tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5846791737303789290..comments2024-03-29T07:38:33.064-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Brewmaster's science / SAT 9-3-11 / German fantasy writer Michael / Photographer who once collaborated with Capote / Term for some morning deejaysRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36239902376050376902021-04-10T20:20:01.657-04:002021-04-10T20:20:01.657-04:00Too many Naticks; it was only by coincidence of li...Too many Naticks; it was only by coincidence of life experience that I could eventually work most of them. DNF due to the MEADE / AVEDON cross; I made it a toss-up between D and R. A lot of good entries, but spoiled by the ugly crosses and fill. It took me the longest time to get "ON TAP" -- I was unaware of its newer use, "imminent", rather than "available on request".<br /><br />I don't mind "bloody hard". I don't mind learning new things. When the puzzle is in accessible to a large swath of experienced solvers, "THAT'S when we care," as Carson used to say.Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55668821312158924782011-11-30T17:22:09.514-05:002011-11-30T17:22:09.514-05:00I thought of dark beers (as opposed to Lagers)alth...I thought of dark beers (as opposed to Lagers)altho' I don't drink 'em. Shandy--too long--Guinness, Stout, etc., etc. But I forgot "Bock" which I first read of in a de Maupassant "conte" entitled, "Waiter, another Bock". GARÇON, UN BOCK !..<br />GUY DE MAUPASSANT. It was a very sad story. I was a mere stripling when I read it just as the narrator was.alba66https://www.blogger.com/profile/06924931641742686311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57408864382879750572011-10-09T22:27:02.163-04:002011-10-09T22:27:02.163-04:00Listen to alot of N'SYNC there Rex?Listen to alot of N'SYNC there Rex?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34443393660973784772011-10-09T13:08:06.006-04:002011-10-09T13:08:06.006-04:00Yup, hated it. There's a fine line (or maybe ...Yup, hated it. There's a fine line (or maybe not so fine) between being challenging and just plain annoying.Last Guynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36190128892539349462011-10-09T00:26:11.764-04:002011-10-09T00:26:11.764-04:00It DOES! Spacecraft again, with the final count: 1...It DOES! Spacecraft again, with the final count: 196 letters counting 395 Scrabble points for an overall average of 2.002! Congratulations Peter!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61228043793838151512011-10-09T00:00:16.856-04:002011-10-09T00:00:16.856-04:00I just finished watching Andrew Luck and Stanford ...I just finished watching Andrew Luck and Stanford pummel the crap out of Colorado. This puzzle did the same to me.<br /><br />Could not get <a href="http://www.fatheadscleveland.com/" rel="nofollow">FAT HEADS</a> because "Ninnies" put Zappa's "Wet T-Shirt Nite" in my head and there was no turning back from there. It's a common reaction that makes an attraction whenever they're cold.<br /><br />Enjoyed the mini beer theme, but in the end it was a SKUNKY drain pour.<br /><br />Is this the Peter Wentz from Fallout Boy?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28535358453548801372011-10-08T20:24:13.156-04:002011-10-08T20:24:13.156-04:00This one was a bear. I enjoyed the workout, but D...This one was a bear. I enjoyed the workout, but DNF due to the obscure names. I had to Google my way out of this one.<br /><br />This is the toughest Saturday in a while, and while I could grouse about the plethora of proper names, I got a lot of satisfaction for working out 98% of it.Marcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4041325168073911112011-10-08T19:44:11.435-04:002011-10-08T19:44:11.435-04:00Spacecraft here. Agree with Rex and others about t...Spacecraft here. Agree with Rex and others about the clue for SOT. Rex hit it on the head: you want to put in SOP. It seems obvious. The glitch helped block my entry into the puzzle's last defense, the SE. I had MO___ for "part of a mudslide," figured it had to be one of those odd geology words like moraine or loess. Had ZO_____ at 37a, but knew no such term. Tried OMAHA for the United hub, got nowhere. Finally broke down and Googled ERICDANE, the only name in that whole cast (Geez, like, 25 names? Talk about your ensemble!) that seemed to make sense. That erased OMAHA, but pointed to ICK. Eureka! I thought, as I wrote in WEAKLINK. (Remember "You ARE the weakest link; goodbye!"