tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post1940753874741710074..comments2024-03-29T11:24:03.304-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Japanese port / MON 6-4-12 / Richard Clarence Darrow defendant / 1960s-70s Ford Company model / Classic beauty who is not all there / Blue Grotto's island / River across French German borderRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28095739704826543942012-07-09T22:35:45.527-04:002012-07-09T22:35:45.527-04:00I completed the puzzle with minimum heartburn (exc...I completed the puzzle with minimum heartburn (except for the LAO/OTARU cross which I got right with a lucky guess), looked at the completed grid to find the theme and said, "Cool - planets", and it made me happy. But I'm a very simple minded kind of guy.<br /><br />I too would have liked to hear what ACME would have had to say about this Monday debut.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22089048292584213892012-07-09T20:59:12.416-04:002012-07-09T20:59:12.416-04:00Jumpin' Jupiters! Nice try @Spacecraft but the...Jumpin' Jupiters! Nice try @Spacecraft but the largest planet Jupiter is actually between Mars and Saturn.Uranus Galnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51806420392139105862012-07-09T20:33:49.929-04:002012-07-09T20:33:49.929-04:00Count me in with the someslack-cutters. OK, the to...Count me in with the someslack-cutters. OK, the top corners are pretty rough, with the Roman number and the unlikely pattern of 3 consonants/3 vowels/3 consonants in the NE, but after that it's not that bad. And I still wonder what is so horrible about "exceeding the maximum" of 78. I'm adding that to my "so what?" list, as in:<br /><br />It's a pangram. So what?<br /><br />It has "cheater" squares. So what?<br /><br />It has more than 78 words (GASP!) SO FRIGGIN WHAT??<br /><br />And BTW, for those who can't make sense of which planets were included: they are the four (excluding Earth) closest to the sun. This may not be among the ACMES of xwording, but neither is it the NADIR.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37913316065406758452012-07-09T17:00:05.090-04:002012-07-09T17:00:05.090-04:00Wow the cut and paste really fouled up my post. T...Wow the cut and paste really fouled up my post. The comment to Jan was last week, somehow it got spliced in here. Grandson just popped in, so no time to straighten things out. Hope I get an easy robot word!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75456042538280958922012-07-09T16:54:46.837-04:002012-07-09T16:54:46.837-04:00Don't be too hard on @JenCT: Thanks, know of ...Don't be too hard on @JenCT: Thanks, know of Kerouac, but haven't read any of hia work. puzzle style. I, and how many others, started with the early week puzzles and built up to completing (at least sometimes) late week stumpers? My starting days were long before Shortz, and I had another learning curve when he took over and discarded Maleska's esoterica for brand names and all the sports stuff. <br /><br />Use of WASAU (easily gotten from the acrosses), justifies my being pleased at seeing NOE Valley the other day-a place I actually knew.<br /><br />@Gil I. P.: Thanks for the trivia on Shrove Tuesday. Now I know why there was so much King Cake in New Orleans!DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88953347308290541882012-07-09T16:05:58.734-04:002012-07-09T16:05:58.734-04:00I like the clue for VENUSDEMILO, and while the res...I like the clue for VENUSDEMILO, and while the rest of the puzzle doesn't sizzle, I liked it better than our fearless leader. <br /><br />This past weekend has been wonderful here in the Pacific Northwest. Fifties at night and mid eighties afternoons. CAVU (clear and visibility unlimited). Wish we could export it east and give you all a break.<br /><br />Now I think I'll go have a TIA MARIA.Gingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64329886278530630782012-07-09T15:06:21.216-04:002012-07-09T15:06:21.216-04:00@foodie, a nice way to think of the degree differe...@foodie, a nice way to think of the degree difference in what most expect in the puzzles.<br /><br />I liked SARI crossing SITAR, and TSAR crossing SAAR, which are kind of homonyms, maybe. Also, NEPAL crossing ACMES. Alright, I'm searching. It was a BASIC puzzle, but didn't stick in my CRAW as much as it did Rex's.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7805164236960784452012-06-05T07:18:23.050-04:002012-06-05T07:18:23.050-04:00So Saturday was easy and this was medium? Nope, ev...So Saturday was easy and this was medium? Nope, even for a Monday this was easy. Nary a "slow down and come back to that one moment" and as such I had one of my rare sub-5:00 minute puzzles, which is about as fast as my fingers will solve a puzzle even when I know all the answers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42987356406905804172012-06-04T22:01:02.781-04:002012-06-04T22:01:02.781-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation. 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 6:39, 6:49, 0.97, 45%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:46, 3:40, 1.03, 66%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71981541876935549192012-06-04T21:30:08.515-04:002012-06-04T21:30:08.515-04:00I think Mondays are like hosting a casual party, w...I think Mondays are like hosting a casual party, while Saturday are like hosting a gala event. In the gala event, it's OK to see that there was a lot of effort taken, a lot of attention to detail, and a certain level of formality. But a very successful casual event takes just as much attention to detail, just as much anticipation of your guests every need, a sense of atmosphere and great food and drink. But the behind the scenes effort should not show-- it needs to feel effortless. Which, in a way, makes it harder to pull off. <br /><br />I would have loved to get Andrea's perspective on today's puzzle. Under her lighthearted funny commentary are often some very specific pointers to what has worked and what alternate strategy would have been helpful.foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79186307082560875802012-06-04T20:24:05.233-04:002012-06-04T20:24:05.233-04:00@ Martin - PCB is, technically, clued OK. IMO the ...