tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post102499894901400515..comments2024-03-28T15:13:08.509-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SUNDAY, Mar. 11, 2007 - Eric BerlinRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70662003447588223232007-08-30T14:40:00.000-04:002007-08-30T14:40:00.000-04:00That PEE thing left me PEEved. I didn't know the ...That PEE thing left me PEEved. I didn't know the author READE and kept trying to use EMCEE instead of EPCOT. The September clue then became MBE which I still thought was evil. I didn't have STET or TRIODE yet and was forced to consider that Roseanne (RBARR) wrote a book. Overall it was a fun puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18601741685472653412007-03-22T01:06:00.000-04:002007-03-22T01:06:00.000-04:00Visited the Wright Brothers historical sites in Da...Visited the Wright Brothers historical sites in Dayton last year. Can't recall the context, but in one display Wilbur Wright's diary is quoted: "I love to scrap with Orv. Orv is a good scrapper."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28569736099384310842007-03-19T19:01:00.000-04:002007-03-19T19:01:00.000-04:00ERRATUM: "Entrenched resistance in that area force...ERRATUM: "Entrenched resistance in that area forced a retreat to the N/W,....."<BR/><BR/>(insert blushing smiley here)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30617047793938973732007-03-19T18:49:00.000-04:002007-03-19T18:49:00.000-04:00AAR - After Action ReportMy forces attacked the gr...AAR - After Action Report<BR/><BR/>My forces attacked the grid in the N/W sector and quickly took the north, advancing south and consolidating as we proceeded, we finally met heavy resistance along the 70/80 line. <BR/>SPECIAL FORCES paratroops were landed in the S/E sector to establish a rearguard action. Entrenched resistance in that area forced a retreat to the N/E, where spies Catherine ERBE and ELSA Lanchester (DISLOYAL to the defending puzzle)provided intelligence which allowed a thrust into the central sector, hooking up with the stalled army along the 70-80 line.<BR/><BR/>Once the forces were consolidated again, mop-ups of the S/E and S/W sectors were routine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87820027383740605022007-03-19T11:39:00.000-04:002007-03-19T11:39:00.000-04:00Oh, BTW, I must take issue with "Center of enterta...Oh, BTW, I must take issue with "Center of entertainment". The Magic Kingdom (Disney World) is an entertainment center. Epcot, while having entertaining elements, is, in my view, educational overall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34303827816244708652007-03-19T11:34:00.000-04:002007-03-19T11:34:00.000-04:00"Pee" for "Third of September"? Now that was just..."Pee" for "Third of September"? Now that was just a dirty trick.<BR/><BR/>When I first looked at the puzzle, it appeared pretty difficult, but once I got the upper left corner filled in, the rest just fell into place. I solved this one faster than any other in the past.<BR/><BR/>Practice makes perfest...erm, perfect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78754730081915648462007-03-19T06:51:00.000-04:002007-03-19T06:51:00.000-04:00I thought Oro meo must be something from an opera...I thought Oro meo must be something from an opera (blush). I don't know Italian, so it seemed plausible ("hear me?"), mostly because it was there. [I just entered "hear me" in Babel Fish, asked for English to Italian and got "Sentalo!"]<BR/>I came here and saw "O Romeo"...<BR/>O.<BR/>Silly me.<BR/>Speaking of conjugated verbs, the "Loire laugh" was an odd clue, because "ris" is conjugated, as in "laugh, clown." I guess I would expect quotes around the "laugh" to have that one make sense. The noun (and the infinitive) is "rire," which doesn't fit, so I wrote down "rit" until "stet" let that one fall.<BR/>Did anyone else start by wanting to write "what the moon is made of," then when that didn't fit, fill in "...made from?" That didn't last long, with "rondo" there...I'm more of a jazz musician. I've read rondos, but I don't necessarily know the forms. It makes sense, though, that a rondo would go round and round. I first thought a five-letter repetitive musical piece might be "fugue." <BR/>I loved your wife's shrugged-off answer who wrote "The Concord Hymn." I dunno, the--what is it, now? Oh yeah--sage of Concord? For a fleeting moment, I thought this might be a convoluted SST clue. But that would be Concorde...:]<BR/>Oh, I almost forgot...Skid Road is indeed a real place. For some reason, it's become Skid Row in common parlance. It's where they used to slide logs down into Puget Sound when Seattle was a town of wooden sidewalks and muddy streets. I believe the specific street that was referred to as "Skid Road" is what is now called Yesler Way, which heads towards Occidental Square...still a gathering place for poor lost souls who wrap their bottles in brown paper bags.