tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post9074175468843830269..comments2024-03-28T16:50:50.953-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Host of a self-titled 1990s talk show / FRI 2-19-10 / "The Broken Tower" poet / Oregon Shakespeare Festival localeRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4905669804360919292010-03-26T22:05:39.861-04:002010-03-26T22:05:39.861-04:00@Anonymous - Read the comments, especially chefbea...@Anonymous - Read the comments, especially chefbea at 3:19 PM.<br /><br />To "off" someone is slang for killing said one. Hence an "offer" is a killer or a slayer.Ninja Warriornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63399534976947661052010-03-26T21:55:30.782-04:002010-03-26T21:55:30.782-04:00Maybe it's just late at night - but I cannot s...Maybe it's just late at night - but I cannot see how "Offer?" begets SLAYER.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50238502921540093902010-03-26T15:32:11.783-04:002010-03-26T15:32:11.783-04:00@JW - There's a period after the cents clue wh...@JW - There's a period after the cents clue which I think makes it an abbreviation for CENTURIES - comprised of YRS. (Years). <br /><br />Thanks @Wade for your CHALLENGING classification as this makes it the first Friday puzzle rated that difficult for which I didn't need Google. (Of course, @Rex would probably have made it an EASY-MEDIUM.) Off to do the WATUSI nonetheless.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29808535546081090302010-03-26T14:36:27.233-04:002010-03-26T14:36:27.233-04:00They make cents = YRS???
Ladies Day is very commo...They make cents = YRS???<br /><br />Ladies Day is very common in the golf world.JWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-156556530962782632010-03-26T13:42:07.159-04:002010-03-26T13:42:07.159-04:00That should by Tonys - have a pet peave about misp...That should by Tonys - have a pet peave about misplaced apostrophes [apostrophe's ;-)] so shame on meSingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74020439961855979332010-03-26T13:39:05.965-04:002010-03-26T13:39:05.965-04:00From syndiland:
Wow, what a slog. Took nearly an h...From syndiland:<br />Wow, what a slog. Took nearly an hour, and had three Googles to get there:<br />MADAME Sans-Gene, AMWAY Arena and HART CRANE. Had lots of write-overs: wit for WAG, errand boy for OFFICE BOY, CUNY for CCNY, praise for SALUTE, as to for ATTN, lady's nite for LADIES DAY, tinting for RINSING, paste for BASTE, lasso followed by riata for TIARA. Don't like JOE THE PLUMBER as exemplar for the middle class. I see him as representative of the worst of the blue collar set.<br /><br />My company requires us to use one space after periods, and our Word template is set up that way. I dislike it, but have slowly adapted to following that usage. I like it better the other way, though.<br /><br />Also, as an Oregonian, I like the shoutout to Ashland's Shakespeare Festival, which has received Tony's as best regional theater. Kudos to them.<br /><br />Captcha is "ughto" as in "ugh to single spacing after periods".Singernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19355896485719688552010-02-24T17:33:59.441-05:002010-02-24T17:33:59.441-05:00It's Wednesday and I just finished. With 2 mi...It's Wednesday and I just finished. With 2 mistakes. Enough said.Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12095638154676445402010-02-22T23:44:20.138-05:002010-02-22T23:44:20.138-05:00Great write-up, Wade! It really made me laugh! Tha...Great write-up, Wade! It really made me laugh! Thanks for the comments about Friday's puzzle. I apologize for not posting Friday. I was surprised Friday when I downloaded the puzzle and saw my byline. I thought I had somehow opened an Acrosslite file from a documents file on my laptop. I could hardly remember the puzzle. It was submitted in late 2008. Over half the clues had been changed. I decided to solve it, the better to meet all the "I hate you" comments, which were legion at the ACPT! With help from Merl, Marie and Bonnie, I was able to finish the puzzle in 25 minutes! My clue for OFFICEBOY? [Gender-based employee title]. My clue for JOETHEPLUMBER? [Unlikely celeb during the 2008 Obama-McCain debates]. My clue for SPEEDSTER? [Punt returner, often].<br />Vic<br />VicUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05447399856953037322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59508587483835470452010-02-20T00:40:43.822-05:002010-02-20T00:40:43.822-05:00@salo: I have to give credit to Merl Reagle, but &...