tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1175613553629777172..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Aperitif with black currant liqueur / MON 5-29-17 / Counterparts of dahs / Tousled look of recently wokenRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78407617943151285562017-10-07T15:08:58.593-04:002017-10-07T15:08:58.593-04:00Did you know that you can shorten your links with ...Did you know that you can shorten your links with <b><a href="http://shortener.syntaxlinks.com/r/AdFly" rel="nofollow">AdFly</a></b> and <b>earn $$$ from every click on</b> your short links.Bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287821785570247118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40917159799068709612017-07-04T00:57:52.614-04:002017-07-04T00:57:52.614-04:00I'm with you, @Spacey - re the terminology whi...I'm with you, @Spacey - re the terminology which I grew up with which is now non-PC, as well as the difficulty rating of a puzzle based upon solving time. <br /><br />I have a friend who married a great woman who refers to herself as an Eskimo. She says that is a term that is used throughout the North except for the northern part of Alaska where Inuit or Inupiat (sp?) is used. Anyway, I think the term Eskimo means "wearing snowshoes". <br /><br />As to solving time, who gives a rat's ass? I KNOW if a puzzle is easy, medium or challenging without reference to my time, which I never monitor.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17144397997939162802017-07-03T23:00:14.663-04:002017-07-03T23:00:14.663-04:00Oh no--yet another indicator of The Age Of Taking ...Oh no--yet another indicator of The Age Of Taking Offense! Will this crap never end?spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76563053742106487832017-07-03T21:43:47.422-04:002017-07-03T21:43:47.422-04:00I recently returned from Alaska (middle of June, s...I recently returned from Alaska (middle of June, since I do the syndicated puzzle) where I was told the Inuit people consider the name "Eskimo" to be the equivalent of the N word to African-Americans. And evidently this has been widely known for years. It would seem the Times should have learned this at some point and nixed use of the word. Maybe Rex should have pointed this out?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74412218000265446172017-07-03T21:35:11.467-04:002017-07-03T21:35:11.467-04:00slow - not slaw
tho slaw is fine. especially wit...slow - not slaw<br /><br />tho slaw is fine. especially with Nova<br /><br />Lady DiDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61918183336608891382017-07-03T19:43:29.940-04:002017-07-03T19:43:29.940-04:00@Lefty - I almost always enjoy the puzzle, even if...@Lefty - I almost always enjoy the puzzle, even if parts of it are less than pleasing. Like a puzzle filled with arcane trivia - "King Solomon's wife's maiden name," or "The smallest river in the 4th largest state of Brazil." If there's too much of that and I give up, I'll look up some of the PPP, and then go back to solving the rest, even tho it's a dnf by then. I think @Lewis does that, too - just to get more practice in.<br /><br />@Spacey - I think you are right, along with those who see Jeff C's name and know a pan is coming. Well...time = challenging, Jeff = the pan. Double whammy today. Poor puzzle. Never had a chance. <br /><br />I've said before being a slave to speed solving is like eating a fine meal in 30 seconds - the Nathan Hot Dog eating contest way of solving. For me, enjoy = savor. <br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Slaw EatingDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50106230238954081452017-07-03T19:07:44.890-04:002017-07-03T19:07:44.890-04:00@D,LIW: OFL's ratings are correlated directly ...@D,LIW: OFL's ratings are correlated directly to his solving time; he is a slave to the stopwatch. They have ZERO to do with the puz's difficulty, and everything to do with the number of nanoseconds it took him to finish. There are times when I actually pity the man.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41679681519790745032017-07-03T14:57:21.363-04:002017-07-03T14:57:21.363-04:00#Lady Di: An extension of your "Enjoy the puz...#Lady Di: An extension of your "Enjoy the puzzle" rule: Use the opportunity to express your thoughts about it, even when you don't particularly enjoy it.<br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45163507309280255802017-07-03T14:25:04.896-04:002017-07-03T14:25:04.896-04:00When I saw that Jeff Chen was a co-constructor tod...When I saw that Jeff Chen was a co-constructor today, I felt more than justified in skipping @Rex's post. Judging from the comments, that was an eminently intelligent decision.<br /><br />I thought this was a fine Monday with a little more GRIT than usual. Plus, it has JONI Mitchell in there - Yay Canada. Btw, this weekend past was our national celebration of our 150th year as a country. Feeling Maple Leaf proud RITE now.<br /><br />I always hear/say MAIL IT IN. I remember having KIR when in France two years ago, in a delightful restaurant in Arles. No Champagne though.<br /><br />Decent start to the week.<br /><br />rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35137263260269380792017-07-03T13:58:51.464-04:002017-07-03T13:58:51.464-04:00Well I always heard, "Pony Express It In.&quo...Well I always heard, "Pony Express It In." Prior to that it was, "Slow Boat to China it In."<br /><br />@Spacey - next progression? Taken from the Love Actually sequel - "The jiffiest of jiffies!" As the line snakes down the street from Walgreens. <br /><br />Why I don't skip reading @Rex. I do learn some about constructing and solving. I anticipate his rants, and treat them as seriously as Lewis Black. Sometimes they are hilarious. Often, like today, they are mysterious. (Unless you believe, as many do, the Jeff C conspiracy theory.) <br /><br />But it still surprises me when I, a mere child of the puzzle world (solving daily for less than 3 years) think a puzzle is smooth and easy. And it gets a "challenging" rating! I mentioned to Mr. W how smart Monday puzzles make me feel. Oh yes, AKIMBO. KIR. UMBRA. SCYTHE. SPEX. EDITH ;-)<br /><br />Do you take your TEA with REESES? Or have an ALE with BARAK? Perhaps a KIR on MAUI? Mmmmm<br /><br />Confidently dropping in DRAKE, I shall know that name for all ETERNE. <br /><br />Rules of engagement? (from yesterday et al) Mine - "Enjoy the puzzle." And let the cat sit on your lap. Even tho he never answers my questions about the puzzle. That would be cheating.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29183155986208024572017-07-03T13:38:18.981-04:002017-07-03T13:38:18.981-04:00Monday challenging and (therefore) fun.