?) Well, eventually, with another Google for ENDE, I got it all straightened out, so two Googs and a lot of angst, but we got 'er done. Of course, after completion I had to check up on the outrageous set of letters at 1d, only left there because all the crosses worked. Who knew? What a name!<br /> This puzzle is chock full of proper names; two I really like are MORITA crossing MRMIYAGI (wax on, wax off!). But the rest seem to be little more than gratuitous high-Scrabble count stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if the average for the whole grid should exceed 2.0, which would be very unusual. Knew ZYMURGY only because it's the last entry in my (Scrabble, of course!) dictionary.<br />Sooner or later, some wag will probably try to work ZYZZOGETON into a puzzle; to that person I say: please don't.<br /><br />blimud: a mudslide (yes, Spacecraft, you dolt: not the geology kind, the MIXology kind!) that leaves you half-blind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79614421317041769162011-10-08T15:46:02.479-04:002011-10-08T15:46:02.479-04:00ICK!!! DNF without help.Got most of NW but the res...ICK!!! DNF without help.Got most of NW but the rest was just too diabolical as someone else said. No fun for a Saturday. I'm rating this puzzle as a CROCKeastsacgirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79908938275864308442011-09-04T21:54:36.173-04:002011-09-04T21:54:36.173-04:00Oh, forgot to B!tc# about SOT. C'mon. That'...Oh, forgot to B!tc# about SOT. C'mon. That's just a horrid clue. Everyone wrote "SOP" there. Everyone. The clue was Designed to make you write it. <br /><br />Result: FAPHEADS. Look up FAP in the urban dictionary, and you'll know why I'm laughing. But not in a good way.cody.riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05883012611419987246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80269854125823122032011-09-04T21:50:00.498-04:002011-09-04T21:50:00.498-04:00Rex, you made my day with your very first sentence...Rex, you made my day with your very first sentence. <br /><br />I gladly solve difficult Saturdays, and usually complain they're too easy. You should have rated this: DIABOLICAL, not "challenging." This was my ONLY DNF this year, and unfairly so. This, after loving the puzzle's Western half...at first<br /><br />UNTIL "CHASEZ." WTF??! I was sure I had J.C.CHAVEZ/VKOPJE correct. SURE! Knowing what I know about M. Theresa, I was SURE I remembered the Armenian city..."VK" is not an implausible opening consonant pair.<br />CHAVEZ is a common Hispanic name. CHASEZ is nonsense.<br /><br />The AVEDON/MEADE crossing is a classic Natick, and ARUM/MEADE isn't any better...I had ARUS. TORE could Easily have been TORN...another Natick!!!<br /><br />I sang that damn Nell Carter "Gimme a Break Song" over and over again in my head without encountering anything 'breaking', but eventually did realize it was the stupid Kit Kat jimgle. I also got ZYMURGY immediately, as well as ZOOCREW, DVD BURNER, SEZ WHO, MR. MIYAGI, and every other tricky *possible* clue. So I'm Not a FATHEAD.<br /><br />This puzzle could have been a good challenge. Instead it was simply unfair. Booo! Hisss!!! Now I'm going to read the commentary to see if Anyone actually solved it.<br /><br />At least this Sat. was harder than Friday for once. Captcha: "therat" Yes, The Rat...good monicker for this rodent of a puzzle, which I Almost liked.<br /><br />Sorry for the screed. Hoping for a good puzzle next week, perhaps by Michael Sharp. That, I'll like!<br /><br />Portland, Ore.cody.riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05883012611419987246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47606723152729187982011-09-04T18:10:30.543-04:002011-09-04T18:10:30.543-04:00This was definitely on the tougher side for a Sund...This was definitely on the tougher side for a Sunday, but we made it through relatively unscathed. My husband didn't like that the "ic" appeared in different places throughout the theme answers, but I didn't mind the phonetic incorporations. It wasn't the best Sunday puzzle -- but in our estimation it was far from being the worst one we've ever done.The Blasevicksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45373191890561928842011-09-04T16:24:16.391-04:002011-09-04T16:24:16.391-04:00I'm just curious, Rex. Since you were not real...I'm just curious, Rex. Since you were not really familiar with either of the two crosses, what led you to put a Z in instead of an S at ZYMURGY?Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68377474424635573782011-09-04T12:47:17.957-04:002011-09-04T12:47:17.957-04:00@REX:
