tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7336494787496706488..comments2024-03-28T07:16:21.266-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: THURSDAY, Sep. 18, 2008 - Mike Nothnagel (Family pet in "Hi and Lois" / Language that treats "dz" as a single consonant )Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62108513472260973912008-10-30T18:57:00.000-04:002008-10-30T18:57:00.000-04:00From the syndicate, on cue:A very creative Thursda...From the syndicate, on cue:<BR/><BR/>A very creative Thursday effort from the master, Mr. Nothnagel. Enjoyed it immensely. Northern California was quite easy allowing the circled letters to be quickly discerned. Else I'd still be in my alcove... <BR/><BR/>By the way, according to Google -<BR/><BR/>Thin as a rail - 20,000 hits<BR/>Thin as a rake - 16,800 hits<BR/>Thin as a reed - only 830 hits.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50834940861894552412008-10-30T13:39:00.000-04:002008-10-30T13:39:00.000-04:00Six weeks later - whatever the stock market drop o...Six weeks later - whatever the stock market drop on Sept. 17 was to generate the comments must seem pretty minor now. I must be the only one who went with fiord rather than fjord giving me a nickname of Dri instead of Dr J. I plead a total lack of interest in whatever sport the sixers play (actually I do know that it is basketball, but the sport holds zero interest for me). It does amaze me that I only had the one glitch on an MN puzzle. Very enjoyable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10257679499291205092008-09-19T02:52:00.000-04:002008-09-19T02:52:00.000-04:00@Fergusyay! that's generous of you, theme-wise! :...@Fergus<BR/>yay! that's generous of you, theme-wise! :)<BR/>If it's any comfort, apparently Byron had a wrong square in the last puzzle too, causing him to lose FIRST place! He apparently simply miswrote a letter (I think he knew ARTOO but mispelled it unconsciously or something like that. SO maybe you just put in a wrong letter without realizing it). <BR/>I only knew my mistake bec someone else was complaining about REGT immediately after the last puzzle and I went "oh no!" That sinking feeling and you can't do a damnthing about it!<BR/>Except blog!!!!!! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37023467239680550882008-09-19T02:08:00.000-04:002008-09-19T02:08:00.000-04:00Andrea,You may have the grim knowledge of where yo...Andrea,<BR/><BR/>You may have the grim knowledge of where you blundered but I've now looked at this grid three times today, along with the countless glances while doing it on Saturday, and I still don't know where my Wrong square was. Though obviously it bothers me to some degree, and a correction might move me up a few places, but I won't ask the authorities for a recount. This experience has pointed out that with respect to the puzzle, I do prefer accuracy and precision over solving virtuosity, which is often synonymous with time. <BR/><BR/>Rather casually I tossed an aside about not caring much about 'theme' during the many discussions last Saturday, and in reflecting upon all that was said and thinking over the other artistic elements of puzzle creation, I'm more drawn now to your persuasion. Yet another spillover effect, as economists might say, of a gathering of like minds.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58296652264578813212008-09-18T22:45:00.000-04:002008-09-18T22:45:00.000-04:00@joon: one of my favorite dishes at a nice restaur...@joon: one of my favorite dishes at a nice restaurant around here is pan-grilled salmon on a bed of chopped beets(any color, the taste is the same) surrounded by basil-infused olive oil. I may cook it tomorrow evening!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31426544983925651732008-09-18T22:43:00.000-04:002008-09-18T22:43:00.000-04:00@noam d elkies: Great. I was going to have a stab ...@noam d elkies: Great. I was going to have a stab at something just like it when I had some time. You did it.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25535773695055464112008-09-18T21:56:00.000-04:002008-09-18T21:56:00.000-04:00Good for you, Noam --That'll show 'em.∑;)Good for you, Noam --<BR/>That'll show 'em.<BR/><BR/>∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44344879547971054582008-09-18T21:19:00.000-04:002008-09-18T21:19:00.000-04:00@joon perhaps yellow beets??? sooo good@joon perhaps yellow beets??? sooo goodchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88815498960954221012008-09-18T20:59:00.000-04:002008-09-18T20:59:00.000-04:00Rex writes, about the pronunciation of my name:as ...Rex writes, about the pronunciation of my name:<BR/><BR/><I>as far as any future limericks go, your name definitely rhymes with ROAM. Also COMB, THROW 'EM, and PALINDROME.</I><BR/><BR/>There once was a linguist named Noam<BR/>Whose nomen Rex used in a poem.<BR/> But he rhymed it with "Rhone",<BR/> And refused to atone:<BR/>To fix it, thought Rex, was below him.