tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8050266311922114975..comments2024-03-18T21:18:56.017-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Onetime South African PM Jan / WED 3-17-10 / RKO film airer / Polynesian paste / Glittery glue-onRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17907453130205645622010-04-21T18:00:19.698-04:002010-04-21T18:00:19.698-04:00@sw paul: the original date is printed in my paper...@sw paul: the original date is printed in my paper under the grid as (in this case) No: 0317 indicating March 17th. I always check it first to see if something significant was happening 5 weeks earlier.<br /><br />JAILSKATING (60A) and SEQUIN (13D) delayed this puzzle for way too long as did TEAPOT followed by CONTRA in 1A! (Feeble excuse - we have enough of our own political scandals up here to keep all the U.S. ones straight.)Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37406417278859794092010-04-21T17:06:44.114-04:002010-04-21T17:06:44.114-04:00Once again, I'm late to the party. (Here in s...Once again, I'm late to the party. (Here in syndication land, we don't realize what day the puzzle originally appeared.) As these puzzles are still so new to me, I can't say I shared the annoyance. To me they're all difficult. I was well into this one when I figured the theme, and it did help fill the last, even though I knew already it began with stir. I was only stuck on Smut_ and _ilente. Thought it was an s, but didn't see why until I came here. Do agree with the trouble I had reading lieover.sw paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29298257254162521242010-03-18T04:20:07.766-04:002010-03-18T04:20:07.766-04:00I finished this puzzle with a leaden lump in my st...I finished this puzzle with a leaden lump in my stomach. I remember once coming upon your site, Rex, while hunting up a clue and returned to see if you thought this fun..... I was relieved to find you hooked on to all the pedestrian weaknesses that sullied my time solving it. I appreciate that you continue to lavish your attention on these puzzles!Ax53noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87808073967906487332010-03-18T00:57:54.522-04:002010-03-18T00:57:54.522-04:00MMmmm, so TRICK has been used two days in a row. I...MMmmm, so TRICK has been used two days in a row. If it appears tomorrow, will that be a HAT TRICK?Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46064438313927770622010-03-17T23:48:09.270-04:002010-03-17T23:48:09.270-04:00Patrick: Happy St. You Day!
@HudsonHawk (who I th...Patrick: Happy St. You Day!<br /><br />@HudsonHawk (who I think lives on the Upper East Side, though I often mix people up): I have vivid memories of St. Patrick's Days when walking home from 86th and Lex (where the parade breaks up) was like a trip through a war zone. Green beer indeed. Important to watch where you step.<br /><br />@Bill_from_NJ: Oakland is the new San Francisco.<br /><br />@Rex: My friend from Austin once dragged me to a Poi Dog Pondering show -- lots of fun actually. Don't remember whether I bought the album or not.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16048683388488104722010-03-17T22:28:05.698-04:002010-03-17T22:28:05.698-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation. 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 6:55, 6:55, 1.00, 56%, Medium<br />Tue 9:25, 8:54, 1.06, 69%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 13:58, 11:50, 1.18, 88%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:30, 3:40, 0.95, 42%, Medium<br />Tue 4:30, 4:31, 1.00, 54%, Medium<br />Wed 6:39, 5:48, 1.15, 82%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51566186029449654682010-03-17T22:09:05.562-04:002010-03-17T22:09:05.562-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23338636952455846782010-03-17T21:55:57.593-04:002010-03-17T21:55:57.593-04:00It is most definitely PairS Skating. Very annoying...It is most definitely PairS Skating. Very annoying.katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10329419110989173609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75824762898228025242010-03-17T21:40:35.328-04:002010-03-17T21:40:35.328-04:00@Sfingi, my husband told people we named our son B...@Sfingi, my husband told people we named our son Ben Gay...foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67094276880290098272010-03-17T21:20:10.754-04:002010-03-17T21:20:10.754-04:00Didn't know the clues (sports) for OCTET or RT...Didn't know the clues (sports) for OCTET or RTS. Otherwise, was so much better than the LA that I enjoyed it.<br /><br />Did have "steam up" for BATHMAT when I started, but it became obviously wrong. "rOLL for COIL took a little longer. Also SPArkLE for SPANGLE until I got BOSTON. Thought Will might be S. and couldn't narrow down his focus.<br /><br />@ArtLover - Corona seems to be THE beer of choice for Spanish in NYS.