tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7115418328663798217..comments2024-03-29T09:37:45.612-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Bloomsday honoree — SUNDAY, Oct. 4 2009 — Political comedian with 1973 album Sing a Song of Watergate / Enemy in 1980s arcade game ArabianRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67205838189155490692009-10-13T08:57:28.108-04:002009-10-13T08:57:28.108-04:00OK, I've solved the short-shrift for LA proble...OK, I've solved the short-shrift for LA problem:<br /><br />DO, a deer, a female deer<br />RE, a drop of golden sun<br />MI, a name I call myself<br />FA, a long long way to run<br />SO(L), a needle pulling thread<br />LA, to put you on death row<br />TI, a drink with jam and bread<br />and that brings us back to DO!<br /><br />Now with the added benefit of keeping the kids in line with a threat of capital punishment!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1165615329224186532009-10-11T14:50:34.116-04:002009-10-11T14:50:34.116-04:00Super easy and fun puzzle for me. It was a little ...Super easy and fun puzzle for me. It was a little confusing following last Sunday's (?) puzzle...So similar! I just want to say that without this blog I never would have been able to parse KAS in Kangaroo and LAA note to follow (I was thinking MEMO or something along those lines....).I never would have gotten MORTSAHL, ERTE or MAXERNST, either. Many thanks from me to you all for helping me improve my skills. I do crosswords for fun (don't we all?!?) but find that I have more fun when I'm really good at what I'm doing :)Whitneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12427378278653572523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50057761486235156132009-10-05T07:44:16.313-04:002009-10-05T07:44:16.313-04:00@Two Ponies:
You are correct that "La" ...@Two Ponies:<br /><br />You are correct that "La" receives short shrift in the song "Do Re Mi" but as NDE points out, there are constraints of meter and rhyme to consider. Because of the rhyme scheme of the song, whatever new identity one gives to "la" will necessarily have to rhyme with "do":<br /><br />Sew, a needle pulling <i>thread</i><br />La, a note to follow <i>So</i><br />Tea, a drink with jam and <i>bread</i><br />That will bring us back to <i>Do</i>.<br /><br />You see the puzzle faced by the lyricist and Oscar Hammerstein was one of the greatest. I have seen reproductions of his working notes for this lyric and believe me when I tell you he struggled mightily with this problem. I grant you, the final solution may seem a bit pedestrian, but it was the best possible choice given the constraints of meter and rhyme scheme.<br /><br />I think people often fail to appreciate just how clever this song is. It has grown stale with repetition, true, but in the context of the original stage play the song is a complete delight and serves the triple purposes of:<br /><br />1. Acting as a charm song as Maria begins to win over her new charges.<br />2. Serving as an instructive plot song to teach children how to sing in solfeg.<br />3. Appearing to be an age old folksong, in effect giving the impression that children have been taught with this song for generations.<br /><br />This is an extremely tall order for any song to fulfill -- to establish mood, a sense of place, further the plot, and entertain an audience. I heartily recommend all critics of musical theatre in general, and <i>The Sound of Music</i> in particular, to give this a try some time. It is supremely difficult.Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10412634072650228847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16477543721513291672009-10-05T00:30:21.500-04:002009-10-05T00:30:21.500-04:00@Ulrich: Stick to your guns and don't ever wat...@Ulrich: Stick to your guns and don't ever watch it! Life is too short.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34139646979485688812009-10-05T00:26:58.402-04:002009-10-05T00:26:58.402-04:00@ Elaine -
