tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8963738810681594781..comments2024-03-28T14:03:44.822-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Paul who sang Lonely Boy / TUE 7-2-13 / James who wrote A Death in the Family / Doug who filled in for Rex on a TuesdayRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67895969931175405172013-08-07T08:00:46.567-04:002013-08-07T08:00:46.567-04:00@SiS, AB Sorry to hear that...@SiS, AB Sorry to hear that...Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64691669184259009892013-08-07T00:25:45.555-04:002013-08-07T00:25:45.555-04:00@waxy, you totally rock! Great anagrams! Something...@waxy, you totally rock! Great anagrams! Something I have ABSolutely NO skills.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48162272679645662212013-08-06T22:25:01.876-04:002013-08-06T22:25:01.876-04:00Confidently put in "Smiley" as the "...Confidently put in "Smiley" as the "Circus man" and thought "neat, a John Le Carre clue on a Tuesday."Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08874935358529089711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47771624922940456252013-08-06T20:28:54.330-04:002013-08-06T20:28:54.330-04:00Correction on that address: http://www.english-for...Correction on that address: http://www.english-for-students.com/Country-Anagrams.htmlWaxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90039262554792957552013-08-06T20:23:23.009-04:002013-08-06T20:23:23.009-04:00There's the TONGA TANGO, SERBIA RABIES, SURINA...There's the TONGA TANGO, SERBIA RABIES, SURINAME ANEURISM, ITALY LAITY, and, of course, LAOS ALSO.<br /><br />(Lest anyone be dazzled by any apparent brilliance on my part, these were all unabashedly stolen directly from the website: http://www.english-for-students.com/Country-Anagrams.html#chitika_close_button)Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86191131327792488652013-08-06T20:19:22.695-04:002013-08-06T20:19:22.695-04:00@rain forest - I believe you have just penned the ...@rain forest - I believe you have just penned the syndic-solvers creed; I love it!<br /><br />@SiS - Yemeni Crickets! I meant no insult to the good people of Yemen, just the evil-doers who operate from bases there, so AQAP it is from now on.<br /><br />@DMG - ever since I posted the comment about your name I can't stop humming this little piece of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCOyKVQWYhg" rel="nofollow">ear candy</a>.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73997334491273664532013-08-06T20:10:32.633-04:002013-08-06T20:10:32.633-04:00Curmudgeon?!? I resemble that remark! But I do it,...Curmudgeon?!? I resemble that remark! But I do it, as the Russian handler in "The Manchurian Candidate" loved to say:<br /><br />Always with a little humor, Comrade; always with a little humor.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56318184723997843602013-08-06T19:21:53.786-04:002013-08-06T19:21:53.786-04:00@Ryan - If you ever get down here where the kinder...@Ryan - If you ever get down here where the kinder, gentler posters live (except for @Spacecraft, our resident curmudgeon, lol), a few tips:<br />paper, pen, no refs, quiet musing, loud Hah!s, 2 coffees, dogged determination, running the alphabet, switching to bottom, going back to the top, running the alphabet all the way through this time, remembering the downs, silent exultation except for Saturday when you might indulge yourself in a gloating exultation.<br /><br />Liked this one, despite the ABS.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34459436093539979322013-08-06T17:49:32.849-04:002013-08-06T17:49:32.849-04:00Ryan is now officially famous. See whether he ever...Ryan is now officially famous. See whether he ever asks another question.<br /><br />Really enjoyed this puzzle while enjoying two Taco Time crispy beef tacos and a Corona. @CiS, the poor Easterners don't know what they're missing.<br /><br />@Diri, the new acronym on the news is AQAP so they don't have to insult the Yemenis directly.<br /><br />capcha: miclate. Getting a really short pour at Starbucks?