tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7845631091482519610..comments2024-03-29T05:08:37.783-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Eurasian ducks / SUN 10-20-13 / Bell Anne Bronte pseudonym / 1796 Napoleon battle site / Times Square flasher / Italian writer Vittorini / 1980s-90s German leader Helmut / Actress GraffRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14573410925584065872013-10-27T20:11:52.034-04:002013-10-27T20:11:52.034-04:00Newish too.
I found that natick is when the cw con...Newish too.<br />I found that natick is when the cw constructor uses a proper name that is somewhat obscure (1/4 of solvers would get it, then it should be crossed by a more reasonably answerable clue or a very common proper name.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19726140179995369462013-10-27T15:33:08.365-04:002013-10-27T15:33:08.365-04:00Still recovering from my kidnapping by the spellca...Still recovering from my kidnapping by the spellcasters. Fortunately no probes during captivity (@Diri).<br /><br />I started out with the instant idea that we were dealing with the Panama Canal, but when that didn't fit I googled what was dedicated in Oct 1913 and came up with the Lincoln Highway. After that, I didn't cheat. Couldn't make any sense out of 148A until done, then read it backwards. Doh.<br /><br />BTW, for those of you who didn't know, most houses are EAVED. Yup.<br /><br />Go Hawks!<br /><br />Capcha: heiseit. A German planning a robbery?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47550349361594850172013-10-27T15:23:43.480-04:002013-10-27T15:23:43.480-04:00I guess I was riding in the bus with the folks enj...I guess I was riding in the bus with the folks enjoying the scenery and taking in the history lesson as we journeyed across the country - it sounds like others were trapped in a minivan full of children screaming "are we there yet?". That is to say, I enjoyed it. I thought the arrangement of states along the highway was the 'pièce de résistance'.<br /><br />Speaking of construction feats, consider this factoid from the wiki article Rex posted about his WOD: "Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913..." Under two years from conception to dedication - how long do you suppose such a project would take today?<br /><br />@space craft - I took RWY to be an abbreviation of 'railway' as the freight carrier, not a reference to the theme, I can understand your aggravation with it. I had ReY (because of SMEeS) until I realized EY is not a state, so the circles saved me there.<br /><br />@idahoconnie - Welcome!<br /><br />The number in my capcha is 77 which is clearly the wrong highway.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31164964646337396002013-10-27T15:06:22.365-04:002013-10-27T15:06:22.365-04:00@Spacecraft: If you google "low vision"...@Spacecraft: If you google "low vision", that exact phrase gets 3 million hits, many from medical sites. It kinda *is* a real term. :)<br /><br />"The critique concerned his poor spelling." <br />"The critique APPLIEDTO his poor spelling."<br /> That's how I saw the clue fitting the answer. Not great, but...paulsfohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07721639286466422944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36567613084744186222013-10-27T14:47:29.981-04:002013-10-27T14:47:29.981-04:00I don't understand why commenters complain abo...I don't understand why commenters complain about not liking a puzzle because they never heard of something. I do puzzles to learn about something. I had never heard of the Lincoln Highway and discovering it while doing this puzzle was exhilarating. It is a fascinating piece of history. I am so grateful to Ms. Gorski for making my day. Now I'm off to can pasta sauce from my bounty of garden tomatoes.Idahoconnienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53639400988324323752013-10-27T14:02:58.534-04:002013-10-27T14:02:58.534-04:00Part of the Lincoln Highway runs through my home t...Part of the Lincoln Highway runs through my home town of Metuchen,NJ it's called Middlesex ave there.Alsoknown as Route 27 in NJ.Just sayjn'.George DouglassAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22901170060428936582013-10-27T11:33:32.506-04:002013-10-27T11:33:32.506-04:00First of all, can we PLEASE have our Syndicated si...First of all, can we PLEASE have our Syndicated site corrected? Yes, I can find the right puzzle, but it's SUCH a hassle. I'm REALLY getting tired of it. It almost makes me want to quit bothering with this.<br /><br />And today's entry does little to recharge my batteries. TONSOF problems; where to START?<br /><br />OK, Mr. Fearless one, you "get the connection" of "concerned" to APPLIEDTO. Please tell me, 'cause I am still baffled. In no way, shape or form does that clue relate to the answer, as far as I can see. It. Makes. No. Sense.