tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8906111138886429300..comments2024-03-28T18:52:07.432-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Monarch renowned for his wealth / MON 10-1-2018 / Going off script / Yom Kippur War clash / Architect FrankRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43313089255219101032018-11-05T17:59:31.107-05:002018-11-05T17:59:31.107-05:00I'm not into football, so I guess I'm one ...I'm not into football, so I guess I'm one of the few oddballs who doesn't know about the FIGHTINGILINI. My foggy old brain can only retain so much... Oh wait! Annabelle is in the same boat as me - figuratively that is..thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41886522291102450762018-11-05T14:11:43.663-05:002018-11-05T14:11:43.663-05:00This is a Monday gem. Five NIGH entries, each with...This is a Monday gem. Five NIGH entries, each with a different spelling of NIGH. Very ABLY done. Let's give credit where credit is due. <br /><br />Speaking of which, didn't LMAO at LENNY's now-commonly used obscenities, but thought he was damn clever. We're way beyond the time to give him a break and drop the "foul mouth" epithet.<br /><br />GEHRY SOBA ARRAU<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33942678342769875702018-11-05T14:03:25.088-05:002018-11-05T14:03:25.088-05:00Funny how these conversations about a crossword pu...Funny how these conversations about a crossword puzzle arise. I blame @LMS "dismissing" Maya Angelou. I mean, how could you? It's like dismissing (albeit in a different discipline) Einstein. Say Al, loved your work on Unified Field Theory.<br /><br />GORP. Who cares whether it is an acronym; it's a fine snack. I don't think M&M's qualifies as GORP though.<br /><br />NEAR FATAL, NEARS. Big deal.<br /><br />You can't count me among the cognoscenti of famous pianists. My favourite is Glenn Gould, but I have listened to recordings by Claudio ARRAU, and I'd say he qualifies.<br /><br />I liked the theme, especially the revealer. Nice to get a lesson from a crossword puzzle. Fill was OK by me. Liked it.<br /><br />Dr. rainforestrainforestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4132871796345873872018-11-05T13:11:04.246-05:002018-11-05T13:11:04.246-05:00Oh, yes - the end was Near, ere it was NIGH. And ...Oh, yes - the end was Near, ere it was NIGH. And yes, even I know the ILLINI and how they are FIGHTING - one of the first themers I filled in. Osmosis indeed. <br /><br />True - 'twas hardish for a Monday, but only b the ish. And by me putting in LVI prior to LXI - DOH!!!! (LMAO)<br /><br />Off topic - car parts, Part II. (You need to read the end of yesterday to fully grasp the following - you've been warned.) After storming out of the dealer's showroom, I called the Wash. DMV and got info on how to get a Wash Lic Plate (WLP) when buying an auto in Calif. Then called a dealer or two in Cal - finally one assured me they could 1) find my car and 2) get it properly licensed with a WLP. <br /><br />Off we went to Calif, off to the dealer, drove the car, began signing docs, and then..."no, we can't help you with your WLP process. Why? Because. But we'll pay for half the Calif license process..." <br /><br />Out of the showroom I walked, sans "BlueBell," whom I had actually named. I even have a photo of me smiling with her, the little blue cutie. All in all, a sad day. Then back to the phones to more local dealers.<br /><br />TBC<br /><br />Diana, Lady who Knows how to WaitDiana, LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33616351934904316562018-11-05T11:51:30.040-05:002018-11-05T11:51:30.040-05:00No way does a puzzle with the uber-obscure name AR...No way does a puzzle with the uber-obscure name ARRAU belong in a Monday slot. And that baby hits you right out of the gate. I had the first four letters on crosses, but had to wait until the SULTANOFBRUNEI came to light for that ending U.<br /><br />This was just one of several fill problems caused by an overreaching theme. 72 squares? That's a lot, and it gives birth to pig-Latin (really?) and your RRN, not to mention the NEAR dup.<br /><br />Then we have UH,NO. To me this is not a "You might think so, but--" response, but rather a "Obviously not" one. Sometimes with a "That would be a" thrown in, as: "Do you think the FIGHTINGILLINI have a chance to make the playoffs?" "UH, that would be a NO." So, stinky clue there.