tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6930773373068603033..comments2024-03-28T17:16:32.030-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Inter European soccer powerhouse / THU 3-12-15 / Pearl S. Buck heroine / Ludd from whom Luddites got their name / Marvel supervillain Norman / British W.W. II plane / Heaven's vault studded with stars unutterably bright ShelleyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84630828873079859482015-04-16T21:41:42.651-04:002015-04-16T21:41:42.651-04:00ORGANA for OBIWAN messed up the NE. LEE for DIX m...ORGANA for OBIWAN messed up the NE. LEE for DIX messed up that part. Had to do it from the bottom up and fortunately had heard of FIREINTHEHOLE.sdcheezhdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05457420125517948430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91604093342154976232015-04-16T19:05:50.211-04:002015-04-16T19:05:50.211-04:00Just for the record: @Burma Shave is very funny, s...Just for the record: @Burma Shave is very funny, sometimes outrageously so, like today! (Something like Arthur Miller's Salesman, attention must be paid.)leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10381678010734679822015-04-16T16:38:39.606-04:002015-04-16T16:38:39.606-04:00Without the revealer I'd still be working on t...Without the revealer I'd still be working on this fun puzzle, where the assortment of fires helped make sense of a number of answers, My troubles were in the NW. I clung to guessSO far too long,. Didn't abandon it unril LOLITA slowly emerged. Ended with a single Natick in the lower left where the unknown supervillian met the equally unknown to me Mr Ludd. Luddite that I am, you"d think I know his name! <br /><br />2651 Yuk!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32116784101469003892015-04-16T13:38:21.521-04:002015-04-16T13:38:21.521-04:00Strange days indeed when most of the commentariat ...Strange days indeed when most of the commentariat praise a puzzle that OFL finds...dull. Shakes head. Bites tongue.<br /><br />Of course holes can be square. If you are embedding setts in your lawn for a walkway, you must dig square holes, for example.<br /><br />I got the gig insanely early with MAWS my first entry and thinking WILDFIRE, and then SPITFIRE, and wondering whether that would work in the across answers, etc. <br /><br />Same thing with the bottom "hole". And the revealer was terrific.<br /><br />A lot of fun today. @Spacey-I know you are a tough grader, but I'd drop the minus from your A-. This was anything but...dull.<br /><br />rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7954638868898585172015-04-16T11:50:02.843-04:002015-04-16T11:50:02.843-04:00Since I started with MAWS and GRIP I had the begin...Since I started with MAWS and GRIP I had the beginning of the plane with SP, thought perhaps a misprint for WWII because someone had a WWI plane the SPAD, right? But MALI axed that idea and I figured something’s up with FIRE when I realized LANE. That 4square black spot looked so curious .That’s when I got the FIREINTHEHOLE bit going in all directions, before going to the other FIRE hole and doing those. Then just a matter of fill , but the NW proved the toughest for me, mostly because of having atASLANT gumming it up. I actually liked this gimmick, so not a bad Thursday considering my usual Thursday plaints.<br /><br />Would “Nabakov novel” make LOLITA easier? Or harder? Probably easier, at least for me. Can’t or don’t remember all of Kubrick’s work.<br /><br />Obviously I enjoyed this puz more than OFL. I didn’t exactly find this dull.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82089007467692668862015-04-16T11:35:05.039-04:002015-04-16T11:35:05.039-04:00Like OFL, I, staunch Kubrick fan that I am, forgot...Like OFL, I, staunch Kubrick fan that I am, forgot all about LOLITA. I was convinced his 1962 film was "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb." Have I mentioned how terrible I am at timelines? That, with or without the extended phrase, wasn't about to fit into six squares. Ergo, [I thought] we had a rebus to deal with. Well, we did, but not one I envisioned.<br /><br />My friend Sarah N. Dipity to the rescue! I went hunting for a revealer clue, found it at 54a, and began work there. Soon I had<br /><br />H<br />O<br />ROADIE<br />STRADS<br />e<br /><br />and thus my only w/o. Soon after, I had INTHEHOLE and that gave away the STORE. Had all the acrosses around the southern "hole," and wondered if it went vertical, too. MAN, that would be a prodigious feat. Turns out it did, and with jaw-droppingly great execution. Here's where @Rex and I part ways. Dull? DULL?? OK, if you look up "jaded" in the dictionary, you should find a picture of you-know-who.<br /><br />For a Thursday, this one turned out fairly easy, once the trick is found. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it immensely. Some iffy fill in such a theme-dense grid--with so many 3's--is inevitable, but Ellen and Jeff did as well as they could minimizing it. I kowtow to them, and award them an A-. spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65611130469260370802015-04-16T11:30:31.889-04:002015-04-16T11:30:31.889-04:00LOSTARTS
