tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8224546913082966673..comments2024-03-28T17:39:41.086-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Noted Civil War signature / SAT 3-4-17 / Longtime Cotton Bowl home informally / Website offering mentally stimulating diversions / Manuel German soccer star called sweeper keeper / Mercer originator of palindromeRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79542842101446034272017-04-08T15:14:45.081-04:002017-04-08T15:14:45.081-04:00I was enjoying getting the long answers with a let...I was enjoying getting the long answers with a letter or two, but ended up playing horseshoes in the NE and mid east. Haven't played scrabble since I was a kid (my mom was a player) so I was thinking of every other red square in the world. Games. Towns. Whatev...<br /><br />Well, Tara, there's always tomorrow.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4266002589609885732017-04-08T13:45:43.341-04:002017-04-08T13:45:43.341-04:00Too many pissers and bad clues to be enjoyable. Th...Too many pissers and bad clues to be enjoyable. Thoroughly unrewarding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63773615134102318792017-04-08T13:21:32.520-04:002017-04-08T13:21:32.520-04:00Gettable grid-spanners helped a lot. Some of the s...Gettable grid-spanners helped a lot. Some of the shorter stuff needed more help.<br /><br />Shifted back and forth between TAGS and ToGS and between AHRA and AHRo. Guessed wrong. <br /><br />SPORkLE/NEkCO cross was another wrong guess, choosing the instead of the correct C.<br /><br />Close, but this isn't horseshoes.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81819284381703510802017-04-08T12:31:57.332-04:002017-04-08T12:31:57.332-04:00Wow, naticks galore. Got 'em down to two: S_TS...Wow, naticks galore. Got 'em down to two: S_TS/_INUP and AR_I/U_NE. Guessed G in the accursed NW, though the clue seemed arbitrary for a simple rank, and T in the NE because...I really don't know. Both right--which I liken to betting a bundle on a tie in baccarat and getting it. So, finished, but oh brother: GINUP??? This has got to be EXTREMELY local. ITSNOTFAIR!<br /><br />There was so much I didn't know here it's a miracle I got it done. It feels like getting a par on the toughest hole on the course; you just take your par, breathe your sigh of relief and move on.<br /><br />Fell into the Rick trap: he never said "Play it, Sam," let alone "again." He just said "Play it." It was ILSA who uttered the clue line. Funny how I'd forgotten that. Weird _E_EE pattern repeated symmetrically at 6 & 46-down. Three cheers for the PHI Eagles! Three more for groundbreaker and DOD SHIRLEYCHISHOLM. Like I said, par. *whew*spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58124460996072643882017-04-08T12:08:51.976-04:002017-04-08T12:08:51.976-04:00Great story. You should write screenplays. Great story. You should write screenplays. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01883558406493953740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43001633476917823562017-04-08T11:09:37.769-04:002017-04-08T11:09:37.769-04:00HIGHSIERRA TANGO
At TIMES you're INLUCK if th...HIGHSIERRA TANGO<br /><br />At TIMES you're INLUCK if there's ANYONELISTENING<br />about going AWOL - ITSNOT LEGAL, ITSNOTFAIR.<br />If someone SEAS you LOOS, THEPLOTTHICKENS,<br />THATSIT, have FAITH YUL be INTHECROSSHAIRS.<br /><br />--- SGT.S ARTI "STUB" TREVI & LEIGH "SPUD" LEACHBurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39242740321926281002017-04-08T10:17:49.458-04:002017-04-08T10:17:49.458-04:00Rare DNF due to carelessly not rechecking at SCaT ...Rare DNF due to carelessly not rechecking at SCaT instead of SCUT; coulda figured the German name. Too much on the plate right now. Also guessed on the spelling of yeah baby TAYLORSCHILLING's first name. You never know these days and I almost put an E in for the O. Never heard of SPORCLE. might check.<br /><br />Gotta go. Work today, ballet tonight. THATSIT for now.<br /><br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22637764961792085962017-03-06T11:20:09.964-05:002017-03-06T11:20:09.964-05:00Never heard of PIAF, SCUTWORK, SPORCLE, , etc so v...Never heard of PIAF, SCUTWORK, SPORCLE, , etc so very hard Saturday for me.<br /><br />TEHEE is terrible, it's teehee or heh heh or ha ha or har har or even hardy har har....<br /><br />Seems like DEICER would be de-icer but I'm probably wrong.<br /><br />Stones in a cairn are usually placed rather carefully and purposefully which leads me more naturally to "stacked" or "balanced" rather than HEAPED.