tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2086262835255405161..comments2024-03-28T13:27:40.171-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Aesir ruler / WED 12-15-10 / Beethoven dedicatee / Start of incantation / Fifth-century canonized pope / Pesky arachnidRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45384451715599970582011-01-22T17:33:01.265-05:002011-01-22T17:33:01.265-05:00@Gil.I.Pollas
I am amazed that anyone would see a...@Gil.I.Pollas<br /><br />I am amazed that anyone would see a blog comment on Saturday regarding the Wednesday puzzle (from six week ago).<br /><br />By the way, it was my first post ever to this blog, but I just had to share the joke after all the hullabaloo about wei geht's.Byron in L.A.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43713440960585647382011-01-22T16:51:32.962-05:002011-01-22T16:51:32.962-05:00@Byron in LA
I live in Sacramento. Since I'm ...@Byron in LA<br />I live in Sacramento. Since I'm retired, I read @Rex every day. It is without a doubt my favorite blog. We need more syndicated commentators.<br />Your joke made me laugh. Wei indeed!GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30467974098435186672011-01-22T15:57:46.201-05:002011-01-22T15:57:46.201-05:00I am a syndicated solver who doesn't get aroun...I am a syndicated solver who doesn't get around to checking this blog on a daily basis, but enjoys it anyway.<br /><br />Re: Wei geht's<br /><br />This clue/answer brought to mind my dad's favorite joke (that I can remember) when I was a kid.<br /><br />My dad was in the Navy in WWII, and I think the joke was set in that timeframe, with food rationing, et.al.<br /><br />A German fellow comes into an American restaurant and says, "Wie geht's." (I never imagined the spelling when my dad told the joke.)<br /><br />The waiter replies, "Oh, wheat cakes."<br /><br />"Nein nein nein," says the German.<br /><br />"Nine!" says the waiter. "You'll be lucky if you get two!"Byron in L.A.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19580286895562136122011-01-20T02:58:41.051-05:002011-01-20T02:58:41.051-05:00Even later syndicated solver here. :-) It's al...Even later syndicated solver here. :-) It's almost Thursday here (11:49), though of course the local paper isn't delivered until about 5 a.m.<br /><br />Personally, I don't see what the problem is with WIE geht's, considering all the numerous clues that ask us to know various phrases and words in French. I thought it was a nice nod to those of us who are fluent in German. JEST PROTECTOR seemed a tad forced, but JEER LEADER made me smile. It put me in mind of Statler and Waldorf, which might have been a nice way to clue it.<br /><br />The one thing that really bothered me was 28-Down's "Back into a corner" used to clue TREE. That sense of treeing comes from hunting, when the dogs chase the prey up the tree. So when was the last time you went outside in some rural area and saw a tree in a corner?<br /><br />Other than that, I was reasonably satisfied with the puzzle. It didn't have the sense of relying on too much autofill, and some of the theme clues were clever.Nullifidianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207390447020990907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6900424219374010052011-01-20T02:01:00.323-05:002011-01-20T02:01:00.323-05:00Syndicated solver (late Wednesday 1/19/11).
