tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1009401059223702453..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Turkic word for island / FRI 10-11-13 / 1960s civil rights leader Brown / Philosophy will clip angel's wings writer / 1998 hit from album Surfacing / Alternative to ZzzQuil / Old co with overlapping globes on its logoRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62427857837852188312022-06-07T15:16:56.646-04:002022-06-07T15:16:56.646-04:00@Unknown you've already identified your resear...@Unknown you've already identified your research problem: you went specifically to Turkish, rather than following the clued discrimination to Turkic languages. As various sources will verify, the word for "island" in <i>Turkic</i>, is, indeed ARAL. Try Google translate with Turkmen, rather than Turkish.<br /><br />I had a quick solve (for me) on this puzzle. Finding no reveal, I swept across the northern border, where the NW rolled over for belly-rubs, also giving up MEAT THERMOMETER and SETTLES ACCOUNTS (oops ... fixed much later). I very much enjoyed getting my mind whipped across disciplines and eras, even though there is too much garbage fill to justify the nice array of long answers.<br /><br />I finally stalled in the SE, in part because my edible was PEAS, rather than PIES, and I couldn't quite see how to get HEY___ to work with the intractable crosses.<br /><br />PLAY ME OR TRADE ME is perfectly valid. It comes from someone who is a second-stringer on an excellent team, but could be in the regular rotation on another, weaker team.Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38209703010774954162014-03-19T11:54:09.437-04:002014-03-19T11:54:09.437-04:00Having a crossword puzzle issue.
My grandpa gave m...Having a crossword puzzle issue.<br />My grandpa gave me the word reti, or re and ti as a crossword answer and asked that I find the word for word clue for this. The only clue he gave me was that it was two different words in the movie, Sound of Music – so naturally I go to the Do Re Mi song.<br />Chess is not the correct subject, nor the med terms.<br /><br />He gave me the first letter for each word in the clue, which is SNAABDTW -- but I cannot figure this out. Help!<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16445519189585914852013-11-16T17:01:47.093-05:002013-11-16T17:01:47.093-05:00@Vick G:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea@Vick G: <br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_SeaJenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2063736815533854272013-11-16T15:24:00.085-05:002013-11-16T15:24:00.085-05:00ARAL - you get the solve for free, from the down w...ARAL - you get the solve for free, from the down words. I could not find any translation of "island" to Turkish, except "ada"... not "aral". Nor does "aral" in Turkish translate to English. So, how did anybody get ARAL from only the clue?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07497284135356603197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16527138562891255582013-11-16T06:42:14.434-05:002013-11-16T06:42:14.434-05:00There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mi...There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,<br />He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked <b>stile.</b><br />He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse<br />And they all lived together in a little crooked house.Not Quite the Bardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57397933891602982992013-11-16T03:26:54.838-05:002013-11-16T03:26:54.838-05:00ECOLE for LYCEE. PEAS for PIES. Then when those ...ECOLE for LYCEE. PEAS for PIES. Then when those were fixed HEYPAL for HEYMAN. RATIO for PISAN. MANSE for MANOR. Never heard of STILE. It was a mess over there. Glad to see the average times.sdcheezhdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05457420125517948430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84661466515419359112013-11-15T20:10:56.430-05:002013-11-15T20:10:56.430-05:00@Cary in Boulder - you're overthinking the clu...@Cary in Boulder - you're overthinking the clue. ARE is simply the present tense of "were". Get it now?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59021546216353283132013-11-15T19:07:06.933-05:002013-11-15T19:07:06.933-05:00There's a very cool computer baseball simulati...There's a very cool computer baseball simulation game called Out of the Park Baseball. Periodically players on your team will make requests or demands of you (the manager). I was once playing a season from the '60s and Woody Held, the very definition of a benchwarmer and hitting about .150 at the time, gave me a "play me or trade me" ultimatum. I didn't play him, but I didn't trade him either, mainly because no other team wanted him.Cary in Bouldernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37316016077469052672013-11-15T18:58:47.329-05:002013-11-15T18:58:47.329-05:00Back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid in Baltimor...Back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid in Baltimore, there was a burger chain called GINO'S, owned by the great Colts' defensive end, Gino Marchetti. Nevah hoid of this other guy, but then I've been Out West for over 40 years. <br /><br />Personally thought the VEES clue was lame. Missed that Re, La and Ti are elements and could not name a Sara McLachlan song or CD if my life depended on it. Got TAXER but didn't like it. (I'm not a Tea Partyer just think it's a crappy word.)