tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post74141298134187734..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Traditional Japanese gate / TUE 3-20-18 / Pennsylvania university that's home to the Fighting Scots / Edible succulent / Prized taste in ramen / Critical cluckRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30989332694477250092018-04-24T18:45:04.793-04:002018-04-24T18:45:04.793-04:00@rainy - CRATE & Barrel must not be high-end e...@rainy - CRATE & Barrel must not be high-end enough because the missus tosses the catalogs.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86640379858188681142018-04-24T18:07:56.713-04:002018-04-24T18:07:56.713-04:00Stupid DNF at ORU/TORII; stupid because I *know* T...Stupid DNF at ORU/TORII; stupid because I *know* TORII. Let's say "careless", because I hate the person after whom ORU is named.<br /><br />Other than that, I liked the puzzle. I followed the directions (I do that) and sounded out the themers. Lo and behold, they work, at least to my ears. I have to ask how in heck OTTO and "auto" differ in pronunciation, not to mention "cot" and "caught". It's the same, to quote a friend. I was caught napping on the cot.<br /><br />"Thou shalt not have a non-theme answer longer than a themer". "Why". "Because". Thank you.<br /><br />One last question: "Is CRATE and Barrel high-end, or run of the mill?"<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />rainforestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48137396440558801632018-04-24T15:34:23.884-04:002018-04-24T15:34:23.884-04:00Hey @Spacey - which would you rather have. A writ...Hey @Spacey - which would you rather have. A writer for the NYT and former senior editor for The Atlantic, or the latest rap/pop singer? Maybe not on a Tuesday, but still fair game. Esp with the crosses.<br /><br />Once again I forgot to look at the theme. (too sub towel for me?) Just did the puzzle. Which was fine with me. Only a few erasable errors leading to a final completion. Yeah Tuesday and AZ.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords and 70+ degree weather today!Diana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80957243724849869332018-04-24T15:31:18.881-04:002018-04-24T15:31:18.881-04:00You can fill in all the squares correctly (as I di...You can fill in all the squares correctly (as I did), but the themers, "when spoken" give you SEASONOPENERS, just don't work. At least IMO, among many others I suspect.<br /><br />TORII, Orb before OWL, and OsU before ORU slowed things down further in the middle of the West side.<br /><br /> I'm left not with UMAMI, but, TRITE to say, a somewhat sour taste in my mouth.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71196699820256553262018-04-24T12:06:14.470-04:002018-04-24T12:06:14.470-04:00When you start 1d with “slice” instead of CRUST th...When you start 1d with “slice” instead of CRUST there is an immediate inkfest. And not knowing the school it was at first EDINBuRg. So plenty of mess in the NW, t the rest OK. I didn’t get CLOSE to the theme right away and I’ll bet even Frankie Valli wouldn’t have sussed out the four SEASONs.<br /><br />SOMERSAULTED, SOMER UMAMI.<br /><br />OARS ORES went unmentioned.<br /><br />SIG should never appear in a puz again since it is a brand of firearms. (kidding) Merged company name is SIG Sauer.<br /><br />Just take a look at the LPGA tournament standings most any week and you’ll see just how many Korean KIMs there are playing pro golf, one of whom could surely pass as today’s yeah baby. Or KIM Novak.<br /><br />For a Tues-puz, this is about the NORM.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34451812461678272812018-04-24T11:36:07.956-04:002018-04-24T11:36:07.956-04:00IOS LITES LAMPS
IT’LL be no THREERINGBINDER, I wa...IOS LITES LAMPS<br /><br />IT’LL be no THREERINGBINDER, I was RAZED to read IBOOKS instead,<br />of when the OTTOMANEMPIRE would WIND_TURBINES ‘round their HEAD.<br /><br />--- RAHM UMAMI<br />BS2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15590607581158704532018-04-24T11:25:36.619-04:002018-04-24T11:25:36.619-04:00Maybe it's my foggy morning-mind, but this was...Maybe it's my foggy morning-mind, but this wasn't a typical fill-in-the-squares M/T offering. Trouble with the north; couldn't get a haLL pass. ITLL eventually emerged, but ITLL never be one of my favorite fills.