tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8298328731821233311..comments2024-03-29T11:11:22.167-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: ___ Shriver, sister of J.F.K. and founder of the Special Olympics / MON 8-6-2018 / Elecritcal unit / Lopsided wins / "____ Hope" (soap opera)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8048301381704159322018-09-11T08:02:37.385-04:002018-09-11T08:02:37.385-04:00To D,LIW - Thank you! Now I don't feel so bad ...To D,LIW - Thank you! Now I don't feel so bad about my Monday DNF.thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80095150204610881122018-09-10T18:37:38.066-04:002018-09-10T18:37:38.066-04:00ROBYN Hitchcock crossing PRAWN. No more calls ple...ROBYN Hitchcock crossing PRAWN. No more calls please, we have a winner.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24632184465940274132018-09-10T14:52:50.366-04:002018-09-10T14:52:50.366-04:00Easy-peasy puzzle that I breezed through without a...Easy-peasy puzzle that I breezed through without a second thought, and then, BAM, I ran into a controversy. Seems we can't avoid one almost every day here. If you actively look for it, you'll likely find it. But why do that?<br /><br />I noted today as I observed the temperature that we are close to having a nip in the air. I suppose that I should never say that, given the uproar over 25D in the puzzle.<br />Actually, there are probably many things I shouldn't say, but it makes my head hurt to monitor my language that closely. Let's face it. There are many words whose original meanings have nothing to do with how they have been used by bigots, racists, and people who find joy in labeling others. Whither "snowflake"?<br /><br />I found the puzzle to be an excellent examplar of what a Monday puzzle should be.rainforestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87898395564871134872018-09-10T13:53:33.985-04:002018-09-10T13:53:33.985-04:00Just glanced thru some of the comments. Must paro...Just glanced thru some of the comments. Must parody - "Oh Oreo, Oreo, wherefore art thou Oreo?<br /><br />Lady DiDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48813562044170382112018-09-10T13:46:01.371-04:002018-09-10T13:46:01.371-04:00I'm with @Spacey on the "sheesh - don'...I'm with @Spacey on the "sheesh - don't take offense." Or a fence. As I said, sheesh. I'm sure that will offend someone - the people who say sheesh, as Monty Python might note. I, too, didn't notice it as I was solving. In fact, for a few moments I couldn't remember what the flaw in the armor was called, and it was driving me nuts. (Nuts as in crazy, not nuts as in almonds, or nuts as in bolts, or nuts as in OMG we can't have THAT here!!!) Did I say sheesh?<br /><br />@Foggy - I'm giving you a full solve for your clever use of numerals of the Roman persuasion. (Oh dear, what was that saying about "Roman hands?")<br /><br />To quote some guy named Bill S., "O Wall, O sweet and lovely Wall,<br />Show me thy chink to blink through with mine eyne!" sic And as far as I'm concerned, not sick.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Common Sense<br /><br />I always look forward to Mondays - not just the easy solve, but the opening for beginners. Let's not turn them off with pettiness! (Not to be confused with petting, which can happen with your cat or your teenage children's dates.) Diana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10887979364495165042018-09-10T11:54:31.030-04:002018-09-10T11:54:31.030-04:00Oof, here we go again. I literally had no Idea wha...Oof, here we go again. I literally had no Idea what @Annabel was talking about; had to look back at the grid to see it. I got it then right away, but the thing is a real word, properly defined in the clue, and has nothing to do with that other connotation. Yet it seems that the mere hearing or reading of it opens old wounds. I guess I must apologize for never having been in that situation, but still, to take to heart the slurs of IGNORAMUSES seems kind of self-defeating. Besides, there is OBVIOUSLY zero intent to offend here. This is yet another example of the Age of Taking Offense. Sorry, I just don't buy it. Name-calling is the caller's problem, not yours.<br /><br />As to the puzzle as a whole, you're talking my era now, so I relate to the theme. Didn't mind the number at #54; there's another at #59 but the letter O--though distinct from 0 on the keyboard, serves well enough. Side note: there is of course no such thing as a ZERO-CARB diet; you can't eat without ingesting at least SOME carbs, which you need for fuel. I am on a LOW-carb diet, which together with staying away from wheat has lost me 80 pounds (so far).<br /><br />One of the RYANS, Meg, will serve as DOD today. One writeover: I had NOTasLUCKY until I saw OTTOMAN. (Gee, should we change that to "OTTOPERIT" so as not to offend feminists?) Par. spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51217701784512962902018-09-10T11:20:56.427-04:002018-09-10T11:20:56.427-04:00Had the MAK_ of the first themer and checked the f...Had the MAK_ of the first themer and checked the first P of SNAPPY with the PEEN and decided to drop in LOVEPOTION. Saw the MAKE LOVE and filled in NOT__ and WARONPOVERTY. Pretty much all she wrote until my trusty 6IRON (easy for a golfer) and the 0CARB SEND(S) me to the finish.<br /><br />Ole isn't here today, but he'd recommend yeah baby LENA Heady.<br /><br />Not one STAGGER to the finish as is OFT the case with an ACME puz.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15332923349805603562018-09-10T10:34:28.703-04:002018-09-10T10:34:28.703-04:00DNF on a Monday!
