tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6016760645034798819..comments2024-03-19T04:46:24.598-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Heavy-metal singer Snider / THU 10-13-11 / Viking king 995-1000 / Ancient Anatolian land / Jaipur royal / Flanged fastener / Title town 1945 Pulitzer winnerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21523993482105168472011-11-17T23:29:32.236-05:002011-11-17T23:29:32.236-05:00Spacecraft here. As for why I sign on as "Ano...Spacecraft here. As for why I sign on as "Anonymous," it's the only way I can get my post to show up.<br /> Now as to the original films from which these "BMOVIES" were derived: it's a shame that a gritty, groundbreaking film by Spike Lee, a Steinbeck classic starring the unforgettable James Dean, and two more all-time classics have to share the spotlight with the likes of (B)OUTOFAFRICA. This is like the rotten core of an otherwise delicious apple of a grid. This is not a "B" movie; it's more of an "F."<br /> Hand up for ABOMB and NBA. Also had REFILL for CHASER. More often than not, a chaser is merely water or soda water, rather than a "second drink." To me, a second drink is "I'll have another," or, a refill.<br /> Finally, I wish someone would tighten the TBAR with a TNUT--and then throw both of 'em out!<br /><br />liess: what the Beassst of Eden toldAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84358495919513278772011-11-17T17:53:42.121-05:002011-11-17T17:53:42.121-05:00@Deb, nice to see you back and nice reference back...@Deb, nice to see you back and nice reference back to yesterday's puz - "very cool", indeed!<br /><br />I thought some of the cluing was also "very cool" - no one has mentioned "Conspicuously consume" = SLURP which I thought was cleverly offbeat. A fun, pretty-easy-for-Thursday romp.<br /><br />I wonder if the puzzle 5 years ago was as good?<br />- "Solving time: around 14 minutes (do Not believe the applet!)"<br />- "First - there was massive flooding here yesterday afternoon into last night...There is something humbling about Acts of God, though, that probably isn't all bad. I was calmed by the thought that "it's just basement crap - you've got a furnace and a washer / dryer down there - even if the whole thing fills with water, you'll be fine." I was able to achieve this zen-like clarity because I had presciently removed all books and Simpsons collectibles from the basement earlier this year."<br />- "I have a question. Where is Bora Bora, and is it the capital of anything? No, it's an island in French Polynesia. In fact, according to Bora Bora itself (or at least its eponymous website), "Bora Bora island is possibly the single most famous island in all the world." Bora Bora then added, "Don't tell Ireland we said so, though, OK? Those drunken bastards get really mean if you don't basically worship their goddamned 'Emerald Isle.' @#$#-holes.""<br />- "I never bothered to question AIRED - I just figured that the absurd resulting cross, MAAT, was some kind of imported Dutch nautical term that I needn't worry my pretty little head about."<br />- "Not content to coast on his "Eso Beso" crossword laurels, Anka has found new ways to weasel himself into puzzles. If he keeps working, maybe the world will eventually forget his horrifying 70s abomination, "Havin' My Baby." Purgatory awaits, Paul."<br />- In reply to a comment (there were a total of five) by Isabella, Rex said this: "It's nice that "Will & Grace" was able to help someone, somewhere, lead a fuller life."Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73946020253372232872011-11-17T16:15:37.000-05:002011-11-17T16:15:37.000-05:00Perhaps if Will Shortz didn't keep his ICE in ...Perhaps if Will Shortz didn't keep his ICE in the refrigerator, it would be more than just "very cool."Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16675331024091722316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67460731302998336322011-11-17T13:40:03.300-05:002011-11-17T13:40:03.300-05:00How do you go with Gil Scott Heron over Elvis Cost...How do you go with Gil Scott Heron over Elvis Costello??<br /><br />I was sure <b>"</b> meant feet, but when I penciled it in I could see that the word FEET was too small. In danger, quite frankly, of being crushed by a dwarf.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89920954414489272092011-11-17T09:44:31.801-05:002011-11-17T09:44:31.801-05:00" 'roids"? Waaaay to obtuse." 'roids"? Waaaay to obtuse.The Bronoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54631234139570152122011-10-14T11:15:31.428-04:002011-10-14T11:15:31.428-04:00The biggest problem with using Anonymous is anyone...The biggest problem with using Anonymous is anyone can be Anonymous. If you register a sign in name I am able to properly respond to your comments. I do not get into discussions with Anonymous for that reason.Ted Kerwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00506027632570080559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66797373388908768672011-10-14T11:06:24.386-04:002011-10-14T11:06:24.386-04:00@two ponies: i always considered that jeopardy man...@two ponies: i always considered that jeopardy manipulated the games by choice of categories. i am sure they have knowledge of contestants' fortes and less strong areas and perhaps make the show more interesting or balanced by choice of categories so it's not a complete runaway. i enjoyed watching joon. as for thurs. puzzle that was fun too and easy for a thurs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13223941186678908132011-10-13T23:41:55.183-04:002011-10-13T23:41:55.183-04:00@600. The story goes that Lady Astor could fit on...@600. The story goes that Lady Astor could fit only 400 into the ballroom of her mansion. Thus New York Society became The 400.Sparkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11149915526159432838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46856216295492638462011-10-13T23:34:54.102-04:002011-10-13T23:34:54.102-04:00chip, i've answered this question with my actu...chip, i've answered this question with my actual wagers on two occasions (days 1 and 3 of my streak): i bet for the win. i don't actually think you can "prove" you're better than another player in one game of jeopardy; so much depends on the categories, the individual clues, who finds the DDs, and even the third opponent. any contestant who makes it onto the show is a dangerous opponent, but one who's already got a full game of experience and is comfortable on the buzzer is more so. the biggest advantage i had as the returning champ was that i had played more jeopardy than my opponents. so i'd only wager for the tie in exact breakpoint cases where i couldn't afford the extra dollar.Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58774540164745652192011-10-13T23:34:16.475-04:002011-10-13T23:34:16.475-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.<br /><br />All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 6:17, 6:51, 0.92, 19%, Easy<br />Tue 8:03, 8:53, 0.91, 23%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 9:19, 11:50, 0.79, 8%, Easy (10th lowest median solve time of 119 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 17:31, 19:09, 0.91, 39%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:25, 3:40, 0.93, 23%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:15, 4:35, 0.93, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 5:14, 5:51, 0.89, 27%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 8:47, 9:20, 0.93, 43%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87831855933193535952011-10-13T21:36:44.323-04:002011-10-13T21:36:44.323-04:00I thought it sounded familiar:
http://www.amazon.c...I thought it sounded familiar:<br />http://www.amazon.com/Z-Crosswords-Letters-Every-Puzzle/dp/0806990988Oscarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43257074090876104182011-10-13T20:47:37.974-04:002011-10-13T20:47:37.974-04:00@acme
The list was far from complete. You are defi...@acme<br />The list was far from complete. You are definitely on it. Your insights are amazing. In fact I think of your posts as a blog in a blog. Like a cuckoo you lay your eggs in another bird's nest.r.alphbunkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74445401074237016182011-10-13T20:04:30.269-04:002011-10-13T20:04:30.269-04:00Yes, there are plenty of classical-music entries, ...Yes, there are plenty of classical-music entries, but nothing like the endless barrage of names of pop "artists" so famous that I've never heard of them. Except possibly in a Fri/Sat puzzle you'll never see CARL clued via Dittersdorf or Stamitz, or SAMUEL via Scheidt, or ANTON via Reicha (never mind Eberl, a near-contemporary also listed in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_classical_music_composers_by_era" rel="nofollow">this Wikilist</a> — Dvorak is fair game, but not Dvořák unless you clue ANTONÍN). That's as it should be, even though Stamitz, Scheidt, and Reicha are all respectable second-tier composers. It's reasonable to hold more recent proper names to the same standard. If there were no other way to clue DEE then resorting to this Snider dude would be tolerable, but there's nothing to celebrate about such a clue, and no excuse for it when there's any number of better approaches (yes, even using the letter).<br /><br />Oh, and having two royal clues <i>consecutive</i> is always a nice trick.<br /><br />—NDE [catpcha = invis, like 4/9 of that word]Noam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56945578834198141652011-10-13T19:41:36.966-04:002011-10-13T19:41:36.966-04:00@Joon
If you're still here, what's your st...@Joon<br />If you're still here, what's your strategy if you're in this situation: You lead going to Final Jep, and you have the choice of betting exactly enough to tie if you and your nearest opponent both get it right or betting that extra dollar to win outright? I'd think you'd want the tie after just proving you're better than that opponent. Why not take them on again the next day? Thanks, and congrats on a great run.Chip Hiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944056030047563287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30690223623728195022011-10-13T19:40:31.688-04:002011-10-13T19:40:31.688-04:00@evil doug - Ooh La La!
You are not going to beli...@evil doug - Ooh La La!<br /><br />You are not going to believe this but my capcha is fliers.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55897495495031183802011-10-13T19:39:16.022-04:002011-10-13T19:39:16.022-04:00Hey r.alph, what's a girl gotta do to get on Y...Hey r.alph, what's a girl gotta do to get on YOUR list? ;)<br /><br />I fell for the bEEt/LEEK thing.<br />SUbA/tIDD looked suspicious, but what do I know about sports, literature, music, food, history, pop culture, or geography? <br /><br />Btw, just saw this on Wordplay when I was trying to see if there was an article about John Farmer there...found this instead:<br />Administrivial Exciting New York Times Crossword Puzzle Contest Alert! Heads up, my friends: Will Shortz and one of our top constructors will hold a forehead-slapping puzzle contest involving next week’s puzzles that you will definitely want to get in on. Exact instructions will follow at the top of each day’s puzzle (and I will post them here as well), but hold on to all of your puzzles from Monday through Friday, because the Saturday puzzle will contain a metapuzzle that will use clues from the rest of that week. When you have solved the metapuzzle, e-mail your answer to crossword@nytimes.com. PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS HERE ON THE BLOG, AND PLEASE DO NOT MAIL THEM TO ME. Only answers e-mailed to that address will be considered. Twenty-five correct solvers, chosen at random, whose entries are received by 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, Oct. 23, will receive copies of “Will Shortz Picks His Favorite Puzzles: 101 of the Top Crosswords From The New York Times.” Only one entry per person, please. The answer and winners’ names will appear on Friday, Oct. 28, at http://www.nytimes.com/wordplay.anonymous carla michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84027016539545500162011-10-13T19:38:15.643-04:002011-10-13T19:38:15.643-04:00@Joon - It was such a pleasure to watch and cheer ...@Joon - It was such a pleasure to watch and cheer you on. Thanks for stopping by and giving us some inside information. I have also set my DVR to record Jeopardy again. Really looking forward to the Tournament.<br /><br />Loved the puzzle and like many others thought Singing in the Brain was the bestchefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34913091983244698612011-10-13T19:24:08.691-04:002011-10-13T19:24:08.691-04:00@ANONYMOUS
Thanks@ANONYMOUS<br /><br /> ThanksANON Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-719421927036872652011-10-13T19:11:39.281-04:002011-10-13T19:11:39.281-04:00@Anon B (Nate?)
