tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8249617665309938881..comments2024-03-28T07:24:00.582-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: THURSDAY, Aug. 7, 2008 - Peter A. Collins and Joe Krozel (EPONYMOUS INSTRUMENT MAKER ROBERT / SPOOK'S EMPLOYER, WITH "THE" / RETIRED AUDI SUPERMINI)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63657817143843122292008-09-11T13:36:00.000-04:002008-09-11T13:36:00.000-04:00The latin lover answer should have been three-lett...The latin lover answer should have been three-letters, "AMO" Chas.Chashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09363060826351258589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2668284813591382202008-08-08T22:22:00.000-04:002008-08-08T22:22:00.000-04:00I thought the AINU people were in the news quite a...I thought the AINU people were in the news quite a bit lately, in the wake of the G-8 Summit in Hokkaido - here's a whole article about the AINU from the NYT itself <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/world/asia/03ainu.html" REL="nofollow">link</A><BR/>and they were considered quite a security risk (<A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/world/09security-1.html" REL="nofollow">link</A>). Plus every few years or so, the NYT decides to publish an AINU story (see <A HREF="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0DE103EF935A35755C0A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2" REL="nofollow">here</A> or <A HREF="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7DE153EF93AA2575BC0A964958260" REL="nofollow">here</A>)<BR/><BR/>So score one for people who read the Times (or International Herald Tribune) in full :)Darylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04496381028501467886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20107088848652942582008-08-08T02:16:00.000-04:002008-08-08T02:16:00.000-04:00@crosscanI actually kept IMAMAC and NEBI till I ca...@crosscan<BR/>I actually kept IMAMAC and NEBI till I came to the blog and didn't realize I had anything wrong (having caught my EGOS/EROS, STONE/TONNE mistakes earlier).<BR/><BR/>@twangster<BR/>The inhalation after girl an "oy vey"?!!!! <BR/>I have always thought it was the sexiest moment in all of music history...John just taking in his breath when he thinks about her.<BR/><BR/>I guess between thinking it's the least imaginative chorus <BR/>(I feel the EXACT opposite) and missing the Admiral Halsey reference, Rex must not be a huge Beatles fan...<BR/><BR/>THo thank you for that YouTube of "Girl"...and your description of the IAMAMAN video was a nice reminder of what we missed lo these past weeks!)<BR/><BR/>Had just watched the Jonas brothers on the finale of "So you think you can Dance" WHILE doing this puzzle and still didn't get it till the last letter filled in, the J of DJS.<BR/><BR/>CTN, ADDN, ABAA, ATWO sad to have in any puzzle, much less all in the same one. Not a fan. But clever theme, esp getting LEIGH and GABLE in parallel places.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56764141181157641632008-08-08T01:33:00.000-04:002008-08-08T01:33:00.000-04:00I love that the ugly one is wearing a red ascot.I love that the ugly one is wearing a red ascot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2972921826845853582008-08-07T21:23:00.000-04:002008-08-07T21:23:00.000-04:00dk,I think we all have a fascination with the unde...dk,<BR/><BR/>I think we all have a fascination with the underworld, yet when we stumble upon it, there's an ingrained American propriety (if you grew up in this country, and even if you didn't), to admonish the practices that lend their name to Vice. <BR/><BR/>We all know that those who inveigh most strenuously against are likely the most guilty of said practices, yet that forces us all to confront the hypocrisy of morals, and where to establish the correct gray areas of legality.<BR/><BR/>I'm also alluding to the "medical marijuana" story in a recent New Yorker, religious fervor in ardent regions, and the delightfully dismissive way most Europeans separate church and state.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36150969980197613762008-08-07T21:01:00.000-04:002008-08-07T21:01:00.000-04:00@howard b: I'm sure your remark about the spin of ...