tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1121877958150145859..comments2024-03-28T20:26:11.908-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Queen Gertrude's alas in Hamlet / TUE 8-21-18 / South Asian mixed rice dish / MASH transport informally / Comedy rock duo featuring actor Jack Black / Self-important minor officialRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63467469480729974202018-09-25T16:18:41.031-04:002018-09-25T16:18:41.031-04:00Obvious typo above - carbon, not carvon. yeah
An...Obvious typo above - carbon, not carvon. yeah<br /><br />And double dnf - left the R out of the ERL/BIRYANI Natick.<br /><br />Lady DiDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43636004564746239172018-09-25T15:39:56.703-04:002018-09-25T15:39:56.703-04:00Getting the DARWIN letter-progression was fairly e...Getting the DARWIN letter-progression was fairly easy, but the SE corner was otherwise tough-going.<br /><br /> There, the BIRYANI/ERL cross was a classic Natick. Guessed wrong with an "L" instead of an "R".<br /><br />The overall puzzle? Not a Tuesday. A Wednesday or even a Friday, maybe?leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43551282728406984302018-09-25T15:30:00.836-04:002018-09-25T15:30:00.836-04:00Rainforest here with some blithe, bland, upbeat BS...Rainforest here with some blithe, bland, upbeat BS (not you @Burma Shave).<br /><br />I really got into this puzzle's "different" vibe and was having a great time until I ran into the ERL/BIRYANI cross. Funny because I have eaten many times in Indian/Thai/Vietnamese restaurants and do not remember ever seeing that item on a menu.<br />Thus, a DNF - rats. First in a while, I think.<br /><br />Nevertheless, I thought the theme was brilliant, culminating in one of my heroes, and including on centre stage with STEELY DAN, one of my favourite bands, if you can call a duo a band. <br /><br />I can't overlook eternal yeah baby/DOD Teri Garr (Canadian), and the immensely talented Jack Black, even though I've never heard of TENACIOUSD. <br /><br />I don't know what the NYT article said, but I'd just like to say I like this site for the many commenters whose insights I very much appreciate. Of course, if I went to Wordplay, I might actually know what I'm talking about.rainforestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15121469164022786402018-09-25T14:36:54.567-04:002018-09-25T14:36:54.567-04:00Sorry, @Spacey, but BCC (blind CARVON copy) has be...Sorry, @Spacey, but BCC (blind CARVON copy) has been around at least since I went to Katie Gibbs' secretarial school (for college grads!) in 1974. Not very techie at all. And yes - change the *&^% date from Sunday!!!!<br /><br />This puz 'twas tougher than the average Tuesday, but still fairly easy. Yes, I didn't know some of the PPP (or at least didn't recognize DA ALI G SHOW) and ended up with a dnf via my guess of TOSS vs. LOSS. well well - will hockey never cease to amaze...<br /><br />At least I'm over my snit from yesterday, when I wrangled (and sorta lost) with the car salesman from *&^%. Thought I'd be celebrating a new auto today, but 'twas not to be. O ME. <br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords, and a new carDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59785553242327791542018-09-25T13:15:41.371-04:002018-09-25T13:15:41.371-04:00PS - I just read on Jeff Chen's site that Andr...PS - I just read on Jeff Chen's site that Andrea Yañes teaches a course on evolution and this is her debut puzzle in the NYT. So kudos to Andrea for creating this evolutionary-themed puzzle.<br /><br />PPS - Did anyone do the Monday New Yorker xword yesterday? REALLY tough. DNF's because of the nasty (and unfair) NE corner. Those of you who tried it will know what I mean.thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48672956868767479312018-09-25T12:27:43.512-04:002018-09-25T12:27:43.512-04:00Yes, great catch by @LMS on BIG APE, which is wond...Yes, great catch by @LMS on BIG APE, which is wonderfully paired with CRANIA. Also grateful for the TENACIOUS D explanation. I wondered why it sounded 'in the language'. <br />I had DA ALI G SHOW at first, but changed the L to b, thinking a bOSS was some obscure NHL thing, even though the logic of an overtime loss getting some recognition point wise in a season made sense. So a DNF. <br />Really great Tuesday.centralscrewtinizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03404913280254786506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61209250520128634522018-09-25T11:18:45.208-04:002018-09-25T11:18:45.208-04:00A MIN. of 24 threes, many of them abbr.s, even som...A MIN. of 24 threes, many of them abbr.s, even some four letter abbr.s and pref.s. Yikes. All for a DARWIN word ladder. OK then.<br /><br />Multi platinum winner yeah baby TERI Garr makes an appearance.<br /><br />Did this in the dentist's waiting room. Which was worse? At least the puz had STELLYDAN and BOBBYDARIN.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88952379464653309602018-09-25T11:02:59.644-04:002018-09-25T11:02:59.644-04:00Wait . . . did TomAZ just call me "some blith...Wait . . . did TomAZ just call me "some blithe, bland, upbeat BS."?BS2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39011018572845555512018-09-25T10:56:45.759-04:002018-09-25T10:56:45.759-04:00STEELYDAN MEATS JON DARWIN ONA COPTER: WMD
