tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1911901049807605887..comments2024-03-28T14:37:12.109-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Major quinoa exporter / FRI 1-15-16 / Lincoln signed it into law in 1862 / I forbid to Caesar / Der Judenstaat movement / Rockaria band briefly Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43174168264449824012016-02-19T20:34:24.248-05:002016-02-19T20:34:24.248-05:00To somewhat clarify my earlier post-
There was a ...To somewhat clarify my earlier post-<br /><br />There was a growing demand from Britain for champagne with more finesse and less sugar. Perrier-Jouet decided not to sweeten his 1846 vintage prior to exporting to London. Queen Victoria served it. <br /><br />The designation BRUT champagne (came from the word BRUTAL, for being so dry) was created for the British in 1876.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Cathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46494354555311579452016-02-19T19:34:19.698-05:002016-02-19T19:34:19.698-05:00Berry punny - loved it.
Smiles around every corn...Berry punny - loved it. <br />Smiles around every corner as the answers became revealed. WENCESLAS was my first entry, and I knew by that this would be fun.<br /><br />Smooth going, except for my Natick at APENNINES/NEAP/NEOLATIN. I wanted kEeP for opposite of springs (as springs out of jail), don't know those mountains personally, tho I've been in them (sigh), and thot NEO was leading to some kind of specialized vocabulary.<br /><br />Close enuf on a Fri for me - thanks PB/WS!<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37506780760081785122016-02-19T16:02:57.597-05:002016-02-19T16:02:57.597-05:00Got almost half the way through and it was going s...Got almost half the way through and it was going so well that I forgot to see who the constructor was. Could probably have guessed. This is what a really good puz is like. Clever clues and answers that pay off. I did have a couple of quickly fixed write-overs at INMEMORyof and the mis-spelled FeiF.<br /><br />Carol king, gotta love that. I think we just recently celebrated Carole King’s birthday, no? Seems to me she was featured on The Current 89.3 as an 8:00AM musical history highlight. Stream it ONLINE.<br /><br />Might have gone with “disc” for HARROW. I know there are other kinds of HARROWs and maybe that’s a little too farmy for all the urbanites.<br /><br />Never read her stuff, but we’ll give RONA Jaffe a posthumous yeah baby today.<br /><br />I don’t know WATT more to say except this puz was a real PRIZE.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74452671777484415242016-02-19T15:48:29.509-05:002016-02-19T15:48:29.509-05:00@Masked and Anonymous - I just realized: every en...@Masked and Anonymous - I just realized: every entry in the grid has PB1 immunity!rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49514967536844913922016-02-19T15:45:48.017-05:002016-02-19T15:45:48.017-05:00Like @Spacey, I ToO wrote in 'one' for the...Like @Spacey, I ToO wrote in 'one' for the smallest prime, since it is the smallest number divisible by itself and 1, redundant as that is. I almost had another w/o at SEC because with champagne, dry is brut, but of course that is four letters, and the crosses settled it inn any case.<br /><br />But, what a smooth puzzle which had a momentum all its own. Sure, easy, but if you get on Berry's wavelength (whatever that means), you can almost feel your pen being guided by him. <br /><br />Very enjoyable. Wonderful cluing.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18940200915792433472016-02-19T14:17:09.106-05:002016-02-19T14:17:09.106-05:00Friendly Friday.
This one played more like a nor...Friendly Friday.<br /><br /> This one played more like a normal Wednesday except for the NW, mainly because of the APENNINES and NEOLATIN entries.<br /><br />The longer entries generally went in early except for the cleverly clued ONLINEPOKER and LENSCOVER. "Eight-footer?" for SPIDER was a good one, too.<br /><br />I'm feeling well ENSCONCED, but not smug, for the weekend.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36038483325365691632016-02-19T13:46:38.716-05:002016-02-19T13:46:38.716-05:00Gotta love Patrick Berry.