<br /><br />As to the doctor thing, I would never presume to address a famous person by a first name--not even Oprah, who seems to be widely recognized by that name alone. I suspect that Ms. (or Dr., if she insists) Angelou has seen enough disrespect to last her a lifetime, and is just trying to set that right. Still, "Miss Manners" would observe that publicly correcting rudeness is itself rude. I'd say, be the bigger person: smile and say "Thank you." After all, you know what you earned.<br /><br />Despite fill strain, I found much to enjoy here. (I like to get the "UH, NO"s out of the way first.) I don't recognize the byline; if this is a debut, it's certainly an ambitious one. 16 wide, and with plenty of longer fill. My only w/o, strangely enough, would have been the THIRD appearance of NEAR! Before copping to the theme, I spotted the ampersand linking 38&39 in the clue list, so put in THEEND ISNear. Quickly fixed, of course.<br /><br />I missed GENE in the scarce DOD pool, so I stretched things to the utmost to give the award to one of my all-time great damsels: Gloria Estefan of the MIAMI Sound Machine. I told you it was a stretch. Par.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45777410817381120062018-11-05T10:12:27.338-05:002018-11-05T10:12:27.338-05:00This was so easy. And how anyone can *not* know FI...This was so easy. And how anyone can *not* know FIGHTINGILLINI is beyond me; it should be in the old brain pan by pure osmosis if nothing else.<br /><br />LENNY Bruce may have been foul-mouthed for his time, but there have been multitudes of stand-up “funny men” since who make LENNY look like a choir boy. LENNY got a raw deal. His animated “Thank You Mask Man” is a classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tjWYEMQ70w<br /><br />Can’t believe there isn’t the usual outrage over the Glock PISTOL clue/answer. Probably due to the absence of OFL. I’ve shot various calibers of Glock PISTOLs; stick to the 9 mm, the others are cannons.<br /><br />Go back in time for yeah baby GENE Tierney.<br /><br />Pretty much INLINE for a Mon-puz. THEEND.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27560127136592047162018-11-05T09:53:09.130-05:002018-11-05T09:53:09.130-05:00Good writeup Annabelle. I was finding this one to ...Good writeup Annabelle. I was finding this one to be very easy at the beginning but it gradually creeped its way into medium/challenging territory as I worked my way down from the NE corner. It didn't take too long to solve the gimmick. But the SE corner was my downfall. I had eXNAY instead of iXNAY. Alas, pig Latin is not my forte. DNF for a Monday... Literally, this means THEENDISNIGH.thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16182989960509535622018-11-05T09:50:07.473-05:002018-11-05T09:50:07.473-05:00NEARFATAL CIRCUS
How do DRAMATISPERSONAE know tha...NEARFATAL CIRCUS<br /><br />How do DRAMATISPERSONAE know that THEEND for them ISNIGH?<br />When the SULTANOFBRUNEI says he’ll HANGTEN of them HIGH.<br /><br />--- LENNY GEHRY<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22655509847416923492018-10-02T00:37:06.835-04:002018-10-02T00:37:06.835-04:00Annabelle the antithesis of Rex. Thanksa for FUN w...Annabelle the antithesis of Rex. Thanksa for FUN writeup<br />I thought it was wednesday tough.<br />My ipad is spying on me in an eerie way.The keyboard suggestion as I was typing 'tough' was seggesting 'Gehry'. How did it know the puzzle had GEHRY in it.When you enter it in the app it is just individual letters??? The AA of the keyboard is based on typed whole words recognized from previos entries. Even if it was looking at the page, the tag is 'Architect Frank' no GEHRY<br />Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07988007506745985696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30489671693198190372018-10-01T22:19:09.861-04:002018-10-01T22:19:09.861-04:00Thanks to all of you -- many too many to thank ind...Thanks to all of you -- many too many to thank individually -- for telling me how to pronounce ill-EYE-nigh. I'm going to try to find a way to use it at the next cocktail party or dinner -- preferably as soon as possible, before I forget it. It seems a peculiar way to pronounce ILLINI, especially since it's nothing like the state, but what do I know, living in NY and rooting for easy-to-pronounce but often hard-to-watch Giants. (The less said about them right now, the better.) The more apt parallel to the FIGHTING ILLINI would be if I were rooting for Columbia, but who on earth does <i>that</i>?