tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post117987782874963628..comments2024-03-28T15:13:08.509-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Child actress Patten of Song of South / THU 4-25-13 / Spring on African grasslands / Trap in Penobscot Bay / Org meting out justice at Hague / Yukon XL maker for short / When said three times frequent line on Odd Couple / Primitive farming equipment / talks offerers of ideas worth spreading Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5951033406404119702013-05-30T18:34:08.710-04:002013-05-30T18:34:08.710-04:00@Syndi Solver - since you asked, the movie and tv ...@Syndi Solver - since you asked, the movie and tv series were based on a book and wiki tells us this about the author: "H. Richard Hornberger (February 1, 1924 – November 4, 1997) was an American writer and surgeon, born in Trenton, New Jersey, who wrote under the pseudonym Richard Hooker. His most famous work was his novel MASH (1968), based on his experiences during the Korean War and written in collaboration with W. C. Heinz. It was later used as the basis for a critically and commercially successful movie (1970) and television series (1972-1983)." Hornberger graduated from Bowdoin College which I suspect provided the basis for his Maine characters. Thanks for mentioning LTC Donald Penobscot - I had forgotten about him.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33943131670526153932013-05-30T17:17:22.617-04:002013-05-30T17:17:22.617-04:00@Dirigonzo, I did remember that there was a charac...@Dirigonzo, I did remember that there was a character with that name (Donald Penobscot, mostly unseen husband of Hot Lips) but not where Hawkeye was born.<br /><br />So, do you think one of the writers was from Penobscot Bay? :-)<br /><br />@DMGrandma, I enjoy your French Open updates. I've not yet watched last night's recording so I didn't know about the rain delay.Syndi Solvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7993147672506471622013-05-30T15:54:21.774-04:002013-05-30T15:54:21.774-04:00P.S. - You know who else grew up on Penobscot Bay?...P.S. - You know who else grew up on Penobscot Bay? Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H fame is from a (fictional) town on the opposite shore, CRABAPPLE Cove. I can't say I ever met him, though.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59625586330371119292013-05-30T15:50:35.510-04:002013-05-30T15:50:35.510-04:00Down to that one last unknown square, I put in a T...Down to that one last unknown square, I put in a T to make MISFI? Into a word I could recognize. Lo and behold, it was right! Now I just have to find out what a TED talk is! Over all, I found this one slow going at first, and then a word here or there, particulary COSMOS, clued the synapses (if that's the word I want) and things filled in. Had the HEM for HEe write over and had to change my menu from omElEt to CREPES, but that was about it. A good Thursday for me, even if I never saw the PRESTO mutation thing! Can't win 'em all!<br /><br />@Ginger. I see they are having real,problems slogging in the mud. Often wonder why important matches are scheduled where the weather is always a challenging factor. You'd think the skill required to play a top notch game would be enough!DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79709394536864370422013-05-30T14:55:09.664-04:002013-05-30T14:55:09.664-04:00I grew up on Penobscot Bay and I can assure you th...I grew up on Penobscot Bay and I can assure you there are lots of CRABAPPLE trees and even more LOBSTERPOTS. I would have loved the puzzle for that cross alone.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46653677868460111082013-05-30T14:19:53.419-04:002013-05-30T14:19:53.419-04:00Oops, I forgot to fill in a nickname on my last co...Oops, I forgot to fill in a nickname on my last comment. I posted the comment with the link to The Rabbit of Seville. <br /><br />I would log in but Blogger does not recognize any of the many online accounts that I already I have. And if I tried to create yet another one then that means one more password to memorize. I think that might make my brain explode.Syndi Solvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36179918109121905632013-05-30T14:15:56.858-04:002013-05-30T14:15:56.858-04:00I enjoy anagram puzzles so it's no surprise th...I enjoy anagram puzzles so it's no surprise that I liked this one. I wasn't sure about ONE HORSE PLOWS being a thing but it makes sense once I think about it (as opposed to plows pulled by a team). And it's neat that it's only letter shy of another PRESTO.<br /><br />Nothing more to add to what's already been said. Kudos to Jeffrey Wechsler for a fun puzzle!