Neat orde...Monday challenging and (therefore) fun.<br /><br />Neat order for TIME periods.<br /><br />Notable clue-answers:<br /> Read "distinction" as "extinction", confusion followed.<br /> Had Ethel (Lucy's neighbor) before EDITH.<br /> SPEX, can't remember hearing this one before.<br /> Clever cross: GEISHA/KIR<br /><br />Special mention: <br /> UMBRA. Salem OR, where I live, is in the middle of the<br /> total solar eclipse due next month. Should be quite a<br /> spectacle. Side effect is expected to be tons of traffic<br /> and overcrowding in the area<br /><br />Notable Monday. Enjoyed it.<br /><br /><br /> <br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74783070421541463272017-07-03T12:19:50.032-04:002017-07-03T12:19:50.032-04:00Somewhat confusing! If you were born in WWI, you c...Somewhat confusing! If you were born in WWI, you could have figured this puzzle easy! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75096144737857409542017-07-03T11:34:07.741-04:002017-07-03T11:34:07.741-04:00Wow. OFL went out of his way to beat up this puz. ...Wow. OFL went out of his way to beat up this puz. Seemed OK to me with all those PRIMETIMEs. One w/o having started down with lOCARB; NOCARB seems near impossible to me.<br /><br />LOONEY Tunes cartoons were best in the Leon Schlesinger (who LISPED, BTW)era, before 1950, when they actually spent time on detailed backgrounds instead of the abstractions that followed. The correlation between that and the fast-moving 1950s was going to be a big American Studies thing for me, until I changed majors. Somehow, life got INTHEWAY.<br /><br />Don't care what Google says, MAILITIN is how I learned it. I think the phone version came later.<br /><br />I've got black currant berries on the bushes here at home, had to special order them as they were banned for many years on unfounded reasons. Probably will have them on cereal instead of making KIR.<br /><br />Songstress and yeah baby JONI Mitchell earns a REDLETTERDAY, unless you go with the BLONDE as clued.<br /><br />I thought this puz was OK, AMIRITE?<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82006632465675317392017-07-03T10:46:25.793-04:002017-07-03T10:46:25.793-04:00*"Wheat Belly" by William Davis, M.D. A ...*"Wheat Belly" by William Davis, M.D. A real eye-opener.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11917293330936659372017-07-03T10:11:21.248-04:002017-07-03T10:11:21.248-04:00To follow up re 9-down, OFL is right. There is no ...To follow up re 9-down, OFL is right. There is no "NOCARB" diet, nor could there be. Carbohydrates are essential for life; they are the body's fuel. Eat zero carbs and you will soon die. However a LOW-carb diet such as the Wheat Belly* Diet that I'm on is very healthful. I'm nearly sixty pounds lighter in half a BANNERYEAR, and have been able to cut down on blood pressure meds. LOCARB I would accept, but that would leave ELTIRE..."What a Spaniard would call that round thing in his trunk?"<br /><br />Theme is well-conceived and NEATly executed, with the TIME periods in descending order. What's next on our idiom list, "miracle minute," "sensational second," "perfect picosecond?" Most of the longer fill is also interesting--AMIRITE being the exception. It takes guts to let that one stand, though Ned Ryerson uttered it three times in rapid succession--separated by "or"s--on Groundhog DAY. Now THERE's a REDLETTERDAY if there ever was one.<br /><br />It's the shorter fill that chops this one down. I expect better of Mr. Chen; this was not his FINESTHOUR. And with all those male ducks and explorers out there, WHY do we have to have a rapper clue for DRAKE?<br /><br />JONI Mitchell is my DOD. Always been one of my favorites. We entered with one RBC (random broadcasting company) and exited with another. Oh no, there's one under that: the RRAP (random ridiculously awkward partial) GOA. Wow, what did you guys do with that beauty, MAILITIN? I don't want to take too much away from the good parts: par.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5056114441916515012017-07-03T10:07:41.838-04:002017-07-03T10:07:41.838-04:00ORALB NEAT