Liked ...Syndicated solver (late Wednesday 1/19/11).<br />Liked the smattering of “old time” words: HARK, YEA, and although not clued as such KITH. (I know AMATOL was also clued “old” but just not so enamored of that word, nothing against it.) I learned something – using every cross – about Japanese writing (KANJI). I probably learned more that I wanted to about WIE geht’s but at least my (non-existent) German vocabulary has now increased. Thanks, Rex, for the “Fur Elise” clip – it was great background music while reading about German greetings and the cons & pros of pangrams.lodsfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82646137022435906952011-01-19T21:26:11.254-05:002011-01-19T21:26:11.254-05:00"Who Wears Short Shorts" was originally ..."Who Wears Short Shorts" was originally recorded by the Royal Teens in the late '50s. Check out this amazing video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OOTr04YTwE&feature=related<br /><br />The puzzle? I liked it, although I originally inked in JOCKFULOFNUTS which screwed up that region for a long time. Never noticed the pangram. But then again I only noticed the puns and not the J for CH exchange.<br /><br />Used to hear "wie gehts" all the time from my Yiddish-speaking granny. Of course, I didn't know how it was spelled until much later.<br /><br />I think "On the Beach" was the first post-apocalyptic novel I ever read. (Or maybe it was "Earth Abides"?) In those days it was certainly easy to believe that hard rain was gonna fall.Cary in Bouldernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72793069578334843662011-01-19T15:16:41.438-05:002011-01-19T15:16:41.438-05:00After long consideration of the pangram arguments,...After long consideration of the pangram arguments, I think I fall into the "why not" category. This puzzle doesn't seem (to me) to labor in service of the pangram, though with KITH and OOZE, I can see why it appears Lampkin was thinking this direction. So if W is just the final word to achieve it, then great; the clues seemed perfectly legit and enjoyable to me. I even said to my son, "hey, German clue today." (He being 5 years old was not bovvered.)<br /><br />That said, why not forget the pangram and go with JEEP/JIE? With China so much in the news today, why aren't we seeing more Chinese language clues (older sister; last ruler of Xia; street for Mao)? Make us Euromutts extend our vocabularies in a new direction!Timhttp://clerestory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68691007609723520512011-01-19T14:59:14.310-05:002011-01-19T14:59:14.310-05:00Coming to you on Jan. 19th - don't know if any...Coming to you on Jan. 19th - don't know if anyone will see this but, maybe?<br />I agree with @Rex when he references a forced letter in order to make a pangram. Having said that, I love pangrams!<br />@Chohn the Jumping Jehoshaphat - really, you make me laugh. I look forward to the ....GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21695891008804903872011-01-19T12:47:59.572-05:002011-01-19T12:47:59.572-05:00Syndicated paper solver.
Appreciate that Rex gets...Syndicated paper solver.<br /><br />Appreciate that Rex gets on this BRONC most every day and lets 'er buck, with the occasional inevitable spill. Fun little rodeo y'all got here.<br /><br />At what point does a FLOUNCE quit beguiling? "consistency" JANGE from "elegance" into a hobgoblin? a form like a pangram become pointlessly constraining and a junk magnet? YEA, YEA, YEA, I say that even though one hones his art to where he actually thinks in perfectly rhymed stanzas, like Lord Byron, YEA, that still<br /><br />"Long ere a third of his [years] passed by,<br />Worse than adversity the Childe befell:<br />He felt the fullness of SATIETY;<br />Then loathed he in his native land to dwell,<br />Which seemed to him more lone than Eremite's sad cell."<br /><br />Reckon he needed a mission.<br /><br />Gotcha (at least me) captcha: "imingi": how did they know that if they cracked my head open . . . . ?NotalwaysrightBillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16369519469138908162011-01-19T11:09:37.455-05:002011-01-19T11:09:37.455-05:00Uh, well, Rex kinda implied it with his first sent...Uh, well, Rex kinda implied it with his first sentence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23104560429521762122011-01-19T10:05:58.891-05:002011-01-19T10:05:58.891-05:00Surprised that no one mentioned that the 'j...Surprised that no one mentioned that the 'j' was a sub for 'ch' in 20,31,41,53 across.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55779820971029843062010-12-17T22:03:39.859-05:002010-12-17T22:03:39.859-05:00Actually came here to cringe at the two corner clu...Actually came here to cringe at the two corner clues. <br /><br />28D "Back into a corner" is not TREE. Treeing something is to eliminate its escape routes, but without actually capturing it. Cornering an ocelot is a deadly threat; treeing it is essentially a standoff.