tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7607658555616798537..comments2024-03-28T16:50:50.953-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: THURSDAY, Jan. 3, 2008 - Henry HookRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68426672557171205022008-01-04T08:27:00.000-05:002008-01-04T08:27:00.000-05:00Like Orange said re dictionaries: Merl said in "Wo...Like Orange said re dictionaries: Merl said in "Wordplay" that he wanted a word to be in the "little dictionary" because if it was common enough to be in there then it was more desirable. This was REDTOP, which ended up being taken out of the final version of the puzzle.Ellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09699703443886498884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89124939659179628172008-01-04T07:37:00.000-05:002008-01-04T07:37:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.DONALDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398968047673788006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52123603054511763542008-01-04T01:37:00.000-05:002008-01-04T01:37:00.000-05:00For Kelsey's Bar I immediately thought of Murphy B...For Kelsey's Bar I immediately thought of Murphy Brown. Then it turns out it;s not her in the puzzle, but her father (48A)!<BR/><BR/>Any tips on how best to type in bed with a laptop on your chest??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14260138114369350392008-01-04T00:35:00.000-05:002008-01-04T00:35:00.000-05:00karmasartre, I think it was a Russian!;-)karmasartre, I think it was a Russian!<BR/>;-)Hydromannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15297742800600416983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32545190606868567702008-01-03T23:36:00.000-05:002008-01-03T23:36:00.000-05:00... including contention with Webster's questionab...... including contention with Webster's questionable entries, <BR/>such a claim might ring truefergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25706893771548452922008-01-03T23:16:00.000-05:002008-01-03T23:16:00.000-05:00Fergus, anyone can use the "Webster" name. You cou...Fergus, anyone can use the "Webster" name. <I>You</I> could put together your own dictionary and call it Webster's Very Best Dictionary.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81181300848153515332008-01-03T23:08:00.000-05:002008-01-03T23:08:00.000-05:00O, do know how RH and W became entwined? FO, do know how RH and W became entwined? Ffergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83943174425389168772008-01-03T22:53:00.000-05:002008-01-03T22:53:00.000-05:00@ doc john -- you are partly right, but there is a...@ doc john -- you are partly right, but there is also RNA with so-called "surrogate DNA markers" which can be used in skin tests to pinpoint some cancers sooner and with more accuracy than biopsy, etc. Patents on the technique have already been obtained; next steps will be automation and field testing before applying for FDA approval...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67153994479731478842008-01-03T21:40:00.000-05:002008-01-03T21:40:00.000-05:00@ artlvr- I think you're thinking of mitochondrial...@ artlvr- I think you're thinking of mitochondrial DNA. That is what is passed from mother to child.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25527352604341820872008-01-03T21:31:00.000-05:002008-01-03T21:31:00.000-05:00Rex: Yeah, mm was talking about the Sun.I mean, Su...Rex: Yeah, mm was talking about the Sun.<BR/><BR/>I mean, Sun? What Sun? I don't know nothin' 'bout no Sun.<BR/><BR/>Fergus, some crosswordy people hold up the "RHUD" (<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Random-Websters-Unabridged-Dictionary-Second/dp/0375425993/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199413424&sr=1-1" REL="nofollow">Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary</A>) as the authority.<BR/><BR/>I own that one and the comparably huge <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/New-Oxford-American-Dictionary/dp/0195170776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199413563&sr=1-1" REL="nofollow">New Oxford American Dictionary</A>.<BR/><BR/>But dammit, Rex's <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Third-International-Dictionary-English-Language/dp/0877792011/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199413641&sr=1-1" REL="nofollow">Webster's Third New International</A> (I think that's the one he's got) is even bigger! I think any giant dictionary is a good arbiter—but the best crossword words (i.e., not phrases, titles, or names) are found in more compact dictionaries. If it's obscure enough to be found only in an unabridged dictionary, solvers are less likely to know it and more likely to want to cry foul.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40471717546736519622008-01-03T21:27:00.000-05:002008-01-03T21:27:00.000-05:00A minor comment on Rex's 48A comment; yes, Mortime...A minor comment on Rex's 48A comment; yes, Mortimer Snerd was one of Bergen's dummies (lower left in the pictures), but Charlie McCarthy (upper right) was his original and primary guy.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17061491158278453862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65724993686160315492008-01-03T21:11:00.000-05:002008-01-03T21:11:00.000-05:00As a PS, I tried to fit Clement Atlee in instead o...As a PS, I tried to fit Clement Atlee in instead of Chamberlain for a while. Just as well he has one too few letters. The center section was the last to fall. On the Djinn(i) front, I totally recommend the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud for amusing yet intelligent childrens' books. http://www.bartimaeustrilogy.