LOLITA PLAYSWITH the ROADIE in her loft,...LOSTARTS<br /><br />LOLITA PLAYSWITH the ROADIE in her loft,<br />that SPITFIRE struck TERROR through his soul,<br />so much that the WILD MAN’s now SEMISOFT<br />and can’t be SUREFIREINTHEHOLE.<br /><br />--- ERNE DIX<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27816450328312102972015-03-13T04:17:36.413-04:002015-03-13T04:17:36.413-04:00Be careful not to step on any fireANT hills. And h...Be careful not to step on any fireANT hills. And have a good time.aging sopranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01085649464857246925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77187705118190440902015-03-13T03:55:30.310-04:002015-03-13T03:55:30.310-04:00Wow! You can go to a football...er...soccer game, ...Wow! You can go to a football...er...soccer game, and catch an opera at La Scala. Sounds good.aging sopranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01085649464857246925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9655446952234608882015-03-13T03:44:40.829-04:002015-03-13T03:44:40.829-04:00Be careful not to step on any fireANT hills. And h...Be careful not to step on any fireANT hills. And have a good time.aging sopranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01085649464857246925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68960105084485152142015-03-13T00:35:14.374-04:002015-03-13T00:35:14.374-04:00Just to keep in tune with your ad hominem attack o...Just to keep in tune with your ad hominem attack on Rex, you are an idiot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38446466504057474222015-03-12T22:18:16.048-04:002015-03-12T22:18:16.048-04:00I'm so late posting that I know no one will re...I'm so late posting that I know no one will read this. But it's not my fault. My NY Times arrived on my doorstep this morning WITHOUT THE ARTS SECTION! On a Thursday, my very favorite puzzle day! Oh, horrors! I called Times delivery and they promised me a replacement paper, but it didn't arrive until 6:30 p.m. But at least it arrived. Finally got to the puzzle, after dinner, and was rewarded with a good one. I solved it, but it wasn't easy-- <br /><br /> Like mathguy, I've never heard the expression FIRE IN THE HOLE to warn of a detonation. Like jae and lms, I had gUt instead of TUM. Saw some of the "FIRE" answers in their entirety, but for some I thought my half-answer was correct. After finishing, however, I figured out that the two big squares were the "holes", and re-visited some of my half-answers, realizing that FIRE EXIT was better than just EXIT; FIRELIT was better than just LIT and FIRE AXE was better than just AXE. The whole puzzle came together at that point and I said "aha!" <br /><br /> Thank you NY Times for getting this puzzle to me, albeit it late. It was worth waiting for. Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50836973644896402092015-03-12T22:12:51.543-04:002015-03-12T22:12:51.543-04:00Got the theme earlyish, thought it was a fine puzz...Got the theme earlyish, thought it was a fine puzzle. I always like an inverse rebus. I did this last night on the iPad, but have been too busy to stop by. <br /><br />@smallMAtown - Actually, "NATICK PRINCIPLE — 'If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names.' " Amazing what looking at the FAQ page can do for you. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13959284442690212122015-03-12T19:50:49.760-04:002015-03-12T19:50:49.760-04:00@chefwen et al...thanks for the ROADIE explanation...@chefwen et al...thanks for the ROADIE explanation I wish I could do a head slap or maybe a TUM TUM dance...but, I've never heard of either group...@OISK...Do you know them?<br />@Steve J. OK, I know Jewel and I like her music but really, I wanted to fit a carat or something in there. We always stuck our CD's in a drawer.<br />GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10085930991157742602015-03-12T18:46:03.227-04:002015-03-12T18:46:03.227-04:00Thanks @Bob. Duh! I need a good head slap.Thanks @Bob. Duh! I need a good head slap.Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14765933586959791052015-03-12T18:15:59.603-04:002015-03-12T18:15:59.603-04:00That is GREAT! Thanks also.That is GREAT! Thanks also.Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6509891655343227112015-03-12T17:32:29.135-04:002015-03-12T17:32:29.135-04:00@leapy, @chefwen -- I did not know that a LAVabo w...@leapy, @chefwen -- I did not know that a LAVabo was also a sink. Literally, it is Latin for "I will wash." I thought it was the bowl catching the holy water when the priest washed his hands after preparing the eucharist. Too many years as the ONLY altar boy at a rural Episcopal church!<br /><br />Whatever, I know that when my New England cousins went to the LAV, they did not go to the ladies room to pee in the sink. That ol' English language with its multiple definitions and regional dialects! Psshh!bwalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11171297580941770571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77257990123228820942015-03-12T17:24:17.510-04:002015-03-12T17:24:17.510-04:00Big Steve46@ 1424: A Natick is the crossing of 2 ...Big Steve46@ 1424: A Natick is the crossing of 2 proper nouns. Any other definition just ends up meaning "two words I don't know crossing each other" and "Natick" becomes meaningless. small MA townsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75527708280678422432015-03-12T16:57:43.728-04:002015-03-12T16:57:43.728-04:00I just answered my own question. We aren't sup...I just answered my own question. We aren't supposed to do a Rebus. On this one. <br />Instead all the FIREs are in the two square firepits. Mary Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10456783050579655370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62031715304178827522015-03-12T16:51:43.171-04:002015-03-12T16:51:43.171-04:00Was anybody able to get this one right using the A...Was anybody able to get this one right using the App?? All my answers are correct but it says I have "at least one error". What is the Rebus supposed to have in it?Mary Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10456783050579655370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7970215177924075632015-03-12T15:54:23.270-04:002015-03-12T15:54:23.270-04:00Liked this medium puz.
PLAYS WITH gave me the them...Liked this medium puz.<br />PLAYS WITH gave me the theme.<br />HOMERS is shaky at best.<br />Yesterday Rex was spot on but not today.<br />Liked cluing for DIG,BROWSES and ROADIE.<br />Had Spad for SPIT.<br />Thanks EL and JC.<br /><br /><br />Charles Flasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16588962898277593533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22802746742145962002015-03-12T15:20:47.850-04:002015-03-12T15:20:47.850-04:00Not knowing the term "fire in the hole" ...Not knowing the term "fire in the hole" --- that's a miner thing.AnonyMumblenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41260122593354344342015-03-12T14:52:46.253-04:002015-03-12T14:52:46.253-04:00Seeing OLAN brought me back to the distant past wh...Seeing OLAN brought me back to the distant past when I first started doing The Puzzle. It was used quite often. It might even have been in the crosswordese lexicon.mathguynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2639893188848717552015-03-12T14:24:30.380-04:002015-03-12T14:24:30.380-04:00I know that there are various views as to what con...I know that there are various views as to what constitutes a "NATICK." To me, it is the cross of 2 clues that are obscure or that come out of the same narrow area that someone might not be knowledgeable of. This puzzle had one, in my opinion at BOT and OBIWAN. (I guessed wrong with an E not an O, thinking ER made as much sense as OR.) Anyway, I just don't like sci-fi and tend to get hung up on sci-fi clues. They are totally legit, of course, but shouldn't cross one another. (Actually, having spent a lot of time hanging around Mass., I found NATICK a perfectly reasonable answer.)Big Steve46noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68752196925397623972015-03-12T14:18:22.652-04:002015-03-12T14:18:22.652-04:00Liked this just fine! Plenty of theme answers help...Liked this just fine! Plenty of theme answers helped with the solve. <br /><br />Liked the 'nice ring' and the 'things with rings...<br />Maybe all you chrono-anarchists that spoiled Wednesday for me - your EARS are ringing?<br /><br />I bet the fur industry doesn't talk much about chinchillas being RODENTs.<br />Once the marketers for ARACHNID crabs (aka spider crabs) changed their name to King Crabs, sales sure did take off!<br /><br />After a bad storm on Cape Cod, you'll see plenty of these critters washed up in the bay. <br />@Ludy - plenty of the HORSY crabs too...<br /><br />Thanks Ms. Leuschner & Mr. Chen!Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.com