tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7712074510775343357..comments2024-03-28T17:39:41.086-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: One-seat carriages / SAT 12-29-12 / Supporter of Heller decision / Bygone theory of astronomy / 1959 doo-wop classic / Idylls of King stylisticallyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-632915372438108392022-02-02T00:27:29.244-05:002022-02-02T00:27:29.244-05:00Despite a couple of uglies (self-pitiers and repul...Despite a couple of uglies (self-pitiers and repulser, for starters), I gotta love that 5x15 stack, all of the 15s being solid entries. For that, M. Krozel, you can have your assymetric grid, ONE REED (as opposed the double -- sorry, Rex, but a #1 reed is *not* a clarinet reed, as it's used almost exclusively by those who do not yet have an embouchure).<br /><br />I also appreciate the effort that kept the tiny corners from being painful crosswordese.<br /><br />One semantic quibble in the cluing: EMUS are the birds, not the flock; the clue implies a collective.<br /><br />Yes, bring more of these!Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24069220519219961992013-02-10T17:58:43.424-05:002013-02-10T17:58:43.424-05:00I'm way behind on my crosswords (I had five st...I'm way behind on my crosswords (I had five stacked up in my briefcase when I began this one, concidentally), have been for a while, and hardly ever check this blog any more as a result. But I <i>had </i> to read the comments on this one, which broke so many of the "rules".<br /><br />I wasn't so much impressed with the puzzle as I was impressed that it made the cut. I actually whipped through this fairly quickly, plunking down ELECTEDOFFICIAL/S'MARVELOUS/SLYLY right off the bat. The rest just seemd to come so easily. Only writeovers were CHI over yin.<br /><br />I thought VWS directly above <b>V</b>ANESSA<b>W</b>ILLIAMS was a nice touch. Also enjoyed the approximate symmetry (close enough for this grid) of BEERS and ALE.<br /><br />Carol Leifer: yes, very funny.<br /><br />This puzzle: not that bad. When you consider the other choices it's actually pretty refreshing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51317646471279759462013-02-02T21:28:16.722-05:002013-02-02T21:28:16.722-05:00If a NYT crossword puzzle is asymmetrical, there o...If a NYT crossword puzzle is asymmetrical, there ought to be a really good reason for that. In this case, there wasn't.Joshuanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32935668779985491262013-02-02T20:58:43.041-05:002013-02-02T20:58:43.041-05:00@Diri - definitely showing off. When I can polish ...@Diri - definitely showing off. When I can polish off a Saturday Medium-Challenging without reference to Prof. Google I'm enjoying it, even at my advanced (st)age.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7301498593568222892013-02-02T19:27:15.597-05:002013-02-02T19:27:15.597-05:00@Waxy - "And at long last, a payoff for year...@Waxy - "And at long last, a payoff for years of stamp-collecting as a youngster: confidently entering - and correctly spelling - LIECHTENSTEINER from just the L in VENAL. ADIO." OK, now you're just showing off. But it's still great to see a comment from the one who may be the senior-most (in terms of time posting, not age) poster in syndiland. Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66770812084773616022013-02-02T18:43:55.117-05:002013-02-02T18:43:55.117-05:00Wow, nothing SHODdy about this baby. Really enjoye...Wow, nothing SHODdy about this baby. Really enjoyed it from the get-GO. MAYBE symmetrical grids in time will become as bygone as the PTOLEMAICSYSTEM. Actually surprised in a way that the SMARVELOUS Mr. Krozel didn't find a way to include a 16-letter vertical reveal "ASYMMETRICALGRID".<br /><br />Not being familiar with TRITT or VIREO, I was pleased to see the NW corner emerge unscathed courtesy of its crosses. Same goes for ADIGE and LEIFERS.<br /><br />And at long last, a payoff for years of stamp-collecting as a youngster: confidently entering - and correctly spelling - LIECHTENSTEINER from just the L in VENAL. ADIO. Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27542153690221988212013-02-02T16:33:13.315-05:002013-02-02T16:33:13.315-05:00I always remember how to spell Liechtenstein with ...I always remember how to spell Liechtenstein with the old adage "I before E except before C"...oops, never mind.Connie in Seattlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12469433920091256532013-02-02T15:38:57.165-05:002013-02-02T15:38:57.165-05:00I was awed by this puzzle which, at first look, se...I was awed by this puzzle which, at first look, seems impossible, but even with the 5-stack, turned out to be doable. That's a feat. The top and bottom went fairly quickly, helped immensely by PTOLEMAICSYSTEM. I tentatively put in REPULSER, which repulsed me a bit, but it turned out to be correct. Wanted GIVEMEASEC until I worked out VWS, remembered ISSEL, got LIONESSES, and grimacingly put in SMARVELOUS (in my dictionary, it is marvellous).