.429-04:002010-09-05T15:58:41.429-04:00AM I WRONG to feel a dark undercurrent of gossip a...AM I WRONG to feel a dark undercurrent of gossip and mistrust? Notably, there's Othello and the pathetic cuckold with the spycam. Also: a spousal ultimatum, a SPAT, SNOOPing busybodies, a friendship-ending RIFT, reputation-ruining DIRT, and slander (perhaps in a COSMO REMARK).<br /><br />Just kidding. Fun puzzle, Will.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9186516561478396792010-09-05T15:44:41.300-04:002010-09-05T15:44:41.300-04:00More " backwords" a la Andrea, or what I...More " backwords" a la Andrea, or what I think of as "mirror words" as they read the other way when held up to a mirror. Many fun answers! <br /><br />I had FESTIVE in lieu of FICTIVE for a long time, thinking that some people put make up on to feel festive. But SURD was abSURD so I had to rethink. <br /><br />@chefwen, I agree about all the wonderful food in the puzzle. It opened up many little nooks and crannies for me.<br /><br />Rex, is your upcoming puzzle a weekday puzzle?foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90906107203979598212010-09-05T15:42:42.630-04:002010-09-05T15:42:42.630-04:00The cultural references that I didn't know tod...The cultural references that I didn't know today (Eminem, Seinfeld, etc.) made me feel very old and out of touch. Gee, I'm not that old! Clever puzzle and all that, but a bit a slog for me.edmcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18432176765106022049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83851366534891478932010-09-05T14:41:05.912-04:002010-09-05T14:41:05.912-04:00I NEVER got the theme until after the puzzle was c...I NEVER got the theme until after the puzzle was complete. So, the puzzle wasn't dead easy for me. Definitely more pink than red. Still, a very pleasant solve, made better by the fact that I have just canned 9 jars of jalapenos, which are guaranteed to make my winter burritos and quesadillas nice and spicy - which makes me feel very satisfied, smug even. <br /><br />Braves just tied it up!! And they were down 6-1!! Go Braves!<br /><br />@Rex - thank you for the John Prine song.hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67817822496214783652010-09-05T14:39:37.130-04:002010-09-05T14:39:37.130-04:00From the movie Top Gun:
-those Migs carry the EXO...From the movie Top Gun:<br /><br />-those Migs carry the EXOCET anti-ship missile, they can fire that missile from 100 miles away-<br /><br />My problem area was the PISANO/TORR section. And I agree that PARTB/UBU was very unfair, even tho I guessed the B, but it was just a guess. <br /><br />Overall a cute puzzle with a couple of thorny squares.sillygoosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03483946342170291849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91279362440950187032010-09-05T14:23:04.385-04:002010-09-05T14:23:04.385-04:00I liked it. A lot of curmudgeonly comments today.
...I liked it. A lot of curmudgeonly comments today.<br /><br />@CoffeeLvr: Loved the story. Well constructed.<br /><br />Found this one easy-medium at 19:46 and got the theme very quickly which helped the solve. Really enjoyed Rex's write-up. Especially liked the new cluing for OREO.Shamikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11635283729322415150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36453231826575953942010-09-05T14:00:01.820-04:002010-09-05T14:00:01.820-04:00To the Anonymous comment from Aug 1 "Play Bar...To the Anonymous comment from Aug 1 "Play Bargaining" who said,<br /><br />"66A THE GOLDEN RATIO (PHI). Hello. the Greek letter Pi (the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet) is the symbol for "the golden ratio." Phi is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet and, I guess, the symbol for "Oh well, it's a NYT crossword."<br /><br />me thinks you got it right!! The Wikipedia response is 'φ'aulty. The letter φ or phi (pronounced like "fee") is pronounced as an F and has nothing to do with the constant symbol. The letter π or Pi (pronounced like "pie" in English but like "pee" in Greek) is the equivalent to a P in English and indeed is the symbol in question.<br /><br />I was so glad to see your correction and then so baφφled to see the Wikipedia φoible!!<br /><br />Although that πuzzle is ancient history now, I just couldn't leave it alone. Can't figure out why no one else was πeeved by it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76191654687087593122010-09-05T13:56:44.854-04:002010-09-05T13:56:44.854-04:00@Evgeny: If you need a clue for AUS and are in a G...@Evgeny: If you need a clue for AUS and are in a Germanophile mood, why not use "out in Osnabrück"? I'm influenced by having seen much tennis these last days (the quality of the live streaming for the US Open is terrific if you're used to watching European soccer that way): "Out" is "aus" in German--I'm just saying...Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.com