<br />Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5616761175828381172013-08-06T14:55:25.698-04:002013-08-06T14:55:25.698-04:00I thought I had CHALKed up my second error-free, w...I thought I had CHALKed up my second error-free, write-over-free grid in as many days only to come here and learn RoVEN is not a word.<br /><br />Having YEMENENEMY in the grid was a little unsettling in view of the world-wide terror alert attributed to activities originating there.<br /><br />@spacecfraft - you missed the singular version at ABner.<br /><br />@CiS - no, there is no other way to boat, but VUI would explain a lot.<br /><br />@D DMG DMGrandma - were you inspired by the "production line" puzzle of a couple of days ago?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66867188544901956072013-08-06T14:02:32.068-04:002013-08-06T14:02:32.068-04:00Here in seattle they're cracking down on BUI -...Here in seattle they're cracking down on BUI -boating under the influence (is there any other way to boat?) When I heard this on the radio, I thought they said "voting under the influence" or VUI. I said to myself "hooboy, they're really watching us now!Connie in Seattlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34548334958500973832013-08-06T13:39:34.082-04:002013-08-06T13:39:34.082-04:00There seems to be some kind of strange echo in her...There seems to be some kind of strange echo in here!!!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28789338314822201882013-08-06T13:36:18.036-04:002013-08-06T13:36:18.036-04:00Enjoyed the anagrams! Thought Mr. Morales name was...Enjoyed the anagrams! Thought Mr. Morales name was EASu, which made ISRAEL hard to see, but otherwise no problem. Agree with just about everything everyone said, including the fact that for sidewalk writing, CHALK is a tool not an aid.<br /><br />Captcha sounds like an airport direction: gateven 64DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8267082783752808642013-08-06T13:34:19.358-04:002013-08-06T13:34:19.358-04:00Enjoyed the anagrams! Thought Mr. Morales name was...Enjoyed the anagrams! Thought Mr. Morales name was EASu, which made ISRAEL hard to see, but otherwise no problem. Agree with just about everything everyone said, including the fact that for sidewalk writing, CHALK is a tool not an aid.<br /><br />Captcha sounds like an airport direction: gateven 64Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16701357087918599592013-08-06T12:59:18.542-04:002013-08-06T12:59:18.542-04:00Three days in a row! ABSolutely ABSurd. If it cont...Three days in a row! ABSolutely ABSurd. If it continues, I may have to ABStain, and be ABSent--it's just too much to ABSorb! Maybe I'll just swallow some ABSinthe to cure the ABScess in my brain and forget the whole thing.<br /><br />I tried to make up an anagram for my country, but UNITED STATES NEAT STUDIES is meh at best. SITUATED NEST isn't much better. Oh well.<br /><br />Today's puzzle was fine, theme was fine, fill fine...you get the idea. I parsed 45a differently, having ___DEAR already down. YES DEAR, that staple of all successful SAYIDOs, doesn't work for the clue. I finally grokked that 45d "Circus man" was looking for a NAME. After BAILEY went in the BEA fell into place; I thought it was Mr. Arthur asking for something.<br /><br />Well, @Ryan, I bet you got a whole lot more input than you'd ever have guessed. As you've seen, the great thing about this blog is that you make your own standards--and those standards can evolve over time. It's your party, and you can Bing if you want to, Bing if you want to...Anyway, welcome!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43299127081734510742013-07-03T01:35:18.444-04:002013-07-03T01:35:18.444-04:00This 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 5:45, 6:12, 0.93, 16%, Easy<br />Tue 7:59, 8:19, 0.96, 37%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:31, 3:49, 0.92, 13%, Easy<br />Tue 5:01, 5:00, 1.01, 53%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37622244127958207442013-07-03T00:57:20.296-04:002013-07-03T00:57:20.296-04:00@RobC
I love when a puzzle inspires others!
