tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1749128507885182151..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: British pop singer Lewis / TUE 9-21-21 / Subject of a famous 1937 disappearance / Onetime Supreme Court justice Charles ___ Hughes Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43060495663798777822021-10-26T17:51:17.341-04:002021-10-26T17:51:17.341-04:00Hey - I wish I could take four (or 5 or 6) phrases...Hey - I wish I could take four (or 5 or 6) phrases from some genre, put them in a puz, and create a crossword around them. I am still in awe of ANYONE who manages to construct one of these.<br /><br />And I did find the "legalese" mildly amusing. <br /><br />And I did not know GOBI, but managed to miss a dnf.<br /><br />yeah<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana, LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45835326967005406952021-10-26T15:27:22.317-04:002021-10-26T15:27:22.317-04:00The MAMBA, a deadly snake lying in wait, ready to ...The MAMBA, a deadly snake lying in wait, ready to MOVE TO STRIKE and kill the NORI / CRAY in the middle North. Egad!<br /><br />The theme is fine, but I REBUKE the NORI seaweed and the unhinged CRAY.leftcoasternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60918958167671331962021-10-26T14:08:59.178-04:002021-10-26T14:08:59.178-04:00ORGAN TEMPO
Neither LEONA NORI took ACTION TO MOV...ORGAN TEMPO<br /><br />Neither LEONA NORI took ACTION TO MOVE it inside,<br />NEED TO loosen the TIES or NICE SLO MOTIONDENIED.<br /><br />--- ALDO MESSIBurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63428800423862314382021-10-26T14:07:13.628-04:002021-10-26T14:07:13.628-04:00EDIT; editing not aditingEDIT; editing not aditingthefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52690612931361493762021-10-26T12:03:05.865-04:002021-10-26T12:03:05.865-04:00I practically could have signed my own name to OFC...I practically could have signed my own name to OFC's rant; in particular that convoluted, opaque, ridiculous clue for NEED. There's no NEED for all that on a Tuesday--and along with my ignorance of GOJI and ALDO, it very nearly caused a DNF. Yeah, I MOVETOSTRIKE that clue, for sure. The point that the constructor felt the NEED to pad his weakish theme was telling.<br /><br />There are plenty of DOD candidates--any of several ANNs, Linda EVANS--but today's sash must go to pioneer Amelia EARHART. Difficulty: well, easy until getting to that east area, then yikes! When the berry wasn't ACAI I was totally lost. For a Tuesday, why not edit it to GOBI, ALEE and BEE? Okay, maybe that pushes it back to Monday, but it's definitely too early in the week for GOJI.<br /><br />One point OFC didn't cover: There's both a MOVE and a MOTION. Those are a little too close for comfort, IMO. While I don't wish to discourage newbies, this fellow NEEDs to work on his game. Bogey.spacecrafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09125304293611865503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88623368229437141472021-10-26T10:16:51.731-04:002021-10-26T10:16:51.731-04:00This is a debut puzzle. Rex is spot on with his cr...This is a debut puzzle. Rex is spot on with his criticism but it should be aimed at the editor. It’s nice that Will Shortz is giving new constructors a shot, but he shouldn’t be giving the green light to just anything, at least without some surgical aditing beforehand.thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11542551839349919762021-09-22T13:19:57.320-04:002021-09-22T13:19:57.320-04:00DITTO!!DITTO!!Thane of 13thhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12812041598423836247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79675828193180346102021-09-21T22:42:00.327-04:002021-09-21T22:42:00.327-04:00for those who collect CD versions of olde LPs, you...for those who collect CD versions of olde LPs, you'll often encounter a 'bonus track' that's labelled something like, "radio play mono mix". generally, rolled off topend and highly compressed DR. what with the 'loudness war' going on in the current CD world, it's bizarre that the music business has so quickly destroyed the extended DR of the CD/SACD over olde LPs. guess most folks don't notice DR at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44342339960631043022021-09-21T21:15:37.338-04:002021-09-21T21:15:37.338-04:00@Villager (Anon 6:55) – Holy crap, good catch! I ...@Villager (Anon 6:55) – Holy crap, good catch! I totally missed that. "Werther" has a frequently recorded tenor aria. Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13053833109306345862021-09-21T21:00:30.904-04:002021-09-21T21:00:30.904-04:00@TTrimble:
• It wasn't a rebuke, I was respon...@TTrimble: <br />• It wasn't a rebuke, I was responding to @old timer who said he reacted favorably to the song when it came out.<br />• I'm not a producer or sound engineer. I studied music growing up, it was my college major, I play keyboard and sing. My career was in the copyright/legal end of the publishing side.<br />• "It sounded great on the radio" means exactly that. Some songs just do. I would in fact probably reserve the description for something whose component parts seem schlocky but the whole somehow works perfectly. After all, Beatles or Aretha Franklin songs sounded great on the radio, but it probably wouldn't occur to me to describe them that way.<br /> <br />Here's another example: "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies. Or Karen Carpenter's voice: tailor-made perfection for radio airplay. I'm sure I could come up with some examples outside of pure pop but I'm too tired right now. Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56426820040517306252021-09-21T20:58:01.055-04:002021-09-21T20:58:01.055-04:00Supplemental Security IncomeSupplemental Security Incomegiorgiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13817726756795353291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14344898691626901022021-09-21T18:55:06.472-04:002021-09-21T18:55:06.472-04:00Wait, the constructor is an opera singer?