<br /><br />@Sundance - "In Stir" is an old-fashioned expression. So is "Up the River," "The Joint," "Turnkey." "Herb" seems to have died out, but "Shorteyes" is still used. These might be good ideas for a theme...<br />In stir describes the mulling around in the "yard" with nothing to do. "Shorteyes," and other media have kept them busier - and, as a prison teacher for 17 yrs., I hope this includes books. <br /><br />I went into labor on St. Pat's and gave birth on St. Joe's. Everyone expected me to name my son Giuseppe. So I named him Dante. My husband told everyone he named him Sfingi. Sfingi is one of the St. Joseph's Day Table treats, set up for the poor. I understand it's still done in Louisiana. <br /><br />I have a tiny bit of Irish. An ancestor, a Scotch Presbyterian minister was dropped into Ireland by the Brits to convert the unwashed. While there, there was some mixing with Huguenots and locals. Finally, he took half his flock to Upstate NY and his brother took the other half to the Ozarks.<br /><br />@Joho - I don't like licking stamps. My Sicilian father-in-law said "Never let anyone get your fingerprints." Now, he could add DNA.<br /><br />@Plutonium - Wow! Somebody here older than I. I remember thinking that the Dutch in South Africa really went wrong, against their better nature. Now is that Plutonium-239? What's your half-life? <br /><br />@Elaine - Yuh. I spell TyKES with a Y.<br /><br />@Tinbeni - hope you enjoy your "Jug o Punch," "Whiskey you're my darlin' drunk or sober," "There's whiskey in the jar," or Paddy got drunk on fish 'n potatoes." Great drinkin songs!Sfinginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27960233716978938692010-03-17T20:32:04.568-04:002010-03-17T20:32:04.568-04:00@ArtLvr ... I've got a coil-holding golf-orien...@ArtLvr ... I've got a coil-holding golf-oriented thingy on my desk, a gift to my husband from his kids ... and it holds a coil very well and, yes, they do not have to be licked! Now that's progress.johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16669217741546698972010-03-17T20:27:25.997-04:002010-03-17T20:27:25.997-04:00Aw, I have a pretty inlaid-wood two-part box and m...Aw, I have a pretty inlaid-wood two-part box and my stamps COIL out of it perfectly. I peel off what I need, rip off the excess backing, and she's good to go. <br /><br />Isn't anyone going to bemoan the lost essence, the gustatory delight, of the lick-'em variety? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195458656221202202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90084243964552930732010-03-17T20:24:51.325-04:002010-03-17T20:24:51.325-04:00@ArtLvr
I actually saw a Sterling Silver Colil st...@ArtLvr<br /><br />I actually saw a Sterling Silver Colil stamp holder today at the Post Office! It was an antique looking thing but it was beautiful.<br /><br />Around 12.00.tionsproedith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21215030468102497962010-03-17T20:17:37.044-04:002010-03-17T20:17:37.044-04:00Coils are pressure-sensitive today. That's OK...Coils are pressure-sensitive today. That's OK, but some Einstein at the USPS decided to issue them in coils of 50 commemorative-sized stamps instead of 100 regular-issue sized. The whole point of a coil is convenience. The large flags-of-the-states stamps are cute, but a major pita. They don't spool out of the dispenser easily and take twice the storage space.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84433057342100886322010-03-17T20:03:18.587-04:002010-03-17T20:03:18.587-04:00@ Edith B -- Thanks for the memory! My mother'...@ Edith B -- Thanks for the memory! My mother's desk set even included a sterling doodad with monogram to house a COIL of stamps! I never asked who'd given her a gift like that... and I don't what became of it. Now I wonder if today's coiled stamps still need licking of the back, or if they are self-adhesive like panes? <br /><br />Happy St. Pat's to all...<br /><br />∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79202862509636421842010-03-17T19:43:14.458-04:002010-03-17T19:43:14.458-04:00Yeah I toyed with Will's focus being ESTEEM fo...Yeah I toyed with Will's focus being ESTEEM for a while. <br /><br />And neigher LIE OVER or LAYOVER seem like they fit in that Venn intersection with Be postponed. <br /><br />But though I agree with Rex that the trick wasn't all that elegantly executed, it still made the puzzle worthy of my ePAeem.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39109933985790738682010-03-17T19:42:46.020-04:002010-03-17T19:42:46.020-04:00Funny I had little difficulty with this one except...Funny I had little difficulty with this one except thinking it was weird and I never got the point (ST for PA, You mst be vry very young if you didn't know SMUTS. I was born in 1935 and remember him and the rest of segregated South Africa only too well (U.S. too!).Plutoniumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41586514601184047382010-03-17T18:59:06.420-04:002010-03-17T18:59:06.420-04:00Never got the theme until I got here.