<br /><br />HIGHSIERRA is fine with me. I've been camping there dozens of times with friends who have devoted the last 30 years of their life hiking, climbing, living and loving those mountains and they usually call them "the Sierras". This flirts with the whole NevAda NeVAHda debate...kodak jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01512589607157589635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76926557622405144142017-03-05T23:38:53.544-05:002017-03-05T23:38:53.544-05:00Two near-Naticks added a cpoule of minutes: UTNE/A...Two near-Naticks added a cpoule of minutes: UTNE/ARTI and SCUT/NEUER. ARTI finally made sense, but SCUT/NEUER was yer basic educated guess. kitshefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10014225555838850414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90915032375179976672017-03-05T01:18:43.991-05:002017-03-05T01:18:43.991-05:00Apart from the grid spinners this puzzle was not g...Apart from the grid spinners this puzzle was not great. Too much short, bad weekday-type fill. The reward didn't rise above the dreck. Also very very easy.Ryan McCartyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17893955221997166090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49613196602009880002017-03-04T23:06:15.923-05:002017-03-04T23:06:15.923-05:00A nearly perfect puzzle, wonderful to solve.A nearly perfect puzzle, wonderful to solve.nemo paradisehttp://thedailycannibal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48590305564158130562017-03-04T22:42:25.965-05:002017-03-04T22:42:25.965-05:00@oldtimer and @numinous, thank you for californio ...@oldtimer and @numinous, thank you for californio insight.Blowjobs4multigencalisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76421521761872073792017-03-04T22:06:40.852-05:002017-03-04T22:06:40.852-05:00Mohair,
Perhaps I misunderstood what you meant by,...Mohair,<br />Perhaps I misunderstood what you meant by, in effect, seconding Z's comments.<br />I'm still a little mystified about your ability to infer the real personality or ken of constructor by the puzzle he creates (yeah I know our author today was a woman).<br />Also, need to write Neuer in all capital letters; my typo was self evident as such. As you would say, note how I invoked a cross which used the correct first letter. Sheesh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42028072327462036192017-03-04T21:52:02.986-05:002017-03-04T21:52:02.986-05:00@average joe -- Bravo!@average joe -- Bravo!Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17224427738134873562017-03-04T20:22:48.678-05:002017-03-04T20:22:48.678-05:00The SIERRA Nevada is a big mountain range with big...The SIERRA Nevada is a big mountain range with big mountains. Driving from Pearsonville to Reno will not only offer mountain vistas to the west but also eat up most the day. My point being, it's a very large area and I'm certain people living in different areas in proximity to the SIERRA have characteristic names for their mountains. OFL is from Fresno and describes his thoughts about the clue, fair enough! I have close friends who are almost appalled when someone drops the plural SIERRA bomb. I've learned to be wary. It must be a regional thing.<br /><br />SCUT crossing NEUER was a dark hole, particularly the former. Larry Gilstraphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493069947477383208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56634813797680832712017-03-04T20:05:45.248-05:002017-03-04T20:05:45.248-05:00De-icer as in for roads, so salt, NaCl.De-icer as in for roads, so salt, NaCl.Punctuated equilibriumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43331969473093830942017-03-04T19:42:49.787-05:002017-03-04T19:42:49.787-05:00Rex, don't ever call it the Sierra Nevadas. It...Rex, don't ever call it the Sierra Nevadas. It's singular! (Sure you grew up there?)brainpercyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09833057142165319807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-549451938967868252017-03-04T19:42:34.336-05:002017-03-04T19:42:34.336-05:00Odd the uproar about de-icer. It must be a product...Odd the uproar about de-icer. It must be a product so named in the Northeast, or the complainers live in sunnier climes. It's a standard in the family's Christmas stockings in the various aerosol forms. We're a practical bunch in New England.Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/07096198020691584652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73932059977064605102017-03-04T19:29:50.331-05:002017-03-04T19:29:50.331-05:00Wow, I thought this puzzle was great fun, and I’m ...Wow, I thought this puzzle was great fun, and I’m surprised to see so many negative or indifferent comments. Yes, there’s some bad fill holding it all together, but look at all those fantastic long answers: ANYONE LISTENING, IN THE CROSSHAIRS, THE PLOT THICKENS, TRIPLE WORD SCORE, and SHIRLEY CHISHOLM. I’m not a constructor, but it seems to me that sometimes you have to make a trade-off to get that many good long answers, and personally I loved every one of those. Never heard of SPORCLE or NECCA, so I would not blame anyone who was annoyed at getting Naticked there, but there was more than enough payoff in the puzzle for me.