Is anyo...Wait, the constructor is an opera singer?<br /><br />Is anyone aware that WERTHER is a moderately frequently performed opera by Massenet?<br /><br />Coincidence or not?<br /><br /><br /><br />Villager<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6976474895803549612021-09-21T18:51:21.962-04:002021-09-21T18:51:21.962-04:00Am I the only one in Rexworld who has heard Daniel...Am I the only one in Rexworld who has heard Daniel Okulitch in person? He sang Willy Wonka in the world premiere of Peter Ash's The Golden Ticket at Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 2010. I heard several dress rehearsals and 3 performances. He and the rest of the cast were quite wonderful. The opera, meh.pondienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67779707429577554792021-09-21T17:34:37.583-04:002021-09-21T17:34:37.583-04:00@Joe Dipinto 1:32 PM
Well, your knowledge and dep...@Joe Dipinto 1:32 PM<br /><br />Well, your knowledge and depth of appreciation of music surely dwarfs my own, which makes your comment feel almost like a REBUKE of my 8:59 AM, but "it sounded great on the radio" does prompt me to ask: what is/was your day job? I assume it is/was in music, but whether as a producer, performing musician, sound engineer, maybe some combination of the above, or something else altogether, it's hard for me to tell. <br /><br />I can certainly imagine someone with expertise in sound production making that sort of comment, no matter how schlocky I happen to find that particular song. Decades ago I was close friends with someone who is a renowned sound engineer in Richmond, VA, and you've just reminded me of things he might say, on a technical level. <br />TTrimblenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15955227619765930272021-09-21T17:02:05.685-04:002021-09-21T17:02:05.685-04:00Not sure if someone else already mentioned this......Not sure if someone else already mentioned this... but it looks like SNL came up with the Pro Bono joke first.<br /><br />https://youtu.be/ucqbKO4WPk4?t=347<br /><br />Somehow, that clip just came up in my algorithm today. Not sure if it knew the connection to today's puzzle or not!<br />Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10002584166029290450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42916052350041350742021-09-21T16:52:08.977-04:002021-09-21T16:52:08.977-04:00Wow! It's a good thing you can't really pu...Wow! It's a good thing you can't really punch someone in the face over the interweb. Why does the blog even have moderators? The bar is very very low.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65198245667238374102021-09-21T16:07:14.684-04:002021-09-21T16:07:14.684-04:00I assure you that I find Anon 11:06's hypothet...I assure you that I find Anon 11:06's hypothetical threat to my hypothesized threat towards GIO, which has already been proved impossible, well, not very threatening. As with so very, very much around here, Z has to step in and explain the very obvious. Gio had already said that they were a horrible singer, so my comment was moot to operatic singer related other than I don't like operatic singing. I used hyperbole to make a little joke. If Gio genuinely feels threatened I am apoplectic in my remorse, but I kind of doubt it.<br /><br />@Anon 2:46 Yes, yes I do feel embarrassed on your behalf for your previous comment re @Sloth. I feel embarrassed for you for your 2:46 comments also, and likely thousands of previous comments I would attribute to you but for your refusal to use a unique identifier for yourself. I have a suggestion to make about how you could resolve the shame for you actions you will likely one day feel for having wasted so very, very much of your time coming here and complaining about the people here, but it involves cliffs and that might be too outré these days, and we can't have that.<br /><br />@Jberg - I've listened to plenty of opera. I've been to enough top tier productions to understand why people love it so. I can see the beauty and majesty in it. I simply abhor it.Petenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32700413753068845872021-09-21T15:51:21.669-04:002021-09-21T15:51:21.669-04:00Welcome back @Poggius. It's been a long time....Welcome back @Poggius. It's been a long time. Where ya been?JC66https://www.blogger.com/profile/05324615675333287919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14263667965769054502021-09-21T15:41:55.535-04:002021-09-21T15:41:55.535-04:00the only Avengers I know or care about are Steed a...the only Avengers I know or care about are Steed and Mrs. Peel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55433153005621555732021-09-21T15:31:06.956-04:002021-09-21T15:31:06.956-04:00Wait. Charles Evans Hughes isn't the first sea...Wait. Charles Evans Hughes isn't the first search result when he searches for Charles Evans? <br />This Calls for a strongly worded letter to the Times.<br />Hold on. I just searched for Rex and Rex parker didn't come up first in my search results. It's almost as if the last name is critical. Who'd a thunk it?