@salo: I have to give credit to Merl Reagle, but "Noel Coward is no Oscar Wilde"! <br />It's too late to comment now, but I will try to remember and figure out my notes first thing tomorrow. This was another lovely day in puzzle land.....<br />Wish more of you were here. Wade, love your write-up, and as usual, love your music and pictures. <br /><br />Bob Kerfuffle and Shamik, please email me and we can get together tomorrow.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47094574802427269412010-02-20T00:02:37.796-05:002010-02-20T00:02:37.796-05:00@illegal-E, Thanks, I didn't see the newly mov...@illegal-E, Thanks, I didn't see the newly moved stuff on top. It is a bit dark. Otherwise it isn't so bad out here in the past.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54181552561749331282010-02-19T22:52:13.186-05:002010-02-19T22:52:13.186-05:00Oscar Wilde said he could resist everything but te...Oscar Wilde said he could resist everything but temptation. This came to mind as I was doing this puzzle and counted about 12 clues that I could use Google to answer. This is mildly annoying. I don't like to have to summon the discipline to resist the temptation to use Google.salonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87605407282973439512010-02-19T22:22:09.275-05:002010-02-19T22:22:09.275-05:00@illegal-E, just now finished the evening news-ent...@illegal-E, just now finished the evening news-entertainment (MSNBC guy here) and read the late posts. Ya *gotta* feel the love for double-space following terminal periods, eh? ;)<br /><br />p.s. at least get a fake ID, ok?lit.dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729199575329286046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27879841818410402622010-02-19T22:06:38.415-05:002010-02-19T22:06:38.415-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> 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 5:58, 6:54, 0.86, 16%, Easy<br />Tue 7:53, 8:42, 0.91, 25%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 11:03, 11:54, 0.93, 33%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 15:15, 19:28, 0.78, 9%, Easy<br />Fri 32:25, 26:13, 1.24, 93%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:16, 3:40, 0.89, 20%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 3:59, 4:27, 0.90, 22%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 5:43, 5:51, 0.98, 50%, Medium<br />Thu 6:44, 9:20, 0.72, 5%, Easy<br />Fri 17:06, 12:39, 1.35, 96%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68308248514206359742010-02-19T21:04:01.426-05:002010-02-19T21:04:01.426-05:00I just LOVE the Comments section. Information, op...I just LOVE the Comments section. Information, opinion, inflection, nuance, and just plain fun!<br /><br />thanks, guys!illegal-Enoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78545494166180334352010-02-19T20:23:32.871-05:002010-02-19T20:23:32.871-05:00@edith b for the armchair Crane. I only vaguely r...@edith b for the armchair Crane. I only vaguely remember Crane from college English. Interesting to hear of his fraught relationship with Eliot. I do want to read the Crane poem now!Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06707253125941238251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52354927552412219652010-02-19T20:13:15.095-05:002010-02-19T20:13:15.095-05:00I also learned to type in high school in the 60s a...I also learned to type in high school in the 60s and I just automatically double tap at the end of a sentence. I don't like things all jammed up, don't you know.Bill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85274544101657394312010-02-19T19:46:50.060-05:002010-02-19T19:46:50.060-05:00I insisted that 1A (male gopher) should be MANFRID...I insisted that 1A (male gopher) should be MANFRIDAY (a male girl Friday who is a gofer--get it?). 8D fit nicely as I also insisted that it's AONE and not ONEA. No wonder I was such a loser in the northwest.<br /><br />I too am old school--a two spacer at the end of sentences.babslesleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86790292350171546452010-02-19T18:05:01.365-05:002010-02-19T18:05:01.365-05:00@CommielBanker ... I don't think it's an e...@CommielBanker ... I don't think it's an error. FAQs always list both the questions and the answers. So the answers are only part of a FAQ. Tricky cluing perhaps, but within bounds for a Friday, imho.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59481422104880118292010-02-19T18:01:25.391-05:002010-02-19T18:01:25.391-05:00Great write-up, Wayne!
