tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8824523823610498605..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Alphonse's comics partner / WED 12-14-11 / No Such Thing blues rocker / Ring foe of Manolete / Metrosexual's toteRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60489871058427085962020-10-18T15:20:21.554-04:002020-10-18T15:20:21.554-04:00Only my lexicographic work ethic kept me from rage...Only my lexicographic work ethic kept me from rage-quitting this puzzle in the top third. Of the 6 down words in the NW, only one is a common English word: five proper nouns, one of them abbreviated. The three across words are non-functional regional slang ("man bag" for people who can't bring themselves to say "purse"??), foreign proper noun, common word, clunky theme answer. Yes, of the 13 across answers in the north, only 3 are common English.<br /><br />This construction attitude continued throughout the puzzle, although we did get minor relief from the incidence of such. Still, I had to hand this to my wife to finish: she's the family pattern-matcher.<br /><br />I still had one letter wrong: the Y in Ygor/Brody.<br /><br />The traditional standard for puzzle quality is "was it fun to solve?" By that standard, this offering was as low as anything in 2011. It wasn't fun; it was more like a "pepper" drill in sports, where the coach fires arcane shots at you as fast as she can, and you have to dive, dig, jump, etc. until you drop from exhaustion. It's not fun: it's only purpose is to give you practice in silly combinations, in case they come up in a real match.Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47435893053358236382012-01-20T16:53:28.600-05:002012-01-20T16:53:28.600-05:00Oops, broken link.
@DJ Stone
For your edificatio...Oops, broken link.<br /><br />@DJ Stone<br /><br />For your edification:<br /><a href="http://www.map-of-Canada.org/canada-map-742.jpg" rel="nofollow">Map of Canada</a><br /><br />And so nice of you to ask:<br /><a href="http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html" rel="nofollow">Current Canadian Weather</a>Red Valerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04638265039015470938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24849618695872143662012-01-20T16:45:44.797-05:002012-01-20T16:45:44.797-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Red Valerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04638265039015470938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3956379256667000212012-01-19T23:44:47.412-05:002012-01-19T23:44:47.412-05:00Late the day after, so this will probably unread, ...Late the day after, so this will probably unread, but had to do this for two reasons.<br /><br />1. Qtips. I use one on my ears (good thing they have a swab on each end) after every shower (couple times a week), and have always been baffled that people consider that practice dangerous. Now that a previous commenter noted that the original version was a fluff of cotton attached to the business end of a TOOTHPICK, I get the perception. Glad they came up with Q-tip v. 2.0.<br /><br />2. Canadians. Quit sharing your weather woes with the rest of us. If you can't stand the cold, get out of the Yukon.DJ Stonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76520464230347004552012-01-19T16:38:11.198-05:002012-01-19T16:38:11.198-05:00A day late and from syndi-land.
@Pippin--the Calg...A day late and from syndi-land.<br /><br />@Pippin--the Calgary cold even made it into the Vancouver paper, as we Lotuslanders suffer with cold-for-us. (Meaning, less than -5, -10 with the wind chill.) Winter storm warning up for tonight, then a Pineapple Express is to arrive tomorrow afternoon to wash everything away, but not before an interlude of freezing rain. <br /><br />There's so much salt on the side roads and sidewalks, that i dug out the dog's "muttluks." (If you've never heard of those, I'm sure you can guess correctly.) She HATES them. Putting them on is hilarious, since she doesn't want to put a booted paw on the ground (she can almost balance on one leg!). Then actually walking her (once she realizes she has no choice) is even funnier. She keeps her legs splayed out, placing each paw deliberately, in a sort of awkward prance. And, of course, she doesn't want to do what we're on a walk to have her do!