tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7982287935646828543..comments2024-03-19T00:21:49.519-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Moroccan city known as Athens of Africa / THU 8-22-13 / Singer known as La Divina / Ford last produced in 1986 / German wine made from fully ripe grapes / Site of WW II's first amphibious landing / O'Hara's choice novelist / Owner of Moviefone / Commercial figure holding six beer mugs / Suspended avian homeRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47942359767696141742013-09-26T21:03:09.119-04:002013-09-26T21:03:09.119-04:00@SiS - Miggy is ailing, the new SS can't hold ...@SiS - Miggy is ailing, the new SS can't hold a bat, the old SS may be playing left field, and we don't have a good history with things like four day breaks. Am I worried? Nah. GO TIGERS! (and thanks for the shout-out)Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22443171846260915302013-09-26T20:14:51.007-04:002013-09-26T20:14:51.007-04:00@Diri, I retrieved the puzzle from the recycling b...@Diri, I retrieved the puzzle from the recycling bin and looked at the clue again, and by golly you're right. I could have sworn it was an "i" instead of an "l." I didn't have my reading glasses with me at the restaurant and the glass of Riesling was pretty full.<br /><br />As for a capcha "manties," I really don't want to go there.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64757788753959304292013-09-26T20:05:08.839-04:002013-09-26T20:05:08.839-04:00@SiS - It's time to stop denying the effects o...@SiS - It's time to stop denying the effects of the aging process and get some reading glasses. The clue reads "Mantles" which, loosely defined, can mean CAPE. If manties was your captcha what do you think it would mean?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12537188228075081272013-09-26T19:15:32.721-04:002013-09-26T19:15:32.721-04:00@Anon12:11,
I'm with you on the 'jet' ...@Anon12:11,<br />I'm with you on the 'jet' ...I really, really wanted VTOL in there, which created problems all around it. When I finally, grudgingly allowed PROP to plop in, I wanted to CALL foul, because I felt so Harri[er]ed!<br /><br />Other than that stumbler, this was one of the easier rebuses for me, once (of course) I got the CALL.<br /><br />Is it just me, or are foreign words becoming more & more common? And is it a sign of increasing acceptance of the Global Village, or just more cheats?ecanarensishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13952085753371764437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1020301241094947402013-09-26T17:58:59.251-04:002013-09-26T17:58:59.251-04:00I arrived early at the restaurant to meet my busin...I arrived early at the restaurant to meet my business partner, so I ordered a glass of Riesling and pulled out today's puzzle while waiting. Looked at the clue for 24D and said, "naw, couldn't be." And, many crosses later, it wasn't.<br /><br />Rant: Poetic contractions. MONGST just stinks more than the other noxious fills that fit this catagory.<br /><br />Rave: Really fun solve, Stu. Broke the rebus code on 38A with two letters. <br /><br />Anybody mention DEPAUL crossing STPAULIGIRL? <br /><br />era/AGE only write over. <br /><br />Liked the clue for 12D.<br /><br />Can anyone explain how Manties=CAPES, because IHAVENOIDEA?<br /><br />@DMG, nice to see you back this week.<br /><br />@Z, go Tigers. Hope they win it all.<br /><br />Capcha: callios (no kidding). What Stu Ockman was in constructing this puzzle? Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44761245824521573032013-09-26T17:22:49.366-04:002013-09-26T17:22:49.366-04:00I didn't have much going into the grid until I...I didn't have much going into the grid until I arrived at the downs EYE/TOR/AUS which gave me the YOU ending of the long themer across the middle. I already had _BOX up above so the CALL rebus burst into view and I was no longer ATSEA. Addle/THROW, biter/APHIS and era/AGE spoiled an otherwise pristine grid - not too shabby for me on a Thursday.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70766049629644327592013-09-26T17:19:01.385-04:002013-09-26T17:19:01.385-04:00This puzzle provided more fun than almost any I ca...This puzzle provided more fun than almost any I can recall, helped by the fact that HAILE, EVO, SPATLESE, DE LA, and AMARO, were gimmes, and by my immediately putting down HADAC (yes, really). Along the way, those gimmes gave me enough letters to fill in two of the theme answers, which, of course, made the other longies relatively easy. RAPSCALLION - brilliant. I guess, if I had to pick out something I didn't like it would be APSOS, but URIS was already in place, so I didn't have to grind my teeth over it. But really, whether one thinks that there was much to the theme or not, this was a lot of fun.