DARNTO...STEELYDAN MEATS JON DARWIN ONA COPTER: WMD<br /><br />DARNTOOTIN' that BIGAPE's <br />COMBAT was on DAALIGSHOW:<br />he grabbed ONTO IRONMAN's cape, <br />then that TINGOD, ALLALONE, ATECROW.<br /><br />--- CAP'N SYL MIN-TAUR, SNL, CNN, NCAA & ACABurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20156439308549311172018-09-25T10:37:38.852-04:002018-09-25T10:37:38.852-04:00Yeah! I finished with no erasures. Yes OFL is righ...Yeah! I finished with no erasures. Yes OFL is right, some of the fill was a bit iffy but nonetheless I liked the overall solving experience. Maybe it's because I challenged myself and took the time to be extra careful so as not to commit any writeovers. <br />Is Rex saying the NYT owns Jeff Chen's blog (XWord Info)? If so, it doesn't stop Jeff from being critical/informative. Maybe not to Rex's level, but that would be hard and it doesn't make Jeff's site any less valid. Don't get me wrong, I like Rex - thorns and all. His prickliness used to bug me, but now I get it and I hope he doesn't tone it down - not even a bit. He should take it as a badge of honour the NYT took a swipe at him. Would he be happier if they were praising him? I think not. Let the others praise the machine. Keep on ragin' Rex.thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44985301519001125132018-09-25T10:37:22.586-04:002018-09-25T10:37:22.586-04:00DNF: DNEGOOTGDNW. That's "Didn't Even...DNF: DNEGOOTGDNW. That's "Didn't Even Get Out Of The God Damn NW."<br /><br />Of course, this non-techie had NO IDEA what 1-down could be. BCC?? What the hell is that, Buried Carbon Copy or something? Sheesh. I had ANTE and NYE; wanted PIE--which I'd like to throw at today's constructors--but couldn't make sense out of ___AP_ for "Galoot." Turns out it's BIGAPE. That's not a galoot, to me. I stopped following minor superheroes a few decades ago, so that was another unknown. Wanted [some kind of] YEAR off the Y of NYE, but what? I mean, to all but the 1%, the "hiatus" between high school and college is that summer. I have heard of the silver-spoon set taking "a year abroad" and all that, but what to call it? No clue.<br /><br />And this is TUESDAY, ferchrissake! Oh, by the way: to us Synders:<br /><br />IT'S STILL &%#@%^*& SUNDAY!!! WAKE UP...AGAIN!! HELLO? ANYBODY HOME?? CHANGE the (*&^% DAY ALREADY!!<br /><br />This rant isn't over. After looking at the solution, I saw that EVEN IF I could have made it out of the (&%#*() NW, I just would have DNF'ed further down the line. That comedy duo? Totally ungettable. And as for that Cohen guy, I'm actually PROUD that I don't know anything about him! How he EVER succeeded is one of the most confounding mysteries of our time.<br /><br />Seems I made a BIG error yesterday complaining about early-week puzzles being too easy. I'm sorry; I take it all back. Just please, don't put anything like this in front of me again.<br /><br />Oh, and P-L-E-A-S-E: CHANGE THE STUPID DATE!!! spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61255572395936052322018-08-22T19:49:57.467-04:002018-08-22T19:49:57.467-04:00BIRYANI? I eat in Indian restaurants all the time ...BIRYANI? I eat in Indian restaurants all the time and it's been on EVERY single menu I've seen. Space Is Deephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03799838582935195126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73244566242221516702018-08-22T18:31:37.968-04:002018-08-22T18:31:37.968-04:00I didn’t try, and care not what you think of his i...I didn’t try, and care not what you think of his intentions in any case. But it’s simply moronic to deny the distinction. When a film critic pans a movie, is she panning the filmmaker? Your refusal to think in anything other than reductive black and white terms is unfortunate. G. Weissmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15483493342708991292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33673725279025099482018-08-22T12:00:49.066-04:002018-08-22T12:00:49.066-04:00The gall of cluing "WMD" with "Iraq...The gall of cluing "WMD" with "Iraq War concern" in the New York Times of all places.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49009796567183156742018-08-22T11:30:12.081-04:002018-08-22T11:30:12.081-04:00I beat my all-time record on this puzzle (even inc...I beat my all-time record on this puzzle (even including Mondays)!! Solved it in 1:55!Alexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85765058277883733412018-08-22T09:11:31.138-04:002018-08-22T09:11:31.138-04:00The NYT is delivered to my apartment.