Easy for Efrem Zimbalist (Jr. or Sr....@ Elaine - <br /><br />Easy for Efrem Zimbalist (Jr. or Sr., your choice)......retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62935084169468514792009-10-04T23:15:58.111-04:002009-10-04T23:15:58.111-04:00OOps, so sorry for the error in explaining the &qu...OOps, so sorry for the error in explaining the "Song of Music" lyrics. It was a new movie in about 1965...and I don't think I've really watched it again. Can't trust to memory anymore! But I see it did not help that much anyway, to explain! <br /><br />C'mon, Ulrich! Don't be a sissy! Watch the movie! In reward, you can see a Pepe Le Pew cartoon!<br /><br />Retired=Chemist<br />I am tired...and the duck soup one is eluding me. Groucho? Pinkas Zuckerman? Itzhak Perlman? (SP?) PLEASE send decoder ring setting...Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195458656221202202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54032941334570923352009-10-04T22:28:05.785-04:002009-10-04T22:28:05.785-04:00Thanks NDE, I think you got what I was trying to s...Thanks NDE, I think you got what I was trying to say. <br />Do got an e to make it doe. Ra got the y to make it a ray of sun. <br />Couldn't La get an extra letter to make it something to rhyme with?<br />I'm not clever enough to follow through but how about a w to make it law? Greene, this is your area.Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85299527521671539252009-10-04T21:19:55.857-04:002009-10-04T21:19:55.857-04:00Better late than never. Loved the puzzle, thught ...Better late than never. Loved the puzzle, thught the MOTIF was perfect. Actually had "topic" instead of MOTIF. And when I didnt come up with what you bring to a shower with GIC_ I knew something was wrong. Slammed in NAMESAKES, overwrote MOTIF and put this baby to bed. Most enjoyable other than the spat I had w/ the wife "You'd rather do the crossword than talk to me!"... I replied "What do you bring to a shower, GIC_..." which of course was only fuel to the fire. The small things we fight about.... anyhow CheersMikeMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81971832731238927042009-10-04T21:10:34.823-04:002009-10-04T21:10:34.823-04:00The variant "so" of the 5th solfège note...The variant "so" of the 5th solfège note "sol" may feel like a travesty, but losing the final consonant helps when one says or sings a series of notes quickly to the solfège syllables, which is one thing they're used for. Happily "sol" and "so" are almost indistinguishable in the familiar context do-re-mi-fa-so(l)-la-si/ti-do. The original hymn had "sol", but then it also started with "ut" — which is still used in some contexts but much less than the more easily pronounced "do" — and "si/ti" had to be added later.<br /><br />@martin 7:47 — "sol" also has a homonym, "sole" (either the fish or the shoe or foot part); and if "far" can stand for "fa" then one can imagine the sixth note being "lar" (I've read it's a Roman god or something :-) ). But the lyricists also had this annoying meter and rhyme business to deal with.<br /><br />Yes, thanks to Anonymous @12:35 for noting the appropriateness of 110D:"RT" to today's theme!<br /><br />NDENoam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80878939156742295612009-10-04T20:28:13.268-04:002009-10-04T20:28:13.268-04:00@Alice in SF, you may be thinking of the Hall of F...@Alice in SF, you may be thinking of the Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton. Karl MALONE, Stockton's teammate with the Jazz, will almost certainly enter the HOF next year.<br /><br />John Starks spent most of his career with the Knicks. Often good, but not HOF material.HudsonHawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16119485923243014649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11323373631509909932009-10-04T20:13:00.251-04:002009-10-04T20:13:00.251-04:00A as in AllenA as in Allenchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29374127918614917602009-10-04T20:01:35.566-04:002009-10-04T20:01:35.566-04:00@Glitch: There's yodeling in it? That's do...@Glitch: There's yodeling in it? That's does it for me: I will never, ever watch it--and if it means I'm still in the 93% percentile at the next ACPT, so be it!Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87136250542439419852009-10-04T19:47:13.941-04:002009-10-04T19:47:13.941-04:00I disagree that La gets the shortest straw. He do...I disagree that La gets the shortest straw. He doesn't follow Sol, he follows So.<br /><br />The other notes have grown-up names, but Sol has to go by a baby-talk nickname for the sake of a stupid song that wants a homonym of "sew." At least La can fly under the radar and retain some dignity.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56318269701748988772009-10-04T18:50:27.152-04:002009-10-04T18:50:27.152-04:00I think La gets the shaft in that song. Every othe...I think La gets the shaft in that song. Every other note gets some cute explanation and poor La, what does he get? A note to follow sol! What a rip-off!Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70146590122344498032009-10-04T18:37:42.900-04:002009-10-04T18:37:42.900-04:00@meg