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56061834845874320732008-01-03T20:53:00.000-05:002008-01-03T20:53:00.000-05:00Beautiful puzzleBeautiful puzzleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79114789137180616492008-01-03T20:12:00.000-05:002008-01-03T20:12:00.000-05:00I've been doing these puzzles for a couple of mont...I've been doing these puzzles for a couple of months now (M-F), and this is the first Thursday one I've completed without a single google look-up. So it must have been easy. And gave plenty of chuckles, especially an arm and a leg. Comments that I find on this blog always inspire me toward improved performance.MarkTrevorSmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12430213349449710478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19091641570009963682008-01-03T19:40:00.000-05:002008-01-03T19:40:00.000-05:00Beautiful puzzle to be sure. My only missteps were...Beautiful puzzle to be sure. My only missteps were having Owed for Have Coming instead of EARN, which made me put Toupee in for TEEPEE for a time (yeah, I know). And then in trying to guess the wooden Oscar recipient I had the Wizard of Oz' Ray Bolger (hey, he was made of hay, that's kind of like wood, right?) and Sue instead of SAL. But other than that, I was cooking with gas! This is the kind of payoff I truly admire. I was kind of perplexed at the XMAS answer because the clue didn't indicate an abbreviation or nickname, but I'm very OK with that. And always glad when there's one denizen or another to divine. An IBIS is as good as any in my book.wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06899889818724088564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53484803771006434712008-01-03T19:11:00.000-05:002008-01-03T19:11:00.000-05:00@rick-It's close, but you're correct. RNA beats DN...@rick-<BR/><BR/>It's close, but you're correct. RNA beats DNA (according to cruciverb.com's database).<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31868267670455645102008-01-03T19:07:00.000-05:002008-01-03T19:07:00.000-05:00Can't prove it, but I think RNA shows up in puzzle...Can't prove it, but I think RNA shows up in puzzles more than DNA.<BR/><BR/>I usually leave the first letter blank when I run into these until I get a cross or am at a dead end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33403426527588015652008-01-03T18:54:00.000-05:002008-01-03T18:54:00.000-05:00@ doc john, re persnickety desire for preferring D...@ doc john, re persnickety desire for preferring DNA to RNA (abbr. in genetics) -- The RNA inside a cell but outside the cell's nucleus actually comes wholly from the mother, while the nuclear DNA is from both parents. Thus that extra-nuclear RNA is specific in tracing the matrilinear line through generations -- very helpful in many ways! Also, that type of RNA can help trace a mutation passed on from the mother but unrelated to DNA. Finally, it turns out that one's own RNA can be altered by disease states and detected in skin tests before any other symptoms of disease are manifested -- the holy grail in diagnostic techniques!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81332931693460995532008-01-03T18:32:00.000-05:002008-01-03T18:32:00.000-05:00Reviewing these comments, I realize I had left FAR...Reviewing these comments, I realize I had left FAREDROP (subway fare cards on the brain, obviously) for "it could go up", thinking (mistakenly) that "undo a lead" was DIE (as in "choke" or "he just died on the far curve"). I just figgered JANNI was a "reputable" variation for GENIE, having never heard of JINNI even though I have children (once small) and for a period there Disney's Aladdin was on in the background incessantly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50259213640172257062008-01-03T18:18:00.000-05:002008-01-03T18:18:00.000-05:00Henry Hook, you fiend, I love you.Racked my brain ...Henry Hook, you fiend, I love you.<BR/><BR/>Racked my brain trying to figure what these people had in common. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha *slaps knee* ha ha ha ha.Chip Ahoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12597726289890879627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4741153415221093792008-01-03T17:27:00.001-05:002008-01-03T17:27:00.001-05:00Rex's comment about Webster's Third makes me wonde...Rex's comment about Webster's Third makes me wonder if there is a uniquely authoritative dictionary for the NYT puzzle, or whether there's a choice among several? I am partial to the Random House, but check with others when I'm losing petty arguments.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25944996345182231752008-01-03T17:27:00.000-05:002008-01-03T17:27:00.000-05:00Pet shops are not good places to pick up puppies a...Pet shops are not good places to pick up puppies as those poor animals in general are products of heinous puppy mills. They are subject to severe health problems and buying them simply encourages the evil operators to continue to crank dogs out under cruel conditions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50541421499423166912008-01-03T17:02:00.000-05:002008-01-03T17:02:00.000-05:00A very enjoyable puzzle for me today. Plus, with ...A very enjoyable puzzle for me today. Plus, with the ARM and LEG fills it comes full circle for me. The reason I found Rex's blog months ago was that I couldn't figure out why RIGHT ARM was clued as (something like) [High price to pay] and somehow thru Google was led here. So, do I owe Rex and the other commenters my right arm or an arm and a leg?<BR/><BR/>Great cluing today overall although I do have one persnickety comment, that [Genetics abbr.] really points to DNA, not RNA, so that ruined my pristine puzzle. But, the judges will accept RNA so I'll just sit back and shut up now.<BR/><BR/>Also, two rollercoaster related clues: Rebel Yell is the name of a great coaster at Kings Dominion in Virginia (and featured prominently in the movie "Rollercoaster"). Monongahela makes me think of the Phantom's Revenge coaster at Kennywood in Pittsburgh, which has a brilliant 225 foot drop toward said river before pulling up in a screaming left hand turn.<BR/><BR/>Finally, add me to the list of people trying to remember (Fresh Prince butler) Geoffrey's last name!<BR/><BR/>Oh, and Emily- that pic was the best yet! I laughed my head off, thank you. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71901863205492132052008-01-03T16:58:00.000-05:002008-01-03T16:58:00.000-05:00"thy vacant brow and thy tousled hairconceal thy g..."thy vacant brow and thy <B>tousled</B> hair<BR/>conceal thy good intent.<BR/>thou noble, upright, truthful, sincere,<BR/>and slightly dopey gent<BR/><BR/>"you're my funny valentine..."<BR/><BR/>hart -- a far cry from kerouac, but the one with whom i associate the word...<BR/><BR/>;-)<BR/><BR/>janiejaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15129173620859824730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40933000261413102712008-01-03T16:50:00.000-05:002008-01-03T16:50:00.000-05:00If the answer were "croc," wouldn't the cluer be m...If the answer were "croc," wouldn't the cluer be morally obligated to abbreviate something in the clue?Eric Seljehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17281291974062721183noreply@blogger.com