<br /><br />For those who have not seen a lot of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons I also recommend The Rabbit of Seville - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Htv1t6sUU" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Htv1t6sUU</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21961242733785570602013-05-30T13:07:45.503-04:002013-05-30T13:07:45.503-04:00Monte Halperin, OC, OM (born August 25, 1921), bet...Monte Halperin, OC, OM (born August 25, 1921), better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.Monte Halperinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79793610353386225082013-05-30T12:43:04.262-04:002013-05-30T12:43:04.262-04:00Do NOT understand the answer of MONTY for Hall of ...Do NOT understand the answer of MONTY for Hall of fame (23D). Could someone please explain???? I got it filled from crosses but it does make sense to me.<br /><br />I liked the puzzle but still DNF.NM Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14920756034993068695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53903431350194370512013-05-30T12:42:39.540-04:002013-05-30T12:42:39.540-04:00This puzzle just fell into my bandwidth. I guess ...This puzzle just fell into my bandwidth. I guess it is 'easy', because I finished it so quickly, but I also think it is relatively sparkling. Immediately getting 6 downs in the far north: CACHE, OSCAR, OLIO, IPOD, SINO, TED, I just more or less filled the rest in. When I got to PRESTOCHANGEO, I looked at the other theme answers and verified the anagrams, and was done! Only slowdown was the LUANA/MONTY cross, because I took awhile to accept the idea that Monty Hall is a person of "fame". Smooth and fun, for me.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55609655723372107292013-05-30T11:47:28.226-04:002013-05-30T11:47:28.226-04:00@Spacecraft - At 9:21, Bob Kerfuffle posted:
We s...@Spacecraft - At 9:21, Bob Kerfuffle posted:<br /><br />We shall have to modify the definition of "stalking horse" a bit from the accepted meaning, as that "ONE HORSE", today at 14 D, is clearly stalking @Rex!<br /><br />I would call that noting the bleedover.<br /><br />And those <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks" rel="nofollow">TED talks</a> are all the rage with the inter-lec-tual class.The Invisible Mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57471479940496252822013-05-30T11:23:54.570-04:002013-05-30T11:23:54.570-04:00Can't believe no one mentioned the huge ONEHOR...Can't believe no one mentioned the huge ONEHORSE bleedover.<br /><br />I rated this as "unknown strength" while searching for a way in, but after I found it with RAMP/ELLE/CALMLY--which also gave me the HER bonus in the middle--it came relatively easily. The SW quickly filled out, and when the CRABAPPLE fell out of its tree it gave me PRES...ah, the revealer! The B of 31d yielded LOBSTERPOT (makes me think of Oswald Cobblepot: The Penguin's real name), and that sealed the anagram nature of the theme. So, easy after the start; finding the start makes it, I guess, easy-medium.<br /><br />My 21a, "Haw's partner," is an inky mess. First it was GEE, as "right" is "left's" partner for ONEHORSE, then it changed to HEE, as Roy Clark is Buck Owens' partner, before finally PRESTOCHANGEOing into HEM. Whew!<br /><br />I liked this. The long downs have an old-time country feel: CRABAPPLE, ONEHORSEPLOW, FENCERAIL. A whole secondary theme, if you will. But oh, brother, what a clue for TED! I have absolutely no idea what that clue's talking about; just grateful that TED went in on crosses. Whatever the hell those "talks" are, wasn't there some other way to clue TED?<br /><br />Here's what the great word SAUNTERS conjures up in my mind: Hannibal Lecter, at the very end of "Silence of the Lambs," after begging off his phone conversation with Clarice by saying "I'm having a friend for dinner," [snicker!] SAUNTERing down some third-world street, comfy as you please. Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28311007559220115532013-04-26T22:23:44.403-04:002013-04-26T22:23:44.403-04:00@Carola - congratulations!1
