tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8921306778111866834..comments2024-03-29T05:08:37.783-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: FRIDAY, Mar. 13, 2009 - J Pahk (Piltdown man locale / Chiwere dialect / "Revolution 9" collaborator / Saloonkeeper of note)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16680678641482855982009-03-23T09:00:00.000-04:002009-03-23T09:00:00.000-04:00Jot:AT NO IS THE ABBREVIATION FOR ATOMIC NUMBER--A...Jot:<BR/><BR/>AT NO IS THE ABBREVIATION FOR ATOMIC NUMBER--AND NUMBER 8 IS OXYGEN. JOT DOES FRIDAY ONLY.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25751964099205171102009-03-15T15:44:00.000-04:002009-03-15T15:44:00.000-04:00It's Sunday afternoon and I just finished it! Man...It's Sunday afternoon and I just finished it! Man, was there a lot of WTF and guessing what she meant in the clue in this one for me. Can't believe I was actually able to complete it. Took several sittings, as one might imagine. Three J words in the SW: jaunty, jovial and finally JOCOSE. The SW was the last part to fall and once I got PYRE the rest somehow came into view. Even though I'd never heard of CARLYLE, with the Y the name just fit. (It doesn't hurt that my niece's last name is Carlyle.)<BR/><BR/>Now to try to finish yesterday's. I have the bottom half of the NW still to fill in.<BR/><BR/>@ Rex, if you ever listened to Revolution #9 while stoned you might change your impression of it! (Now how would I know something like that...?) ;)Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24407961140074810682009-03-15T11:21:00.000-04:002009-03-15T11:21:00.000-04:00I thought this puzzle was medium easy until I hit ...I thought this puzzle was medium easy until I hit the SW. The science and literature references were practically all gimmes, and then, total freeze. I thought maybe it was JAPE (correct!)maybe it was PLOTS (not PYRES) maybe it was OIL (not ORE) maybe it was JAUNTY (not JOCOSE) maybe it was TOAST (not SAUTE). But it all refused to gel, so it sat there incomplete.<BR/><BR/>I knew San Juan was in Puerto Rico, so I knew the answer was some South American city. Nothing beginning with a C came to mind. When I eventually got CARACAS, I could have screamed. What would have been so difficult about going down the South American continent listing countries and their capitols? Nothing whatsoever. Oh well, I blew that.<BR/><BR/>Eventually, I had an APERCU! Yes, out of nowhere I remembered that word. Samuel Beckett <I>The Lost Ones</I> "So much for a first apercu of this credence so singular in itself and by reason of the loyalty it inspires in the hearts of so many possessed."<BR/><BR/>Yeehah! At which point I finished the puzzle almost instantly. Better late than never.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77967748592623939852009-03-14T11:01:00.000-04:002009-03-14T11:01:00.000-04:00@miriam b: Thanks. I always enjoy the food digress...@miriam b: Thanks. I always enjoy the food digressions on this blog. And when ZIRVAK comes up in a future puzzle, I'll be ready.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63660137091707044362009-03-14T10:13:00.000-04:002009-03-14T10:13:00.000-04:00@stan: First you sauté the zirvak, then you put i...@stan: First you sauté the zirvak, then you put in the rice.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66859024613286014762009-03-14T09:53:00.000-04:002009-03-14T09:53:00.000-04:00"Start to prepare, as PILAF...""Saute""What, you s..."Start to prepare, as PILAF..."<BR/><BR/>"Saute"<BR/><BR/>"What, you start a pilaf by cooking the rice in a pan?"<BR/><BR/>"Of course."<BR/><BR/>"I was thinking OPEN BOX or THAW."Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13382911526742313802009-03-14T04:51:00.000-04:002009-03-14T04:51:00.000-04:00PuzzleGirl: Also Boilermakers. The Big 10 is reall...PuzzleGirl: Also Boilermakers. The Big 10 is really the Big 11 now that Penn State is in. Hence the clever logo sneaking the number "11" around the T in "BigTen". Given that your Hawkeyes lost twice to Purdue in bball this year (not to mention my Drake Bulldogs), I can see why you'd try to forget....<BR/><BR/>JoHo: As long as I bring home those fancy crossword trophies with Will's likeness on the top looking dramatically toward the heavens, crowned with circling angels blowing extended trumpets of gold, with crossed pens atop a sea of crosshatched squares and a base made of compressed old Times Arts sections cradled in the likeness of a stopwatch being held by a stern looking judge---as long as I bring those lovely and important parting gifts home to decorate our mantle and impress our friends she's so happy with my endeavors.<BR/><BR/>Evil<BR/>Alpha and Omegaevil doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593231055589228837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24402329818914780372009-03-14T04:44:00.000-04:002009-03-14T04:44:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.evil doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593231055589228837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19376225466196069552009-03-14T04:01:00.000-04:002009-03-14T04:01:00.000-04:00@Shamik - thanks for the kind words.