tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6765094768528526348..comments2024-03-29T08:00:02.522-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: #1 spoken-word hit of 1964 / SAT 12-28-13 / Jonathan's wife in Dracula / Vino de Spanish wine designation / Castle of Hungarian tourist draw / 1975 hit song about tramps like us / Phoenix suburb larger than Midwest city it's named forRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37620820146712792272016-01-08T23:08:45.669-05:002016-01-08T23:08:45.669-05:00Lol. Thanks, Everett. I"ll do that! :)Lol. Thanks, Everett. I"ll do that! :)Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18080027831092093115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13729331423366711722016-01-08T00:09:37.550-05:002016-01-08T00:09:37.550-05:00What you do, Gregory, is keep some Patrick Berry p...What you do, Gregory, is keep some Patrick Berry puzzles on hand -- if you buy his book you get a ton of them -- and if you experience a particularly irritating puzzle, turn to one of those to alleviate the pain.<br /><br />Rant solved! :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10135400012128650710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46212306172462338752016-01-07T21:58:16.800-05:002016-01-07T21:58:16.800-05:00Okay, this is a much-belated rant, and no one will...Okay, this is a much-belated rant, and no one will ever read this, but here goes catharsis anyway. This is the 2nd Frederick J Healy puzzle I've attempted from the NYT archives, and it will be my last. Why? Because his puzzles feel more like trivia night at the pub than working a crossword. IMHO, a crossWORD puzzle should be an exercise in vocabulary and wordplay. Not "which arcane historical figures do you know". The NW of this puzzle is exhibit A. A full 5/10 of the crosses are proper/foreign terms. Of course JUMBOFRIES and ONIONRINGS are utterly pedestrian once you see them filled in, but how are you supposed to get to them? I will, I suppose, grant UNUM. But MINA, BOS (1 out of 5 possible AL East teams), RINGO, INGE and EGER? Are you serious?<br /><br />If I DNF a tough puzzle, I want it to be because I didn't know the 4th Webster's definition of a word, or because I just didn't think long and hard enough about all the permutations of the cluing. I want to slap my head afterwords, and wish that I'd stared at the clue longer. In other words, I want to feel that I COULD have solved it, if only I'd thought about it longer.<br /><br />In Mr Healy's puzzles, it wouldn't matter HOW long I stare at the grid, I am never going to come up with MINA or EGER, etc. After his elaborate 15-stacker on 03/21/15 kicked my butt, I wanted to try another of his puzzles to see if I could do better, but I didn't, and now I see why. If you have a Jeopardy-champ-like trivia knowledge of authors, Nobel Prize winners and poet-laureates, then his grids are for you. But please don't call them crossWORD puzzles. They are proper-name trivia quizzes masquerading as word puzzles.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18080027831092093115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2141098840211141892014-02-08T05:38:53.297-05:002014-02-08T05:38:53.297-05:00@Sasha - think of walking alongside an embankment ...@Sasha - think of walking alongside an embankment and seeing an entrance to a cave. When you look in, it's concave! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56352852072721747802014-02-01T18:28:12.358-05:002014-02-01T18:28:12.358-05:00This was one tough RIPSNORTER for me. Had to do a ...This was one tough RIPSNORTER for me. Had to do a lot of EDUCEing. <br /><br />Just me, but I thought some of the clueing was deliberately cutesy misleading, like the clue "Pride and joy. How is that synonymous with SENTIMENTS? <br /><br />And I agree with Rex about floppy disks being defined as PASSE. When I wrote that in I said to myself - naw.<br /><br />puRE before BARE. rtES before UIES. My navigator says in his British accent "If possible, make a U turn." M&A would love it.<br /><br />@Z, can't stand okra. My grandmother, who was from Texas, boiled all vegetables until they were a like jelly. Okra is really bad as green mush.<br /><br />@Spacy, never underestimate the lung power of ten thousand 12th mans (men). Go Hawks!<br /><br />My boat is fours over nines.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9859267058218380072014-02-01T16:42:11.015-05:002014-02-01T16:42:11.015-05:00I can't believe @Sanfranman's stats on thi...I can't believe @Sanfranman's stats on this. This was tough for me, particularly the SW, where OFOLD was my last entry.