<br /><br />How, pray tell, does ARE equate to "were present"? Inquiring syndicatees want to know. Cary in Bouldernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60632178790511673822013-11-15T18:15:57.198-05:002013-11-15T18:15:57.198-05:00Fell into the PeaS/PIES bog, though I couldn't...Fell into the PeaS/PIES bog, though I couldn't remember ever hearing of a revolving stele. And, my 51A was a CoN(tainer), so I messed that corner up. Was surprised to find that HRAP/PEON was right. In all, I found this an awkward puzzle, and think @M and A was right- on about a lot of the clues being a bit iffy. and, no I didn't know ABBA, it was the only four letter group I can name! Sometimes it's jut luck! Or not, I just failed the robot test! One more try.DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27008613221593599672013-11-15T17:31:56.416-05:002013-11-15T17:31:56.416-05:00Second consecutive great puzzle, in my opinion. G...Second consecutive great puzzle, in my opinion. Got PLAYMEORTRADEME with a few croses and didn't think twice about it. Seems there is a 5-week TIMEGAP between the original and the sydicated puzzles...<br /><br />Agree with @syndy that I will solve my puzzles the way I want to, even if some "expert" says it's wrong. I'm not interested in reducing the TIMEGAP between my solve time and others'. So there!rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52460861985132423302013-11-15T17:12:58.532-05:002013-11-15T17:12:58.532-05:00Much easier than yesterday's thanks to the ver...Much easier than yesterday's thanks to the very obtainable 15s, and still a lot of fun. Which point gets me to a place where I must take dispute with our illustrious host, who wrote: "You can't really appreciate [Revolving feature] followed by [Revolving features?] unless you are someone who goes methodically through all the Acrosses and all the Downs in order (and if you're solving that way, You're Doing It Wrong)." Well, that is exactly how I do it (as do others, I noted in the comments) and I do it that way for the same reason OFL does not - It let's me read every clue, even ones that may already have been solved by crosses. To me, reading a clever clue or figuring out a tricky one is half the fun of doing the puzzle and as I said, I do the puzzle for fun, not speed. Yes, I noticed and appreciated the Revolving feature/Revolving features? and I'm glad I did. So if you asked me who is "doing it wrong" I would say those who go for speed over savoring the nuances of the clues during the solve. I tried solving on-line recently and the process practically forced me to solve the puzzle in sections - I hated it. Which is why, dear syndilanders, you will never be rid of me. (End of rant.)<br /> Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13007063712880886542013-11-15T12:14:02.832-05:002013-11-15T12:14:02.832-05:00It's difficult to imagine that the team's ...It's difficult to imagine that the team's reply to 27a wouldn't have the complainer in an airport within the week. And if he were Alex Smith he wouldn't have to say it; he knew damn well he'd be traded, because the team could get some meaningful talent in return. Personally? If I were gathering splinters? I'd keep my mouth shut as long as I was getting paid.<br /><br />[TV show is just ending]<br />SHE: What happens [is on] next?<br />HE: I dunno. Where's the remote?<br />SHE: Oh, no. Don't even go there. You had it last.<br />HE: No; don't you remember? You mistook it for the meat thermometer last night.<br />SHE: You're gonna bring that up again? Why don't you just sleep on that couch you're glued to, then? There, that settles the score.<br />HE: Hey, man, play me or trade me.<br /><br />AHH, ain't nothing like becoming a free agent.<br /><br />Oh yeah, I'm supposed to evaluate the puzz. Despite some almost frantic attempts to toughen this baby through cluing, I did it in fairly short order and with only a couple of writeovers--johnS was a reflex action off Papa that I knew was wrong as soon as I wrote it in; that chain is nationwide. And HEYyou was soon eliminated, too, else 67a would have to begin UE__. And if it turned out to be UEYS--what else could it be--I was determined to toss it in the wastecan on the spot.<br /><br />I agree that there must be some way to fix that horrible SW corner with all those consonants. Beyond that, we know that 15s beget junk fill; still there is some nice stuff going on: NOTARY ARMYSTRONG OXYGENATED. Interesting that the clue for SOXER, "Bobby's follower." is almost next to "Hockey Hall of Fame nickname." Get it? ORR should I give you a hint? The other -XER, TAXER is a bit less palatable. I can see "TIME GAP" as a clue for INTERVAL; in the reverse it looks awkward. Who says "TIME GAP?" <br /><br />spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30901189033917910782013-10-20T00:14:02.011-04:002013-10-20T00:14:02.011-04:00Loved this puzzle; finished 10/19/13. Ya know D ...Loved this puzzle; finished 10/19/13. Ya know D says always go through the across clues first, then the down clues , then the across clues again and so on. The discussion about how to do crosswords today was interesting.<br /><br />D and AAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84448325018426934682013-10-13T14:18:19.554-04:002013-10-13T14:18:19.554-04:00A benchwarmer is anyone who sits on the bench all ...A benchwarmer is anyone who sits on the bench all the time. Some are complacent, some might complain about being put in the game, or in this case, traded. It's a fine clue. It wouldn't have been necessary to change it to "underused athlete's cry."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13182463108379106912013-10-12T10:01:25.893-04:002013-10-12T10:01:25.893-04:00Thanks, JenCT. That occurred to me, but I thought ...Thanks, JenCT. That occurred to me, but I thought it was too lame. Goes to show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85385547283886172312013-10-12T05:24:50.936-04:002013-10-12T05:24:50.936-04:00@Anon. 1:36: CTN = carton@Anon. 1:36: CTN = cartonJenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8978247151931326472013-10-12T01:42:29.771-04:002013-10-12T01:42:29.771-04:00@flora 11:40 am