Wanted series for SEASO...Gotta love Patrick Berry.<br /><br />Wanted series for SEASONS but FAVA corrected me.<br /><br />My husband is a sommelier so fun to see wine seller (wine cellar)<br />SEC is dry in French, brut is dry in English.<br /><br />Fun and satisfying:)<br /><br />Cathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17638189490144353092016-02-19T12:53:20.102-05:002016-02-19T12:53:20.102-05:00I finish a Friday Berry and, of course, it's c...I finish a Friday Berry and, of course, it's considered easy. One write over where I had to change UNpLuGS to UNCLOGS, which made the tough NW even tougher, even with EPEE and PERU in place.<br />SINISTER SLAWS made by my sisters-in-law.centralscrewtinizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03404913280254786506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64448561378037790562016-02-19T11:53:07.930-05:002016-02-19T11:53:07.930-05:00RONA & HELENS PRIZE
Take a SWIG of ALE INMEMO...RONA & HELENS PRIZE<br /><br />Take a SWIG of ALE INMEMORIAM of anyone<br />who RIDESOFF ENSCONCED SAFE in a hearse.<br />That’s what my TWO SISTERSINLAW have done,<br />I’m PLEASEd and ELATEd that it was LADIESFIRST.<br /><br />--- DEAN WENCESLAS HARROW<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63914447483026642552016-02-19T11:30:45.460-05:002016-02-19T11:30:45.460-05:00Well, I was in that camp of apparent ignorami who ...Well, I was in that camp of apparent ignorami who assumed (know what that does?) that ONE was the smallest prime. That ERRor left the NE in a mess, and last to finish. I might point out, though, that in the movie "Contact" the alien-sent progression of primes started with a single pulse. Do they know something we don't? Sagan's my idol; I'd hate to think that such a faux pas got by HIM.<br /><br />Were it not for that glitch, I'd have INKJETted my way through this in way shorter than Friday time. Some of the clues were appropriately tricky, but too many others just gave away the store. Yes, it's a 68-word themeless, but somehow it belongs to, say, Wednesday. I have a feeling only PB1 can do that!<br /><br />Absolutely loved the clue for WENCESLAS, because I absolutely love Carol(e) King. Too bad the WINE in 48-across' clue wasn't Chianti, creating a mini-theme (F-F-F-F-F!). But cab did make it a bit harder. To me a big gulp would be a SluG; very nearly inked it in off the G, but wisely held off. TWO was my only writeover; sorry for messing up a pristine grid, Patrick. A+.<br /> spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1593178874555817362016-02-19T11:05:12.182-05:002016-02-19T11:05:12.182-05:00Heck of a lot easier than Thursday's puz. Bang...Heck of a lot easier than Thursday's puz. Banged it right out.Torbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01813931192681953872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2327275535803252372016-01-16T14:49:13.295-05:002016-01-16T14:49:13.295-05:0036 D, RIDES OUT >> RIDES OFF36 D, RIDES OUT >> RIDES OFFBob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77871994807581694122016-01-16T12:23:41.900-05:002016-01-16T12:23:41.900-05:00@Metro...agreed...you need to know where to look f...@Metro...agreed...you need to know where to look for those genuine restaurants serving up real food.<br /><br />@ChuckM...great stories. But you poor lobsterman wound up lobsterless!<br /><br />@Aketi...didn't know kale would kill a Guinea pig...! It is a staple of Portuguese cooking...Caldo Verde, or green broth, is based on it. I suppose Guinea pigs were never a popular pet there.<br />On a walk through the Amazon jungle, our guide explained the process of taking toxic manioc to the point where it won't actually kill you when you eat it. Yes...it winds up tasting exactly like sawdust! I wondered...with all the bounty of the rain forest around you, would you stubbornly insist on trying yet another variation on eating this thing that just killed the last guy who ate it. And to learn that it has little nutritional value...even odder!<br /><br />@Alias Z...thanks for that list.<br /><br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3558241984508832372016-01-16T10:23:58.561-05:002016-01-16T10:23:58.561-05:00I'm glad this Friday was easy; it's the fi... I'm glad this Friday was easy; it's the first Friday I've ever completed. Hooray! John Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16047928764479969201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11208408275541542832016-01-16T09:52:06.875-05:002016-01-16T09:52:06.875-05:00Am considering a name-change to NeapfingerAm considering a name-change to NeapfingerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83260180911064984322016-01-15T23:21:11.053-05:002016-01-15T23:21:11.053-05:00I took about five hours to do this puzzle, if you ...I took about five hours to do this puzzle, if you count a three-hour nap.<br /><br />2D and 3D were just luck, as I had never heard of either.<br /><br />NEOLATIN and NEAP were the last two answers I wrote in that I actually understood. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56288302225319843552016-01-15T23:04:06.669-05:002016-01-15T23:04:06.669-05:00MetroGnome
Love that name!!!
You said "How in...MetroGnome<br />Love that name!!!<br />You said "How in the world is a "cab supplier" a WINE SELLER? (Have Ernest and Julio gone into the taxi business, or is this some kind of ultra-hipster/obscure Uber reference)?"<br />A cab can be a type of wine - cabernet - thus a cabernet seller sells wine. <br />Hope I'm not the 33rd person to post this.<br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting of Crosswords <br />Diana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38778144808839709332016-01-15T22:59:00.084-05:002016-01-15T22:59:00.084-05:00@Egri Bukaver, Czech your spelling.