<br /><br />I don't know if JUMBOFRIES is "a thing", but it just sounds right to me. As a Canadian, I was quietly proud to see RINGO in there (gimme for me). <br /><br />@Spacecraft - hmm. I just can't see Denver winning this one. Just a stray thought. When the SB turns 50, will it really be Super Bowl L? Looks funny to me.<br /><br />Go Hawks.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32282883206126939102014-02-01T15:06:06.414-05:002014-02-01T15:06:06.414-05:00My experience was much like @spacecraft's, exc...My experience was much like @spacecraft's, except I didn't get it all. Couldn't figure out what kind of FRIES were on order, and my shooting star was a "ballplayer", clearly wrong when UNUM turned "ball" to "bull", but I didn't enough of the crosses to work it out. O I guess no SMILEYFACE on my efforts.<br />DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54006632049816435692014-02-01T12:44:53.294-05:002014-02-01T12:44:53.294-05:00First two answers were little white and wanna figh...First two answers were little white and wanna fight. I thought they were such great answers it was hard to let them go. Born to run knocked out the former and silly me knocked out the latter. Success in a shorter Saturday time. Good puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7775830924501459142014-02-01T11:56:57.690-05:002014-02-01T11:56:57.690-05:00Oh em gee, I actually FINISHED the thing! When I f...Oh em gee, I actually FINISHED the thing! When I first scanned the clue list, I could find not one single gimme. Anywhere. And I am a Twain fan, but could I think of that stupid frog's NAME? Not the first three times. But then I tried DAD, and the D touched off DAN(')L. This was not a shopehorn; more like a machete. I had to go through and hack away at the jungle of obscurities. Medium? No way. 100% challenging, even if I DID get it.<br /><br />By golly, I may actually have a few gray cells still workin!' I thus enjoy the solve of tough nuts like this, , despite brutal cluing and iffy fill (I absolutely abhor UIES, and neighbors SRTA and GPAS aren't too pretty either. The payoff had better be great for these acrosses--and it was. Though I agree that the truth, not lies, is most commonly SUGARCOATED. RIPSNORTER is...well, one.<br /><br />I love that NOSE intersects with the Bill Maher-clued UNPC. There goes a schnozz that would put Durante to shame. (Not Maher--he HAS no shame!)<br /><br />Writeovers: Tor before BOS, rACElEadERS before PACESETTERS.<br /><br />And now, on the eve of SBXLVIII, I hate to say it to a couple of known Syndiland Seahawk fans, but tomorrow's gonna be a long day. They have no 12th man now, when they most need one. The rings will have to wait.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33698391129138678172013-12-31T10:23:50.406-05:002013-12-31T10:23:50.406-05:00Sugar coated lies? nonsense. You sugarcoat the tru...Sugar coated lies? nonsense. You sugarcoat the truth. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43429546550006419132013-12-29T16:55:48.174-05:002013-12-29T16:55:48.174-05:00Couldn't finish the NW because ANSEL ADAMS jus...Couldn't finish the NW because ANSEL ADAMS just had to be right for 17A ("Shotting Star"), because it led to three crosses (2D, 4D, and 5D) that also had to be right -- CENT (One at the U.S. mint"), CLE ("A.L. East sports team"), and ON LEAVE (which actually was right).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29405719588296247222013-12-28T21:38:00.100-05:002013-12-28T21:38:00.100-05:00@David - my GPS helpfully suggests, "Turn aro...@David - my GPS helpfully suggests, "Turn around when possible" so I don't think UIES is too much of a stretch.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-187649255966454282013-12-28T20:24:18.001-05:002013-12-28T20:24:18.001-05:00Do GPSs really suggest "UIES"?