<br /><br />Even better. Aldo is theoretical because he's to him because he's never seen it personally. Using that logic, any town in, say, Spain that I never heard of would be theoretical. Wow. Just wow Rex. Get a hold of yourself. Take an epistemology class. Have another drink. But please, get help. that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58051801961630177822021-09-21T15:22:40.598-04:002021-09-21T15:22:40.598-04:00Yes, arch = primary in sense of "arch enemy&q...Yes, arch = primary in sense of "arch enemy"--but also in sense of archbishop, etc. It's oOne of those words which have different meanings based on two entirely different roots (I think there's a name for this, but I don't know it.) *Arch* as an architectural term comes from a Latin word for *bow*, because of the curvature. Arch as in *primary* comes from the Greek word for ruler, archos. While typing this it hit me that *architecture* itself comes from the non-architectural meaning of *arch*. The architect is the "primary" or chief (archos) worker (or *tectos*).<br /><br />Anon. i.e. PoggiusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91552179863951994782021-09-21T15:04:52.165-04:002021-09-21T15:04:52.165-04:00Hi everybody, and welcome to @Alice Morgan. We got...Hi everybody, and welcome to @Alice Morgan. We got back from our trip to Wisconsin (61st HS reunion) just shy of midnight, so I've been busy deleting emails, and did the puzzle a little late. Nice to be home! (But the trip was great, too.)<br /><br />This was a bit of a letdown, because I looked at the first clue and thought that if the advocate was working gratis he would be "PRO BONO PRO BONO." That didn't quite fit, but I was hoping for something along those lines, and it turned out to be very different. I thought the theme was OK, though.<br />(@Jim Finder, the problem with the answer is that it is a legal term clued as a legal term; ideally it should be a legal term clued as something entirely different, like all the other theme answers. Didn't bother me, but I see Rex's point.)<br /><br />My maternal grandmother was very proud of her family history, belonged to the DAR (and insisted that my mother, who had no interest, take the qualifying documents with her when she moved out), and claimed descent from John Alden/Priscilla Mullins and many others including Charles EVANS Hughes. I was never convinced, but it helped remember his name. (In my own defense, my other set of grandparents both immigrated as children). <br /><br />I really didn't like starting with a clue that required not only knowing who the Avengers were, but who played what role in the fictional organization. But I got over it. What made the puzzle hard for me was that I kept being blocked by the theme answers, so I had to start over - as opposed to working from crosses -- several times. <br /><br />OCCAM/CAVE crossing -- missed opportunity to clue the latter with another philosopher.<br /><br />It's always been my opinion that people complaining that opera singing hurts their ears have never actually listened to opera singing, perhaps relying instead on deliberate parody by Margaret Dumont.<br /><br />Well, I've got lots to do, so I'll be moseying along.jberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169065390875378077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65300618656372016702021-09-21T14:50:55.412-04:002021-09-21T14:50:55.412-04:00Might be late on this (didn't read all the com...Might be late on this (didn't read all the comments)... <br /><br />"The fill is also last century" -- except Siri wasn't invented/introduced (especially as Alexa's rival) until 2011. <br /><br />"Understand the nature of your blog and craft it carefully rather than just saying 'close enough, who's going to notice?'<br /><br />Exactly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58644546817054721772021-09-21T14:48:52.895-04:002021-09-21T14:48:52.895-04:00Anyone else feel embarrassed for me when I say Fra...Anyone else feel embarrassed for me when I say Frantic Sloth's post wasn't my cuppa?<br /><br />I say Z is speaking for everyone. Doesn't that gall you? Seems to me the people of this board are more than capable of speaking for themselves. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73979552140024875562021-09-21T14:34:59.595-04:002021-09-21T14:34:59.595-04:00@Jim Finder – the issue isn't actually with PR...@Jim Finder – the issue isn't actually with PRO BONO, it's with ATTORNEY, which, as @Rex explains, has only one, legal, meaning, and can't be repurposed into anything significantly different for the clue. (@Frantic Sloth did point out that BONO the singer is pronounced differently than BONO the freebie lawyer, but I think that's neither here nor there for the theme's aim.) <br /><br />Anyway, I see Rex's point, but it really didn't bother me. You could also argue that the meaning of DENIED in themer #3 doesn't change; it means prevented or stifled in both clue and answer. Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.com