tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6760706496053652662..comments2024-03-29T07:17:55.045-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: What a gimel means on a dreidel / WED 3-5-14 / Cuban salsa singer Cruz / "Total Recall" director Wiseman / Town with an eponymous derby / One of two in an English horn / Aria title that means "It was you"Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8467568436379822102014-08-10T22:31:20.566-04:002014-08-10T22:31:20.566-04:00Evan, just now getting around to doing this puzzle...Evan, just now getting around to doing this puzzle (I clip them and do them later). This was one of the most fun Wednesday puzzles I've ever done. I especially liked the Dickensian clue BOZ! Thanks much, from Surf City USA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86406724918417428472014-04-09T16:43:54.478-04:002014-04-09T16:43:54.478-04:00@Evan, thanks for your funpuz and for the play-by-...@Evan, thanks for your funpuz and for the play-by-play re: Will's editing. I can see how this could have been a thupuz.<br />My only writeover was trying to cram IHAVE'ntaCLUE into 57A.<br />Quite a discussion about "Boz." One of my fav singers. I don't know if he still does it, but for years he would give a concert in Oakland to benefit the inner city. He still lives in No. Cal.<br />As for who really wrote the Nancy Drew mysteries, and who got the credit, I also ask who really wrote all the works attributed to Shakespeare? After reading "The Greatest Plagiarist" I agree that it must have been Christopher Marlowe. Maybe we can send Ken Burns back in time.<br />@Ron Diego, a friend and his family have a game/contest to unearth triple homonyms, e.g., bight, bite, byte.<br /><br />Go Mariners!<br /><br />Two lousy pair. @Spacy BEATSME.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35922352246596581492014-04-09T16:27:00.412-04:002014-04-09T16:27:00.412-04:00i had the same difficulties in the north-central s...i had the same difficulties in the north-central section as others had but managed to sort things out with the unlikely sounding GCHAT. Seeing UPEND in the grid reminded me of a recent news item reporting that several of those tiny eco-cars had been tipped over or UPENDed in San Francisco - the urban version of Cow-Tipping, maybe?<br /><br />As to things having umbras and penumbras, I confidently entered a eclipses which was wrong, of course, but it gave me a reason to mention to the night sky watchers here that there is a total eclipse of the moon during the wee hours of April 15 - it should be quite spectacular if the sky is clear.<br /><br />I have eight cards to draw from and the best I can come up with is two pair, fives and fours.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33042948856192515752014-04-09T15:04:40.883-04:002014-04-09T15:04:40.883-04:00Only problem was in the mid-north. A French horn, ...Only problem was in the mid-north. A French horn, that's the round one, maybe it got that way with two benDs? (dont ask) That sat for a while. Don't know the singer, my Dad,s expression was "Damned if I know", and have no idea what's on a dreidel. Finally decided ?CHAT had to work and CELIA is a name, and, slowly it all fell. Glad to see my guesses confirmed here!<br /><br />@Ginger: glad to see you back! Thought you were probably on a Spring break with the grand kids.<br /><br />Another nothing hand!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48933221796157950952014-04-09T13:36:49.252-04:002014-04-09T13:36:49.252-04:00Speaking as an old-timer, I would certainly be mor...Speaking as an old-timer, I would certainly be more than pissed with all the editing revisions, as mentioned by the constructor. I can understand correcting inaccurate or very obscure words only. As far as the oto/otoe argument goes, I believe there almost always has to be just a little dreck or crosswordese fill in order to have everything balance out.<br /><br />In fact, I was just wondering whether anyone has published a puzzle with homonyms, such as meet/meat, tare/tear, bare/bear, sweet, suite, etc. Sounds like a winner to this old codger.