<br /><br />Two naticks--I guessed them both right, DANKE. One, I suppose, is my fault for not being an oenophile, and tech-ignorant as well. Put in SIRI/CRU because CLU looked, well, SILI. But the other one? Obscurity crossing obscurity? That one draws the flag. Go ahead and try to tell me that I'm some kind of idiot for nevar having heard of either ELIO or ILENE. I literally tossed a coin on that one: L or R? Only bet I won all day.<br /><br />And what the heck is LOWVISION? What, my head's bowed so I can only see people's feet?? There's no such real term.<br /><br />The theme itself was no picnic; I never heard of this RWY. Hard to believe they had the VISION to build a transcontinental road in 1913, when cars were still horseless carriages and many people thought they were a fad. Anyway, I learned something.<br /><br />Much of the fill was Bleah!, right down to the Romanumeral. My cattle were HOrnED before they were HOOFED (not HOOVED??). I agree that the circled states were a superfluous addition.<br /><br />The entire experience was a junky slog. I expect better from Ms. Gorski.<br /><br />And to top it all off, I somehow misread my captcha. What a day this is turning out to be!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60531700291554906472013-10-27T05:06:07.891-04:002013-10-27T05:06:07.891-04:00jburg ~ Ottawa has a tulip festival because the Du...jburg ~ Ottawa has a tulip festival because the Dutch royal family was sheltered there during WWII, with one of the princesses being born there. In appreciation Ottawa was gifted with tulip bulbs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57521168840662870222013-10-26T10:26:35.317-04:002013-10-26T10:26:35.317-04:00Ok I'm otta' here. For me this was not eas...Ok I'm otta' here. For me this was not easy. Eurasian ducks and travels coast to coast backwards are not easy for this guy. I have to believe they're not easy for a lot of people. This site is for a very elite group of puzzle solvers. You're just out of my league. Robertonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2252399743603109682013-10-22T06:58:27.757-04:002013-10-22T06:58:27.757-04:00First heard of the Lincoln Highway in the sixties ...First heard of the Lincoln Highway in the sixties as a folkie. There´s a Woodie Guthrie song called Hard Travelin. As sung by the Kingston Trio: "I been doin´ some hard travelin´, I thought ya knowed...I been travelin´that Lincoln Highway...I been travelin´that 66." Since then I noticed the signs whenever I drove on parts of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77598344708980567942013-10-21T15:19:52.907-04:002013-10-21T15:19:52.907-04:00Rex: Just a small quibble, because I love your co...Rex: Just a small quibble, because I love your commentaries: the sometimes over-emphasis on the speed of your solve. As with music -- when someone says that so-and-so's version of a song is 'better' than someone else's -- we're not all in this to 'win.' JamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31494314843100288382013-10-21T02:17:38.324-04:002013-10-21T02:17:38.324-04:00You have a beautiful website - Visit our website-h...You have a beautiful website - Visit our website-http://maryanaj.com/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07587993596338144493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69105320431930515882013-10-21T01:59:15.655-04:002013-10-21T01:59:15.655-04:00I was just thinking about Elizabeth Gorski (and wo...I was just thinking about Elizabeth Gorski (and wondering when another puzzle constructed by her would appear)when I opened today's NYT Magazine. I was so delighted to see her name!<br /><br />SUCH an enjoyable, clever puzzle. Gorski never disappoints. I wish she constructed the Sunday puzzle EVERY week!<br /><br />I solved with a smile on my face, especially when the last theme answer finally dawned on me!nurturinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69296121737287256992013-10-21T01:36:51.751-04:002013-10-21T01:36:51.751-04:00Another ErIO/IrENE finisher here. Not sure why Rex...Another ErIO/IrENE finisher here. Not sure why Rex thought that was inferrable.<br /><br />I'm normally a big fan of Gorski puzzles, but I have to say that this one didn't do much for me. Cool construction, but the solving experience was very middle-of-the-road.Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15336260911834780345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42183954443701106772013-10-20T23:57:14.407-04:002013-10-20T23:57:14.407-04:00Always love me a Gorski puzzle! The Best!Always love me a Gorski puzzle! The Best!sue pbhttp://www.suepeasebanitt.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91571267083292539472013-10-20T22:59:46.698-04:002013-10-20T22:59:46.698-04:00I hate it when I spend an hour on a puzzle and Rex...I hate it when I spend an hour on a puzzle and Rex rates it 'easy'.