Anyone else...Never got the theme until I got here.<br /><br />Anyone else have SPARKLE instead of SPANGLE at first?<br /><br />@deerfencer - LOL at "lifting a lower cheek..."JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79320920095676593482010-03-17T18:27:27.183-04:002010-03-17T18:27:27.183-04:00@edith b
They're called PANES
..../Glitch@edith b<br /><br />They're called <a href="http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/terminology_20070430/refreshercourse.aspx" rel="nofollow"> PANES </a><br /><br />..../GlitchGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3254193271314768952010-03-17T17:42:35.318-04:002010-03-17T17:42:35.318-04:00@Joe-
Interestingly enough, I bought a roll of st...@Joe-<br /><br />Interestingly enough, I bought a roll of stamps from the Post Office today after I had finished the puzzle and asked them about the nomenclature. Officially, according to the USPS, they vend stamps by the COIL. They do sell alot of stamps in the flat and I don't know what they call them.<br /><br />The lady I talked to today told me there were still a lot of businesses who used small contraptions to dispense stamps on a COIL and that usage goes back years.edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23485605140744088682010-03-17T17:22:41.520-04:002010-03-17T17:22:41.520-04:00Nope, I never got the theme.
@Anonymous, 11:53 AM...Nope, I never got the theme.<br /><br />@Anonymous, 11:53 AM - Per Wikipedia -<br /><br />OR Tambo International Airport is a large airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa, near the city of Johannesburg.<br /><br />It was formerly officially known as Johannesburg International Airport and before that as Jan Smuts International Airport after the South African statesman of that name. The first renaming was done in 1994 when the newly reformed South African government implemented a national policy of not naming airports after politicians. The policy was however reversed later, and the airport renamed again after Oliver Tambo, the former President of the African National Congress.Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27477506664953728862010-03-17T16:44:21.631-04:002010-03-17T16:44:21.631-04:00Guilty admission: for 44D [End of life as we know...Guilty admission: for 44D [End of life as we know it?] I thought NEWBORN was a perfect fit. But I don't dare give my name....Parentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23967600828230478292010-03-17T16:13:52.282-04:002010-03-17T16:13:52.282-04:00@Rube: I'm not sure what you mean with 34A/39A...@Rube: I'm not sure what you mean with 34A/39A. Neither is a theme answer, and while 34A has an ST in it, it's not a result of a swap for PA like in the theme answers (unless there's a tepa case I'm not aware of). So, there wouldn't be any expected symmetry. (In fact, there are a lot of STs in the puzzle that aren't resulting from a PA swap.)<br /><br />@Martin: I'm far from a speed solver, although I do note my times and try to improve. Sometimes people don't like things simply because they don't work for them. Just like one person's Natick is another's gimmee, one person's gem of a puzzle is another's clunker. Or, in this case, a lot of people's clunker.<br /><br />(I hate when I notice immediately after clicking "submit" that I've left out a word where the omission of which completely changes what I meant to say.)Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-282444641185205852010-03-17T16:10:09.096-04:002010-03-17T16:10:09.096-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12263581226890824522010-03-17T15:56:43.175-04:002010-03-17T15:56:43.175-04:00I saw the two-letter switch at OILSTINTING/OILPAIN...I saw the two-letter switch at OILSTINTING/OILPAINTING but found the switch itself inelegant at best. I could see it had something to do with St Patrick but couldn't grok what it was. That aspect combined with utterly lackluster fill and a theme that did not sparkle in the least, well, speed solver or not, this puzzle was like Oakland: No there there.Bill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.com