<br /><br />@GILL -- It wasn't tongue in cheek. It was a hypothetical. There's a featured page in the NYT Book Review every week where various authors are asked: "What three authors, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party?" (Perhaps some of you have seen those interviews.) Many people choose only dead authors. FWIW (since no one will ever ask me) I'd choose Oscar Wilde, Nora Ephron and Stephen Sondheim.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72634078760349820422018-10-01T21:21:34.282-04:002018-10-01T21:21:34.282-04:00Just for the record, Bill Cosby earned a real doct...Just for the record, Bill Cosby earned a real doctorate, from the University of Massachusetts.gfrpeacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01647110964471839488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81652360186701828712018-10-01T20:18:17.469-04:002018-10-01T20:18:17.469-04:00@Anony 7:35.. [sigh] obtuse, obtuse, obtuse.
Did...@Anony 7:35.. [sigh] obtuse, obtuse, obtuse.<br />Did not mean that I PERSONALLY was going to end the conversation, or that I was going to whack @Rex over the head if he didn't, I just meant I was through commenting on it and here you go and make me come out of my uneducated little cave again. <br />PULEEEEZE don't talk to me about trying to get a PhD or how I may have earned it. I won't get back to you but I just might make you call me Dr. Dr. Dr.<br />GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23884819856080410072018-10-01T20:12:03.410-04:002018-10-01T20:12:03.410-04:00You guys do know she’s dead, right?You guys do know she’s dead, right?BarbieBarbienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2134075232175715122018-10-01T20:08:38.326-04:002018-10-01T20:08:38.326-04:00Jc,
So you at leat agree that the convefsation isn...Jc,<br />So you at leat agree that the convefsation isnt ended? Ill take it....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11453937614439735562018-10-01T20:00:59.488-04:002018-10-01T20:00:59.488-04:00@UMass Amherst:
After completing an MA in 1972, Bi...@UMass Amherst:<br />After completing an MA in 1972, Bill Cosby earned a doctorate in education (Ed. D) here in 1976. <br /><br />I got my MA in 1973, and it was 'well known' that Cosby's Ph.D. was almost wholly for 'independent study'. it was a sham, and everybody says so. :)Banana Diaquirinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14328029105632100932018-10-01T19:42:01.411-04:002018-10-01T19:42:01.411-04:00I thought it all started out with @LMS's 4:33 ...I thought it all started out with @LMS's 4:33 AM post<br /><br />"Ok. Here’s why I have dismissed Maya Angelou. A long time ago, she was on Oprah, and Oprah told the story of walking down the street with Maya. Fans would approach her and say, Maya, I love your work. Oprah said Maya would smile and say, Thank you. But it’s Dr. Angelou. I cannot get past this. Cannot. You’re a famous writer, you have to let people call you by your first name and not go all doctorate on anyone."<br /><br />So, it seems to me that it's not whether Maya Angelou should be call "Doctor," but whether she should publicly correct people who don't.JC66https://www.blogger.com/profile/05324615675333287919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48763391803694170222018-10-01T19:35:19.564-04:002018-10-01T19:35:19.564-04:00Gill,
I'm afraid you don't decode when a c...Gill,<br />I'm afraid you don't decode when a conversation ends around here; the blog will do that.<br />What's more, the question wasn't whether to refer to Angelou by her first name, but rather whether it was necessary to accede to her desire to be called Doctor.<br />Im sorry that you fail to understand that she did not earn a degree. Thats why its called an honorary degree, as opposed fo a degree. <br /><br />Try to get a PhD, then get back to me about she earned it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59769913551118239912018-10-01T19:27:47.816-04:002018-10-01T19:27:47.816-04:00Dr.Diddy, paging Dr. Diddy...Dr.Diddy, paging Dr. Diddy...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23744123339936726382018-10-01T18:59:59.446-04:002018-10-01T18:59:59.446-04:00Hi Annabel -