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16969864605111680191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38260563792242821882013-10-20T22:47:42.507-04:002013-10-20T22:47:42.507-04:00Oops! I meant Gorski, not Gorsky. Oops! I meant Gorski, not Gorsky. phagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71077050591252371262013-10-20T22:46:27.769-04:002013-10-20T22:46:27.769-04:00Thought the geographic spacing of the states was a...Thought the geographic spacing of the states was awesome. Just chiming in to point out that Gorsky has employed this answer-runs-in-reverse gimmick before; see her "High Definition" puzzle, published April 29, 2001. phagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11786090798324294692013-10-20T22:20:15.435-04:002013-10-20T22:20:15.435-04:00@okanaganer: BRINY is also a noun (a bit slangy, a...@okanaganer: BRINY is also a noun (a bit slangy, and more than a bit British) meaning "the sea". Legit clue/answer. Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34061652723748408302013-10-20T21:22:02.308-04:002013-10-20T21:22:02.308-04:00This 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 6:13, 6:07, 1.02, 61%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 7:14, 8:15, 0.88, 15%, Easy<br />Wed 13:48, 9:44, 1.42, 97%, Challenging (6th highest ratio of 198 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 11:33, 16:30, 0.70, 7%, Easy<br />Fri 27:17, 17:47, 1.53, 100%, Challenging (highest ratio of 199 Fridays)<br />Sat 28:35, 26:35, 1.08, 74%, Medium-Challenging<br />Sun 34:34, 27:42, 1.25, 91%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:43, 3:46, 0.99, 38%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:24, 5:09, 0.85, 6%, Easy<br />Wed 7:39, 5:37, 1.36, 98%, Challenging (5th highest ratio of 198 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 6:58, 9:27, 0.74, 8%, Easy<br />Fri 14:53, 10:07, 1.47, 96%, Challenging (8th highest ratio of 199 Fridays)<br />Sat 18:51, 16:56, 1.11, 75%, Medium-Challenging<br />Sun 26:21, 19:20, 1.36, 87%, Challenging<br /><br />Today's ratings are somewhat inflated by the jumbo size of the grid, but since I kind of flew through this puzzle (albeit in twice our host's time), I'm a bit surprised that it rates as it does. It helps that I was born and raised in a northeast Ohio city through which the Lincoln Highway passes (Massillon, in case you're interested).sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26912027411199576792013-10-20T20:47:05.148-04:002013-10-20T20:47:05.148-04:00Brilliant puzzle. Thank you, Liz. Btw - big artic...Brilliant puzzle. Thank you, Liz. Btw - big article appeared on the Lincoln why recently in the NYT!! hello Rex??!John in Phillynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43980775874191462202013-10-20T20:32:06.161-04:002013-10-20T20:32:06.161-04:00Quick for a Sunday for me, but I did end up with t...Quick for a Sunday for me, but I did end up with the R in Erio/Irene.<br /><br />Wasn't very happy with the clues for Taser and low vision, either.<br /><br />@SteveJ and @Questinia: I'm reading an interesting book called "My Berlin Kitchen" by Luisa Weiss in which she also says to not put too much stuff on a pizza or it will spoil the crust. Today I went to Eataly to buy anchovies, salted capers and colatura sauce (anchovy based). Am concocting a dinner on Wednesday will 4 of her recipes.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51866397088389988162013-10-20T19:02:12.057-04:002013-10-20T19:02:12.057-04:00Finished it, giving me a perfect week after 4 DNF ...Finished it, giving me a perfect week after 4 DNF (usually just one pop-culture square) last week. Pleasant puzzle, solved it on the plane from Columbus (went to Ohio State game yesterday) to NY. Never heard of Lincoln Highway either, but its existence is interesting, unlike the existence of "DMX ," "Whip it" and "WhatsupG" in yesterdays awful (for me) puzzle. Being away from home saved this site another nastygram, short and semi-poetic -<br />Hip-hop, pop slop, STOP! ( I did not, as many others did, find Saturday's puzzle easier than Friday's. Disliked both, finished both, but Friday's went faster, because I just couldn't accept that "Whatsupg" could possible be an answer. On topic, though, thanks for a very suitable and interesting Sunday.OISKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808675378318214461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7743690185197770062013-10-20T18:47:18.765-04:002013-10-20T18:47:18.765-04:00Finished but found it boring and replete with odd ...Finished but found it boring and replete with odd words and misleading clues, An unsatisfying Sunday.LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75309501745153785522013-10-20T17:33:07.388-04:002013-10-20T17:33:07.388-04:00PBS stations in MD periodically run an hour-long s...PBS stations in MD periodically run an hour-long show about the history of the Lincoln Highway and its deteriorating condition. Just saw it last month so the theme was readily apparent to me. A very entertaining and informative program for you to catch sometime.ludyjynn@aol.comnoreply@blogger.com