I got the gimmick early on and r...DNF on a Monday!<br /><br />I got the gimmick early on and realized the slogan was from the '60s. But I got carried away and went with Roman numerals for 54D. I had LXS instead of 60S. Here's why: There is such a thing as an L iron* and I thought (wrongly) that X-carb was just a cool name for a non-carb diet. Nice puzzle Andrea and Michael - and the first Monday to beat me in ages.<br /><br />*<i>Wedges are usually identified by a letter denoting their function (P, G, S, L, etc. sometimes with a "W" appended), or depending on the manufacturer, with a number denoting their loft angle (52°, 56°, 60°) and "bounce angle" (0-12°).</i> - Wikipediathefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41562159196611914792018-09-10T09:06:39.645-04:002018-09-10T09:06:39.645-04:00PEEN PROPUP
ONETOGO! And MAKEITSNAPPY -
that LOV...PEEN PROPUP<br /><br />ONETOGO! And MAKEITSNAPPY - <br />that LOVEPOTION from VENUS!<br />OFT NOTSOLUCKY nor happy, <br />this IDEA'S all LENA's.<br /><br />--- TED TORMEBurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23488429909253951232018-08-07T15:48:41.265-04:002018-08-07T15:48:41.265-04:00Maxine -- thank you. I'd been avoiding lookin...Maxine -- thank you. I'd been avoiding looking at this, feeling it would just make me angrier and angrier. Instead, I saw a compassionate response, and it made my day that much better.A human beingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25431671145914813502018-08-07T02:06:36.948-04:002018-08-07T02:06:36.948-04:00Wow, do I suck at crosswords now. There's no c...Wow, do I suck at crosswords now. There's no constructor that I consistently breeze through faster than ACME's work, but I blew this one with a combination of slow recall, a stupid error that I didn't crosscheck and not knowing what the heck I was supposed to enter for the 60S answer in the solving app I use.<br /><br />I've averaged 4:26 over the years on ACME Mondays (14 solo and 15 co-constructed) and about 5% below my moving 6-month Monday median. My initial submission on this one was at 4:51, so that's pretty slow for me (Medium-Challenging, 1.06, 65.5%). But there's no way this was a medium-challenging Monday. If I very conservatively knock 30 seconds off my solve time for a very sub-par performance, this one would be in my Easy-Medium range. I sure hope this malaise I've been feeling over the past two weeks goes away soon. It's effing up my crossword database!<br /><br />Another fabulous Monday theme by ACME. Not too much wincing, with plural PLANBS a notable exception. OTOH, I kinda like the not plural PLAN BS, so never mind. That wince is gone. It's not surprisinf that the whole cultural vibe of the puzzle is up my alley. I think ACME and I are the same age or very close. But unless my eyes deceive me (and they've been doing a lot of that lately), no Beatles. Whaddup with that, ACME? Two thumbs up.<br /><br />Wait! I just read Annabel's review (thank goodness it wasn't Rex today) and, of course! ... "Make Love Not War" ... John Lennon! Duh! So ACME gets a pass on that one too.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4361060994870798392018-08-06T22:50:02.096-04:002018-08-06T22:50:02.096-04:00thanks for the suggestion! blessing one: i’m not b...thanks for the suggestion! blessing one: i’m not being a dick to strangers on the internet. that feels pretty good. Maxine Nerdströmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02390442965837012209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42311218276889077742018-08-06T22:30:20.719-04:002018-08-06T22:30:20.719-04:00Tribalism tribalism tribalism. Tribalism tribalism tribalism. Tom4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67353349442494707032018-08-06T22:25:08.031-04:002018-08-06T22:25:08.031-04:00Maxine doesn’t want to answer which answers are ac...Maxine doesn’t want to answer which answers are acceptable. Coon, Chink, Pig, Cow, Slant, Oreo, Nip, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79384248458827267642018-08-06T22:20:24.022-04:002018-08-06T22:20:24.022-04:00Elizabeth Gorski had the Ratso clue in her Monday ...Elizabeth Gorski had the Ratso clue in her Monday Crossword Nation puzzle tonight. Coincidence? Annabel, can you decipher this mystery?Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08088688660078341244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89496541756928122482018-08-06T22:19:45.778-04:002018-08-06T22:19:45.778-04:00Don’t let the 屁話 get you down!
