tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8465480514451578517..comments2024-03-29T10:35:45.726-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Bacteriologist Paul who coined word Chemotherapy / THU 2-7-13 / Regular in Judd Apatow comedies / Flanders Kelly / Tinseltown terrier / William Steig book on which hit 2001 film was basedRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77305097848797036322022-02-27T15:51:27.359-05:002022-02-27T15:51:27.359-05:00@Prune - So you don’t think Jennings is a smart, f...@Prune - So you don’t think Jennings is<i> a smart, funny guy</i>? I tend to agree with Rex that that particular piece of trivia is pretty arcane even though you are correct that the game show is big among xword fans. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66341977692589888652022-02-27T15:30:17.678-05:002022-02-27T15:30:17.678-05:00I heartily disagree with Rex on Ken Jennings.
Many...I heartily disagree with Rex on Ken Jennings.<br />Many of us who deal with the arcanities of cruciverbalism are avid <i>Jeopardy!</i> fans. This is very much within the general wheelhouse for solvers, certainly more than the myriad opera and Broadway trivialities the NYT crowd so readily accept.<br /><br />I watched very little of Ken's run on the show, but appreciated the streak. I did watch the video of his final minutes, several weeks afterward. I'd already cracked the theme, and was happy to see the reveal clued at a Thursday level.Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34796807755181098182013-03-16T08:22:24.367-04:002013-03-16T08:22:24.367-04:00Skeet skeet skeet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...Skeet skeet skeet<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBFFTZWyX6E<br /><br />Plenty of German and baseball - Yay! (Instead of that annoying poofy French/theatre stuff). "ONCLE" hosed me for a long time, since I had no idea tante was also French for aunt, so I had ONkel (German) for 55D for a long time.<br /><br />@ Yes, it is absurd ... 11:51 AM - Really? You poor whatever you are. My only familiarity with Jeopardy is the SNL parody where "Sean Connery" parses "therapists" as "the rapists." Methinks thou needest to get a life. Anonyratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12592101284865986982013-03-15T01:59:38.669-04:002013-03-15T01:59:38.669-04:00My wife got the Ken Jennings clue right away. Eve...My wife got the Ken Jennings clue right away. Even scarier she remembered his wrong answer.<br /><br />Maybe I need a PI . . .sdcheezhdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05457420125517948430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40241346879392817212013-03-14T21:44:03.159-04:002013-03-14T21:44:03.159-04:00@Greg Baker - a timely reminder, indeed. Because ...@Greg Baker - a timely reminder, indeed. Because Patriots' Day, which is a legal holiday in Maine and Massachussetts, falls on April 15 this year those of us who file with the Andover Service Center get an extra day to file. Turbo Tax recognizes this, I'm not sure about H&RBLOCK.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73545506815005996922013-03-14T21:02:45.178-04:002013-03-14T21:02:45.178-04:00Excuse me if this has been mentioned, but for us w...Excuse me if this has been mentioned, but for us who do the puzzle syndicated, H and R Block is a great theme to remind us all to get our taxes done. One month and counting!! <br /><br />Greg Baker<br />gregbaker112@gmail.com<br />@XwordMusical<br />The Taruskin Challengehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02021062298909004471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30960904164234269992013-03-14T20:58:11.039-04:002013-03-14T20:58:11.039-04:00@eastsacgirl - "In vino veritas" and it ...@eastsacgirl - "In vino veritas" and it helps when solving xwords, too. I presume your reference to "nether regions" implies the standard definition and not the more comtemporary "urban dictionary" meaning?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41947582914640390782013-03-14T20:44:03.113-04:002013-03-14T20:44:03.113-04:00Got the rebus pretty quick even though I wrote ou...Got the rebus pretty quick even though I wrote out AND instead of &. So took me a minute to figure it out. For some reason the NW was hard for me. After a couple glasses of wine it all fell into place. Pretty fun Thursday and was glad to see the rating since it took me awhile. ANTHRACITE and NEPHROLOGIST I pulled out the very nether regions of my brain. Glad to know they're still working.eastsacgirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64579874566135587752013-03-14T18:32:13.120-04:002013-03-14T18:32:13.120-04:00Nice puzzle and for some reason easy for me (usual...Nice puzzle and for some reason easy for me (usually I struggle).