<br /><br />Oh, the puzzle. Right. I really liked it, though I DNF. Had QiM and iNOS, not knowing Iranian geography (tsk, tsk), and thinking that maybe "Inos" was short for Domino's. Hey, could be!<br /><br />Made then BRODi iGOR mistake, too. sigh.<br /><br />Had never heard of a TRADITIONAL IRA, but it had to be right from crosses. (I thought maybe it was faction in Ireland...)<br /><br />C.S.A. means a lot of things up here (Canadian Standards Association, Canadian Space Agency), but AMER was easy to guess (since I, too, didn't know AMARNA).<br /><br />I'm on the enjoy side of the enjoy/conquer issue. In fact, I often read clues I don't need to read just to see what they are.Red Valerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04638265039015470938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88460719814481408352012-01-18T18:56:29.449-05:002012-01-18T18:56:29.449-05:00A frozen syndy solver from the Great White North -...A frozen syndy solver from the Great White North - it is MINUS 40 this morning with the wind chill - MINUS 32 without. I think this may account for my brain freeze - took too long to get BRONC (I live in the city of the Calgary Stampede, for goodness sake and should have known that). Also - took Spanish in HS and University and LOVE wine but all I could come up with was "vino rojo" which I could not squeeze into the space for RIOJA.<br /><br />I must admit I like the puzzle more now, after reading the comments - always a joy BTW. And I agree with EVIL DOUG, whose comments I look forward to every day! It's only a PUZZLE folks and meant to be ENJOYED not CONQUERED. I do mine with a latte at breakfast each morning.<br /><br />Captcha - parlyse, which is what this cold is doing to me.....<br /><br />Hand up for BRODI and IGOR for a while. Did not know AMARANAPippinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62626023614920067802012-01-18T18:47:38.879-05:002012-01-18T18:47:38.879-05:00UNOS (wiki page cached for the benefit of syndica...<a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:zCBsnk3VfdMJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uno_Chicago_Grill+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" rel="nofollow">UNOS</a> (wiki page cached for the benefit of syndication solvers)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28038314284020233892012-01-18T18:38:54.509-05:002012-01-18T18:38:54.509-05:00I thought this one was tough for a Wednesday. Did...I thought this one was tough for a Wednesday. Did OK for the most part, but that NW corner kicked me right in the manbag.<br /><br />Of the theme answers, I had the toughest time coming up with County FaQir, partly because I could see the digression of the Q's and I wanted the Q in that one to fall in the <i>first</i> word. As in FAQIR HAIRED or FAQIR MINDED.<br /><br />Eating a blueberry muffin is cheating.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41918200619478367842012-01-18T18:24:15.911-05:002012-01-18T18:24:15.911-05:00Spacecraft here. If I had not seen Tim Croce's...Spacecraft here. If I had not seen Tim Croce's name on this one, I'd have told the constructor not to "Q"uit his day job. This thing was chock- (or choq?) full of total obscurities alongside a litany of xword no-nos. I actually finished with two mistakes. Q_M crossing _NOS was a complete natick for me, and I guessed wrong with O. A pizzeria chain--CHAIN, really?--called UNOS? Nev-vah heard of it. And QOM/QUM? What non-Irani would ever know? MEH. Then we get to BRODi/iGOR. Since I didn't know the actor, I just assumed the I. My bad. But EIEIO, LONGU and especially PANDG? That, Timmy me boy, that's YOUR bad.<br /> Gotta allow me to vent a little here. Why in the world would you represent both Proctor and Gamble with their initials--and then WRITE OUT the word "and" instead of using an ampersand? I'll tell you why, and ONLY why: so you can fit the letters PANDG into a crossword grid! If I can borrow Coach Ditka for a moment:<br /><br /> STOP IT!!!!<br /><br /> Actually, I almost DNF. The first entry I made was REAGAN. Then "At a cruise stop, say" was OBVIOUSLY ashORe! How is it that no one else even mentioned this? Tell me you don't automatically think of "ashore" given that clue. That little mistake cost me half a day, and I came within an inch of heaving it into the trash. What in tarnation is QATARICOMHUTERS?? Oh, I know: it's that other "chain" of eateries, with the chicks with the orange T-shirts out to here; not a great idea for the demographics.