@howard b: I'm sure your remark about the spin of the toilet water down under was in jest. But there was a time when I actually believed this myth, which then turned into one my favorite legends to debunk (right after the Ich-bin-ein-Berliner "gaffe"). So, <A HREF="http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.asp?print=y" REL="nofollow"> here goes</A> for anyone who's interested.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90575783219689620562008-08-07T19:59:00.000-04:002008-08-07T19:59:00.000-04:00@joon -- My BINU error would probably not have bee...@joon -- My BINU error would probably not have been helped by applying Bayes. Its been a long time since I've studied/dealt with rhyme schemes so I don't think ABAA as an acceptable scheme would have occurred to me. In short, I was doomed. Reset the error free counter to zero and bring on Friday!jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22610671697303412562008-08-07T19:37:00.000-04:002008-08-07T19:37:00.000-04:00Welcome back, Rex!I remembered AINU from a college...Welcome back, Rex!<BR/><BR/>I remembered AINU from a college sociology course taught by a professor who devoted a fair portion of the course to Asian society and cultures... on second thought, that may have been the actual focus of the class. No wonder it wasn't my highest grade that semester.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, welcome back to the land where the toilet water flows in the other direction. Or is that just Australia?Howard Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00766792795622192271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74938007800916607482008-08-07T19:28:00.000-04:002008-08-07T19:28:00.000-04:00Today was my first day solving the puzzle in Acros...Today was my first day solving the puzzle in Across Lite, having let my NYT subscription lapse. I really blew it with this one, finding at least 4 mistakes after coming here (and still wondering where GWTW fit into the clues- I figured it out finally). Some mistakes were due to unfamiliarity with solving on a screen and some just unfamiliarity in general. Tomorrow I'll print out the puzzle and solve it that way instead. LOVED the clue for LIV!<BR/><BR/>Initially, for [eponymous musician] I had Conn but hey, I'm a brass player!<BR/><BR/>As for Mt. NEBO, that's the name of the cemetery in Miami where all my relatives are buried, so a little respect, please! ;)<BR/><BR/>BTW, Rex, in the description of the theme in bold at the top of today's write-up, "52-Across" is missing an ESS.Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63784013757112601512008-08-07T18:33:00.000-04:002008-08-07T18:33:00.000-04:00Welcome back, Rex! The jet lag doesn't seem to hav...Welcome back, Rex! The jet lag doesn't seem to have affected your ability to do what you do so well.<BR/><BR/>This puzzle fell flat for me, for pretty much all the reasons everyone has already mentioned. Good theme, great theme answers ... non-theme fill? Not so much. I had BINU for AINU. Apparently haven't been doing crosswords long enough. Bah! Like someone else mentioned up-thread, I had EGOS for EROS. EGAT seemed a little off to me but by the time I finished this one I was all "whatever."<BR/><BR/>My first thought when I figured out the theme was the Carol Burnett sketch. Thanks for including the picture!<BR/><BR/>One of my son's first words was "Hopi." We have a really lovely serigraph by my favorite artist, Amado Pena (don't know how to do the squiggly over the N -- I know we've been through it time and time again but it's just not going to stick), that's called "Hopi." It's big and colorful and he liked it, so we taught him how to say it. If you're interested, you can see it <A HREF="http://www.eltallerpublishing.com/gallery/detail.cfm?ArtID=38" REL="nofollow">here.</A><BR/><BR/>Also want to note that as far as I'm concerned, one of the most touching, memorable movie moments in all of film history is when Moses dies on the mountain in "Grease."PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06835502266781516627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38237785606214670392008-08-07T17:48:00.000-04:002008-08-07T17:48:00.000-04:00Rex, your reputation precedes you and you didn't f...Rex, your reputation precedes you and you didn't fail. I googled zsa zsa's cutesy comment Saturday and was led to Wade. Have been enjoying all of you ever since. DYNO-mite site!<BR/>One problem, Mr. Fikink pronounces the beginning of our workday later and later and less and less is getting done.