<br /><br />Ron Diego 10:35 AM PST 4/9 Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75192271478634795042014-04-09T11:02:44.746-04:002014-04-09T11:02:44.746-04:00North was trouble for me too. I know what a dreidl...North was trouble for me too. I know what a dreidl (never saw it spelled with a second E) is, but am not deep enough into the culture to know how to play, or what the gimel means. I concur with the double-reed argument, but figured that was what he meant. A 3-letter "cool" amount came up MIL in my head, so (eyebrow raise) 18a had to be HELLIFIKNOW. Leaving me with _R_MS for the nutrition label units and __L for the gimel. If 4a was GRAMS and 6d ALL--seemed reasonable--then I was left with the natick at 15. Who's Cruz? 37a! What's that app? 18a! What's AN app? 53a! Running the alphabet for Cuban names, I stopped at DELIA, skipping right over the C. GDHAT?? OH wait. A C would at least make it CHAT, though why you'd stick a G in front of that 57a. But oh yeah, CELIA is a good name, my favorite being Celia Lovsky, memorable portrayer of T'Pau in the STTOS episode "Amok Time." So I went with it. Whew!<br /><br />Good, clever theme, including the (NON!) revealer. Nice, fresh fill interspersed with tired stuff like ERITU and EKEOUT (but at least both halves of those!) as well as OTOE and EERIE, but as has been said, probably necessary.<br /><br />Hand up for And before ARE, and the fact that OTO and OTOE don't belong in the same grid. Another near-miss pair, not nearly so bad, is DEAD and DEAR. Also had MATch before MATES. Surprised to see THE as a stand-alone entry; actually it's probably fresh!<br /><br />Overall, thumbs up. Today I had only six cards to work with, and ALL I could come up with was a straight, 6 high.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83565380792892430582014-04-09T10:40:36.011-04:002014-04-09T10:40:36.011-04:00I thought Pokemon was a rasta proctologist. I thought Pokemon was a rasta proctologist. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00187089710912012367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87898290216764630712014-03-07T18:09:58.651-05:002014-03-07T18:09:58.651-05:00Guessing dreidel is an ell and figuring iChat woul...Guessing dreidel is an ell and figuring iChat would be a good guess i had to blink a few times to discover the nutrition unit isn't some arcane acronym<br /><br />My 57 across clue<br />See 18 27 34 52 or<br />What one can say about themPhilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26403141333750202192014-03-06T19:09:08.600-05:002014-03-06T19:09:08.600-05:00Really wanted "eclipses" instead of &quo...Really wanted "eclipses" instead of "sunspots" and since I saw the clue and had written it in first it caused a bit of a headache in the NE. But otherwise, a fun Wed. puzzle.Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77763793847915207102014-03-06T00:56:59.827-05:002014-03-06T00:56:59.827-05:00@arnold Holtzman 4:57pm
when you land on Gimel, yo...@arnold Holtzman 4:57pm<br />when you land on Gimel, you get everything/all.<br />The mnemonic when I teach folks how to play dreidel<br />Is "gimme all"?<br />I usually have seen it spelled with two mm and I don't think it means big (that's gadol, no?) but to run or give (as to the poor)Acmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65534433334186983662014-03-05T22:04:02.983-05:002014-03-05T22:04:02.983-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. 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 6:04, 6:18, 0.96, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 8:07, 8:16, 0.99, 49%, Medium<br />Wed 10:46, 10:14, 1.05, 66%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:47, 4:00, 0.95, 19%, Easy<br />Tue 5:10, 5:13, 0.99, 44%, Medium<br />Wed 6:09, 6:14, 0.99, 45%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39943506125099881472014-03-05T21:06:22.799-05:002014-03-05T21:06:22.799-05:00Loved it Evan!!! The revealer made the puzzle. Th...Loved it Evan!!! The revealer made the puzzle. The non "-" clues were definitely easier than the usual Wednesday clues, I suppose to balance things out. I do enjoy Wacky Wednesdays with the NYT crossword. You never know what you'll see. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04983081176623722693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14159348289815682752014-03-05T17:23:35.487-05:002014-03-05T17:23:35.487-05:00The bottom line for me in the "B0Z" ques...The bottom line for me in the "B0Z" question is that I did enter "ZED" because "ZEE" did not work! wreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08797908615185213756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49828360374121540402014-03-05T17:02:18.163-05:002014-03-05T17:02:18.163-05:00@Kim: har. day-um.
EZ4U2_ScuderA_kthxbYe.
M&A...@Kim: har. day-um.<br />EZ4U2_ScuderA_kthxbYe.<br /><br />M&ALast Silver Bull Wootnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34600802732382400502014-03-05T16:57:33.067-05:002014-03-05T16:57:33.067-05:006 down... What a gimel means on a dreidle.