@joho - My hus...@Shamik - thanks for the kind words.<BR/><BR/>@joho - My husband is happy to answer any sports related questions, otherwise he avoids puzzle talk the way I avoid football talk. When I read the blog and comments I often laugh out loud and sometimes he will say, "what's so funny?" but he always regrets asking. I guess it's like when he screams at the TV and I say "what happened?" and he goes on about penalties and flags and how that was NOT offensive pass interference blah blah blah. <BR/><BR/>@jeff in chicago - I have actually solved the occasional fri./sat. as a rare event, but they usually have difficulty ratings like : Why did Will put a Thursday puzzle into a weekend slot? I hope I make it to the next level.<BR/><BR/>Someday I want to run into a stranger and have a whole conversation using just the crossword puzzle words I have learned in the past year but will never say aloud, like apercu, and wickiup, and recherche.sillygoosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03483946342170291849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19628455611231118392009-03-14T03:57:00.000-04:002009-03-14T03:57:00.000-04:00This is so wack. I saw an interview on tv with a r...This is so wack. I saw an interview on tv with a researcher rhapsodizing on the subject of neutrinos, I mean gushing on and on as if he were in love with these sub-sub-sub-atomic particles. I immediately flushed the word from my brain. Hey, I'm still trying to grasp the super-collider concept. So, what pops up in my NYTimes puzzle the NEXT DAY? Where did I put the aspirin?+wordphanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05693465770426693314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68649182109165097812009-03-13T23:53:00.000-04:002009-03-13T23:53:00.000-04:00@joho-My husband considers reading fiction to be "...@joho-<BR/><BR/><BR/>My husband considers reading fiction to be "frivolous" and tends to snort when he sees me on my laptop (which he also considers frivolous.)<BR/><BR/>Since he retired this year, I must say he has gotten better about it as he asks me questions about doing puzzles - which he claims he is doing on our daughter's behalf.<BR/><BR/>Any port in a storm, I say, so I take that as progress. It's a lonely business, this crossword stuff.edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60279024752457313432009-03-13T22:42:00.000-04:002009-03-13T22:42:00.000-04:00It's been said before, sometimes you are on the sa...It's been said before, sometimes you are on the same wave length as the puzzle creator. I felt that today. I think I solved it faster than the Wed or Thur puzzles. The last answer to fall for me was also my favorite clue, (also enjoyed by Two Ponies) "Dated will?" I stared at it for a long time till I had a D'Oh! moment. A perfect clue in my book, totally misdirected me down the wrong path. I was surprised to find a medium/challenging rating, expected to find an easy rating today. I had the exact opposite reaction the past two days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85010619789498603852009-03-13T22:38:00.000-04:002009-03-13T22:38:00.000-04:00I love Fridays, and there's only just a touch of m...I love Fridays, and there's only just a touch of masochism in that love. All the suffering along the way is easily ecclipsed by the joy when everything falls into place.<BR/><BR/>Well, almost everything today. Only a few squares in the NE refused to find their correct occupants. Never heard of SPICA or HANK, and though SHALT seems easy in hindsight, it just wouldn't come to me.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, another great puzzle. TGIF.davidbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13337056962315699195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77420911495940035892009-03-13T22:27:00.000-04:002009-03-13T22:27:00.000-04:00This one was on my (geeky?) wavelength. I enjoyed ...This one was on my (geeky?) wavelength. I enjoyed the puzzle and found it easy. The only clue-answer pair I didn't like was "become part of history"-- "occur." There must be a better clue for "occur" at a Friday-level.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64307330005308552672009-03-13T22:04:00.000-04:002009-03-13T22:04:00.000-04:00@joho - My husband is totally supportive at my pu...@joho - My husband is totally supportive at my puzzling because he is as passionate at handicapping horse races. When we lived in So Cal you could find us at the race track every weekend, me doing to puzzles and he playing the ponies. Those were great weekends, he would make money and I got to eat corned beef sandwiches. Yum!chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19914612448473907812009-03-13T21:41:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:41:00.000-04:00@joho - interesting question. My husband is suppo...