I'm glad I read the co...Great write-up, Wayne!<br /><br />I'm glad I read the comments about gofer/gopher before I griped here. I thought it was wrong; now I know better.<br /><br />This excellent puzzle took me three separate sessions, and I still ended up with an error: HLS/LaDame. I couldn't think what HLS meant. When I saw the answer, I couldn't think how HMS applied to Prince Chucklehead, until I realized that Prince of Wales is the name of a specific British Warship.<br /><br />Ashland was a gimme. My stepson lives there, and my wife and I have seen marvelous performances at the Shakespeare Festival.<br /><br />Hand up for slops on and hold on. I knew watusi, although I wouldn't have a clue on how to dance it.<br /><br />@Ulrich - great visual of the plumber's trap.<br /><br />I double-space at the ends of sentences.OldCarFuddnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22759762024574768542010-02-19T17:55:16.322-05:002010-02-19T17:55:16.322-05:00FAQ is "Frequently ASKED Questions"--the...FAQ is "Frequently ASKED Questions"--they're full of answers, but that's the whole thing, not a part. Pretty sure that's an error.CommieIBankerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00791255755097601962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41671667951928293182010-02-19T17:52:24.429-05:002010-02-19T17:52:24.429-05:00@jae : i also had BINS for BAYS, RIATA for TIARA, ...@jae : i also had BINS for BAYS, RIATA for TIARA, CUNY for CCNY, and HITMAN for SLAYER! i even chuckled after writing in hitman. haha.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03724123173450107615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14292683783074369752010-02-19T17:38:23.928-05:002010-02-19T17:38:23.928-05:00@ Two Ponies - Google translate says it's &quo...@ Two Ponies - Google translate says it's "Cool cartoons cartoon on kinozoune. E-mail without registering."retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41414280201769383062010-02-19T17:33:37.452-05:002010-02-19T17:33:37.452-05:00@ Wade, I really enjoyed your song and the film cl...@ Wade, I really enjoyed your song and the film clips.<br />What in the world is @tariely 1:23 pm saying? The letters are lovely but I'm afraid to click on the links.Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34380145557611139582010-02-19T17:04:44.308-05:002010-02-19T17:04:44.308-05:00@shred, Charles Bogle
I have read not only Chandl...@shred, Charles Bogle<br /><br />I have read not only Chandler's and Hammett's mysteries, but moth-eaten books about Bull-dog Drummond and Charlie Chan. (My granny had them; she is also the one who infected me with the crossword virus.) NObody said, "Tec." I think it's a trick.<br /><br />@Stan; lit.doc<br />Thanks for the link. I am glad to see that MLA gives us some leeway. I can tell you that my publisher did not give a darn, and since the text was put into PageMaker anyway, I think it may have been moot. I have the same take on the spacing as I do re prose in general--anything that impedes the reader's flow needs adjusting. <br /><br />@ellens365;Anony 4:43<br />I think Rex relocated the link to the syndicated puzzle; if you looked in the usual (old) spot, I understand the reaction! I used to be in SyndicationLand....<br /><br />proution-- a stuck-up ion?illegal-Enoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22389138793720999052010-02-19T16:43:41.271-05:002010-02-19T16:43:41.271-05:00It's...there. Right there, at the top of the s...It's...there. Right there, at the top of the screen. It says "Syndicated Puzzle".<br /><br />And if Rex hasn't had a chance to update the date, you can get there by, among other ways, hitting the [End] key on your keyboard and clicking [Newer Post]. One key, one click, one second.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com