<br /><br />More trouble with the Natick at ROSS/IOS. What kind of a name is Douthat? And an op-ed writer? Clearly too obscure to put in a puzzle. Oh wait, I get it: he's a NYT columnist. Now I know this is a NYT puzzle...but still. I don't object to the name ROSS; it could've been clued as a sea, or as a Friends character--but NOT as someone that a non-New Yorker cannot POSSIBLY know. I guessed at the letter O, because IOS somehow looked better than IUS.<br /><br />More fill hurts: our old friend EKE is back (GAWD no!), along with TSK (TSK!), and there's at LEAST one too many RIHLs (random institutes of higher learning). Plus both OGLE and LEER.<br /><br />Nor any real DOD to OGLE or LEER at. Wait: there's SIG, another awful piece of fill, but could be short for Sigourney Weaver. ITLL do (much more common, BTW, than ITLL pass).<br /><br />The theme did have the virtue of not being obvious till the reveal. For a moment there starting out, I mused over the SPRINK/SOMER combo, thinking seasons, but turning OTTOPMAN into "autumn" just didn't occur, and neither did WINDTUR_____ into winter. I must record some admiration at those. <br /><br />Some TRITE fill in need of a little REHAB, but overall a Tuesday with a bit more bite than a NIP. Give it a par.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60385715282393529432018-04-24T10:26:41.032-04:002018-04-24T10:26:41.032-04:00REHAB CERES
Oh GAWD, to OGLE and LEER ARE not DEE...REHAB CERES<br /><br />Oh GAWD, to OGLE and LEER ARE not DEEMED to conform,<br />ITT’s the TRITE PRESENCE of fear will UNDO that NORM.<br /><br />--- ORU.EDU<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19369124400200648562018-03-21T05:04:36.623-04:002018-03-21T05:04:36.623-04:00ORU was a gimme, as I grew up in Tulsa and attende...ORU was a gimme, as I grew up in Tulsa and attended the 1967 dedication of the school with my parents, who were big donors. Billy Graham was the featured speaker. Figured out when I was about 10 that Tulsa was not where I belonged! Happy to be living on the West Coast now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71083126999194284362018-03-21T00:33:32.788-04:002018-03-21T00:33:32.788-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79015904574378879872018-03-20T23:49:23.811-04:002018-03-20T23:49:23.811-04:00Unbelievable. OSU is not an hour out of Tulsa, but...Unbelievable. OSU is not an hour out of Tulsa, but Oral Robert?? Who knew it was even a U(niversity)? And to cross it with the most obscure Japanese clue of the day. My only snag in the puzzle, I actually enjoyed the phonetic theme.Monoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6432141793686366302018-03-20T23:33:32.126-04:002018-03-20T23:33:32.126-04:00Could be my linguistics background, but I really l...Could be my linguistics background, but I really liked the theme. Of course it may not be true across all dialects, but in general, when the themers are pronounced the way people actually say them in casual conversation, the seasons are very clearly in there. I thought it was cool. <br /><br />That said, I too naticked at TOsII/OsU. No way I would have ever seen that mistake. What the heck, man, it’s Tuesday. Erin Hollanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13567852594799156645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86757965717937311832018-03-20T22:55:51.243-04:002018-03-20T22:55:51.243-04:00I see Roo is that guy, too!I see Roo is that guy, too!JamiePhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18103886766729987382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81128455651779325822018-03-20T22:54:01.931-04:002018-03-20T22:54:01.931-04:00Irrespective, not irregardless.
Regardless will do...Irrespective, not irregardless.<br />Regardless will do.<br /><br />Yup. I'm that guy.JamiePhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18103886766729987382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77173419817376480512018-03-20T22:44:21.327-04:002018-03-20T22:44:21.327-04:00@Banana Diaquiri
Normally I'm not nit-picks gr...@Banana Diaquiri<br />Normally I'm not nit-picks grammar wise, but your irregardless is not correct. There's no ir. It's just regardless. Maybe thinking irrelevant? <br /><br />And I came up with a rhyme for TORI/TORII (because I'm wicked smart!) (Yeah, right!)<br />The LAMA/LLAMA saying goes, "The one-L lama, he's a priest. The two-L llama, he's a beast." Mine goes, "The one-I TORI, it's sort of ovate. The two-I TORII, it's a Shinto gate." <br />Har. Use at your own peril.<br /><br />RooMonsterRooMonsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14103892151115549684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25605315627831180932018-03-20T21:41:58.616-04:002018-03-20T21:41:58.616-04:00@Banana Diaquiri....