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37205894989034368762013-09-26T15:50:53.945-04:002013-09-26T15:50:53.945-04:00Didn't know the Messrs. Caan or Mr. Orr, so I ...Didn't know the Messrs. Caan or Mr. Orr, so I bombed on the computer key-guess I've been sticking to the IPad for too long! Other than that, it was a fun puzzle. The revealer for me was BACALL, when the more obvious Monroe would bend itself to the space. Other "revealer" was realizing even baby birds wouldn't call home a NEZT! DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61769037072612984792013-09-26T11:53:13.403-04:002013-09-26T11:53:13.403-04:00Weird. I always seem to be the one following our i...Weird. I always seem to be the one following our invader, @DatingOnine. This guy is entrenched: four days straight now. If I may borrow a line from "Trading Places:"<br /><br />"Nobody wants your drugs here, LOUIE." Or your hookers, either. STPAULIGIRL, you can stay.<br /><br />Today not much was making sense at first, so I hunted around for a way in, finding it in the SE with DEPAUL and OTELLO. Wondered what the last across was; TOOCLOSETOO?? I had all but the last letter. Coming down, I thought the clue "Class starter" meant the first word of a familiar phrase, such as FIRST--which wouldn't fly (no stste abbrev. ends in F). Meanwhile, 46d was giving me headaches. AMIDST was ruled out because "midst" was in the clue, and AMONGST didn't fit. Finally figured out it was (')MONGST, and GUADALCANAL (really? Who knew?)came to light.<br /><br />And at last, the aha! moment. Dashing up to the NE, I knew that my 3-letter actress was actually six-letter (and five-star, in my book) BACALL. Same for the SW: the fabuous Maria CALLAS sang out. And in the NW, CALLIOPE and, naturally, CALLOFFTHEDOGS.<br /><br />Oops. With those letters on top, IHAVENOIDEA how to fill in the NW. Luckily, I had the phrase right but in the wrong order, and it soon was fixed.<br /><br />And now the center fifteener was obvious: I had tried the standard lie "We'll let you know." but that was a letter short. I really wanted that; hated to give it up. But the actual answer is every bit as good.<br /><br />I know what OFL means when a puzzle seems awfully tough pre-aha but almost fills itself in post. How do you rate those? I guess you shrug and average it out: medium. But anything that produces a genuine AHA! is good by me. It certainly was a lot more fun than yesterday.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50635459270826424092013-08-24T17:21:39.080-04:002013-08-24T17:21:39.080-04:0015A Thought answer was "I have no clue,&quo...15A Thought answer was "I have no clue," with emphasis on Have, originally. Like that better, though it doesn't fit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16944733205384677212013-08-23T01:03:40.098-04:002013-08-23T01:03:40.098-04:00This 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 6:23, 6:12, 1.03, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 8:01, 8:16, 0.97, 40%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 10:43, 9:43, 1.10, 75%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 16:44, 16:30, 1.01, 58%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:02, 3:49, 1.06, 79%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 5:09, 5:03, 1.02, 56%, Medium<br />Wed 6:11, 5:35, 1.11, 77%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 9:26, 9:27, 1.00, 48%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53304924982722192522013-08-22T21:59:38.174-04:002013-08-22T21:59:38.174-04:0015A was nice, except for the fact that is was inac...15A was nice, except for the fact that is was inaccurate.<br /><br />i am an amateur solver, who barely finished today because of the near-SW. ie, APSOS, thinking it must be a horrible <i>irregular</i> misspelling with an h somewhere), and chien which i knew in 8th grade but is not <b>common</b> enough to be allowed here (like hora or dia or hoy). and yet my first entry (with no crosses, stated redundantly) was 15A, as it was <b>SO</b> obvious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65448083281647052862013-08-22T21:39:22.579-04:002013-08-22T21:39:22.579-04:00@ mac - that's GOOD!