tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8576861821237572283..comments2024-03-28T14:27:07.588-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Sea grass grazer / FRI 9-17-10 / Colorful stage performers since 1987 / Literally different lizards / Five-time NBA All-Star ChrisRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16356283255460421112010-09-18T13:24:50.719-04:002010-09-18T13:24:50.719-04:00Fastest Friday of the year for me (in fact, my fir...Fastest Friday of the year for me (in fact, my first sub-10-min Friday ever, I believe).dlsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39197332403529718162010-09-18T07:41:27.377-04:002010-09-18T07:41:27.377-04:00Wow. Loved this puzzle, but it was tough. Got up ...Wow. Loved this puzzle, but it was tough. Got up early and finished NW, when NOPROBLEMO suddenly came to mind. Didn't know or only vaguely knew many of the long answers but was able to figure out through crosses. That to me is the definition of a fine puzzle.TimJimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61158972898658162072010-09-17T21:59:04.156-04:002010-09-17T21:59:04.156-04:00This 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 6:04, 6:57, 0.87, 6%, Easy<br />Tue 8:38, 8:53, 0.97, 49%, Medium<br />Wed 11:15, 11:41, 0.96, 43%, Medium<br />Thu 17:03, 19:13, 0.89, 35%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 21:41, 26:33, 0.82, 15%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:22, 3:42, 0.91, 11%, Easy<br />Tue 4:37, 4:35, 1.01, 60%, Medium<br />Wed 6:06, 5:46, 1.06, 75%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 7:43, 9:13, 0.84, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 10:03, 12:56, 0.78, 17%, Easysanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64623018009042533232010-09-17T21:58:13.752-04:002010-09-17T21:58:13.752-04:00Count me in amongst those who miss Foodie! :-(Count me in amongst those who miss Foodie! :-(The Big Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00383322329027962325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36078198118994691752010-09-17T21:47:54.338-04:002010-09-17T21:47:54.338-04:00and @mac - I miss foodie too!and @mac - I miss foodie too!edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74620110960707765722010-09-17T21:46:38.943-04:002010-09-17T21:46:38.943-04:00I agree with @fat lady about qualifiers. I decide...I agree with @fat lady about qualifiers. I decided long ago that if it is NYT quality, age doesn't matter and I wouldn't comment on that basis.<br /><br />I struggled more than I wanted to on this one as I went down every wrong path imaginable. I knew BLOODMOON from a Chuck Logan mystery novel I read years ago, Hunters Moon. It is funny to me that it always seems to come back to literary references rather than actual experience to me.edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29923994714471892012010-09-17T20:54:22.792-04:002010-09-17T20:54:22.792-04:00I find qualifiers such as "for a sophmore&quo...I find qualifiers such as "for a sophmore", "for a first timer", "for a youngster" demeaning.<br /><br />A puzzle is good enough to be published in the NYT, or it isn't --- as per Will's opinion. <br /><br />I doubt Will gives bonus points, or a pass, because a constructor is a Brown student, left handed, or under 21.<br /><br />P>G>Fat Lady Who Doesn't Sweat Muchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8242436916837442552010-09-17T20:47:02.414-04:002010-09-17T20:47:02.414-04:00I miss Foodie!I miss Foodie!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11222800334518662912010-09-17T20:22:38.831-04:002010-09-17T20:22:38.831-04:00Reading these comments in cold light of day I real...Reading these comments in cold light of day I realized I had an error I'd overlooked last night. I had BORE for 4d and my lack of interest in BBall gave me no way to fix it. I also had a bit more trouble solving than I admitted to last night. I had CRAMPS and ULCERS before UPSETS and INGEST before INHALE. Still a fine puzzle!jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71274649368718188162010-09-17T17:56:50.399-04:002010-09-17T17:56:50.399-04:00Had PROBLEMOs in the Dakotas, as predicted by RP, ...Had PROBLEMOs in the Dakotas, as predicted by RP, so Googled for EMILY and ROCA. When BELLA then appeared, thought Lugosi, but no, that's Bela. I'll bet that's no coincidence. Read a couple of the Anne Rice books awile back and got tired of the genre.<br /><br />At my age, NUVARing is not of much interest, but CamelCaps is. Googled it. Great expression as long as you think of two humped camels. (I've only ridden the one humped version, which are actually dromedaries.) Unfortunately, us oldies think of Camel cigarettes which have a picture of a dromedary on the pack. I think I knew this a long time ago, but have forgotten it, (like so much else).