<br /><br />On the word lists issue, I think Rex’s objection is to buying one from someone else, which I assume he thinks is lazy, not to the general idea of using such lists. Kind of like taking performance-enhancing drugs as a shortcut to a gold medal.Happy Pencilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06817423766936668495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43904950667266808032017-03-04T19:07:28.667-05:002017-03-04T19:07:28.667-05:00Regarding word lists - @Mohair Sam and @anon11:12 ...Regarding word lists - @Mohair Sam and @anon11:12 - First, of course, we don't "know" how much of a Bundesliga fan today's constructor is. Rex wrote that the clue "reeks of" being from a bought word list because the clue looks like it is right out of the wikipedia article. Maybe Guizzo or Shortz just wanted a new way to clue NEUER or maybe the "sweeper-keeper" was seen as the fairest way to clue it. There are lots of possibilities, But (with a capital B) when I can call up a really bad recent example I become more likely to read Rex's post today and nod my head in agreement. I would contrast this with doing a Gareth Bain puzzle and seeing the veterinarian voice sneak in or a Judge Vic puzzle and "hearing" the lawyer. Or how about doing an ACME puzzle and realizing who made it when you see San Francisco and Beatles in the puzzle. In short, if you have to go to Wikipedia for your clue you just might want to rethink an answer. <br /><br />@MetroGnome <b>SFO</b> is the three letter code for San Francisco International Airport. Also, no problem here with the hyphenless "deicer." I'm pretty sure I've seen it spelled both ways out in the wild. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33169387046178525822017-03-04T18:55:00.332-05:002017-03-04T18:55:00.332-05:00In, not on, but you knew that , just anticipating...In, not on, but you knew that , just anticipating the supercilious crossword geeksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81385662240743591302017-03-04T18:52:26.081-05:002017-03-04T18:52:26.081-05:00Natick is a pretty famous town on Massachusetts. I...Natick is a pretty famous town on Massachusetts. I prefer Keb Mo'd. Hey, we know what we know, Let's not be snobs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34979252451532663422017-03-04T18:29:05.013-05:002017-03-04T18:29:05.013-05:00Baffled that some thought this was easy. I'm s...Baffled that some thought this was easy. I'm still a new solver, but I've solved the last 5/6 Saturdays without that much trouble, and I didn't even come close on this one. It didn't just beat me, it destroyed me.<br /><br />SPORCLE, TREVI, VOS, NHRA, ARNO, ARTI, SANAA, UTNE, BIGD, ISLIP, SCUT, ARIE, NEUER, NECCO, GINUP, TACH<br /><br />Helpless on all of these without crosses and never heard of either of the 15-letter proper nouns.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03265119182073431347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6732051480769460762017-03-04T17:07:56.384-05:002017-03-04T17:07:56.384-05:00"Deicer" is "DE-ICER"!? Aw, C..."Deicer" is "DE-ICER"!? Aw, C'MON! Misdirection is one thing -- arbitrarily misleading folks by simply punctuating something incorrectly (and illegibly) is nothing less than playing dirty. MetroGnomenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51557225058064314082017-03-04T17:02:21.808-05:002017-03-04T17:02:21.808-05:00I can always tell that a Saturday is going to be r...I can always tell that a Saturday is going to be rated as "easy" when I'm able to finish it without any snags...lol<br /><br />For anyone stumped by Manuel NEUER, search "sweeper keeper" on youtube and you'll get a huge list of videos demonstrating how he's earned his (well-known among soccer fans) nickname. He's really fantastic to watch. And as someone who dreads all of the endless sports references from who knows how long ago, I was happy to see him in there . . . not just because I actually know who he is (lol), but he's arguably one of the top athletes in the world right now, which feels more relevant than a bunch of guys from 40+ years ago . . . not that the Orrs and Aras and such have to go away, but it's nice to see some updated sports references as well.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15003620013805357844noreply@blogger.com