Better not to write out because bl...@flora 11:40 am<br />Better not to write out because blogs can then get flagged and shut down, regardless of context.Acmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86097383254160925552013-10-12T01:36:36.504-04:002013-10-12T01:36:36.504-04:00I still don't know what CTN (51A) means, even ...I still don't know what CTN (51A) means, even after reading above that "Whse." means warehouse. Can somebody please explain?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38790491599440764482013-10-12T00:02:27.440-04:002013-10-12T00:02:27.440-04:00Steve Young was the patron saint of benchwarmers.H...Steve Young was the patron saint of benchwarmers.He told the niners exactly that!...and Montana got the axe! If one is not a speed solver is consecutive solving a sin? For the first run??What if we wanna???Been doin' it longer than you been alive,works for me.sue me!syndyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16814698406887041710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5490724515715283002013-10-11T23:35:50.839-04:002013-10-11T23:35:50.839-04:00Not a huge fan of this puzzle's content, but e...Not a huge fan of this puzzle's content, but extremely grateful for the puzzle experience, meaning multiple points where I was ready to DNF but found a small path forward by looking at a clue from a different angle ("Hmm, what do I stick in a turkey?"). This made up for Thursday's fiasco, where the dots were begging me to connect them but I created a perfect storm of self-obfuscation. Thursday, in turn, was payback for breezing through Wednesday by virtue of my familiarity with the P.K. Dick oeuvre. So, CW karma about even for the week.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12886807955604621432013-10-11T23:05:19.782-04:002013-10-11T23:05:19.782-04:00While there is some support in the various online ...While there is some support in the various online dictionaries for the "worst player" interpretation, more common is the simple "reserve" or "substitute" definition for <a href="http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/benchwarmer" rel="nofollow">benchwarmer.</a> Of course, the <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=benchwarmer" rel="nofollow">Urban Dictionary definition</a> is the most colorful. I have heard it used in both ways, so was a bit surprised to find that all of the online references I looked at listed only one definition (except for the Urban Dictionary).Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17137138263975599652013-10-11T22:34:51.214-04:002013-10-11T22:34:51.214-04:00Agree about "Play me or trade me". A be...Agree about "Play me or trade me". A benchwarmer would suggest (not demand) "Put me in, coach." As in John Fogerty's Centerfield.Heathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02918985894902092032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36064010216408954162013-10-11T22:03:39.144-04:002013-10-11T22:03:39.144-04:00This 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 6:06, 6:07, 1.00, 47%, Medium<br />Tue 8:15, 8:15, 1.00, 51%, Medium<br />Wed 14:00, 9:44, 1.44, 98%, Challenging (4th highest ratio of 197 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 21:18, 16:44, 1.27, 86%, Challenging<br />Fri 24:10, 17:47, 1.36, 96%, Challenging (8th highest ratio of 198 Fridays)<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:44, 3:50, 0.97, 32%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:49, 5:10, 0.93, 23%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 7:23, 5:37, 1.31, 97%, Challenging (7th highest ratio of 197 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 12:48, 9:30, 1.35, 86%, Challenging<br />Fri 14:02, 10:07, 1.39, 94%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59457745439442826132013-10-11T21:51:37.878-04:002013-10-11T21:51:37.878-04:00Was not on the right wavelength for this one. Seve...Was not on the right wavelength for this one. Several misdirections - HEY YOU, ONTO (instead of KNEW), like @mathguy, wanting to get PUT ME IN COACH at 27A - and just not having anything flip on the little lightbulb over my head. The abundance of crap fill (as Rex noted) didn't help. <br /><br />(Crap fill including ENOTE. Nobody has written an ENOTE. Ever. People have written and sent uncountable scads of emails. Again, the only E word that should ever be allowed in a puzzle. Everything else is forced and fake and really needs to stop. It's not 1995 anymore.)<br /><br />Did not fall for the Papa John's trap. That's a national chain, so the Northeast reference in the clue clearly had to be pointing to something else. <br /><br />Agreed with Rex on the criticism of the benchwarmer clue. A benchwarmer is specifically a last-tier player. It's not synonymous with backup. (@JFC and @jberg are right that there can be other reasons to ride the bench, but an example like Alex Smith last year is distinctly different than a benchwarmer.) A benchwarmer is just happy to have a job, and while they'd like to play regularly, they're not likely to make such a demand. Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.com