<BR/><BR/>Well, the only other single-word rhyme seems to be "Jeroboam"...<BR/><BR/>NDE<BR/><BR/>P.S. Re:x's comment on 61A: This from the man who gushes about obscure sports and pop clues? I'd rather learn about the relative scales of those two Italian mountains than about some eminently forgettable pap music "hit" of fifty fads ago...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22305409685840660672008-09-18T20:50:00.000-04:002008-09-18T20:50:00.000-04:00Delightful puzzle as usual from MN. RAIL also mad...Delightful puzzle as usual from MN. RAIL also made this one tougher for me than it should have been (as well as sussing out LIEBY/RYE) but AGENDA gave me NOSE. <BR/><BR/>I've been riding coasters at Disneyland with my granddaughter for the last 3 days (lets call that my birthday tribute to Doc John). At one point the Beatles version of Hello-Goodbye came on the speaker system and I went into a fairly prolonged rant on the crapiness Jonas Bros. Target commercial version. My feeling is that my granddaughter needs to know there is other (IMOO) better stuff out there!jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35968732020736797402008-09-18T20:46:00.000-04:002008-09-18T20:46:00.000-04:00happy birthday to doc john. can i call you DRJ?it'...happy birthday to doc john. can i call you DRJ?<BR/><BR/>it's my brother-in-law's birthday, too. we went out for dinner. i had grilled salmon with--get this--beets! i kid you not. no, i never eat beets. these were, shockingly, not in the least bit red. but they were pretty tasty.Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7756971391235932122008-09-18T20:15:00.000-04:002008-09-18T20:15:00.000-04:00No difference between nose and bouquet. Bouquet h...No difference between nose and bouquet. Bouquet has fallen out of favor because of it bias toward flowers (specific varieties of which the geek often cites in their descriptors). Sorry for the double I said I wouldn't post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46994415104754940122008-09-18T19:37:00.000-04:002008-09-18T19:37:00.000-04:00I had both wine and rose before getting to nose. A...I had both wine and rose before getting to nose. And I had thin as a rail before going to reed. I guess it is good to know that I was not alone. <BR/><BR/> A great puzzle, marred only by my not knowing "Eriq." If I had thought another nanosecond, I would have come up with GQtype -- actually in mind GCtype was GQtype (if that makes any sense).Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15907956026732082372008-09-18T19:36:00.000-04:002008-09-18T19:36:00.000-04:00Oenophiles: I've never managed to figure out the ...Oenophiles: <BR/><BR/>I've never managed to figure out the difference between Nose and Bouquet. Anyone care to make a definitive distinction?<BR/><BR/>The classic divan, in my mind anyway, is featured in Manet's "Olympia." More for posing than a place for a comfortable read.<BR/><BR/>More agreement with Wade's take on patience with a child's questionable enthusiasms. My complaints against Pokemon plastic toys, for example, weren't going to work on curbing the demand, but the questions about $5 for three little figures did have some resonance. I avoided feigning delight, but never doubted the desire. Kind of a default position, of course, since denigrating a youngster's taste will only heighten the ardor.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70582291397875400832008-09-18T18:15:00.001-04:002008-09-18T18:15:00.001-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41318082799599514682008-09-18T18:15:00.000-04:002008-09-18T18:15:00.000-04:00@bill from nj, Mad Magazine was our Peyton Place.@...@bill from nj, Mad Magazine was our Peyton Place.<BR/><BR/>@rafaelthatmf (hope I got it right). The process of taking synchronous information/content that occurs apart from ourselves but is seemingly about ourselves and then thinking one is connected to that content is... I can see our time is up let us cover this at our next session. :):)<BR/><BR/>In short, happens all the time -- think about horoscopes. Have a nice White Margux and dream about SPR.dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89305829939424420052008-09-18T18:07:00.000-04:002008-09-18T18:07:00.000-04:00@rex: I love Hanson. I've followed their career so...@rex: I love Hanson. I've followed their career somewhat. Saw their acoustic performance on DVD and it was amazing ... MMMMBop sounded great with their grownup voices. Their harmony can only be described as Hanson and I think they rock!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78447159260156760882008-09-18T18:06:00.000-04:002008-09-18T18:06:00.000-04:00Rafaelthatmf, word up on the dump. That was like ...Rafaelthatmf, word up on the dump. That was like the mall to me and the other hick kids in the area. When they burned the trash? And then they brought the dozer and grader out to bury the old dump and dig a new one? Man, that was the social event of the season. I could rhapsodize for hours about the dump.