<BR/>Today we spent much of the day singing, "I'm a man, yes I am..." well, you know and remarking how we didn't know The Yardbirds sang that song! (At least we replaced "I'm Glad," (which we sang, too) with "I'm a Man." <BR/>Thanks for the memories and a most unproductive afternoon.<BR/>"Deborah in Iowa" (an old hootenanny tune)fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1658834303802653842008-08-07T17:25:00.000-04:002008-08-07T17:25:00.000-04:00I hated this puzzle, too. Having head the Jonas B...I hated this puzzle, too. Having head the Jonas Brothers on Jay Leno, I can say this: immediately find an old Yardbirds ablum and remember that Eric Clapton once played with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. I doubt the Jonas Brothers ever heard of any of those guys.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277536184701771210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51401611872546813442008-08-07T16:47:00.000-04:002008-08-07T16:47:00.000-04:00while i solved this one in a most disorderly way, ...while i solved this one in a most disorderly way, was pleased to (finally) get the better of it. gotta say, i really loved "goldenmean" and "toneitdown" (of the non-theme fill), and while i didn't *adore* the theme itself, really did like the long theme fill -- and the grid's overall construction, which i thought was pretty impressive. fwiw... ;-)<BR/><BR/>welcome home, dr. rex!!!<BR/><BR/>cheers --<BR/><BR/>janiejaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15129173620859824730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81044337730934508562008-08-07T16:01:00.000-04:002008-08-07T16:01:00.000-04:00@barry at 2:42 shows his snarky side :):)@fergus, ...@barry at 2:42 shows his snarky side :):)<BR/><BR/>@fergus, LOL I was in the Chinatown of Vancouver same or more years ago) and I saw all these slow moving cars and all these women on the sidewalk. Being from Southern Cal (at the time) I thought they were hooking up to ride the diamond (commuter) lane. Later, after my friends stopped laughing I found out they were hooking up, but for another type of ride.<BR/><BR/>@joho, no sweet sleeping tubers, ever? <BR/><BR/>whoops, one TOKE (aka post) over the line for me, maybe with his short term memory issues Rex will miss it.dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36683164911199929742008-08-07T15:42:00.000-04:002008-08-07T15:42:00.000-04:00On a recent trip to California, I endured a Jonas ...On a recent trip to California, I endured a Jonas Brothers party hosted by my otherwise brilliant 13-year-old granddaughter. I don't mean by that that I participated in any way, only that I happened to be on the premises at the wrong time. This too shall pass.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32179940981189825352008-08-07T15:26:00.000-04:002008-08-07T15:26:00.000-04:00@Rex - I laughed for a full minute over the "endur...@Rex - I laughed for a full minute over the "endure the Jonas Brothers" comment linked to the "deperately missing the Hansen Brothers" comment. My oldest son (who is now 24) and a musician/physics major at the time was voted "Hansen Look-a-Like" in his college dorm. We have never let him live this down!(we take teasing very seriously in our family)<BR/><BR/>Back to the AINU controversy. Unbelievably I encountered this word last night because I was having trouble sleeping. I keep a copy of Will Shortz's Tuesday Crosswords by my bed and work one at bedtime if I can't get to sleep. A Ronald Hirschfeld Tuesday from sometime between 1993-1995 used AINU so I knew it right away today - what luck!<BR/><BR/>I liked the puzzle(particulary the STEP STOOLS and TOOTH ENAMEL cluing)and only had trouble with GOLDEN MEAN -- still have never heard of this term.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35705500342624621852008-08-07T15:24:00.000-04:002008-08-07T15:24:00.000-04:00@artlvr: "Is Prince Charles a [Giant ear holder]?"...@artlvr: "Is Prince Charles a [Giant ear holder]?" <BR/><BR/>Hear! Hear! Too funny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62409218252658938712008-08-07T14:42:00.000-04:002008-08-07T14:42:00.000-04:00Actually, "Mountain where Moses died" would be gre...Actually, "Mountain where Moses died" would be great misleading clue for <I>Grandma</I> Moses if she had, in fact, died on a mountain somewhere. I don't suppose there's any chance of that, though....Barry G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17875477509288463142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30196801596144404442008-08-07T14:07:00.000-04:002008-08-07T14:07:00.000-04:00@anon 2:00pm - What about all the ADAM, EVE, CAIN,...