<br /><br />9A "Cornered" is not AT BAY. When someone is held at bay, he is held <i><b>out</b></i> of the action, not at the center of the action.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911901473993027184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25415495802467079392010-12-17T21:48:21.185-05:002010-12-17T21:48:21.185-05:00I learn something from every puzzle. Today my eyes...I learn something from every puzzle. Today my eyes were opened to a old old experience of mine. I was mid-teens, I had a pair of short shorts, I liked wearing them. (I'm a guy, not gay, just guy.) I would get taunted in the schoolground with chants of "We wear short shorts. We wear short shorts!" Didn't ken where that flak came from, but did understand it to be perjorative. Gave in and stopped wearing them to school. Apparently I had not been watching enough TV. Amazing what cultural context does. Also amazing the bite can stay with you as a person for so many decades. Amazing the community keeps this silliness in its craw too.<br /><br />I'm now doing old guy, not gay, just old guy. Still have a pair of short shorts. Love 'em. Thinking now about trying some NAIR, just to find some closure.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911901473993027184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-209054803913648702010-12-16T01:07:04.723-05:002010-12-16T01:07:04.723-05:00This puzzle really worked for me. Maybe because I ...This puzzle really worked for me. Maybe because I find something intrinsically funny about the J for CH exchange. Why? Who knows -- it's a voiced for an unvoiced consonant substitution. But D for T (while just as legitimate) wouldn't have been as comical.<br /><br />"On the Beach" was the first adult-themed film I was allowed to watch (at about age 12). My parents were worried about my losing sleep over the idea of nuclear apocalypse but it didn't really bother me -- I just thought it was profound. The images of a depopulated San Francisco were especially chilling.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12932753685063141352010-12-16T00:17:15.253-05:002010-12-16T00:17:15.253-05:00@Rube - OMG - I don't think so. I lived at W. ...@Rube - OMG - I don't think so. I lived at W. 116th in 1966-7 and forgot all about it. And the automat and the crazy person on Amsterdam. Thanx for the memories.<br /><br />Yes, Goth. You keep up with such things because you have a kid running a college radio station - at that college where Rex teaches. I decided of all the stuff I heard, I liked Ska.<br /><br />Gotta shovel now. Bad day - one car needed a battery and the other wasn't inspected.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-92001954537889956292010-12-15T23:28:57.026-05:002010-12-15T23:28:57.026-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 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 6:04, 6:55, 0.88, 8%, Easy<br />Tue 8:03, 8:55, 0.90, 24%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 12:37, 11:45, 1.07, 75%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:19, 3:41, 0.90, 10%, Easy<br />Tue 4:00, 4:35, 0.87, 9%, Easy<br />Wed 5:57, 5:46, 1.03, 64%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6268299947354097582010-12-15T22:55:40.902-05:002010-12-15T22:55:40.902-05:00@Sfingi & whoever that was with the unpronounc...@Sfingi & whoever that was with the unpronounceable name beginning with H, is the Chock Full 'o Nuts at 116th & Broadway still around?<br /><br />Also, @Sfingi, (to save a post), is that Marilyn Manson guy Goth? And how do you keep up with this sort of thing? I'm totally in the dark!Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15935970844274168442010-12-15T22:02:14.178-05:002010-12-15T22:02:14.178-05:00Paranoid? As Herr Kissinger said about Richard Nix...Paranoid? As Herr Kissinger said about Richard Nixon, even someone paranoid has real enemies. <br /><br />President Merkin Muffley: How is it possible for this thing to be triggered automatically and at the same time impossible to untrigger? <br />Dr. Strangelove: Mr. President, it is not only possible, it is essential. That is the whole idea of this machine, you know. Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy... the FEAR to attack. And so, because of the automated and irrevocable decision-making process which rules out human meddling, the Doomsday machine is terrifying and simple to understand... and completely credible and convincing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57246119225472339092010-12-15T21:55:47.720-05:002010-12-15T21:55:47.720-05:00And as for why I was interested in Vinland the Goo...And as for why I was interested in <i>Vinland the Good</i>, it was because of a 1991 Kim Stanley Robinson short story <i>Vinland the Dream</i>. I'd like to say "highly recommended" (because it's by KSR) but to be honest, I don't remember the story whatsoever. I guess I'll dig out my copy.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17261937643472791272010-12-15T21:42:35.772-05:002010-12-15T21:42:35.772-05:00@Mmorgan
