tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7931345047800758014..comments2024-03-29T03:22:09.826-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, Sep. 19 2009 — She danced in Tirana / Job for a Rhine surgeon / Oath from renegade / Having chevrons with red tipsRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89715748153080142482013-06-26T16:07:31.544-04:002013-06-26T16:07:31.544-04:00(Sorry for the late comment. I just did this puzzl...(Sorry for the late comment. I just did this puzzle in a 365-day calendar - 3.75 years late.)<br /><br />A piece of trivia: In addition to his long history of creating puzzles (including his specialty, Puns and Anagrams) Mel Taub served as interim NYT crossword puzzle editor between the time Eugene Maleska died and Will Shortz was hired.Pinnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41193192810473461892009-10-25T14:44:49.995-04:002009-10-25T14:44:49.995-04:00count me in the "hated this whole week" ...count me in the "hated this whole week" category (excepting Friday, which was fine, but easy.) This was just not right for a NYT puzzle, particularly for a Saturday.DayLateAndFiveWeeksShortnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80669151858208348142009-10-25T00:11:15.833-04:002009-10-25T00:11:15.833-04:00Disappointing end to a disappointing week. Didn&#...Disappointing end to a disappointing week. Didn't finish it; tossed it in the bin. Too annoying with no satisfying, "Aha!" moments.Angelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16754623887560084667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24920730654186112682009-10-24T16:25:29.893-04:002009-10-24T16:25:29.893-04:00Geez, that was ten minutes of fun but what do I do...Geez, that was ten minutes of fun but what do I do for the rest of the weekend? Kind of disappointed that we got the Monday P&A puzzle, not one a little tougher. Anyway, TIRANA/ANITRA was close to my fav anagram SINATRA/TSARINA/ARTISAN.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32746716922715001442009-10-24T09:12:42.444-04:002009-10-24T09:12:42.444-04:00Shortz, don't ever do this again!!!Shortz, don't ever do this again!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8378633006155385162009-09-21T14:08:15.700-04:002009-09-21T14:08:15.700-04:00Regarding the clue 43A — "Where does N.C. ran...Regarding the clue 43A — "Where does N.C. rank among U.S. states in Christmas tree production?", answer SECOND, the anagram is of "does N.C." (you have a typo, Rex). And as is common in P&A clues, the whole clue is legitimate as is, with an anagram of the answer that just happens to be there (as opposed to cryptics, where the anagram is both explicitly signaled and is normally not part of the straight part of the clue).<br /><br />Check it out at the Bureau of Census: North Carolina was #2 in <a href="http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/005870.html" rel="nofollow">Christmas tree sales</a> in the indicated year.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81470581151388074882009-09-21T14:03:44.038-04:002009-09-21T14:03:44.038-04:00I had "FIREST" for 43 across - where N.C...I had "FIREST" for 43 across - where N.C. ranks in Xmas tree prod.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65969496619308390062009-09-20T17:29:16.762-04:002009-09-20T17:29:16.762-04:00Please don't do this again NYT!!!Please don't do this again NYT!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28844921738794855482009-09-20T07:53:49.069-04:002009-09-20T07:53:49.069-04:00@Orange -- Thank you for your encouragement. I ke...@Orange -- Thank you for your encouragement. I kept working, i.e., staring blankly at what seemed total gibberish, until I did have my "aha!" moment. This is a good rule to follow for any type of puzzle, I suppose.<br /><br />So now I know what the theme is, but I still haven't cracked the answer, due to my general lack of knowledge. Sometimes Google helps at this point!Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64534835136932936882009-09-20T00:39:39.525-04:002009-09-20T00:39:39.525-04:00I was at the theater today and saw an older couple...I was at the theater today and saw an older couple with the Times open to the crossword. The man was telling his wife that he knows she doesn't normally do the puzzle, but she would enjoy this since it was different. They proceeded to work on it together. I smiled and said nothing, thinking that THIS is the intended audience for this puzzle.Ellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09699703443886498884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79898076482499896232009-09-20T00:12:48.183-04:002009-09-20T00:12:48.183-04:00You're both wrong. It's like you're e...You're both wrong. It's like you're expecting Chef Bea and instead you get Cafe HEB.<br /><br />Okay, that doesn't make any sense unless you know Texas grocery stores.<br /><br />And Cafe HEB's actually pretty good, whereas I hear Chefbea can't cook.<br /><br />So it's not like that at all.Puzzlegirl, I mean Orange, no, wait, TwoPonies. Yeah. TwoPoniesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19005745838540928452009-09-20T00:01:45.764-04:002009-09-20T00:01:45.764-04:00It's really interesting to me that this week c...It's really interesting to me that this week confounded so many of us, but mostly, it seems, Will! He seemed unable to gauge the difficulty of the old fashioned puzzles. May be he decided he was going to leave the cluing alone and not edit the typical way? I'm usually very impressed with his ability to predict difficulty of puzzles, and one can see from the stats that Sanfranman has accumulated that Will has it down to a science. But not this week. I wonder why.foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60523784550623171522009-09-19T21:45:20.545-04:002009-09-19T21:45:20.545-04:00@michael
Perhaps a better example would be:
[Tru...@michael<br /><br />Perhaps a better example would be:<br /><br />[True event] My NYT was not delivered today, but instead another paper was.<br /><br />It's no consolation that there will be another NYT tomorrow.<br /><br /><br />.../Glitch [Slightly over the limit for the day].Glitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15735344034485379422009-09-19T21:23:37.998-04:002009-09-19T21:23:37.998-04:00@glitch -- Well, if my birthday came every Saturda...@glitch -- Well, if my birthday came every Saturday and I knew that a week from now I'd get another bicycle (just like I had gotten a bicycle on all my birthdays on previous Saturdays), I might think that designer socks were an interesting change of pace. And even if I preferred bicycles to socks, I would not get bent out of shape because I knew that next Saturday would come along soon enough.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29250145293975663722009-09-19T21:19:17.786-04:002009-09-19T21:19:17.786-04:00@ Parsan -- Yes, a fascinating coincidence of the ...@ Parsan -- Yes, a fascinating coincidence of the French WW 2 re-enactors presenting a local hero in Albany with the Legion of Honor medal here yesterday, plus a parade with US military vehicles they had restored! <br /><br />In recent years, Albany has atoned quite a bit for the lack of recognition for our black hero of WW 1, Henry Johnson, with his statue and a boulevard named for him -- and the federal government finally gave him a posthumous medal too. The French took on our NY 15th Regiment of the National Guard (black) which included Johnson, renaming them their 369th. It included sports figures, musicians and even artists! They were the first to reach the German border, despite gas attacks and inferior weapons, and lost about three quarters of their members. <br /><br />France honored them at the time with 85 gold medals, vs. zero from the USA. New York City did give them a huge victory parade, often cited as the source of the "Harlem Renaissance", but many survivors (especially musicians) ended up back in France in the forefront of the Jazz Age there. <br /><br />Details of their outstanding war service and their struggle against entrenched racism on returning home are movingly described in the new book by Peter Nelson, "A More Unbending Battle".<br /><br />∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-438252981318233612009-09-19T21:14:34.541-04:002009-09-19T21:14:34.541-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69791272355501433902009-09-19T21:06:22.350-04:002009-09-19T21:06:22.350-04:00check out the NPL (puzzlers.org) for good wordplay...check out the NPL (puzzlers.org) for good wordplay/cryptic puzzlespeterfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862793648739416028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25068639948517117172009-09-19T21:04:17.383-04:002009-09-19T21:04:17.383-04:00SOOOOOO much better than yesterday. Give me a puzz...SOOOOOO much better than yesterday. Give me a puzzle where I go AHA! when I finally figure out the clue vs. one where I go "MEH" when I work out some obscure vocab word any day. Yesterday was a slog through the mud that left me feeling like I was doing prep work for the SAT. Today had me writhing and groaning every time I unraveled another tortured clue and yet, satisfied I had cracked the code. Wouldn't want it every day, but not deserving of all the vitriol spilled here, I think...DougEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90532569951286329492009-09-19T20:40:28.927-04:002009-09-19T20:40:28.927-04:00I too have never done one of these. It was sort o...I too have never done one of these. It was sort of like learning to ride a bike. Wobbly at first with a couple of falls (wrong entries) but once I got going it went pretty smoothly. I was pleased that I was able to finish plus as I got into it I was enjoying figuring out the clues. So, add me to kinda liked it bunch, something different every now and then can be refreshing. <br /><br />I SECOND (third?) the recommendations to try BEQ's Fri. for the Sat. experience. I'm still a couple of squares short of finishing that one.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70506560688826428532009-09-19T20:35:29.349-04:002009-09-19T20:35:29.349-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10032302346488486116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8305738779570130782009-09-19T20:29:24.793-04:002009-09-19T20:29:24.793-04:00Well hmmmmm . . . quite a difference of opinion o...Well hmmmmm . . . quite a difference of opinion on Rex World today . . . <br /><br />Yes, a curve ball! But in my humble opinion that is what makes the NYT puz the best on the planet. Not everyones cup of tee, but top notch none the less . . . Outside of the box, or grid if you will, I dig . . . My too sense . . .<br /><br />Kudos to the folks that have been constructing to sate our addiction for L+ years!!!!!!! Love it!!!!!<br /><br />BTW - My WWRS (What Would Rex Say) bracelet was WAY off today . . .Danny Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33972616334001953782009-09-19T20:23:48.137-04:002009-09-19T20:23:48.137-04:00So, is Mel Taub a real name or is it a anagram of ...So, is Mel Taub a real name or is it a anagram of MUTABLE??????alanrichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06395356843823270129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65006269435775391392009-09-19T19:21:51.638-04:002009-09-19T19:21:51.638-04:00@michael
If you were expecting a bicycle for your...@michael<br /><br />If you were expecting a bicycle for your birthday and your parents gave you a pair of very nice, expensive, designer socks you might get a tad snarky as a result.<br /><br />Even if you liked the socks ;)<br /><br />.../Glitch<br /><br />PS: I had my post ready to go before I read Rex's.Glitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88615137737387371622009-09-19T19:20:17.192-04:002009-09-19T19:20:17.192-04:00I'm with PuzzleGirl and the others who liked i...I'm with PuzzleGirl and the others who liked it. Thought it was a hoot--a real tour de farce.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-816329932865575302009-09-19T18:56:08.287-04:002009-09-19T18:56:08.287-04:00@ Greg - Sunday AL link works for me too now. All ...@ Greg - Sunday AL link works for me too now. All is well.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.com