@anon 2:00pm - What about all the ADAM, EVE, CAIN, ABEL, SETH etc clues about the first family?Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58129580983340940332008-08-07T14:00:00.000-04:002008-08-07T14:00:00.000-04:00The reason one adds "in the Bible" is that if the ...The reason one adds "in the Bible" is that if the clue read "Mountain where Moses died" it would appear to be making a definite claim as to the historic accuracy of the Bible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2367758243391483112008-08-07T13:52:00.000-04:002008-08-07T13:52:00.000-04:00LOL -- "Is Prince Charles a [Giant ear holder]?" Y...LOL -- "Is Prince Charles a [Giant ear holder]?" Your return to full Rex sublimity is as assured as that of the Queen to her drones... though your designated pinch-hitters did very well by us! In full light of day though, I liked the puzzle very much -- AINU to NEBO.<BR/><BR/>∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82488871532227824632008-08-07T13:46:00.000-04:002008-08-07T13:46:00.000-04:00I too drove an AT-WOOO ... Will not easily forget ...I too drove an AT-WOOO ... <BR/><BR/>Will not easily forget the AMU DARYA, since that ruined a good streak of referenceless puzzle solving when it showed up last year (late spring, if I recall correctly?)<BR/><BR/>For a very persnicketey reason the lover's word ought to have been AMAS since I don't see the third person there, but maybe that's a Latin thing? That gave me STONE for the English weight, of course.<BR/><BR/>For quite some time I was toying with STEPSTAIRS, which is what my English Mum would call such Items. <BR/><BR/>Read Squabbling as a straight noun, so settled with SPAT. Opted for AN S instead of ESS for the orthography Clue. RIBS for the Leaf feature and not LOBE, and was thinking e-tech not bio-tech for modern research. DORIC, IONIC, OPEDS?<BR/><BR/>So, well over half an hour of regional strife that I found rather pleasing -- more than enough to compensate for the minor inelegance of this puzzle.<BR/><BR/>---<BR/><BR/>Similar to Rex's experience, when I was first in Vancouver, out at a bar in rather a humdrum section south of downtown, I was stunned to see so many tarted up women strolling around -- and so much traffic!?!? My colleagues were amused by how long it took me to figure things out. Turned out that only overt solicitation was illegal. That was 15 years ago, so I'm not sure that's still the case.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64375447815921020442008-08-07T13:36:00.000-04:002008-08-07T13:36:00.000-04:00anonFrom the Web. "In the closing days of World Wa...anon<BR/>From the Web. <BR/>"In the closing days of World War I, eight Choctaw Indians were instrumental in helping the American Expeditionary Force to win several key battles in the Meusse Argonne Campaign, which proved to be the final big German push of that war. These Brave soldiers were the now famous Choctaw Code Talkers. One of the eight was from Bryan County, Oklahoma and one was from Choctaw County and the remaining six were from McCurtain County. They were Solomon Lewis, Ben Carterby, Mitchell Bobb,Robert Taylor, Ca'vin Nelson,Pete Maytubby,James Edwards, Jeff Wilson."<BR/><BR/>/miquelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53292479059343940432008-08-07T13:28:00.000-04:002008-08-07T13:28:00.000-04:00Were those Choctaw Indians really code talkers in ...Were those Choctaw Indians really code talkers in World War One!? I mean, did they even have radios in WWI? Wasn't it World War TWO??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45205328267664729632008-08-07T13:13:00.000-04:002008-08-07T13:13:00.000-04:00>>>("Girl") - Least imaginative...>>>("Girl") - Least imaginative chorus in a Beatles song.<<<<BR/><BR/>What's brilliant about this chorus isn't the lyric, it's the inhalation of air after the word "girl" ... kind of an aural oy vey. (And I'm not even a big Beatles fan, favoring the Kinks by a mile.)Twangsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08177257216294741479noreply@blogger.com