I agree that although "Idve" isn&#...@meg<br /><br />I agree that although "Idve" isn't the best usage, it's fine for a puzzle trying to be cute. <br /><br />I don't look to the Puzzle for correct usage (in any language) any more than for correct spelling (eg var.).<br /><br />@allan<br /><br />You (and I) may know "K as in Kilo" as part of an "official" phoenetic alphabet, but "K as in Kangaroo" works as well as "P as in Psychotic" does ;). <br /> <br />BTW: Again a good "On Language" column in the NYT Mag today. Most of us can identify with one side or the other.<br /><br />.../Glitch<br /><br />@Ulrich<br /><br />You can learn all you need to know about the <i>Sound of Music</i> from the puzzles.<br /><br />But if you insist, please wait until you are fully recovered. The yodeling song alone has health risks.<br /><br />.../GGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15851364465392779882009-10-04T17:48:38.470-04:002009-10-04T17:48:38.470-04:00It's "LA, A note to follow (so)."It's "LA, A note to follow (so)."Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57889119850967628262009-10-04T17:47:34.361-04:002009-10-04T17:47:34.361-04:00@Anon 5:30 - it's a song lyric LA A NOTE TO FO...@Anon 5:30 - it's a song lyric LA A NOTE TO FOLLOW SOL from the Sound of MusicJannieBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18282015159638078416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3126760284282921212009-10-04T17:30:06.486-04:002009-10-04T17:30:06.486-04:00LAA? No way, no more than DOO, REE, MEE, FAA, SOO...LAA? No way, no more than DOO, REE, MEE, FAA, SOO, or TII. See WIki on Solfege (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solf%C3%A8gelk). This is just made up out of thin air. No fair!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20969833777956969432009-10-04T17:28:21.071-04:002009-10-04T17:28:21.071-04:00OK, but it's really "K" is for Kanga...OK, but it's really "K" is for Kangaroo, not K as in Kangaroo. K as in Kilo is how I know it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21821426912732346072009-10-04T17:24:04.181-04:002009-10-04T17:24:04.181-04:00Doh!Doh!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34005522813997923432009-10-04T17:23:10.597-04:002009-10-04T17:23:10.597-04:00@allan its K as in kangaroo@allan its K as in kangaroochefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46723386163856890262009-10-04T17:09:02.531-04:002009-10-04T17:09:02.531-04:00I'm sure all you cw mavens know this, but what...I'm sure all you cw mavens know this, but what is "Kas in Kangaroo"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19521269673115206762009-10-04T16:32:43.687-04:002009-10-04T16:32:43.687-04:00@Karen: it would be a capybara, the world's la...@Karen: it would be a capybara, the world's largest rodent (not really a rat of course). They are native to South America and people here in Venezuela call them "chigüire" (chee-GWEE-ray), presumably an Indian name. The cavy on the other hand is small, like a guinea pig. The Incas are said to have raised them for food.pochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08861361305246858918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34383180807013119552009-10-04T15:40:35.547-04:002009-10-04T15:40:35.547-04:00This one was at just the right difficulty level fo...This one was at just the right difficulty level for me for a Sunday. I liked NODUH, CHIAPET and EGGCUPS.<br /><br />I've always associated DeadHeads more with POT than LSD, but I'm sure some of the latter was used also. :-)<br /><br />Now, back to grading...still_learninhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04330040267594904790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36367211126741720172009-10-04T15:39:52.671-04:002009-10-04T15:39:52.671-04:00When tou think they are easy, I think they are har...When tou think they are easy, I think they are hard and vice versa !Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01145217364511761670noreply@blogger.com