<br /><br />Better post this before something else interrupts me.Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85210503827800981042010-09-17T16:09:27.718-04:002010-09-17T16:09:27.718-04:00I had bloodbath for BLOODMOON for a long time, whi...I had bloodbath for BLOODMOON for a long time, which seemed super creepy. When bloodmoon emerged, though, it reminded me of the wonderful novel by Charles Frazier (Thirteen Moons) so xword balance was restored - until OUTOFUSE became inevitable - which sounds like a nonsense phrase, something Borat might say. <br /><br />Thought this was an ambitious effort by Jonah, though, just slightly marred by some iffy fill here and there. Looking forward to more puzzles by him, as I imagine they will only get better.hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43691392766349076132010-09-17T15:37:59.553-04:002010-09-17T15:37:59.553-04:00@mac - thanks! even the little things are piling u...@mac - thanks! even the little things are piling up, and with everything that needs to be accomplished in the next few days, I am NOT looking forward to this weekend!!! :-)<br />Next weekend, however, is a totally different story!!! :-)The Big Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00383322329027962325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25897715320319573982010-09-17T15:23:33.017-04:002010-09-17T15:23:33.017-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Fri 21:32, 26:33, 0.81, 15%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Fri 10:51, 12:57, 0.84, 21%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90385798074153815392010-09-17T15:22:00.490-04:002010-09-17T15:22:00.490-04:00On the Newcastle clue, my instinct was to go with ...On the Newcastle clue, my instinct was to go with "Drafts" instead of "Litres" which threw me off a bit.shmuel421https://www.blogger.com/profile/15230451026973418316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48624058854945826082010-09-17T14:39:48.452-04:002010-09-17T14:39:48.452-04:00I agree with @Joe, great job for college sophomore...I agree with @Joe, great job for college sophomore. Thank heavens for my son, finally got something out of reading him the same damn dinosaur book at bedtime night after night. Since he is class of '09, I have picked up some collegiate slang.<br /><br />@Rex, not only is the Twilight series about werewolves, there are also vampires, making BLOOD MOON doubly fitting next to BELLA, who is torn between the werewolf Jacob and the vampire Edward. I also have a niece in HS. I know, who cares (about Twilight)?<br /><br />I noticed a mini-theme with LOVE SONG, "Leaving on A JET Plane," HOPE, UNREQUITED, LOSS, NEEDED. I remember all of the summer of '70 with just three songs, the aforementioned, "Suzanne." and "Fire and Rain."<br /><br />I liked seeing CUSP. Nicely related to HYPERBOLIC. <br /><br />BTW, finished with no assistance, no errors, so good Friday for me.<br /><br />Captcha today is another 19A vessel over heat: caldemi, a very small cauldron.CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12109961805651991102010-09-17T14:03:22.588-04:002010-09-17T14:03:22.588-04:00I have trouble believing everyone has ignored the ...I have trouble believing everyone has ignored the fact that the constructor is an 18-year-old, whose skill with puns and other wordplay is quite impressive. Several of the comments have a strong sour-grapes component.Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83966322124508620202010-09-17T14:01:32.205-04:002010-09-17T14:01:32.205-04:00Excellent, with the biggest smile for "Cogito...Excellent, with the biggest smile for "Cogito ergo sum"!<br /><br />Forgot about the arras, so had dowg, before that dude. Never heard of Emily but wanted Zooey, and poor Chris could easily have had a Z in his name where I was concerned.<br /><br />I see 2 Js in the grid, as well. Shouldn't they be Bs?<br /><br />My nit: a troubadour is a singer, shouldn't it have been lovesong?<br /><br />Good luck, Greg!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86429419634432834972010-09-17T13:55:12.586-04:002010-09-17T13:55:12.586-04:00Enjoyed this one! Had some trouble across the nort...Enjoyed this one! Had some trouble across the north. I had ZOOEY instead of EMILY (never seen Bones) and ON_TOP crossed with DEVOUR instead of ABOVE crossed with INHALE, all of which totally threw me for a bit. But DANTE, NUVA, A_JET, UNREQUITED, DDAY, SEM, BELLA, ROCA, LSD, LITRES, and OR_OUT all came right away giving me the confidence to keep at it and chip away. Took awhile but managed to finish with no cheating!