One day, ...<br />The NYT is delivered to my apartment. <br /><br />One day, being clueless, I searched via google for help & found "Rex Parker" <br /><br />Weeks later I noticed a link to this <br /><br />Months later I figured out how comments here are dated so early in the morning. <br /><br />It isn't until these comments & the NYT article appeared that I was aware of Wordplay. <br /><br />All this to say, although I may be Clueless, both "Rex" & this place to comment are fun. <br />Cluelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9432788998415122192018-08-22T02:15:41.824-04:002018-08-22T02:15:41.824-04:00I have more to add.
The NYT is full of critics. ...I have more to add.<br /><br />The NYT is full of critics. Movies, music, theater, arts, food, politics.. they praise and they pan as they see fit. But not in the rainbow happy land of their xword blog and comments. <br /><br />I think Rex pans too many puzzles. But at least he is taking them seriously, as do the commenters here. Better that than some blithe, bland, upbeat BS.TomAznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89018866317973681312018-08-22T01:54:40.071-04:002018-08-22T01:54:40.071-04:00I am very late to this party, Wednesday is already...I am very late to this party, Wednesday is already done. But I been bizzy.<br /><br />BIRYANI is wonderful, I have eaten it in its hometown of Hyderabad, it is delicious and everyone should have some before they die. I dropped it in without hesitation. But, it has no business being in the Tuesday puzzle -- this criticism is valid. (I never saw ERL cuz I got all the crosses).<br /><br />TENACIOUS D and DA ALI G SHOW also fell in instantly for me, but again, this is not Tuesday material.<br /><br />I finished in about 1.2 Rexes, which is probably a record for me. But it's mostly just wheelhouse luck.<br /><br />As for the NYT piece -- I do not recall anyone here ever personally criticizing a constructor. Despite what Anonymous @11:27 just above says, finding fault in someone's work is not at all the same thing as finding fault in someone. That's just bizarre.<br />TomAznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15797019422954770672018-08-22T01:54:33.981-04:002018-08-22T01:54:33.981-04:00This seemed easy to me. But then, I buy biryani ri...This seemed easy to me. But then, I buy biryani rice at Trader Joe's.Uke Xensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14925310033193507314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58752039003604360312018-08-21T23:27:10.267-04:002018-08-21T23:27:10.267-04:00G. Weissman ~ I make no distinction between direct...G. Weissman ~ I make no distinction between direct or indirect criticism. Rex criticizes a puzzle, therefore he is criticizing the constructor. He has every right to do so but don't try to minimize or rationalize his intentions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53719696424830806342018-08-21T21:49:17.722-04:002018-08-21T21:49:17.722-04:00Grey with an E for English spelling. Gray with an ...Grey with an E for English spelling. Gray with an A for American spelling.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08668904486644698708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76403888936296190922018-08-21T21:40:26.180-04:002018-08-21T21:40:26.180-04:00Maybe it's the nytimes piece making me feel li...Maybe it's the nytimes piece making me feel like I want to contribute to this forum, but I feel the need to share my perspective as a 33yo female. I can name you half a dozen Tenacious D songs and quote you Ali G, but I can name maybe 1 Steely Dan song or Bobby Darin song, neither being the songs that were clued. Also I remember the Das Erl Konig being taught in high school. The full in this was terrible, but Biryani was fine as a thing I'm familiar with. I finished in 7:41 which I think is about average for a Tuesday, so not a high level solver but probably halfway respectable.Elisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11665421896340330392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67266622017768246782018-08-21T18:45:58.969-04:002018-08-21T18:45:58.969-04:00I got most of the pop culture references, and stil...I got most of the pop culture references, and still found this hard. As for the Times article: “Focus on critiquing”? (1) Isn’t that the function of a free press? and (2) I’m an English professor. It’s what I do for a living.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08316379159031860155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18040967727039255082018-08-21T16:54:45.173-04:002018-08-21T16:54:45.173-04:00I never had a chance to GOGRAY. It all fell out to...I never had a chance to GOGRAY. It all fell out too fast. :-(<br /><br />Be still, my aching heart--@Serf of Crosswords says he/she NEVER HEARD of Bobby Darin. Ye Gods, am I THAT old?<br /><br />No one seems to have mentioned that Sasha Baron Cohen is on the front page of today's NYTIMES Arts section. "Da Ali G Show" is mentioned when the story continues on page four. <br /><br />@Roo Monster--"What an ARMHOLE answer." LOL! I laughed out loud.<br /><br />Hand up for never liking Steely Dan, except maybe for "Reelin' in the Years." Everything else seemed to me to be minor-key whining.<br /><br />Loved the puzzle. Congrats to the constructors.foxaronihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00085435659928443459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63777936222811885342018-08-21T16:45:11.129-04:002018-08-21T16:45:11.129-04:00XWordInfo is independent. Rex is a liar. He knows ...XWordInfo is independent. Rex is a liar. He knows full well that it is.<br />Sharp has a hair on his ass regarding The Times in general and Will Shortz in particular. It's his blog, he can rant and besmirch and lie to hs heart's content. Who's going to stop him?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com