@ Martin - PCB is, technically, clued OK. IMO the term refers to a class of compounds and as synthesized I am sure there is never any PCB in use that is even reasonably close to a single pure compound. No reason.<br /><br />So it is not to my taste but it wasn't misleading to the bulk of us.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39320064548631951972012-06-04T19:40:07.297-04:002012-06-04T19:40:07.297-04:00Dear Old Dad showed me a picture of VENUS DE MILO ...Dear Old Dad showed me a picture of VENUS DE MILO when I was a little kid and told me that's what I was going to look like if I didn't stop biting my nails. Parental abuse!chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69566225480433603802012-06-04T18:29:02.451-04:002012-06-04T18:29:02.451-04:00jae - Not to fear. I don't watch those other ...jae - Not to fear. I don't watch those other shows. As for Mad Men knowing in advance won't spoil the entertainment but I'll keep it in mind in the future for your sake and JenCT....<br /><br />JFCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46600844990728571542012-06-04T17:25:59.469-04:002012-06-04T17:25:59.469-04:00@Gill I.P. - thanks for the clarification re: El G...@Gill I.P. - thanks for the clarification re: El Greco...I should have remembered that he was from Crete.<br />Still, that clueing doesn't sit right with me, but maybe that is on purpose.Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5938391789458960302012-06-04T17:18:36.803-04:002012-06-04T17:18:36.803-04:00joho@1:11PM- Amen.joho@1:11PM- Amen.jackjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02699305265544975575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-152256256474483042012-06-04T17:09:46.344-04:002012-06-04T17:09:46.344-04:00@Evan -- Bird described my personal definition of ...@Evan -- Bird described my personal definition of DNF.<br /><br />@JFC -- Let me add to the pleas for no Mad Men or The Killing or The Simpsons or The Good Wife or The VEEP or Girls spoilers. I have a lot backed up on my DRV.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53299940368536049472012-06-04T16:40:01.579-04:002012-06-04T16:40:01.579-04:00Midday 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):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 6:25, 6:49, 0.94, 26%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:50, 3:40, 1.04, 74%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15108369930786361432012-06-04T16:01:07.510-04:002012-06-04T16:01:07.510-04:00@Gill I.P. - A little searching through Wikipedia ...@Gill I.P. - A little searching through Wikipedia sorted out my confusion. A 1945 short story by Maugham that I must have read 30 years ago (the summer I went through "everything" by Maugham and Saroyan) takes place on Capri and is called "The Lotus-Eater." It doesn't seem that Capri makes an appearance in the Odyssey. I don't remember the story but enough stuck for me to make the association.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9056138538512998112012-06-04T16:00:31.048-04:002012-06-04T16:00:31.048-04:00Whew, not really too much to add to the commentary...Whew, not really too much to add to the commentary!<br />Props to Rex for the picture of Mercury Morris, the great Dolphins running back.<br />Since Rex is such a football fan, he might remember that WAUSAU insurance used to advertise all the time during the football games.<br />Also, does anyone else remember Mr. Brady asking one of the kids (maybe Bobby) if he had something stuck in his CRAW?Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5997250863072857242012-06-04T15:18:59.017-04:002012-06-04T15:18:59.017-04:00Pierre says:
I'm just an amateur and thought t...Pierre says:<br />I'm just an amateur and thought this Monday easier than standard Mondays.<br /><br />I think some of you guys think too much. Perhaps it was to much mythology two days in a row?<br /><br />PierreUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14722370190640237803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10533960367287117682012-06-04T15:13:45.570-04:002012-06-04T15:13:45.570-04:00BEQ alert. Great Monday puzzle and a bonus 21 x 2...BEQ alert. Great Monday puzzle and a bonus 21 x 21 available...mitchsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37857979090101973882012-06-04T14:31:39.948-04:002012-06-04T14:31:39.948-04:00@Evan re DNF - I think you'll find that each p...@Evan re DNF - I think you'll find that each person has their own definition of DNF.<br /><br />My personal rulebook says that if I filled in all the answers and they are 100% correct and I used only my gray matter, I finished the puzzle.<br /><br />All other scenarios (blanks, errors, Google, Webster, etc.) = DNF.Birdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37194044331033685862012-06-04T14:10:15.030-04:002012-06-04T14:10:15.030-04:00Actually, erronious and erroneus are both erroneou...Actually, erronious and erroneus are both erroneous! Sorry...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89213129022824088952012-06-04T14:05:01.983-04:002012-06-04T14:05:01.983-04:00@anon 12:17
erronious is erroneus...@anon 12:17<br /><br />erronious is erroneus...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69043726805124287002012-06-04T13:42:24.418-04:002012-06-04T13:42:24.418-04:00Dateline: Gotham
Stop the presses! This just in. T...Dateline: Gotham<br />Stop the presses! This just in. The Monday puzzle isn't perfect.Cub Reporternoreply@blogger.com