@ mac - that's GOOD!retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47124204034419218452013-08-22T21:19:53.931-04:002013-08-22T21:19:53.931-04:00I think the answer to 15A would have even been bet...I think the answer to 15A would have even been better had it been: I have no clue.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86159317946975085572013-08-22T21:02:19.961-04:002013-08-22T21:02:19.961-04:00Well, I was stymied up front by reading the clue f...Well, I was stymied up front by reading the clue for 57A "mantles" as manties. That made the answer either boxer or brief. Yes, either should be plural, but there were only five spaces.Mettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57596223107228463942013-08-22T20:50:55.284-04:002013-08-22T20:50:55.284-04:00Finally staggered to the finish, erring at the cro...Finally staggered to the finish, erring at the cross of HRE and HTTP. Got the rebus fairly early in the game but had trouble figuring out the three long stacks at the top and bottom plus the 15-letter one in the middle. Didn't expect the 2 rebuses in the middle so that delayed the process considerably. I'm always happy to get the puzzles containing rebuses; thus, I came away today both satisfied and admiring of the constructor, Stu Ockman. Thanks to you, Sir.LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40099354678768499622013-08-22T19:55:29.607-04:002013-08-22T19:55:29.607-04:00Now you're influencing my reading selection. ...Now you're influencing my reading selection. I went to the library today and got Middlesex. I read the first page and thought it probably wasn't a book for me. By page four I had laughed out loud twice. I continue reading.gifcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12612467417938884430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73701926826207999512013-08-22T18:53:40.097-04:002013-08-22T18:53:40.097-04:00Rex, did you include the "Call Me Maybe"...Rex, did you include the "Call Me Maybe" clip for me, because I said I liked last year's song of the summer much more than this year's "Blurred Lines?" Whether or not it was for me, thank you. I love all the players in that video.leah712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49622321825981290442013-08-22T17:09:38.298-04:002013-08-22T17:09:38.298-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Thu 16:47, 16:30, 1.02, 59%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Thu 9:31, 9:30, 1.00, 52%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26380412818752437122013-08-22T16:59:18.183-04:002013-08-22T16:59:18.183-04:00@nice peoples thanks. Just printed it out@nice peoples thanks. Just printed it outchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16973232482858998972013-08-22T16:39:55.816-04:002013-08-22T16:39:55.816-04:00Yesterday, I was stupid, today I was smart as the ...Yesterday, I was stupid, today I was smart as the puzzle did not hold much of a challenge except for the German wine.<br /><br />And the old Moroccan actor who played their version of Davey Crockett-Fes Parker.WAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54884164777809064942013-08-22T16:33:48.339-04:002013-08-22T16:33:48.339-04:00@chefbea: Go to here@chefbea: Go to <a href="http://www.us.mensa.org/AML/?LinkServID=9C6D60CE-E081-4C23-C43F546F9F20DE10" rel="nofollow">here</a>Nice Peoplesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34451343447178289092013-08-22T16:08:24.863-04:002013-08-22T16:08:24.863-04:00@ahimsa-NYT: Eraserhead! Wow. There yah go. Davi...@ahimsa-NYT: Eraserhead! Wow. There yah go. David Lynch. Jack Nance. U musta went to the same college film fests as me. Did U also see the Russian flick where a dude gets locked up in an old haunted mill overnight by the villagers? Draws a protective circle around himself on the floor, while poopin pants. What WAS that one called? Aaaahhhh. Memo-ries.<br /><br />Ein shpayt-lay-zuh, bitte.<br /><br />M&AOutlaw MandAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52714932414505195192013-08-22T16:02:23.482-04:002013-08-22T16:02:23.482-04:00@Mand A or anyone else..can you send me the puzzle...@Mand A or anyone else..can you send me the puzzle so I can print it out.? I can't seem to get itchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29070020389166219882013-08-22T15:35:35.554-04:002013-08-22T15:35:35.554-04:00@Benko: No W sound in spätlese. The ä sound is ess...@Benko: No W sound in spätlese. The ä sound is essentially like English's long A (as in "late"), so the pronunciation is shpayt-lay-zuh. Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.com