Love, Nanette’s No...Don’t let the 屁話 get you down!<br /><br />Love, Nanette’s Nose<br /><br />Pince-neznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17367769052571156012018-08-06T22:10:11.329-04:002018-08-06T22:10:11.329-04:00Hey Maxine: Get over yourself and your first world...Hey Maxine: Get over yourself and your first world problems. There are people who are going to sleep tonight hungry. Count your blessings.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80503049165001159302018-08-06T22:01:25.172-04:002018-08-06T22:01:25.172-04:00I am sincerely sorry that you have experienced hur...I am sincerely sorry that you have experienced hurt today reading these comments. <br /><br />This isn’t the first time I’ve seen these kinds of things said on crossword blogs, often by anonymous folks. People seem to be proud of their own ignorance of slurs (“No one would ever have noticed”) and committed to digging in deeper (“here, have a bunch of etymological explanations for why this is totally fine,” “here’s all the things in the world that are worse”). Almost no one is ready to listen to the people who are hurt. I wish people could open their eyes enough to see how awful it is to have your experience dismissed and denied. <br /><br />I’m sure it’s not much help, but I just want to tell you I am sorry that people have been jerks about this. I am trying to have conversations about race and privilege with my family and friends who’d agree with these commenters. I hope it will make some difference for the future. <br /><br />To anyone reading this who disagree with me: I’m willing to respectfully discuss this with anyone. PLEASE consider reading A Human Being’s post a few times and trying to understand their point of view. Something that you don’t consider wrong can still be a major cause of pain for someone else. It isn’t PC-mind-policing to think about that. It’s empathy and that’s it. It’s being willing to say, “I hadn’t thought of it that way. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be more mindful next time.” Maxine Nerdströmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02390442965837012209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42585137000414251082018-08-06T21:48:10.207-04:002018-08-06T21:48:10.207-04:00it is bonkers that you think this is an appropriat...it is bonkers that you think this is an appropriate way to respond to someone who clearly articulated the way this word has been used to hurt them. <br /><br />here’s a wild thought: i think you should try having some empathy and compassion. Maxine Nerdströmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02390442965837012209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19367423221069563622018-08-06T21:43:57.655-04:002018-08-06T21:43:57.655-04:00 Kudos on 9 down. Both my wife and my dead wife a... Kudos on 9 down. Both my wife and my dead wife appreciated that one. Balloon mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4355780133987095542018-08-06T20:43:45.373-04:002018-08-06T20:43:45.373-04:00Meh. I still haven’t heard from the arbiters of cr...Meh. I still haven’t heard from the arbiters of crosswords which are acceptable. Chink ,coon, nip, mick, cow, spade, slant, oreo...I could go on and on. Lighten up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26035624955813284332018-08-06T19:40:32.263-04:002018-08-06T19:40:32.263-04:00@Anonymous, I didn't say "chink" sho...@Anonymous, I didn't say "chink" should be banned. In fact, I wrote this paragraph at the end of my post:<br /><br /><i>If you're thinking: well, are we just going to ban any word that offends any person? I hope it's clear I'm not arguing for that. But isn't there some middle ground between "ban all words that offend any person" and "use any word in any situation regardless of its impact"?</i><br /><br />I wonder if you skipped over that part.<br /><br />I'm not arguing "chink" should be banned from the NYT crossword. I'm arguing that you don't get to decide how someone else feels about that word.A human beingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36966163981054506452018-08-06T19:29:24.973-04:002018-08-06T19:29:24.973-04:00I would argue that, in regions where it matters, P...I would argue that, in regions where it matters, PARKAs and "ski-jackets" are very different things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78571727963079718392018-08-06T19:25:11.843-04:002018-08-06T19:25:11.843-04:00I don't speak for everyone, but I do speak for...I don't speak for everyone, but I do speak for the hordes of people here who have a similar opinion.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12918708275911854653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22730916611674942382018-08-06T19:19:49.955-04:002018-08-06T19:19:49.955-04:00Um, OK, late to the party and I would just drop it...Um, OK, late to the party and I would just drop it but nobody is responding to Annabel’s actual point, which was: an inoffensive clue can clue a fundamentally inoffensive word, and all is fine while you are solving the puzzle. But if that word has any kind of startling meaning, then later when you glance at the grid that word will pop out at you with that other meaning. And that’s the permanent impression left by the puzzle. It has to be hard for constructors to see those traps, because they’re so buried in their own view of their puzzle. That’s one good reason to have editors. Nice of ACME to apologize, and count me among the world’s Shortz fans, but this was an Edit Fail.<br /><br />I loved this puzzle and I, also, took extra-long to finish... but I filled in those digits right away. I was just slow on everything else. Sigh. Thanks and more please!BarbieBarbienoreply@blogger.com