Neither, here is an interview with...@Anon B (Nate?)<br />Neither, <a href="http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/staff/" rel="nofollow">here</a> is an interview with this John Farmer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7618859266663862222011-10-13T18:49:52.106-04:002011-10-13T18:49:52.106-04:00Does anyone know if John Farmer is
the editorial w...Does anyone know if John Farmer is<br />the editorial writer for the New Jersey StarLedger or his son, John<br />Farmer,Jr, a former Atty. General<br />of New Jersey?ANON Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63956629240766074892011-10-13T18:21:33.948-04:002011-10-13T18:21:33.948-04:00I too am with @CoffeeLvr and @TwoPonies re SINGING...I too am with @CoffeeLvr and @TwoPonies re SINGING IN THE BRAIN... <br /><br />And Joon was wonderful in so many ways. But of all the answers he provided, the one that blew me away was Marc Jacobs. I mean I expected him to rock the math and science and to be great with words and literature, but Marc Jacobs? I just wasn't expecting it. <br /><br />And thanks to him, I've relapsed, in my Jeopardy addiction... <br /><br />@Evil Doug... I'm shaking my head at you. But the photo from your youth is entertaining, so I'm letting it go...foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47570873704630012412011-10-13T18:02:57.607-04:002011-10-13T18:02:57.607-04:00i prefer to think of it as both gentlemanly and st...i prefer to think of it as both gentlemanly and strategic. if katie wagers $8800, she will tie me on a double stumper and we could both come back the next day, and she also can't lose if she gets it right (although i could tie her if i bet it all). so i left the door open for her to also make the correct strategic wager of $8800. of course i don't blame her for betting $8801, but it did risk her losing on a double stumper instead of drawing.<br /><br />most jeopardy contestants don't work out the game theory to this level of detail, so i wasn't really expecting her to actually bet $8800. if i thought that she would probably do that, then i would actually have gone all in and tried for a joint win on the double-get, which i viewed as much more likely than a double miss based on the category. (now that would be a bit caddish.) but it was a very interesting exact corner case.<br /><br />thanks for the kind words, everybody here who's been cheering for me. it's been a wonderful experience and i'm glad that modern technology has allowed me to really share it with almost everyone i know (and many people i don't know who somehow became my fans anyway).Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55633339931334136972011-10-13T17:07:41.887-04:002011-10-13T17:07:41.887-04:00@Crosscan - I didn't think of that, I only tho...@Crosscan - I didn't think of that, I only thought that he bet so that if he were right, and she didn't bet the obligatory tie+$1 and was wrong, but instead bet nothing, they would tie.<br /><br />What a cad!Petenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75120801898796556842011-10-13T17:00:33.559-04:002011-10-13T17:00:33.559-04:00At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I had the op...At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I had the opportunity to fly on some of the domestic Chinese airlines this Spring. The old tradition of young, slender, attractive "stewardesses" is still alive on these airlines. The mind boggler was when, just before take-off, they all assembled at the front and, in unison, bowed to us while the Captain was on the PA system saying what an honor it was to serve us. Later, when talking with one of our guides, she said that, as much as she wanted to travel, she was too fat to get a job with the airlines.<br /><br />Fell asleep over this puppy last night and forgot to check my questionable answers this morning, so ended up with NbA, ROIlS and lECbEE for DECREE.<br /><br />@CoffeeLvr expressed my thoughts exactly re the puzzle and Joon's run. Got a big chuckle out of SINGIN IN THE BRAIN, primarily becouse my first encounter with "Earworm" was on this site awhile back.Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31783998075322922852011-10-13T16:59:10.042-04:002011-10-13T16:59:10.042-04:00Joon is gentlemanly, but his final jeopardy wager ...Joon is gentlemanly, but his final jeopardy wager was strategic, not chivalrous. Since he had exactly 3/4 of the leader, his bet insured he would win by a dollar if they were both wrong.<br /><br />What I can't explain is the daily double betting strategy of the third place contestant.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.com