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44876244607311277042007-03-14T08:47:00.000-04:002007-03-14T08:47:00.000-04:00P (pee) is the third letter in the word "September...P (pee) is the third letter in the word "September."<BR/><BR/>RPRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31053353847618350012007-03-13T23:16:00.000-04:002007-03-13T23:16:00.000-04:00Loved Andrea Martin on SCTV...she was hilarious on...Loved Andrea Martin on SCTV...she was hilarious on that show...she won a Tony for My Favorite Year...<BR/><BR/>Embarassed to say it...but I still don't get the Third of September/<BR/>pee joke/clue...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6709932940723796062007-03-12T07:14:00.000-04:002007-03-12T07:14:00.000-04:00Yes, of course I mean "blue" cheeses, which are of...Yes, of course I mean "blue" cheeses, which are often, literally, green (in parts). I didn't know there was actually a term for a different kind of (non-moon) cheese called "green cheese." Interesting.<BR/><BR/>RPRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16303213051946441022007-03-12T02:21:00.000-04:002007-03-12T02:21:00.000-04:00Don't have much comment on the puzzle since I'm on...Don't have much comment on the puzzle since I'm on the road for work and was extremely distracted and just did it in bits and pieces.<BR/><BR/>That said, I do agree that moldy cheese = good cheese. However, green cheese does not = moldy cheese. Moldy cheeses are blue cheeses, green cheese refers to the "new" meaning of green. In other words, cheeses that haven't been aged or aged only a very short period.Alex S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07543077687426776863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18418328760229829152007-03-11T21:42:00.000-04:002007-03-11T21:42:00.000-04:00Rex's mother's live-in man-friend ex-glassblower t...Rex's mother's live-in man-friend ex-glassblower type-person went to Europe in 1980 with a woman from Tanzania whose parents are from Goa.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56930072220206944122007-03-11T18:50:00.000-04:002007-03-11T18:50:00.000-04:00Thanks for the great review, Rex. Good to know my ...Thanks for the great review, Rex. Good to know my former Boston colleague is still playing the hell out of the viola.<BR/><BR/>FYI, from one who is extremely knowledgeable about music, Bela [look for his first name in puzzles] Bartok is one of the truly great 20th century composers. Nothing wrong with him as a favorite!<BR/><BR/>R. Kane - that information really is arcane! Never wouuld have guessed those nicknames.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29995861337725815622007-03-11T18:42:00.000-04:002007-03-11T18:42:00.000-04:00I've been to Goa--it's a lovely holiday spot in In...I've been to Goa--it's a lovely holiday spot in India teeming with backpackers from all over the world mingling with Indian tourists. It had a cameo as the sleepy beach town in the beginning of The Bourne Supremacy with Matt Damon and Franka Potente.<BR/>Growing up in the Eastbay, Swensen's was our ice cream haunt as well.Campesitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01852123189179333049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43488190017793052982007-03-11T18:31:00.000-04:002007-03-11T18:31:00.000-04:00In the Wright family, Wilbur was often referred to...In the Wright family, Wilbur was often referred to a "Ullam" and Orville was "Bubs." Their sister Katharine went by the nickname "Swes."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27093993720541248182007-03-11T16:36:00.000-04:002007-03-11T16:36:00.000-04:00Ms. Vi,The viola concerto was Hot (though, like al...Ms. Vi,<BR/><BR/>The viola concerto was Hot (though, like all Bartok with which I'm not yet familiar, kind of insane and angular-sounding at first). Roberto Diaz is very handsome and he played the hell out of the viola (I've never seen one played all virtuosically like that). Yes, high-octane: very energetic ... fast fast fingers. I have to say, though, about the sound of the viola - it feels slightly risky, listening to that much viola; while it can have very beautiful, rich sound, it frequently feels about a hair's breadth away from sounding like nails on a chalkboard. It's like a string instrument trapped in puberty (violins being eternally prepubescent, and cellos being actual grownups). Exciting, yet dicey.