@joho - interesting question. My husband is supportive enough to make sure Across Lite is always loaded on our laptop for when we travel. He even went so far as to put a beta version of it on his Blackberry. He's tried his hand at some early week puzzles and is helpful to me with the science stuff.JannieBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18282015159638078416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4577154650375748902009-03-13T21:36:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:36:00.000-04:00@joho - my wife celebrates my crosswording - she t...@joho - my wife celebrates my crosswording - she thinks it will keep me from going senile. She's also a great art and german reference for me, and loves it when she can help me.<BR/><BR/>Personally, she could care less about puzzles.imsdavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12966770844825169981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30034302190034961092009-03-13T21:18:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:18:00.000-04:00@Joho: my husband is a good sport about it, knows ...@Joho: my husband is a good sport about it, knows not to take me on trips to locations without Herald Tribune, only very rarely burns the arts section in the fireplace, and was a great host to my puzzle buddies a couple of months ago. I do see his eyes glaze over from time to time when I go on about a great clue or puzzle, but he's always very happy to help out on a sports clue. Not happy when he doesn't know the answer....machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25187136820467575032009-03-13T21:15:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:15:00.000-04:00@joho: my husband will do Monday and Tuesday puzzl...@joho: my husband will do Monday and Tuesday puzzles, but he doesn't have the patience for Wednesday and beyond. But he gets it, totally, and likes to peruse my completed puzzles. Now, my kids can tell when I'm reading the Rex Parker blog, often by the chuckles they hear, and they're always curious about why Rex has posted a link to particular piece of music they hear coming out of my computer.PlantieBeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960277851368508036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77698901021014128152009-03-13T21:13:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:13:00.000-04:00Talking about sportive, Raschi, Big Ten and Pac Te...Talking about sportive, Raschi, Big Ten and Pac Ten: I know it's a different sport, but my nephew, Brian Freeman, is playing in the Big West Tournament this evening, for Long Beach State. He's the tall, blond Dutch-looking guy with the sweet smile.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10637153004631890252009-03-13T21:08:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:08:00.000-04:00Loved it. Had a lot of the same wrong ideas as oth...Loved it. Had a lot of the same wrong ideas as others <I>(Caracao</I> for CARACAS, <I>ride</I> then <I>jive</I> for JAPE, etc.). I was not, however, lulled into the <I>Big Ten</I>/PAC TEN mistake. There are, in fact, Wildcats in the Big Ten, but no Cougars. (Only Buckeyes, Spartans, Fighting Illini, Hoosiers, Badgers, Wolverines, Nittany Lions, Golden Gophers, and — who am I forgetting? ... hmmmm ... oh yeah, HAWKEYES!)PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06835502266781516627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59711066716956280452009-03-13T21:07:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:07:00.000-04:00I'm curious. This morning as my husband was leavin...I'm curious. This morning as my husband was leaving for work at 6:20 in the morning and I was plumped up in pillows with a cup of coffee, staring at today's challenge with pen in hand he said, "You're puzzling." <BR/><BR/>Isn't that great that he totally understands my fascination with something he doesn't fathom, has no interest in but also has a sense of humor about it?<BR/><BR/>My question is: do your spouses and partners get your crazy itch to solve? Or do they just accept it. Or do they share it?johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46169041782348837682009-03-13T20:20:00.000-04:002009-03-13T20:20:00.000-04:00I'm in with George NYC. This was the most obtuse...I'm in with George NYC. This was the most obtuse Friday puzzle (for me) in months.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51725525756001960272009-03-13T20:18:00.000-04:002009-03-13T20:18:00.000-04:00@sillygoose: I have completed a Friday now and the...@sillygoose: I have completed a Friday now and then, but it remains the exception to the rule. (Let's not talk about Saturdays; I think I finished one once...) And to be clear, I don't want Fridays (or Saturdays) to be easier. I want me to get better!!!jeff in chicagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10492964479021891094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-697363195091339982009-03-13T19:57:00.000-04:002009-03-13T19:57:00.000-04:00"This was what a puzzle was like in Maleska's day...."This was what a puzzle was like in Maleska's day. No pop culture or obscure sport's trivia."<BR/><BR/>cf: 58 across: "1951 A.L. strikeout leader Raschi"<BR/><BR/>@Alan, if that isn't "obscure sports trivia" ... <BR/>I'm just saying...George NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11844466463123158982noreply@blogger.com