<br />Even LIECHTENSTEINER came easily. I had to flat out guess at the ADIO/STANHOPE crossing, but that worked, too. <br />Extremely impressive puzzle for which Rex failed to give sufficient huzzahs. I don't think he likes Joe Krozel, for some reason (crossword snobbery?-HAH)rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46896049052493449872013-02-02T14:15:44.105-05:002013-02-02T14:15:44.105-05:00I have to agree with @Spacecraft: "There was ...I have to agree with @Spacecraft: "There was no joy in it" for me either. At least he finished, I was left with a lot of blanks in the famed five-stack, stumped by the river, Carol?, the doo-wop... Heck, I don't even know what doo-wop is. Didn't even understand some that I got. what is a Tritt? I think someone said a singer. Is SECRECIES really a word? Enough said. I take it this was an admired feat of construction, but I wonder how much Google time it took to find words to make it work? DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38433103792441186642013-02-02T12:09:28.647-05:002013-02-02T12:09:28.647-05:00I have no love for this. Here's why:
*a rappe...I have no love for this. Here's why:<br /><br />*a rapper.<br />*the NRA.<br />*the word "Urban" used as a country singer, to refer to another country singer. Double-ugh.<br />*"____deal" for ARMS?? Yeah, there are arms deals, I guess; so are there car deals, real estate deals, bridge deals, etc. A completely arbitrary clue; unfair.<br />*Carol WHO???? Ne. Vah. Heardofher.<br />*"Blanket" for GENERAL? I suppose you can get there, but really. That's stretching to the UNWOVEN point.<br />*TELE as "Part of 1d" TVPG. Now THAT's ugly, Betty!<br /><br />One bright moment was 50a. As the old joke goes: "She was only a stableman's daughter, but all horsemen knew'er."<br /><br />I'm not as fussy about symmetry "rules" as some others; still, the awkwardness of the grid did nothing for me. I finished the thing, after messing up Paul's land from GALilee to GALATeA to the right one, and FINALLY hitting on GENERAL in the almost-not-finished NW (what a REPULSER!), but there was no joy in it.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48707950873729305812013-01-01T13:03:55.858-05:002013-01-01T13:03:55.858-05:00Didn't get the 5-stack, and I blame it on my r...Didn't get the 5-stack, and I blame it on my response of RICKSHAWS to 34d (One-seat carriages).RonLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05092416733312309064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55197107328827402832013-01-01T11:35:01.222-05:002013-01-01T11:35:01.222-05:00@Amelia,
Thanks for the correction. I don't kn...@Amelia,<br />Thanks for the correction. I don't know how I confused the two hotels. Maybe because I have lived on the West side since 1974. Did both hotels have piano bars?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41162071530519913702012-12-30T18:06:25.000-05:002012-12-30T18:06:25.000-05:00@Anonymous @11:27
The Stanhope Hotel is no longer...@Anonymous @11:27<br /><br />The Stanhope Hotel is no longer there. The building is but it's now an apartment building none of us can afford to live in. It was called The Stanhope Apartments for a while but that didn't last, I don't think. Bobby Short played down a couple of streets and one avenue over at the Carlyle Hotel for so long they named the street after him when he died.Ameliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983199184835619743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30315210983275218972012-12-30T11:27:19.910-05:002012-12-30T11:27:19.910-05:00the Stanhope Hotel is on Fifth ave diagonally acro...the Stanhope Hotel is on Fifth ave diagonally across from the Met museum.Bobby Short played there.I'm pretty sure it's still there,has various artists since Short.<br />name probably came from this reference,but I always thought it was a person's surname.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56194501447919402682012-12-30T10:29:20.307-05:002012-12-30T10:29:20.307-05:00I've waited to see "HORSEMANURE" in ...I've waited to see "HORSEMANURE" in a puzzle my entire life. Thank you, JK.Notsofastnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14064572281892526562012-12-30T09:48:36.433-05:002012-12-30T09:48:36.433-05:00I had trouble in the NW corner. The 1 down/4 down...I had trouble in the NW corner. The 1 down/4 down combination (TVPG and TELE) eluded me entirely, especially given the cross with TRITT and VIREO. I thought the NW corner detracted from the otherwise noteworthy stack of fives in the middle. Finished everything else but had difficulty with "Clarinet need" despite having played the instrument. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52170344504011002672012-12-30T00:23:25.152-05:002012-12-30T00:23:25.152-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.