<BR/><BR/>Diaz wore tails - my wife thought his tux looked "dingy." I gave him a standing ovation, as did only about 30-50 others. Conversely, nearly everyone But me stood after the Dvorak (which I loved, but it wasn't quite standing O-worthy). Bartok is currently my favorite 20th-century composer. That may change as I become less ignorant.<BR/><BR/>Haydn 102 was delightful, though my wife thinks Haydn is blah; and Dvorak's 8th was Dvorak's 8th, i.e. Awesome. <BR/><BR/>RPRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57235965745723898002007-03-11T16:17:00.000-04:002007-03-11T16:17:00.000-04:00My money is on the ROC (4D), which could supposedl...My money is on the ROC (4D), which could supposedly fly off carrying a full-grown elephant!<BR/><BR/>This may be the first Sunday puzzle I solved by working my way from top to bottom without jumping around. Despite the way the clues referenced other clues from far-off regions, I just kept moving steadily downward...either this was an easier puzzle or practice is finally paying off.<BR/><BR/>No RONDOs (101D) in the Bartok viola concerto, but probably lots of FAs (118D). That is one high-octane piece. Rex, what did you think?!! Did you go to the concert?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2870560643525938942007-03-11T16:07:00.000-04:002007-03-11T16:07:00.000-04:00anne, i believe it is 'hot' if you need the next w...anne, i believe it is 'hot' if you need the next word, let me know.<BR/><BR/>that cross as well as some of row 6 (towards the left) and the G3-J4 region gave me trouble.asdfasfdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15476636744874268614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64648585400005398892007-03-11T14:41:00.000-04:002007-03-11T14:41:00.000-04:00TiVo, Swensen's, Round Table, Donkey Kong ... so m...TiVo, Swensen's, Round Table, Donkey Kong ... so much to love. I was elated when I found out that my friend Trish worked at Swensen's long ago, and thus was well aware of the greatest ice cream flavor ever, sticky chewy chocolate. My video game experience was in a smokey bowling alley. O, the quarters I spent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71301527887413494342007-03-11T14:29:00.000-04:002007-03-11T14:29:00.000-04:00Anne-No, but you should check Diary of a Crossword...Anne-<BR/><BR/>No, but you should check Diary of a Crossword Fiend's blog (in my sidebar). There may be info there.Rex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17618063262741959132007-03-11T14:20:00.000-04:002007-03-11T14:20:00.000-04:00do you do the "downstairs" puzzle? What follows T...do you do the "downstairs" puzzle? What follows Trojan in the shaded across section?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14686791662181201112007-03-11T14:18:00.000-04:002007-03-11T14:18:00.000-04:00anneanneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20666253899500960142007-03-11T13:47:00.000-04:002007-03-11T13:47:00.000-04:00DAMN I forgot to blog [Philosophical study of the ...DAMN I forgot to blog [Philosophical study of the universe]!!! COSMISM ticked me off a couple months back, but seeing it again ... it's like an old friend. And old, annoying, possibly drunk, but generally harmless friend. <BR/><BR/>And yes, Linda, HICS is cruel in its way. I was not offended because I just imagined that the clue was supposed to have [...in cartoons] appended to it. <BR/><BR/>RPRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28777454596430445502007-03-11T12:21:00.000-04:002007-03-11T12:21:00.000-04:00LOL at demanding to know who called Orville Wright...LOL at demanding to know who called Orville Wright ORV. I'm guessing his brother WILB. <BR/><BR/>Didn't know COSMISM was a word; thought it was Cosmology. My error for Not Overdone was yet another - MEDIUM. Ixnay on that. <BR/><BR/>I'm all for the blog having an official bird, and ERN is as good as any. Why not go the distance and have an official European river, tree, fruit, mascot, nut, insect, song ... it could be fun! Here in Ohio, we actually have an official state beverage, which, I kid you not, is tomato juice. No one knows why, either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91536207301104418202007-03-11T12:05:00.000-04:002007-03-11T12:05:00.000-04:00I knew I had everything right in the Carolinas (?)...I knew I had everything right in the Carolinas (?) but couldn't for the life of me understand how PEE was the answer for 89A. Even after I read what you wrote. Then it hit me. Duh...<BR/><BR/>Thought the puzzle was very clever. Enjoyed doing it and actually finished it on my own -- without help from you or Orange.<BR/><BR/>Unlike you, though, I didn't like the cluing for 76A (HICS). Work with the homeless long enough and you see things differently. For the record, they're not all drunks, although some are.Linda Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15816794362786044423noreply@blogger.com