<br /> I'm only lucky I was able to get the other obscurities via crosses: AMARNA??--an appliance company for non-New-Yorkers? (they had to drop the R for NY)? RIOJA?--(the German tourist finally agrees to go to Brazil)? There ARNO more lines for me to go further. TSTOPS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63782855426870847152012-01-18T18:07:38.378-05:002012-01-18T18:07:38.378-05:00@Sage - to those of us outside of LA, UNOS is shor...@Sage - to those of us outside of LA, UNOS is short for Uno Chicago Grill which is indeeed a chain of franchise restaurants, at least on the east coast, though they are not technically "pizzarias".<br /><br />I loved the puzzle, maybe because I actually figured out the theme for once and it helped with the solve (never would have gotten <br />COUNTYFAQIR without it). Only complaint is one that somebody already pointed out: "rude" does not have a LONGU sound; "cute" does. Tough for a Wednesday, but got it done.<br /><br />Thank you Tim Croce (but really, was "QED" a reveal or wasn't it? - doesn't matter, either way it's still a great puzzle in my amateur opinion.)Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85185826010116452672012-01-18T17:07:08.410-05:002012-01-18T17:07:08.410-05:00Ugh! Victory of style over substance. The theme an...Ugh! Victory of style over substance. The theme answers were clever, Croce at his most creative, but the remainder of the puzzle consisting of the super-obscure AMARNA, LATH, BEL, RIOJA, UNOS!!, TSTOPS, LONGU, RAZR and OTRA made this MEH at best. Looking ahead to Thursday & hoping for better...<br /><br />dinge which says it all.Troy Manbagnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26850919302803444712012-01-18T15:58:32.846-05:002012-01-18T15:58:32.846-05:00PS: Sage of La Mesa - Unos refers to Numero Uno P...PS: Sage of La Mesa - Unos refers to Numero Uno Pizza in Los Angeles. I don't know if they're in other areas, but they certainly live up to their name--Number One!Mary in Bend, ORnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26353202113278045352012-01-18T15:55:48.947-05:002012-01-18T15:55:48.947-05:00Posting from syndication land (it's Jan 18 her...Posting from syndication land (it's Jan 18 here) to say I thought this puzzle was fun, with a capital Q! Also, today Wikipedia and Google are staging a protest against some law and I actually solved this entire puzzle without looking up anything! That's a big accomplishment for me.Mary in Bend, ORnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59386005543944004822012-01-18T10:28:10.571-05:002012-01-18T10:28:10.571-05:00Evil D said it all, in my opinion. Hey folks, it&#...Evil D said it all, in my opinion. Hey folks, it's just a PUZZLE. It's supposed to be fun - not competitive. T Croce did one hell of a good job. And yes, I had one mistake: Wrote Qom intead of.. Never heard of Unos and still don't know who they are. Anyone?? Oh, Mr. Croce, you are a sly dog.Sage of La Mesanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79949237347557248662011-12-17T23:45:38.064-05:002011-12-17T23:45:38.064-05:00As I was watching the Red Wings blow out the LA Ki...As I was watching the Red Wings blow out the LA Kings tonight (Saturday) two Kings let the puck lie there for a Red Wing to come in and take, leading to one of the Wing's 8 goals. Noted color man and retired hockey player Mickey Redmond said this kind of miscommunication used to be called a "Gaston and Alphonse." This is the second time in my life I can remember hearing/seeing this phrase, the first time being in this puzzle.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6681747653204232072011-12-17T10:24:08.088-05:002011-12-17T10:24:08.088-05:00Atari hasn't made a computer in decades, and t...Atari hasn't made a computer in decades, and the never made a laptop (laptops didn't even exist then!).Edac2dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05406242564285237476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31168638088986048852011-12-15T14:27:22.022-05:002011-12-15T14:27:22.022-05:00This was the worst puzzle in weeks.