<br /><br />I caught on to the HR rebus early at ASHRAM/SETHROGEN. And I really don't know SETH ROGEN (couldn't pick him out of a line up) but had heard the name and ASHRAM was easy. When I saw only 5 letters for it I was really hoping it was not some alternative spelling like "asram" (so many times that SH sound is represented with a single S, e.g., SRI) so I was rooting for the HR rebus.<br /><br />I'm posting today mostly to share a link to an old Edgar G. Robinson movie seen on TCM years ago that helped me with ERLICH: <br /><br />http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032413/<br /><br />Somehow this doctor's name, and his being associated with the phrase "magic bullet", has stayed in the back of my mind.Syndi Solvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32748838844512111912013-03-14T16:10:08.106-04:002013-03-14T16:10:08.106-04:00Took a stab early on (couldn't sleep) and had ...Took a stab early on (couldn't sleep) and had a smattering of letters, but nothing cohesive, then picked it up later and SET(HR)OGAN jumped out at me. Neat! I love a good rebus, and this did not disappoint.<br /><br />Had trouble with the ampersand, as all I could see was the great HeRBLOCK. <br /><br />Lots of AHA moments. Thanks Mr. Wilk.Gingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17969078735189007772013-03-14T15:40:24.545-04:002013-03-14T15:40:24.545-04:00What everybody else said, and where the opinion is...What everybody else said, and where the opinion is divided, e.g. the ampersand and the extra HRS at 66d, I'm on the "loved it" side. The fact that I entered both ASSES and ARMANI with out benefit of crosses leads me to believe I may need another hobby. And for once I detected the rebus theme very early (which rendered the puzzle perhaps a trifle too easy?).<br /><br />@Waxy & anony 12:47pm - nice catch on the papal tie-in to the puzzle. Do you think DLW or Will had advance info? My local paper reported the selection under the headline "An American Pontiff" - I wonder how many readers will read only that and think that the new Pope is from the US.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91239135381204499872013-03-14T14:02:13.647-04:002013-03-14T14:02:13.647-04:00How could anyone not like this one?I was lucky and...How could anyone not like this one?I was lucky and filled in the NW almost instantly, uncovering the HR rebus with ASHRAM/SETHROGEN. That made things relatively easy for me, and though I never saw Ken Jennings, H&R BLOCK seemed just obvious, ie, the revealer being H and R occupying a single block in the puzzle. Nice fill, too. rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64862651208018057572013-03-14T12:47:59.343-04:002013-03-14T12:47:59.343-04:00I solved the puzzle as it appears in the Kansas Ci...I solved the puzzle as it appears in the Kansas City Star, six weeks to the day of its first appearing in the NY Times. The entries for 8D, "Hip, hip, Jorge" and for 67 A, answer: H & R Block, appear just one day later (March 14, 2013) than when both were in the news, with the new Pope, Francis I, whose first name is Jorge, and the error by H & R Block on their income tax software. How's that for Deja vu all over again, Yogi?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6198816014475201362013-03-14T11:44:50.173-04:002013-03-14T11:44:50.173-04:00Well, I wanted brain exercise. Thanks to Mr. Wilk ...Well, I wanted brain exercise. Thanks to Mr. Wilk I got it. Like most I wanted GEHRIG right away, but having no idea where that tower was, didn't immediately glom onto the rebus. However, while tackling the NE, I determined that if only I could put HR into one square, it would give me both SEETHRU and NEHRU. That was enough, and it was off to the races.<br /><br />The SW fell next, but it took a while for me to TUMBLE to the SE, as I didn't know between VHS or Vcr. Then as some of the 67a letters started filling in: I saw it! And that meant...A&E and for ONCE, NOT AandE!! David, you have my everlasting gratitude for that!!