<br /><br />I liked BLUE_MAN_GROUP and COGITO_ERGO_SUM (which took me a bit but then was self-evidently the answer once I figured it out) a lot and even ALLOSAURESES, though goofy, was a pretty fun little gimme for me (knew it had to end in SAURESES and ALLO came with DELTAS. Only knew that one b/c my sister was one). Some nice cluing: Put off Retirement? for STAY_UP_LATE, flag for EBB, Christian with many robes? for DIOR all seemed pretty clever to me. BLLOD_MOON was interesting, didn't know why it was called that before, got it from a bunch of crosses.<br /><br />I got a few, AGER, OLLA, DUGONG for example, only thanks to crosses but don't recall knowing those words from before. Wasn't a big fan of YESSES since it's not something ever used in real life as far as I know, especially not when referring to approval of something. Other than that I was a fan. Relatively easy for a Friday I thought since I did get through it all without a whole heap of trouble which isn't always the case.Dashiellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32889463319156592492010-09-17T12:58:32.022-04:002010-09-17T12:58:32.022-04:00First word in, NO PROBLEMO. Lost in a crisis, cOo...First word in, NO PROBLEMO. Lost in a crisis, cOol -> HOmE -> HOPE. I had to sleep on the whole texas to florida part (except the LSD in the Keys). But it all became clear in the light of day. Nice Friday puzzle.<br /><br />@MaA -- Clinique is a brand of skin care, make-up, cosmetics . . . products.Clarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56201307215895773912010-09-17T12:52:17.017-04:002010-09-17T12:52:17.017-04:00Couldn't be too hard a FriPuz. Even *I* finis...Couldn't be too hard a FriPuz. Even *I* finished it up pretty fast. Barely got thru my cinnamon roll ahead of gettin' thru the puz. Cinnamon roll . . . mmmmm.<br /><br />Had no idea how to spell JIUJITSU or NUVA(Ring). Just threw up a guess and wouldnta bet the house, but. . . came out OK. Don't get CLINIQUE as an answer for the clue. Word ain't even in my dictionary. Explain to the dimwits, please.<br /><br />ALLOSAURUSES seems ok by me. Kinda like Rex-o-sauruses (except we know there's only one of those).<br /><br />Hi-Yo, Twelve U's, away . . .Masked and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72156636179171158432010-09-17T12:49:05.141-04:002010-09-17T12:49:05.141-04:00@P>G> beat me to it, so I'll just add NO...@P>G> beat me to it, so I'll just add NOTHING in the clue indicated "no problemo" was Spanish.<br /><br />It's a fairly common American/English expression.<br /><br />.../GlitchGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55920440099643367552010-09-17T12:36:42.772-04:002010-09-17T12:36:42.772-04:00(Here we go again.)
RE: no problemo:
Definition...(Here we go again.)<br /><br />RE: <b>no problemo:</b> <br /><br />Definition from Wiktionary <br /><br />Originally, and largely still, Mock Spanish. A hyperforeignism, since the correct Spanish word is problema (“problem”).<br /><br />1.(informal) No problem.<br /><br />And Wikipedia:<br /><br />The expression is sometimes used as an instance of "pseudo-Spanish" or mock Spanish. Its usage as a Spanish expression is incorrect, because a translation would be no hay problema or ningún problema.<br /><br />P>G>It ain't Spanishnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50212739050497479412010-09-17T12:34:59.090-04:002010-09-17T12:34:59.090-04:00No problemo is supposed to rhyme.
It's not mea...No problemo is supposed to rhyme.<br />It's not meant to be accurate.<br />It's slang.Tia Marianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23477821193284511092010-09-17T12:33:46.581-04:002010-09-17T12:33:46.581-04:00Rex, you hit the nail on the head re. an excessive...Rex, you hit the nail on the head re. an excessive bunch-up of pop culture, with twilight protagonist, actress Duchanel and Jay-Z record label - right in a row (7/8/9 down).<br /><br />I am an admitted geezer and I realize as I try to introduce my about-to-graduate-college-age daughter to the joys of NYT x-word puzzling, how dated much of the fill is. But at least spread it out - the old and the new - so we all have a puncher's chance to get unknown answers by the cross. It is a CROSSWORD puzzle, after all ...<br /><br />Just my (now seriously deflated) 2 cents - <br /><br />Old Fa*t in lower WestchesterBigSteve46noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67533555228306875602010-09-17T12:24:41.217-04:002010-09-17T12:24:41.217-04:00The problem with HAIL is that, to those of us who ...The problem with HAIL is that, to those of us who are fantasy and medieval nerds, it works perfectly well un-repeated. That's why I resisted it a bit.Matthew G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07957320012395569238noreply@blogger.com