It mea...6 down... What a gimel means on a dreidle.<br /><br />It means "big" definitely not "all".Arnold73https://www.blogger.com/profile/04089419456877624349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34908143087036680302014-03-05T16:47:02.501-05:002014-03-05T16:47:02.501-05:00@M&A: 5 suit-men, iNeBRIAted on_stINk@M&A: 5 suit-men, iNeBRIAted on_stINkKim Scuderahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15325616360993250306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55233510529279669622014-03-05T16:33:10.814-05:002014-03-05T16:33:10.814-05:00I'm surprised no one has commented on 5D. An E...I'm surprised no one has commented on 5D. An English horn doesn't have two reeds, as the clue implies. It has one double reed. The two pieces of cane that are joined to make the double reed aren't themselves reeds until they are joined to become one double reed. All the obsessive, wrong-headed editing (thanks, Evan, for telling us about it) might have been better focused on minor factual matters like the reed/s/ issue and the question whether "[a cool] MIL" is an actually occurring English phrase (I don't think so). This was a nice puzzle. It would have been better if it had been left alone. Blue Staternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42895830079841813372014-03-05T16:25:58.211-05:002014-03-05T16:25:58.211-05:00figured out Montana-Wyoming area when I realized I...figured out Montana-Wyoming area when I realized I was thinking French, not English, horn; no excuse, just carelessness.Fred Romagnolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11994837736408182418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21379509770746575092014-03-05T16:19:29.598-05:002014-03-05T16:19:29.598-05:00I'm with Mohair Sam: Boz was in quotes cause i...I'm with Mohair Sam: Boz was in quotes cause it wasn't his real name; you don't have to be an English major to know it. I have NEVER heard anyone in San Francisco say "Hell if I know," it's damned (or more commonly, but not NYT possible, beats the **** out of me). On the WVir teacher situation: just try and get someone fired in a school system. Ha! Fred Romagnolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11994837736408182418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65254271373288801122014-03-05T16:12:27.205-05:002014-03-05T16:12:27.205-05:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Wed 10:54, 10:14, 1.06, 69%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Wed 6:20, 6:17, 1.01, 54%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62122590040775125882014-03-05T16:00:13.169-05:002014-03-05T16:00:13.169-05:00@muse: hope it didn't shake U up too much. (G...@muse: hope it didn't shake U up too much. (Garbled speech ain't a real good sign.) <br /><br />Rootin for yah, on that there pensmanship award deal. If U can't get much on tourney puz #5, just fill in the letters M-A-N-D-A, real neatly, over and over. Should get the attention of the awards committee. Do not spit on eraser, before makin any corrections.<br /><br />Back to the NYT WedPuz, now that I've gotten over my sympathy hangoverpains for 4-Oh...<br /><br />fave fillins: POKEMON. SUNSPOTS. ERSATZ. HEYYOU. MYRIAD. OUTGO. Special collab award for 'GRAMS.<br /><br />fave clue: Move like the Blob. Great schlock movie; cool that Steve McQueen got to debut in a Call for Help flick. FATS clue is also quiet cine.<br /><br />weejects anonymoUs: OTO. No harm no foul on the OTO-E clone, as not Evan's doing. MIL MEW MUS. mm-mm.<br /><br />Thanx to all the folks that work on my lil puzs. Will give y'all some time off, now, to rest up for the Big Show in Brooklyn. Take it easy on my best buds, Shortzmeister. Don't wanna have to come down there, dude.<br /><br />M&AM and Alsonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34805020082195422022014-03-05T15:31:05.111-05:002014-03-05T15:31:05.111-05:00@M&A - 14 minutes. Tub quiet ought. Cine luces...@M&A - 14 minutes. Tub quiet ought. Cine luces!!Loren Muse Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05308030011870397977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5190219813474090832014-03-05T15:13:43.326-05:002014-03-05T15:13:43.326-05:00@Evan, you're fast becoming one of my favorite...@Evan, you're fast becoming one of my favorite constructors....As they say in Argentina - CHE, que buena onda!<br />@Kim Sudera...It breaks my heart as well!!! I grew up with CELIA singing in my home. My sister and I would dance to her music in front of any one who would watch. This was in Cuba and both of us stood out like sore thumbs. She very blonde and I red haired. Both of us singing in Cuban Spanish to gawking by-standers....! AZUCAR indeed.<br />Didn't even notice the OTO/OTOE and didn't care. What blew me away was the amount of changes made. YIKES... I remember my first art teacher changing an oil painting I had spent weeks on. She was renown in Spain and would impose her style on us students. It drove me nuts and even though the changes were perhaps more appealing, it was not MINE any longer...<br />Thanks for a good Wed. workout and for stirring up the memory bank..<br />GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15929696887309330292014-03-05T14:56:38.081-05:002014-03-05T14:56:38.081-05:00@Steve J. Maybe a case of too much knowledge, but...@Steve J. Maybe a case of too much knowledge, but grams are a mass unit used in EVERYTHING. Using "nutrition" as a pitch leads a chemist to look for something unique to nutrition, not the fundamental unit of mass (actually a kilogram) used throughout the world. Bad clue, especially when linked to the awful "GCHAT" and the unknown "Celia." I am sure she is wonderful, but I never listen to "Salsa," which I thought was a kind of sauce. (Oisk)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47968138664901944172014-03-05T14:51:05.736-05:002014-03-05T14:51:05.736-05:00Today's M&A solve time: 5 min 26 sec; no p...Today's M&A solve time: 5 min 26 sec; no peeking!<br /><br />Good one as usual.Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.com