Here in the CWC (Consummate W...@Banana Diaquiri....<br />Here in the CWC (Consummate Western Cerebration) I, at least, pronounce WIND TURBINE with a silent D. <br />I don't, however, keep the D silent in my Daiquiri. Allow me to invite you to my Hemingway classic.....cheap white rum...shaken well. Limes need to be squeezed. You need the pucker. GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88802203113666778082018-03-20T21:35:13.694-04:002018-03-20T21:35:13.694-04:00Natick on torii/oru. That really is extremely ANN...Natick on torii/oru. That really is extremely ANNOYING on a Wednesday. As one person said above… No way to know it’s wrong unless you happen to know all about Japanese gates and second tier schools in Oklahoma. I had a super quick time but just couldn’t find the “R” in this combo. So DNF. I see you from the post above that these words aren’t exactly rare in Crosswords. Yet I maintain they should not commune together on Tuesdays. NO TORIIORU!Big Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921114628460615390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51851495532762066332018-03-20T21:30:01.930-04:002018-03-20T21:30:01.930-04:00Not that I have hopes of clearing anything up, but...Not that I have hopes of clearing anything up, but I’d like to point out that the NG sound is its own thing. It’s not a N sound + a G sound. In the same way that the TH sound(s) is its own thing. Note in some dialects a G sound is added after the NG. Looking at you, Long G’Island.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11218926917375375592018-03-20T20:52:02.236-04:002018-03-20T20:52:02.236-04:00Ottoman, New York -- one of my favorite songs. Es...Ottoman, New York -- one of my favorite songs. Especially as played by Chet Baker.Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18953201567500995712018-03-20T20:50:06.278-04:002018-03-20T20:50:06.278-04:00FWIW, xwordinfo says ORU has been used in a Shortz...FWIW, xwordinfo says ORU has been used in a Shortz-era puzzle 32 times over 23 years and 13 times in the last 5 years. TORII has been used 12 times, including 3 times in the last 5 years. I'm rather OCD about my crossword puzzle habit and have been regularly solving the NYT for close to 20 years, but I'm surprised if experienced solvers haven't come across these two words at some point. Of course, I say "I've never heard of blah-blah" and then later discover that blah-blah has been in 27 puzzles that I've solved in the past. I'm just somehow able to access the engrams for ORU and TORII when necessary, but not for blah-blah.<br /><br />Addendum: 10 minutes after originally posting this, I looked at xwordinfo a little more closely. In the interest of accuracy, one TORII answer was clued as "Outfielder Hunter with nine Gold Gloves". The rest are some variation on Japanese or Shinto gateway or entrance. All of the ORU clues have to do with the school in Tulsa. But be glad this instance wasn't clued as "The Golden Eagles of the Summit League, in brief" (Alan Arbesfeld, Saturday, 8/8/2015).sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81165099685730930652018-03-20T20:39:50.328-04:002018-03-20T20:39:50.328-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51795932943272024722018-03-20T20:19:44.230-04:002018-03-20T20:19:44.230-04:00No offense intended to either Tulsa or Japanese ga...No offense intended to either Tulsa or Japanese gates, but seriously, ORU/TORII doesn't belong in a Tuesday puzzle. Heck, it doesn't belong in <b>any</b> puzzle. Seriously.<br /><br />I like the novelty behind the theme, but Ottoman = autumn is just too much for me. In a tricky theme like this, your execution needs to be pitch perfect. With a head scratcher like that, it immediately downgrades from "AHA!" to "oh *eyerolls*"<br /><br />THREERINGBINDER is an impressive entry, but does nothing for me in terms of excitement. Same for GOLDSTARS EDINBORO. Plus there are too many short answers, so although I sorta appreciate the construction a little bit, it's still one of the most boring fills this month.<br /><br />So yeah. Tuesday tuezzed I guess.<br /><br /><b>GRADE:</b> C, 2.4 stars.<br /><br />semioticus (shelbyl)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16204028248874222567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11032983790542280732018-03-20T20:06:18.216-04:002018-03-20T20:06:18.216-04:00@Z:
I'll grant you SOMERsault, but no one amo...@Z:<br /><br />I'll grant you SOMERsault, but no one among the Effect Eastern Intellectual community says WIND TURBINE with a silent D, nor is OTTOMan pronounced autumn but rather (for the EEI) AUTO-Man. SPRINkler is just that, at least here among the EEI.<br /><br />I rest my case.Banana Diaquirinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84802747902684673232018-03-20T19:29:55.977-04:002018-03-20T19:29:55.977-04:00@Mohair
See my 4:50PM post.@Mohair<br /><br />See my 4:50PM post.JC66https://www.blogger.com/profile/05324615675333287919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43905239211494890622018-03-20T19:23:30.686-04:002018-03-20T19:23:30.686-04:00@Z - Stubborn! I love it.
@Banana - We all know ...@Z - Stubborn! I love it.<br /><br />@Banana - We all know that, but we're fussing over the actual pronunciation of sprinkler. Good old Z is invoking linquistics experts. I'm invoking people who sell and install the damned things. Nobody will win, but we're having fun.<br /><br />Butting into another Z discussion. Anybody remember the song "Constantinople"? You can't go back there because it's Istanbul.<br /><br />Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.com