re IN MEMORIA...@Egri Bukaver, Czech your spelling.<br /><br />re IN MEMORIAM<br />Saddening to read even the abbreviated list of of who all we've already lost in the first weeks of this year. I used to watch the end-of-year TV segments that catalogued (ever so briefly) the notable persons who'd passed in the previous 12 months. I'm sure the most common reaction is to wonder how the world can replace such people. On a more upbeat note, today an INLAW to the family underwent some extensive surgery after a few days that were definitely touch-and-go. It was never said explicitly, but everyone knew the outcome was uncertain, so it was a relief that touch-and-go turned into touch-and-stay. Day 1 and counting, but it's always good to know Someone has our Bax.<br /><br />Thanks to Patrick Berry who got us to third base today with a PRETERnaturally fine puzzle, and to all my FAVArite commenters and ONLINEjOKERs.<br />Eszencianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78131370124944154162016-01-15T20:43:18.450-05:002016-01-15T20:43:18.450-05:00@jberg...@Z....I hang my pads in shame.@jberg...@Z....I hang my pads in shame.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79570447336825384302016-01-15T20:35:13.074-05:002016-01-15T20:35:13.074-05:00@Tita, I ate a lot of QUINOA in Peru in lots of li...@Tita, I ate a lot of QUINOA in Peru in lots of little pueblos that I randomly selected for a survey on.primary health care. It was definitely not considered gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, although it is fairly nutritious. Which is not something I can say about many of the developing area state foods, Kale actually interferes with iodine absorption so if you are going trendy and eating it frequently you should eat seaweed to offset the negative effects. Do not feed it to a pet guinea pig; it will die. <br /><br />The most ridiculous trendy adoption of developing area staple foods is yucca (otherwise know as cassava or manioc) chips. There is absolutely no nutritional value in that staple. It is about the equivalent of earring sawdust. In the Congo it is a major staple because it is resistant to pests. In Central Africa there are two forms, sweet and bitter. The bitter form has to be soaked for days so it's not outright toxic and even after that it still interferes with iodine absorption. The worst thing I ever ate in my life was a fermented form of the bitter type that had been ground into a paste and wrapped in banana leaves until it formed the consistency of rubber baton served with canned spam. Just waiting for that to show up in a trendy restaurant in Manhattan. <br /><br />Been enjoying many of the comments here and the puzzles, but too busy to comment myself. Aketihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07059835429995060000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23754383792174557302016-01-15T18:11:23.884-05:002016-01-15T18:11:23.884-05:00I got SPIDER and RENAME but my son got the rest of...I got SPIDER and RENAME but my son got the rest of the middle. Had he not joined me - tag team and then side by side - I certainly would have struggled more. gifcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12612467417938884430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73171917640899709952016-01-15T17:48:03.774-05:002016-01-15T17:48:03.774-05:00@Teedmn, @old timer, I join you in loving "Go...@Teedmn, @old timer, I join you in loving "Good King Wenceslas." A friend hosts an annual carol sing for the neighborhood, with the group led by a lively maestro at the piano. For carols with multiple verses, he always asks, "Which stanzas?" so that there will be time for plenty of different carols. This year, when "Wenceslas" was requested, I couldn't resist interrupting with, "All of them - it's a story!" He graciously acceded and divided the group up into narrator, king and page, with all joining in at the end for the lovely "lesson." It was awesome :)Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51658247717887644132016-01-15T17:33:09.545-05:002016-01-15T17:33:09.545-05:00Thank you as always, @AliasZ for the great music y...Thank you as always, @AliasZ for the great music you point us to. In this case, a lovely piece by Arnold Bax, whose brother Clifford wrote many plays no longer performed, but many hymns, too. "Turn Back O Man" (1919) is the one I know best. Here's maybe the best verse:<br /><br />Earth might be fair, and all her folk be wise;<br />Age after age, their tragic empires rise,<br />Built while they dream, and in that dreaming weep.<br />Would man but wake from out his haunted sleep!<br />Earth might be fair and all her folk be wise.<br /><br />Geoff G., 1 is not a prime number. Just isn't, for reasons a math whiz could explain. The simple answer is that any prime must have only two divisors, itself and 1. 1 has only one divisor, 1. So the first prime number is TWO. <br /><br />Metrognome, a cab supplier, in this case, sells cabernet sauvignon. We winos know what a "cab" is: a red wine that can be elegant, but rarely tastes as good as a Zin. Unless you spend beaucoup bux.old timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69185255662679451472016-01-15T17:17:33.287-05:002016-01-15T17:17:33.287-05:00@Z (9:03) -- Great minds think alike and also miss...@Z (9:03) -- Great minds think alike and also misspell alike (see my 9:20 post.) It seems both of us were too proud to check the spelling of WENCESLAS and were negatively impacted in the exact same way. I also thought your padded back shout-out to @Gill was priceless.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66197496509652744422016-01-15T16:44:30.154-05:002016-01-15T16:44:30.154-05:00Sorry @Geoff: one is not prime, at least not in mo...Sorry @Geoff: one is not prime, at least not in modern mathematics. The multiplicative identity is excluded from the sequence of primes.<br /><br />It is simply meaningless to say N has factors N and one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com