I just want to amplify what @tb said....Hi Annabel -<br />I just want to amplify what @tb said. Too often in the United States, indigenous people have been made into sports mascots, and this is no exception. If a name sounds strange or doesn't seem to fit into a European naming scheme, chances are it has been inherited from an indigenous history that has long since been minimized or erased by American history books (Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Hawai'i, Iowa...). Turning indigenous people into mascots is a pretty awful practice; not only does it dehumanize these people, but it does so in a way that reinforces the image of them as violent or savage.<br />Take care!hannahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9696156150350425712018-10-01T18:32:38.738-04:002018-10-01T18:32:38.738-04:00After completing an MA in 1972, Bill Cosby earned ...After completing an MA in 1972, Bill Cosby earned a doctorate in education (Ed. D) here in 1976. UMass Amherstnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44824313779991436562018-10-01T18:23:37.138-04:002018-10-01T18:23:37.138-04:00I love the live version of “Fun, Fun, Fun”. Litera...I love the live version of “Fun, Fun, Fun”. Literally. Thanks Annabel!Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08316379159031860155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62951173618052006412018-10-01T18:17:33.033-04:002018-10-01T18:17:33.033-04:00Do crossword puzzlers not watch college football? ...Do crossword puzzlers not watch college football? The Fighting Illini (University of Illinois) play for one of the top 5 leagues in the country. <br /><br />It never ceases to amaze that some topics considered are okay to be require some knowledge of (current music, all movies, classic literature), but obvious words to anyone who knows much about football, board games, science are often considered obscure.Lauranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24820916601946753652018-10-01T17:56:53.041-04:002018-10-01T17:56:53.041-04:00Dr. Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” saved my san...Dr. Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” saved my sanity at a very dark time in my life, so she gets a pass from me. Poetry can change lives, who knew?<br /><br />This UM alumna had no trouble with the Illini plus I learned a lot from today’s illuminating and educational posts (no snark intended).<br /><br />Puzzle was great, writeup greatness matched the puzzle, with the two combining to make a marvelous Monday. Literal interpretation of “the end is nigh” was just such a happy thing. Has there been a “stuck in the middle with you” puzzle? Seems ripe for the taking. <br /><br />Cassieopiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12656341974633440703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-387179344011764622018-10-01T17:46:59.492-04:002018-10-01T17:46:59.492-04:00@trail mixer 4:12, yes, Granola and Oats for the G...@trail mixer 4:12, yes, Granola and Oats for the G & O. Source: self, from backpacking Idaho in the 70s. Cassieopiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12656341974633440703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85375596259362656252018-10-01T17:45:06.690-04:002018-10-01T17:45:06.690-04:00I'm going to end this string of comments on Ma...I'm going to end this string of comments on Maya Angelou on one last note. I'm not even sure why it even got started.<br />I, personally, would never ever presume to call someone of her stature or intellectual prominence by her first name unless she asked me. Would I say to Robert Frost "Hi, Robert, I love your work?" No, and I don't think most of you would either because it's disrespectful. I would also never tell someone at a dinner party to remove his elbows from the table.<br />Maya Angelous "earned" or, for lack of a better analogy, "racked" up over 70 honorary degrees. You can posit that prestigious universities liked to lure big names like hers and would bestow honorary degree upon honorary degree so that they had a star attraction at their ceremonies So be it. <br />If she wanted to be called Dr., then that was fine by me. She HAD the title; she EARNED the title.<br />She was a gracious, warm, human being, who moved many people with her words. Don't ever begrudge her wanting us to acknowledge her title. <br />GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.com