Consider...Do GPSs really suggest "UIES"?<br /><br />Considering that people will follow literally any direction their GPS gives them, that's pretty scary.Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85197710433158793312013-12-28T20:09:47.270-05:002013-12-28T20:09:47.270-05:00Came close to finishing but was unable to decipher...Came close to finishing but was unable to decipher the horrible cluing in the SE corne.<br />ATNO [what is that?] crossing with UNPC [finally got Maher's Politically Incorrect reference] coupled with the ME in SILLYME led to DNF re the Bully's Question, ANYONEELSE? You've got to be kidding Mr. Healy.<br /><br />Still, not bad for a Saturday, though I surfe did need some google help confirming answers PAGO, LAHR, ASSETand EGER.<br /><br />Remain mildly ticked off re SMA [?], DANL and SSA.<br />Sore loser that I am.LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14124071857425186572013-12-28T19:39:20.127-05:002013-12-28T19:39:20.127-05:00i liked mathguy's comment. always like a Frid...i liked mathguy's comment. always like a Friday and Saturday that I can finish without Google even if it takes a while. Have contributed to Rex's blog, but never commented before. Am getting tired of his bitchiness about NY Times puzzles and seemingly anything he's never heard of. This one was fun. period.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42253541235161945862013-12-28T19:38:34.266-05:002013-12-28T19:38:34.266-05:00i liked mathguy's comment. always like a Frid...i liked mathguy's comment. always like a Friday and Saturday that I can finish without Google even if it takes a while. Have contributed to Rex's blog, but never commented before. Am getting tired of his bitchiness about NY Times puzzles and seemingly anything he's never heard of. This one was fun. period. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30725275765861878352013-12-28T19:16:58.007-05:002013-12-28T19:16:58.007-05:00What @joho said word for word, AMEN.What @joho said word for word, AMEN.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10874672853931948202013-12-28T19:16:54.878-05:002013-12-28T19:16:54.878-05:00This 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 5:54, 6:13, 0.95, 25%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 9:14, 8:12, 1.13, 79%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 11:16, 9:56, 1.13, 80%, Challenging<br />Thu 16:16, 17:56, 0.91, 31%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 24:00, 19:47, 1.21, 85%, Challenging<br />Sat 23:39, 27:12, 0.87, 23%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:44, 3:49, 0.98, 32%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 5:36, 5:09, 1.09, 72%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 7:15, 5:58, 1.22, 90%, Challenging<br />Thu 9:25, 10:24, 0.91, 28%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 15:29, 11:32, 1.34, 90%, Challenging<br />Sat 14:25, 17:36, 0.82, 18%, Easysanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12367230753115001422013-12-28T17:21:52.899-05:002013-12-28T17:21:52.899-05:00According to Merriam-Webster, passe' means &qu...According to Merriam-Webster, passe' means "outmoded; behind the times." No mention of "fashionable."<br /><br />Really liked this puzzleAnnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60950847218204190402013-12-28T16:29:48.588-05:002013-12-28T16:29:48.588-05:00A mixed bag. Lovely long answers but a lot of gri...A mixed bag. Lovely long answers but a lot of grid gruel. Many excellent clues. Overall a very satisfying solve, however, and I liked it. JUMBO FRIES gets lots of Google hits.<br /><br />Has anyone ever in their life said the word "anciently"?Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19542267123905099932013-12-28T15:19:36.160-05:002013-12-28T15:19:36.160-05:00FrigidaireFrigidaireUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05765708246009803048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13374326650302796842013-12-28T14:54:32.104-05:002013-12-28T14:54:32.104-05:00Claret for GARNET, bawl before MEWL and Begin for ...Claret for GARNET, bawl before MEWL and Begin for BARAK. Had to Google INGE to finish. (Misdirection indeed.) Thank you Rex for explaining that gravity thing. Just loved RIPSNORTER.Mettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62320167180992316552013-12-28T14:51:52.485-05:002013-12-28T14:51:52.485-05:00Does ANYONEELSE's NOSE seem BORNTORUN today?Does ANYONEELSE's NOSE seem BORNTORUN today?miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63897461297483871472013-12-28T14:50:16.160-05:002013-12-28T14:50:16.160-05:00@fiddleneck - except that it's Frigidaire, not...@fiddleneck - except that it's Frigidaire, not Fridgidaire, so he same problem exists that @loren brought up.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10135400012128650710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25093333935768779022013-12-28T14:40:21.977-05:002013-12-28T14:40:21.977-05:00@loren muse smith: I think fridge is short for th...@loren muse smith: I think fridge is short for the brand name Fridgidaire.fiddleneckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03320152558783648656noreply@blogger.com