JANE and I had a REDLETTERDAY in a BAN...ORALB NEAT<br /><br />JANE and I had a REDLETTERDAY in a BANNERYEAR of dating,<br />BEDHEAD never got INTHEWAY for our FINESTHOUR of MATING.<br /><br />--- BARAK SENECA AKIMBOBurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12784636487216612152017-05-31T11:11:23.566-04:002017-05-31T11:11:23.566-04:00Thank you for calling out the awful RUB NOSES. Tha...Thank you for calling out the awful RUB NOSES. That's some racism right there.<br /><br />Loved AMIRITE, though it seems to have gotten on some people's nerves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3330525982481747002017-05-30T14:25:38.615-04:002017-05-30T14:25:38.615-04:00i wish Banner Year would have been clued something...i wish Banner Year would have been clued something like "John Bender's Christmas minus the profanity," but maybe that would have been to Breakfast Club-specific...Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04876983158225590317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90784221455370522292017-05-30T11:52:51.662-04:002017-05-30T11:52:51.662-04:00@BarbieBarbie - just now saw your Firesign Theater...@BarbieBarbie - just now saw your Firesign Theater response... so glad to read of another FT fan. The AKIMBO quote was from their second album (1969). Remember Ralph Spoilsport Motors in the City of Emphysema. The quote was "it was a jackal-headed woman with her eyes akimbo". There was also an infamous quote of Carrie on Sex and the City, when she said "We're looking for Aidan,ladies, eyes akimbo". Even though the word usually refers to "arms akimbo", the "eyes akimbo" refers to looking in all directions at once. (I hope you see this even though I am posting on Tuesday!)tazio35https://www.blogger.com/profile/06951593910806052204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2075829502320443732017-05-30T00:35:51.853-04:002017-05-30T00:35:51.853-04:00@Andrew H. - @Lauren and @jberg explained fully wh...@Andrew H. - @Lauren and @jberg explained fully why BANNER YEAR makes perfect sense.<br /><br />And no need to defend @Rex for not publishing puzzles at the NYT. He's had 7 published per Wordplay, his detractors don't know that and embarrass themselves each time they attack him. He announced here four years ago that he would no longer be submitting puzzles to the Times or he'd likely have many more. His reasons for no longer submitting seem obvious.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75580874338867788942017-05-30T00:16:43.558-04:002017-05-30T00:16:43.558-04:00Andrew H. is dim-witted but earnest. I'd hang ...Andrew H. is dim-witted but earnest. I'd hang out with him. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1484904150921195872017-05-29T23:56:45.001-04:002017-05-29T23:56:45.001-04:00@Andrew If you follow your logic, everyone should...@Andrew If you follow your logic, everyone should stop saying negative things about Trump as well as the "personal attacks on him are simply incomprehensible". Having said that, too many complaints seem to normalize or legitimize the blog writer in some way or other. Personal attacks on Jeff Chen or others who work with or at the NYT should never be included here. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28393256334967195242017-05-29T23:10:37.344-04:002017-05-29T23:10:37.344-04:00@Andrew Heinegg -- Calling a puzzle garbage, as Sh...@Andrew Heinegg -- Calling a puzzle garbage, as Sharp often does, is indeed reprehensible. Taking potshots at Chen's wordlist is equally so. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32553571236954552882017-05-29T21:14:27.930-04:002017-05-29T21:14:27.930-04:00I missed your comment until now, @Joe dePinto. @k...I missed your comment until now, @Joe dePinto. @kitshef's right -- it's very amusing. And speaking of kitshef -- reading <i>your</i> post gave me critter envy -- a malady I suffer from not infrequently when reading this blog. Sounds like a great weekend!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62071679065978972802017-05-29T21:04:37.331-04:002017-05-29T21:04:37.331-04:00Coward that I am, I am posting late enough so that...Coward that I am, I am posting late enough so that no one will notice. I am certain that the only thing Rex and I have in common is that we do not care for Mr. Chen's puzzles.<br /><br />That said, I don't see how red letter day and banner year can be defended. The no carb diet and Morse Code business seem at least debatable.<br /><br />The anger that the anti-Rex folks display in reaction to the reviews is well, puzzling, to me. And the people who challenge Rex to make up better crosswords than the ones he pans are missing the point. You don't have to be a world class chef to know bad food when you eat it. And, remember that there is no arguing with taste. He gives articulate and well thought out reasons for his opinions even if I don't agree with him a lot of the time. And, the personal attacks on him are simply incomprehensible. How does a thumbs down review make you some sort of reprehensible human being? Oh well. It's a sign of the times?Andrew Heinegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18101651673327984167noreply@blogger.com