<br /><br />All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 5:46, 6:12, 0.93, 18%, Easy<br />Tue 7:32, 8:37, 0.88, 14%, Easy<br />Wed 12:31, 11:52, 1.06, 66%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 20:13, 17:05, 1.18, 82%, Challenging<br />Fri 18:22, 21:07, 0.87, 27%, Easy-Medium<br />Sat 26:55, 24:55, 1.08, 77%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:31, 3:39, 0.96, 26%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:24, 4:57, 0.89, 13%, Easy<br />Wed 7:05, 6:34, 1.08, 73%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 10:59, 9:27, 1.16, 78%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 11:37, 11:47, 0.99, 46%, Medium<br />Sat 16:35, 14:36, 1.14, 79%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88983536060759667422012-12-29T22:56:54.854-05:002012-12-29T22:56:54.854-05:00DNF - total failure, my problem, not the puzzle...DNF - total failure, my problem, not the puzzle's. Top and bottom sections were mostly doable for me but in the middle the best I could do was (somebody)INLOVE and (somewhere)STEINER. The rest remained largely blank (except for ONEREED - I used to play the clarinet). Still enjoyed the write-up and all the comments, though so thanks to Rex and everybody for helping me appreciate the finer points of the puzzle.<br /><br />@Gil I.P. - Nice to see you back, but being from syndiland I didn't even know (yet) that you had been away.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62125312245450588162012-12-29T22:08:36.505-05:002012-12-29T22:08:36.505-05:00@Ulrich: I sit corrected: indeed those three squar...@Ulrich: I sit corrected: indeed those three squares don't count as "cheaters". (There's still another one below #56, plus three near the four corners of that central 5*15 rectangle.)<br /><br />A bit of trivia that might help spell the name of that tiny doubly-landlocked European principality: there are three equally-spaced E's, liEchtEnstEin. Pity that the demonym's fourth E in liEchtEnstEinEr doesn't quite maintain the pattern.<br /><br />NDENoam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15420247410123079832012-12-29T20:47:14.939-05:002012-12-29T20:47:14.939-05:00Liechtenstein...that's why I have a lot of wri...Liechtenstein...that's why I have a lot of writeovers.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68901717609225777192012-12-29T20:43:44.556-05:002012-12-29T20:43:44.556-05:00I got it, but the middle of my puzzle is a scrawle...I got it, but the middle of my puzzle is a scrawled-over mess. That's what I deserve for trying to do this one (as I always do) with pen on paper. Like many of you, it would have helped if I knew about the first e in Liecthenstein. It is also would have helped if I had come up easily (as I should have) with "a teenager in love." I'm old enough to have heard this song a zillion times....<br /><br /> Thought there was something unusual about the middle of the puzzle...michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21165039308517026342012-12-29T20:32:57.584-05:002012-12-29T20:32:57.584-05:00@joho:
Yes, I understood the clue for LEIFERS. My...@joho:<br /><br />Yes, I understood the clue for LEIFERS. My point is that it's a weak entry because it's only held up by the plural. The family itself isn't famous, just the one person in it. I don't really like pluralized last names unless the family name is really famous (like the Osmonds, or the First Family, or the Kardashians).Evanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15440942981870183719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32909469228340441802012-12-29T20:01:45.023-05:002012-12-29T20:01:45.023-05:00@Noam: I also thought initially that there were 5....@Noam: I also thought initially that there were 5. But then I applied the def for cheater squares I knew (when removed, the square does not change the word count), and it seemed to me that you couldn't really remove those 3 in the corner--not individually, and if you remove them collectively, the word count actually changes. So, I stuck with a conservative count.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80190603443022002232012-12-29T19:43:03.813-05:002012-12-29T19:43:03.813-05:00Hi, @Evan. I think it just means that Carol and fa...Hi, @Evan. I think it just means that Carol and family means the Leifers. Doesn't mean they're all famous, just family. That's my take anyway. <br /><br />3 and out.johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43099196175806494372012-12-29T19:02:30.332-05:002012-12-29T19:02:30.332-05:00@acme:
I don't know Carol Leifer, but my prob...@acme:<br /><br />I don't know Carol Leifer, but my problem with the entry isn't that I think she's too obscure. It's that her last name is pluralized. A pluralized last name implies that there are multiple famous people with that name, not just one plus that person's parents. Unless it's a really common or famous family name, it's a weak entry to me.Evanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15440942981870183719noreply@blogger.com