tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6894649768955354..comments2024-03-28T04:40:27.172-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Sorrowful 1954 Patti Page hit / WED 10-15-14 / Drifter of literature / Potent potable in Arsenic Old Lace / Astronaut Wally first person to go into space three times / Greece/Turkey separatorRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1713671826861142102014-11-19T20:37:18.400-05:002014-11-19T20:37:18.400-05:00I think this is one of those rare puzzles where RP...I think this is one of those rare puzzles where RP complains only because it is just out of his ken. He's clearly earned a little leeway.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89243354643039951052014-11-19T16:36:53.623-05:002014-11-19T16:36:53.623-05:00I liked the theme just fine, perhaps because I spo...I liked the theme just fine, perhaps because I spotted it early which almost never happens. <br /><br />@Rondo has been REDHOT but today he has to share the pot with @DMG.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72951013039234120642014-11-19T16:35:56.179-05:002014-11-19T16:35:56.179-05:00@rondo ruled first
2205 - another winner!@rondo ruled first<br /><br />2205 - another winner!rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79610767694553812792014-11-19T15:35:15.666-05:002014-11-19T15:35:15.666-05:00Other than the PLUG-->CLOG-->CLOT progressio...Other than the PLUG-->CLOG-->CLOT progression found this one extremely easy but quite entertaining. Liked the reveal berry, berry much. Sorry OFL was offhandish about Wally SCHIRRA, an early hero of mine among the Project Mercury seven - perhaps a generational thing.<br /><br />Looked in vain in the grid for BLUEHILL for two reasons: Blueberry Hill, the great Fats Domino tune from the Chuck Berry era and also because Blueberry Hill is the name of the club in St. Louis where the legendary Mr. Berry still performs.<br /><br />1763 - @DMG, you rule!Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44858882215997447292014-11-19T13:13:11.929-05:002014-11-19T13:13:11.929-05:00Liked this sort of "something for everybody&q...Liked this sort of "something for everybody" puzzle. Only pause was the unknown-actor/unknown-rap-thing cross, but, but I guessed E for a successful splashdown.<br /><br />Sorry @Spacecraft, I got 603!<br />DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-92051371564729951582014-11-19T12:58:56.344-05:002014-11-19T12:58:56.344-05:00Pretty easy, kinda HOKEY even. Wondered about whic...Pretty easy, kinda HOKEY even. Wondered about which berry would appear (disappear) next. Goes without saying that my favorite Berry is Halle.<br /><br />414 - HELLO, two naturals in two days!!rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74728423781723622232014-11-19T11:19:06.741-05:002014-11-19T11:19:06.741-05:00I only do the syndicated puzzle, so this comment i...I only do the syndicated puzzle, so this comment is over a month late because it refers to the one on October 15. I know many of your posts only relate to the puzzle tangentially, but shouldn't you let your younger followers know that is not a photo of Chuck Berry but of Berry Gordy? Anyway, very clever.<br />HarveyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58591122120126997382014-11-19T11:16:33.273-05:002014-11-19T11:16:33.273-05:00The long-term future of mankind depends very heavi...The long-term future of mankind depends very heavily on our eventual ability to CHUCK this third rock and go spacefaring. To that end, any pioneer in space exploration is a great big deal, and is superbly crossworthy. 'Course, OFL probably wouldn't like it out there. There doesn't seem to me much he DOES like.<br /><br />Anyway, after Wally & co. TOUCHed UP the MW, I'm looking at HUCK... FINN's too short, and the whole name would be a grid-spanning 15 (did he ever?). So I'm thinking rebus, but then the north just fills in with HUCKLEFINN. OMG, I think in a Wedensday epiphany: the revealer is gonna be CHUCK BERRY! And it was! Extremely cool.<br /><br />I needed every single cross for the Prince song--though come to think of it, they ARE purple, aren't they? That was the only factor that might move this baby off an "easy" rating. I'd call it "easy with a dash of medium."<br />Okay, a teaspoon.<br /><br />This grid is pretty clean, and contains the haunting "I CRIED." I also liked the double all-I words BIKINI and ILLINI. Especially the former. LOOSEN up a LITTLE, FL. LETS give it an A-. The ELOI have been working too hard lately. They lead the Morlocks 3,879 to 2.<br /><br />5102. If no one gets nine: YAHOO!<br /><br />spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63935103005137476632014-10-19T17:34:16.757-04:002014-10-19T17:34:16.757-04:00@Peter Oswald - No, he was referring to the Alpine...@Peter Oswald - No, he was referring to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine#Alpine_Rhine" rel="nofollow">Alpine RHINE</a>Not Alex Trebeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44486848976944537252014-10-19T17:13:03.853-04:002014-10-19T17:13:03.853-04:00Ummm, the RHINE isn't a "Swiss/Austrian b...Ummm, the RHINE isn't a "Swiss/Austrian border river." Maybe he meant Swiss\German.Peter Oswaldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20390818492611680762014-10-15T22:49:22.651-04:002014-10-15T22:49:22.651-04:00Thanks so much for the birthday wishes!