Too late to the game....@Carola - congratulations!1<br /><br />Too late to the game. An OK Thursday. Liked all the clever clues/fill others have mentioned.<br /><br />There is a CASTILLO de Andrade in Puentedueme, Galicia, that my ancestors built.<br /><br />@Sparky - nice to see you hear, even if you are having a meh puzzle week.<br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19886190115474270052013-04-25T23:51:25.628-04:002013-04-25T23:51:25.628-04:00This 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 6:32, 6:14, 1.05, 78%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 8:15, 8:14, 1.00, 55%, Medium<br />Wed 9:26, 10:07, 0.93, 33%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 15:19, 16:58, 0.90, 30%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:55, 3:43, 1.05, 75%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 5:11, 4:49, 1.08, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 5:32, 5:59, 0.92, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 9:03, 9:56, 0.91, 29%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49133130944455862862013-04-25T23:07:52.392-04:002013-04-25T23:07:52.392-04:00the bugs bunny cartoon reminds me that when my bro...the bugs bunny cartoon reminds me that when my brother was a teen he was an incurable hooky player. but at the dinner table he would always surprise us by knowing sundry things such as opera and art masterpieces, we'd ask where did you learn that and he'd say...in a cartoon. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53619378486283037952013-04-25T20:50:48.281-04:002013-04-25T20:50:48.281-04:00Though I don't care for this type, it was easy...Though I don't care for this type, it was easy for Thurs., defined by me as only 2 Googles: WHATS OPERA DOC and LUANA. After that, one word led to another in a pleasant way.<br /><br />I'm old enough to know my 2 Googles, but just didn't.<br /><br />Wanted split RAIL for awhile. <br /><br />@DK - Interesting which animals figure in various religions. Cats are tops with Egyptians and devilish with Christians, who feature snakes and asses as talkative. In Uganda, the Christian became furious over the local Rascally Rabbit tales because the trickster wins out. Personification of animals can be a dangerous thing.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74192039275130746702013-04-25T20:10:21.075-04:002013-04-25T20:10:21.075-04:00@Carola - Congratulations on your Grand baby.
Agr...@Carola - Congratulations on your Grand baby.<br /><br />Agree on the easy-medium rating, even printed out a copy for my husband. He wanted wallys for 1D, didn't fit. Fell apart a little around the FIT/ICE/TED area, like others I had ate for 11D, that took a long time to sort out. <br /><br />Jeffrey was also today's LA Times constructor, another fun puzzle.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12936944140426764212013-04-25T18:01:14.742-04:002013-04-25T18:01:14.742-04:00Had trouble with MISFIT for troublemaker, Wrests a...Had trouble with MISFIT for troublemaker, Wrests at a62, and the EXAM and PLUM cross. Otherwise this Thursday lived up to its easy/medium characterization.LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17801296819653818022013-04-25T16:29:29.429-04:002013-04-25T16:29:29.429-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Thu 15:20, 16:58, 0.90, 30%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Thu 9:15, 9:56, 0.93, 33%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23299654089762258812013-04-25T16:28:51.728-04:002013-04-25T16:28:51.728-04:00@ bird, My T-shirt said Stupid too until I saw it ...@ bird, My T-shirt said Stupid too until I saw it wouldn't fit.Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03279414989390373057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58007360245932974392013-04-25T16:05:19.113-04:002013-04-25T16:05:19.113-04:00@retired_chemist - Very funny. SMALL is a much bet...@retired_chemist - Very funny. SMALL is a much better answer for 1D.Birdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19372722460488660182013-04-25T15:08:15.399-04:002013-04-25T15:08:15.399-04:00Hanukkah largesse generated GifT. This resulted in...Hanukkah largesse generated GifT. This resulted in Body Scans? being fEElS. Way better wrong answer than fEAR for PEAR.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22163783520251965912013-04-25T15:04:15.748-04:002013-04-25T15:04:15.748-04:00Atypical Thursday - theme is straightforward, has ...Atypical Thursday - theme is straightforward, has a reveal, no rebus. <br /><br />Agree - a good puzzle. Pretty much what everybody said. Wanted ACORN @ 1D (Squirrel's nuts), but it wasn't plural per the clue. Decided SMALL was not going to fly.<br /><br />Thanks,Mr. W.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40334332432698635332013-04-25T14:39:55.948-04:002013-04-25T14:39:55.948-04:00For CASTILLO my first thought was parador as we st...For CASTILLO my first thought was parador as we stayed at one in Spain, but it didn't fit. quilter1https://www.blogger.com/profile/09569747169212018177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27563499620300006002013-04-25T14:25:00.820-04:002013-04-25T14:25:00.820-04:00@Eric: That sounds sorta like a "Kill the Red...@Eric: That sounds sorta like a "Kill the Reddit" site.Magic Dudenoreply@blogger.com