From the theme...This was the worst puzzle in weeks.<br />From the theme to the fill.<br />ICK.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17857747515877769718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58773601588140688812011-12-14T23:44:57.005-05:002011-12-14T23:44:57.005-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 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 6:59, 6:51, 1.02, 63%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 7:58, 8:52, 0.90, 20%, Easy<br />Wed 12:16, 11:48, 1.04, 63%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:49, 3:40, 1.04, 71%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 4:35, 4:34, 0.96, 44%, Medium<br />Wed 6:29, 5:51, 1.11, 80%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52099086371045243492011-12-14T21:15:27.005-05:002011-12-14T21:15:27.005-05:00I liked this one -- the Q-added phrases were plent...I liked this one -- the Q-added phrases were plenty wacky for me. Found some of the fill almost Saturdayish, but since I got all from crosses, no complaints.<br /><br />Felt that I was more familiar with JOHN MAYER (and the accuracy of his clue) than anyone on this blog, but then dk puts me to shame with his remarkable inside dope. Andrea, I think he meant by "my Acme moment" that he was following your rule that name-dropping is inappropriate *unless* the name is in today's content.<br /><br />And veering off topic, Hubert Sumlim: RIP. Of the blues greats, from whom John Mayer and Eric Clapton got everything they know, only Buddy Guy and B.B. King are left.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70676543535599846782011-12-14T20:50:48.813-05:002011-12-14T20:50:48.813-05:00Evil Doug -- You are giving cynics a bad name....Evil Doug -- You are giving cynics a bad name....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6576382222110056842011-12-14T20:04:37.713-05:002011-12-14T20:04:37.713-05:00@r.alph...sure wish I knew someone who already had...@r.alph...sure wish I knew someone who already had devised a way of capturing performance behavior... ;)<br /><br />I must say that your analogy has sparked an interesting vision...<br />Will crossword competitors be wearing sequined leotards?<br /><br />(Welcome back to Rexville...)Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63492052540557350172011-12-14T19:45:15.800-05:002011-12-14T19:45:15.800-05:00Evil -
"The concept of taking a pleasant, re...Evil - <br />"The concept of taking a pleasant, relaxed mano-a-mano battle against a crossword and twisting it into a meaningless 'beat-the-clock-and-your-friends-while-you're-at-it' spectacle is kind of sad."<br /><br />Precisely how my fabulous cook husband feels about Iron Chef, Battle of the Skillets, yada yada... Why take something as wonderful as cooking and turn it into a competition.<br /><br />Having said that, it sounds like the tourney is part social event, so nothing wrong with that.<br /><br />mac - awesome of you to do this!<br /><br /><i>a·lacri·tous (-ts) adj. Speed, quickness, celerity, most notably among certain crossword puzzle solvers.</i> (But I know you knew that...) ;)Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13287666441543696582011-12-14T19:43:53.423-05:002011-12-14T19:43:53.423-05:00@tita
Too bad there is not some way of measuring s...@tita<br />Too bad there is not some way of measuring solving performance that doesn't involve time. Can you imagine judging figuring skating or gymnastics based on how fast the performers finish?r.alphbunkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81255674852684753192011-12-14T18:57:54.648-05:002011-12-14T18:57:54.648-05:00"----Re: the Westport Library tournament...is..."----Re: the Westport Library tournament...is there a category for solving while sipping a cafe au lait and eating a blueberry muffin? If it's only speed solving, I fear I would not sftand a chance among this erudite and alacritous crowd!"<br /><br />Tita---While I have no idea what "alacritous" means, here's what I propose: Go. Meet some, I'm sure, very nice people before the clock is hacked. Share some wine. Have a few laughs. Then, when they put their game-faces on for the competition, you go to Starbucks, get your coffee and muffin, and have a relaxing time with your puzzle while they stoically insist they're not trying to kick each other's ass---"it's just for fun!!!" Once you choose to compete, you're forever on the dark side.... <br /><br />The concept of taking a pleasant, relaxed mano-a-mano battle against a crossword and twisting it into a meaningless 'beat-the-clock-and-your-friends-while-you're-at-it' spectacle is kind of sad. <br /><br />...even if you get a suitable for framing---omigod!---"diploma for a perfect solve!" Just like our kids---everybody gets a trophy! There are no losers! Yaaaaay! <br /><br />Evilevil doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593231055589228837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48580158866840147062011-12-14T18:53:39.339-05:002011-12-14T18:53:39.339-05:00Maybe Rex will explain but I doubt it, knowing how...Maybe Rex will explain but I doubt it, knowing how he thinks about Anons, but why does Rex use QOM as the word of the day when the puzzle uses QUM? Maybe QOM is the more common spelling but it's still not the way the puzzle spells it. My suspicion is a slavish adherence to Wiki, but that would be unfair to charge. More likely is that Rex likes to be Rex....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com