You say you quit mid-solve but
the grid is...@REX:<br /><br /> You say you quit mid-solve but<br />the grid is completed.<br /> Please explain.ANON Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87337885981663810052011-09-04T11:53:44.571-04:002011-09-04T11:53:44.571-04:00In 2 words: IM POSSIBLE. I doubt I could have d...In 2 words: IM POSSIBLE. I doubt I could have done it even if I cheated, and I don't cheat. (Well, maybe once in a while on geographic clues.) Anyway, hated it because it was both undoable and loaded with boring and obscure names. Not my kind of puzzle.Nancynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56100453758264190352011-09-04T01:49:02.978-04:002011-09-04T01:49:02.978-04:00@foodie, If you read Andrea's first post she d...@foodie, If you read Andrea's first post she didn't get it either. She missed it by a square, which beat me missing it by two (the same K as Andrea and the Z in 1d.)<br /><br />@Jax, the only gimie on your list for me was ERICDANE. The rest I was able to infer from the crosses, except for 1. & 2., of course.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29664456990479469792011-09-03T22:49:25.762-04:002011-09-03T22:49:25.762-04:00@ Andrea, I appreciate your positive take on this,...@ Andrea, I appreciate your positive take on this, and I agree that such puzzles, if they show up once in a while, test the limits of even great solvers. And I loved your vivid depiction of SKOPJE --which I keep confusing with Skovde, Sweden. I've been to the latter and you wont believe how it's pronounced. It might show up someday in a scrabbly puzzle! <br /><br />But while I like your take on this, especially as it breaks up the overall negative mood, I still feel that this was not gettable by mere mortals. Ergo, you must be a goddess... who also happens to like trivia and loves names!foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21583780426165521642011-09-03T22:13:19.978-04:002011-09-03T22:13:19.978-04:00Tried this early in a tired day and got as close t...Tried this early in a tired day and got as close to nothing as is humanly possible. After a nap, I went back; still found it ridiculously hard. Had to do a few Googles -- Skopje (which wasn't even the name of the place when she was born!), Volta, Mars --then I IMDB'd Grey's Anatomy just to finish the damn thing. (Except, of course, I guessed wrong on the "Z", opting for "NYMURGY") If I had come here and found Rex rating it anything less than challenging I'd have reached through cyberspace to strangle him.<br /><br />Just not much fun. Too many "I still don't know what that is" when I was finished. I like difficult on Saturday, but this was beyond the pale.Tom Qnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90937783930658045962011-09-03T22:06:15.314-04:002011-09-03T22:06:15.314-04:00I loved this puzzle, even though I do think it was...I loved this puzzle, even though I do think it was a little TOO full of obscurities and unusual letters. I had the most trouble in the NE, since I did not know BONAMI or any of the proper names. I came here and saw KITKATBAR (I was convinced the answer would be something grammar-related) and was able to get everything else from there. <br /><br />For me it is right on the edge of solvability, with enough inferable information to be reasonably confident filling in the crosses that aren't immediately apparent. I mean, I don't know that i've ever heard of ERICDANE, though I may have heard his name somewhere, but once I got a few letters in, I felt I could reasonably assume that was it.Harrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34844301074304668652011-09-03T21:11:46.105-04:002011-09-03T21:11:46.105-04:00@JaxinLA
That's why I loved it...it tugged on ...@JaxinLA<br />That's why I loved it...it tugged on every single nook and corner of my brain! <br />I learned UTEP here on this blog and have friends always talking about Karate Kid which I've never seen.<br />By coincidence, I had on in the background some karaoke show hosted by another former boyband guy Joey Fatone (maybe even in the same group?), knew ARUM from Scrabble, so have seen ZYMURGY while looking up Z words at some point, have traveled to SKOPJE, etc etc etc.<br />The thing is, yes, way-heavy on names, but in order to do lots of words with Ks and Zs etc that haven't been done before, you almost have to go to names of people and cities, as we've seen a lot of the regular English words with weird letters already.<br />So it seems to me plus plus plus on freshness.