<BR/><BR/>And I forgot to mention that my wife wins all the arguments referenced in my earlier email. My kids are also growing up cable-less (so far). I bring them out to my office sometimes, though, and cue up Grape Ape cartoons on Youtube. If they can't have their own dreck, they can at least enjoy some of their dad's. I also showed them some old 40's Superman cartoons the other day, and my son loves the Woody Woodpecker cartoons. There's a lot of that stuff on Youtube.RodeoToadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03374112725461339067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57371328923455380462008-09-18T17:57:00.000-04:002008-09-18T17:57:00.000-04:00I was 12 years old in 1959 when we got our first T...I was 12 years old in 1959 when we got our first TV set, not because of beliefs about its dangers but because we were stationed overseas a large part of the time and television was not universal then the way it is now.<BR/><BR/>The battles in our house were over reading materials. My mother believed that "wholesomeness" was the only criterion and my father did not believe in censorship of any kind. He felt that being exposed to multiple points of view were good for children.<BR/><BR/>In 1960, "Peyton Place" was a best seller and prompted a battle royal in our house over whether it was suitable for a 12 year old. My father rejected the whole idea of suitability.<BR/><BR/>I did not grow up in a liberal household by which I mean my parents beliefs on the subject of race can only be described as "old South", to quote Jimmy Carter.<BR/><BR/>However, I learned about race from Richard Wright with no interference from my father and a lack of context from my mother.<BR/><BR/>So, as a result, I do not interfere with my childrens choices about what they watch on TV. I cringe alot but keep my nose out. I maintain an open door policy and hope my children utilize itBill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64543933380941139062008-09-18T17:31:00.000-04:002008-09-18T17:31:00.000-04:00@ rafaelthatmf and others with blues or blahs, nev...@ rafaelthatmf and others with blues or blahs, never mind the divan -- try a tanning bed instead?<BR/><BR/>@ doc john -- many happy returns! (not speaking of the Vote now).<BR/><BR/>Must write a Poem for Noam, now he's told us how to pronounce his name!<BR/><BR/><BR/>∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49781925651788341212008-09-18T17:25:00.000-04:002008-09-18T17:25:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18092181057244346002008-09-18T17:08:00.000-04:002008-09-18T17:08:00.000-04:00@imsdave: Ah, yes: the star puzzle--was that last ...@imsdave: Ah, yes: the star puzzle--was that last Thursday? Goes to show <B>how</B> short my memory is.<BR/><BR/>@acme: You may be dying to know that sometimes German plurals <B>are</B> done by adding an s, and there are 12 other ways of forming a plural, one sexier than the other, like adding an "e" <B>and</B> changing an inner vowel to an umlaut (<I>der Baum, die Bäume</I>)--can it get better than this?Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75403971332118412002008-09-18T16:35:00.000-04:002008-09-18T16:35:00.000-04:00I made a mess in the NW and had to march North to ...I made a mess in the NW and had to march North to solve this one.<BR/><BR/>I had ARAIL at 14A, like a lot of people, and RES at 6D and it took forever to suss out the trouble. It finally occurred to me to try AREED at 14A and pushed through to a solve.<BR/><BR/>It was my errors rather than the puzzle's intrinsic difficulty that caused the trouble so I have no complaints.<BR/><BR/>All in all, a bad day at Black RockBill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14103228212736059562008-09-18T16:30:00.000-04:002008-09-18T16:30:00.000-04:00Wow, it's always great to hear from the upper eche...Wow, it's always great to hear from the upper echelons!<BR/><BR/>I think the term for a divan in the U.S. is day bed, something you would find in a boudoir. In our house our cat owned the boudoir.<BR/><BR/>I'll have wine over nose any day. What time is it?machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4285849951098567002008-09-18T16:17:00.000-04:002008-09-18T16:17:00.000-04:00Hello everyone.Thanks for the glowing words about ...Hello everyone.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the glowing words about my rollercoaster of a puzzle. (@Doc John: I had ROLLERCOASTER in my list of potential theme entries, actually.)<BR/><BR/>@Rex: I totally agree with you about the middle left section. I must have tried umpteen combinations of circle locations and entries over there before I chose the one that seemed to be the Least Bad.<BR/><BR/>To all of you who attended the BACT last weekend: sorry I couldn't be there in person, but at least I was there on paper. :)<BR/><BR/>Until next time...<BR/>MNAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com