A perfect...Thanks so much for the birthday wishes! <br />A perfectly puzzling present!Arlenehttp://www.listeningclosely.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78026850947787030622014-10-15T22:06:25.638-04:002014-10-15T22:06:25.638-04:00This 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 5:56, 6:03, 0.98, 41%, Medium<br />Tue 7:23, 7:50, 0.94, 32%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 8:26, 9:30, 0.89, 25%, Medium-Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:13, 4:04, 1.04, 65%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 5:04, 5:21, 0.95, 28%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 5:18, 6:12, 0.85, 10%, Easysanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26179333845136588322014-10-15T20:04:37.190-04:002014-10-15T20:04:37.190-04:00Loved it!Loved it!Timjimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42403811757349846432014-10-15T19:47:17.699-04:002014-10-15T19:47:17.699-04:00Nice to see that Rex learned a thing or two. Who s...Nice to see that Rex learned a thing or two. Who says he's no better than the Bourbons?RnRGhost57https://www.blogger.com/profile/05350085528594221641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23506519577087826812014-10-15T19:26:43.834-04:002014-10-15T19:26:43.834-04:00I have problems with a puzzle when I get the revea...I have problems with a puzzle when I get the reveal before any of the theme answers.<br /><br />But, as Chico Escuela would say, Baseball been good to me.Frank Lynchhttp://www.samueljohnson.com/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27286819216497459172014-10-15T19:05:21.921-04:002014-10-15T19:05:21.921-04:00Boy, I glided through that puzzle with barely a hi...Boy, I glided through that puzzle with barely a hitch. I had PLUG instead of CLOT, but I don't think I gad to change anything else. And I agree that Captain "Tea, EARL GREY, Hot" Picard would have made a better clue than Frasier. Frasier was more known for coffee and sherry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51143915076643093752014-10-15T17:43:41.657-04:002014-10-15T17:43:41.657-04:00Happy Birthday, @Arlene!Happy Birthday, @Arlene!johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25466663863526580222014-10-15T17:39:25.061-04:002014-10-15T17:39:25.061-04:00So Anon 3:33, does that mean you are 55?
Ten year...So Anon 3:33, does that mean you are 55?<br /><br />Ten years the junior <br />RooMonster RooMonsternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32819990835960437362014-10-15T15:47:32.783-04:002014-10-15T15:47:32.783-04:00Midday 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 8:11, 9:30, 0.86, 19%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Wed 5:29, 6:12, 0.88, 18%, Easysanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61801933019464808872014-10-15T15:33:14.829-04:002014-10-15T15:33:14.829-04:00All the kids in my 6th grade class knew who Wally ...All the kids in my 6th grade class knew who Wally Schirra was. I would be in 49th grade this year if it worked that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87390688455478007432014-10-15T14:05:38.497-04:002014-10-15T14:05:38.497-04:00Fraizer and Seattle known for coffee, not tea. Got...Fraizer and Seattle known for coffee, not tea. Got the berry thing right away. No problem with the huckle thing. Timothy Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13668920913867462242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30257578007555762792014-10-15T14:02:31.708-04:002014-10-15T14:02:31.708-04:00Today was a very quick solve for a Wednesday. I s...Today was a very quick solve for a Wednesday. I seemed to know this stuff - like the APRONs near a runway, and even Christian BALE.<br />What I've found particularly interesting about Christian Bale is that he looks almost identical to James Brolin. Being an old-timer, I knew James Brolin from Marcus Welby. So when I saw the Dark Knight movie, I thought it was James Brolin, but couldn't be - would have been too old. So did the online comparison - and they do look incredibly alike - and also made recalling his name a piece of (birthday) cake.Arlenehttp://www.listeningclosely.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37633211659943893952014-10-15T13:19:33.258-04:002014-10-15T13:19:33.258-04:00J McHale - I live 2 blocks away from Schirra Drive...J McHale - I live 2 blocks away from Schirra Drive in OradellMikeMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58481625257797373192014-10-15T13:11:12.019-04:002014-10-15T13:11:12.019-04:00This fill is pretty clean. Considering this grid ...This fill is pretty clean. Considering this grid goes for both 72 words and five theme answers, it is remarkably clean. And the corners were tough, wide-open areas for the constructor to negotiate. Oddly, the S central area may have got the worst of it, probably because it has the letters CHUCK at its top. All consonants, save for one M&A special. <br /><br />EDS-UKR-SKYS-OTROS is admittedly not ideal, in that S area, although HOKEY and REDHOT are strong contributions. There are other fill possibilities there. I'll offer one that's not too bad: change REDHOT to RASHER, HOKEY to HENRY, OTROS to ORATE. Now everything is fine, except perhaps for the glue-like UNA at 57-down. But now I miss REDHOT and HOKEY, so... trade-offs.<br /><br />Returning to the theme, the CHUCKBERRY revealer more than makes up for all the strangeness of the other entries. On some other level, RASPBERET is quite nice, as it mimics the sound of RASPBERRY. <br /><br />Ratswan of Metropolis.Ratswannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35639399563565526882014-10-15T13:08:10.909-04:002014-10-15T13:08:10.909-04:00anon12:43 - You got it - HUCKLEBERRY FINN is the a...anon12:43 - You got it - HUCKLEBERRY FINN is the answer - CHUCK the BERRY leaving HUCKLE FINN.<br /><br />anon11:38 - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/" rel="nofollow">Christian BALE</a> is an actor.Zed the Answer Mannoreply@blogger.com