SO on ...@RobC<br />I love when a puzzle inspires others!<br />SO on that level, total success!<br /><br />Too bad things are a bit too long bec <br />CROATIAN RAINCOAT 16 and <br />ARGENTINE TANGERINE 18 are rather swell!<br /><br />Puzzle was nice, the anagrams were nontortured, sophisticated and kept to one part of the world...<br /><br />That ARAFAT ISRAEL crossing was brilliant!Angola Coal(a) Moussesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30645339375124472492013-07-02T20:31:38.451-04:002013-07-02T20:31:38.451-04:00Croatian raincoat
Eritrean retainer
...because I ...Croatian raincoat<br />Eritrean retainer<br /><br />...because I had toAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09567874862630285191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65654418280663272122013-07-02T18:37:05.424-04:002013-07-02T18:37:05.424-04:00FYI, the "we can do it" poster isn't...FYI, the "we can do it" poster isn't Rosie. The two only started to be associated with each other in the 80s.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31977545712351774612013-07-02T17:52:07.410-04:002013-07-02T17:52:07.410-04:00@dk: har@dk: harWinged Monkeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55142955721004536672013-07-02T17:46:49.675-04:002013-07-02T17:46:49.675-04:00@Ryan, Thanks. Lotsa posts. I now know where you e...@Ryan, Thanks. Lotsa posts. I now know where you eat, sleep and breathe. How are you liking those faux silk boxers you got from Patagonia a few years back?<br /><br />Solving. Get the NYT dead tree version (they need the money), solve the puzzle with a Stabilo fine point, make no mistakes, never look up anything and never, never view the clips posted by Rex or any of his winged monkeys.<br /><br />It is ok to complain about the robot test.dkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81934765485369001692013-07-02T17:19:57.492-04:002013-07-02T17:19:57.492-04:00I get the paper delivered and use whatever writing...I get the paper delivered and use whatever writing implement is handy. Sometimes I Google, sometimes I use M-W and sometimes I give up, like on Fridays and Saturdays. However, I always come here for the critique and comments. 0.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48533482203603699412013-07-02T16:59:23.115-04:002013-07-02T16:59:23.115-04:00Further thoughts from Anonymous 4:11 --
1B) Bla...Further thoughts from Anonymous 4:11 --<br /><br />1B) Black, of course.<br /><br />1D) I keep a couple of highlighters handy for themed crosswords; pink and green. For a fairly simple theme; pink only. For multi-layered theme answers; both highlighter colors.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55831985040493026352013-07-02T16:21:14.831-04:002013-07-02T16:21:14.831-04:00@Ryan -
1) Pen to paper with a cup of coffee. Non...@Ryan -<br /><br />1) Pen to paper with a cup of coffee. None of this digital crap (except coming here)(and no crap here)<br />2) I never look anything up. If I can't finish, which is rare, I simply come here.<br />3) How is asking good questions annoying?Namelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64622249825272578602013-07-02T16:11:22.120-04:002013-07-02T16:11:22.120-04:001) I save the Across Lite file and print for solv...1) I save the Across Lite file and print for solving.<br /><br />1A) Pen only. Sanford Uni-ball Deluxe, fine.<br /><br />1B) One write-over is easy. Two write-overs are pretty ugly. I (almost) never need a third.<br /><br />1C) Usually with a legal pad on a clipboard. I may make notes of things I want to look up later.<br /><br />2) If it's a tough one, as Friday and Saturday can sometimes be for me, I grind out absolutely every letter until a white flag is needed. The official solving ends when I solve the crossword or pack it in.<br /><br />2A) After I declare myself done with the crossword, that I've done all I can do, then and only then will look things up. (I loved DETERGE the other day. I got it, but it was cool check the etymology.)<br /><br />2B) Monday through Thursday I mostly finish: 7 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 - 20 minutes, 25 - 40 minutes.<br /><br />2C) Friday through Sunday I usually come close to finishing. I run about 1-in-3 or 1-in-2 for each of those days. Incorrect solves are usually just a very few letters, but I sometimes get blown out.<br /><br />2D) Friday: about an hour, maybe less, sometimes many hours. Saturday: something over an hour, hopefully under two hours, sometimes a couple of days. Sunday: an hour or hour-and-a-half. Sundays are easier, but the size means there are more nasty crosses.<br /><br />3) 1<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com