<br /><br />Finally, to the NW, which contains the only non-symmetrical HR in the grid. No matter, two BIG thumbs-up for this one. My only beef is cluing TRIP as "Spill." I know, you can't resist two identical clues. But man, that's a SINGLETHREAD stretch.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51712495386620865702013-03-14T10:40:25.264-04:002013-03-14T10:40:25.264-04:00Baseball's Iron Horse had to be GEHRIG so figu...Baseball's Iron Horse had to be GEHRIG so figuring out this puzzle's theme took only a tiny fraction of time compared to most Thursdays.<br /><br />Wondering if the Jorge reference in 8D is yet another syn(chroni)city shoutout, in this case to the new pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, entHRoned yesterday?Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26370988799863605532013-03-14T10:00:49.798-04:002013-03-14T10:00:49.798-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71686924673701350302013-03-14T09:59:21.093-04:002013-03-14T09:59:21.093-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35362285808065200762013-02-07T22:43:02.106-05:002013-02-07T22:43:02.106-05:00Although it took me a while to figure it out, I th...Although it took me a while to figure it out, I thought the revealer was delicious even without my knowing anything about Ken Jennings's mistake. Not insidery at all, just funny. Great puzzle.Loisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16618670858373616172013-02-07T22:12:30.340-05:002013-02-07T22:12:30.340-05:00"Residential Colleges" is too precious.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_of_Rice_University#Residential_buildings" rel="nofollow">"Residential Colleges"</a> is too precious.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60953232334858601642013-02-07T22:03:15.145-05:002013-02-07T22:03:15.145-05:00This 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 5:58, 6:08, 0.97, 36%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 8:03, 8:30, 0.95, 31%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 8:23, 11:33, 0.73, 2%, Easy (4th lowest ratio of 163 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 16:41, 17:05, 0.98, 42%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:34, 3:39, 0.98, 32%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:48, 4:57, 0.97, 36%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 5:11, 6:29, 0.80, 6%, Easy (9th lowest ratio of 163 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 9:43, 9:43, 1.00, 48%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68420213698333350022013-02-07T17:53:46.969-05:002013-02-07T17:53:46.969-05:00Just a terrific puzzle!Just a terrific puzzle!Airymomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49384953920235373392013-02-07T17:01:53.245-05:002013-02-07T17:01:53.245-05:00When Nephrologist didn't fit, I tried RENAL......When Nephrologist didn't fit, I tried RENAL........ no luck. GEHRIG was the key, finally. Slow sailboat-like tacking to finish, even with the &. Didn't remember DMITRI had but one "I".<br /><br />These odd wing abbreviations get me. <br /><br />Fine puzzle, but I'll bet SanFranMan says difficult. xyzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08287781952915413013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78002606200522039952013-02-07T16:54:12.309-05:002013-02-07T16:54:12.309-05:00Rice doesn't have DORMs. It has residential co...Rice doesn't have DORMs. It has residential colleges. Ricknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82715834206365192442013-02-07T15:56:53.444-05:002013-02-07T15:56:53.444-05:00When Seth Rogen didn't fit initially, I had Pa...When Seth Rogen didn't fit initially, I had Paul Rudd in that space too, but ASHRAM made me realize the rebus. And I'm another proud geek who knew the reason for Jennings leaving Jeopardy. He's a really funny guy on twitter & his blog. His books are fun too!<br /><br />This fell very quickly for me for a Thursday. Maybe I'll even attempt Friday with more confidence. ileennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10834015812054647912013-02-07T15:54:29.988-05:002013-02-07T15:54:29.988-05:00Midday 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 16:41, 17:05, 0.98, 42%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Thu 10:18, 9:57, 1.04, 55%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.com