<br />On the other hand ERICDANE has no crazy letters, but it paid off from accidentally having TMZ on or perusing Star Mag at the grocery store, etc.<br />So this was the type of puzzle that I spent way way way too much time on, but didn't google (as I said, I had one wrong letter in SYNkE/MRMIYAkI, so I sympathize with the two hard names crossing) and felt happy... in part bec it was so crazy!<br />I think there is room for this type of puzzle every once in a while, and it's a drag so many folks are so unhappy, but hopefully the $2 they spent can be gotten in the joy of reading the full paper not on line and stumbling upon articles they wouldn't have ordinarily that somehow may change their lives in ways they don't even know...yet!<br /><br />That's also the beauty of synchronicity! Maybe while they are readin gthis, Procol Harum comes on in the background, and they will be able to talk to some teenaged girl at a bat mitzvah who is babbling about ERICDANE...who knows?!<br /><br />I didn't know MEADE, HARUM, etc but they must have been inferrable by the crosses, bec I got them eventually, so others must have been able to too.<br />But then again, I like trivia and I love names!andrea kitkat michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59664474401985721492011-09-03T21:09:50.863-04:002011-09-03T21:09:50.863-04:00Yes, you, me, and George Carlin!Yes, you, me, and George Carlin!Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87417441996027798032011-09-03T21:03:11.871-04:002011-09-03T21:03:11.871-04:00@2 ponies: let's get small and forget about......@2 ponies: let's get small and forget about... well everythingdkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17756624054065426462011-09-03T20:08:24.681-04:002011-09-03T20:08:24.681-04:00For those of you who have been to the ACPT, Lollap...For those of you who have been to the ACPT, Lollapuzoola and other contests, is this puzzle anything like what might turn up in competition? That prospect makes competition seem nearly superhuman. Rex does have that nifty comic book avatar, after all.<br /><br />This puzzle was impossible without specific knowledge of a wide range of obscurities. I'm not even talking about stuff that's merely very hard (bibliolater, Skopje) or in the culture (Mr. Miyagi, Jabba the Hut, even Paul Anka who appears often enough in crosswords), but stuff that is far-rangingly abstruse. (Undoubtedly what is hidden from me will be obvious to someone else, and some have already said they know one or two of the odd things. )<br /><br />To solve this puzzle successfully, however, you had to know ALL of:<br /> 1) 1990s boy bands and/or recent reality TV (JCCHASEZ) which crosses<br /> 2) an arcane word related to beer-making (ZYMURGY); <br />AND <br /> 3) the non-inferable, proper name title of a 1899 novel by a one-shot author crossing <br /> 4) a not-well-known college acronym for a member of a southern football conference formed in 1995 (UTEP=Univ. of Texas, El Paso);<br />AND<br /> 5) the Grey's Anatomy cast (ERIC DANE) crossing<br /> 6) AM radio slang (ZOO CREW);<br />AND<br /> 7) a 1981 Nobel economist recognized for something technical (MEADE) crossing<br /> 8) (well, this was completely opaque to me, though others seemed to get this as clued) a candy ad jingle. <br /><br />My point is, that's a whole lot of oddity to hold in one brain. Not mine, anyway.JaxInL.A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13792405579998093081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24500274769840979942011-09-03T19:53:56.871-04:002011-09-03T19:53:56.871-04:00no joy in cruciville today. just a crappy town fes...no joy in cruciville today. just a crappy town festival with a bunch of hasbeens in the parade, recognized by noone - but still managing to bump in to each other.<br /><br />51A 51A 51A.hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27837972123999931472011-09-03T19:23:24.074-04:002011-09-03T19:23:24.074-04:00I was so emboldened by my success on yesterday'...I was so emboldened by my success on yesterday's (in syndicated time) Paula Gamache's tour-de-force puzzle (you remember, the one with "edibled underwear" in the grid) that I decided I was ready to try my first Saturday puzzle. My local paper doesn't publish on the weekend so I spent two bucks for today's (in real time) NYT and gave it a shot - big, big mistake.<br /><br />I still think I'm ready to tackle a normal Saturday puzzle though, so like MacArthur, "I shall return."Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.com