OK, possible title:
Spare change for a J...@Mmorgan<br />OK, possible title: <br />Spare change for a J?<br /><br />(popular sign for panhandlers...or is that pot handlers?)<br /><br />(or for pan(gram) handlers?)<br /><br />Drei und owtacme namingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7533778150815790422010-12-15T21:33:47.472-05:002010-12-15T21:33:47.472-05:00@R_C, @HdG, @DT, I often have trouble determining ...@R_C, @HdG, @DT, I often have trouble determining the intent of some Off-the-Wall rants, Out-of-Left-Field Comments, or just plain inane statements on this blog. Usually I just assume these are in jest. Occassionally though, there are vituperous follow-ups that border on the paranoid. This WIE issue does not fall into the "Deep End" of Off-The-Wall remarks, but it does emphasize that some people, "Just can't take a joke". (Or are they just perpetuating the jest?)<br /><br />Re OORT cloud: for those who didn't like either the answer or the clue, for many of us science types, NOVA watchers, and Carl Sagan admirers, OORT was a gimme.Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54193658582354628782010-12-15T21:21:01.401-05:002010-12-15T21:21:01.401-05:00Wie Gehts! Last night I compared the puzzle to th...Wie Gehts! Last night I compared the puzzle to the Mona Lisa. I thought that was so absurd as to indicate a sense of humor, but Rex took it seriously. So, Herr Hermann should letter count his own German words. In fact, after reading the Gorski column on pangrams I say no comment should be longer than the Gettysburg Address, even if I violate my own rule....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32147897904134458892010-12-15T21:19:29.268-05:002010-12-15T21:19:29.268-05:00Took me a while and HTG once - for OORT. I suspect...Took me a while and HTG once - for OORT. I suspect Mr. OORT is a fine Dutch fellow, and his name is a variation on oord or ort, meaning place (n.).<br /><br />Had several write-overs. <br />JerK before JOCK (more of my opinion of sports),<br />multi before ETHNO, Plum before PUCE,zitti before PENNE,<br />and SHADE before SCENT, which was the answer going across. <br /><br />Learned KANJI (wanted Pinyin, but didn't fit) and AMATOL.<br />Couldn't fit "verily" in for YEA.<br /><br />"WIE gehts?" is very common in German - It's like saying "Que pasa?" To which Grampa's answer was, "Wie ein Ganz, aber nicht so wacklich." Like a goose but not as wobbly. I prefer to see all languages instead of French, with all their unpronounced, unnecessary letters, and their assumption that everyone should know French.<br /><br />@Rube - ChOCK FULL O NUTS is that heavenly coffee and is very much still around. I grabbed a couple cans with the twin towers for my litho collection before they changed the logo. <br />PROLE was possibly coined by George Orwell for proletariat in 1984.<br /><br />I think it's curious that we call certain genre NOIR (black)which the Italians call Giallo, meaning yellow. I believe their reference is to the color of the pulp paperbacks.<br /><br />The fill was pretty darn good. <br />I don't picture FLOUNCE as jerky, though.<br /><br />@DBlackwell - I didn't see that MIA HAM!<br /><br />Nor did I notice the pangram.<br /><br />@Emba - never ask when someone sells you a bargain. Instead, run.<br /><br />I was shocked when I thought the POPe was going to be referred to as the old man.<br /><br />I would have preferred CAPO clued as ____ di tutti capi, a nice Mafia clue.<br /><br />Great comments, everyone!Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40458914710613704532010-12-15T21:15:33.744-05:002010-12-15T21:15:33.744-05:00I found this puzzle difficult for a Wednesday puzz...I found this puzzle difficult for a Wednesday puzzle. I became hopelessly stuck with less than half the squares filled. But then I am just a long time puzzle solver who still finds the Wednesday puzzle sometimes challenging.jyp0625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36204733196383003732010-12-15T21:10:43.609-05:002010-12-15T21:10:43.609-05:00@Doubting Thomas
Yes, the more absurd the better, ...@Doubting Thomas<br />Yes, the more absurd the better, it's called a sense of humor! :)<br /><br />My football puzzle with Kent last Tuesday was apparently missing only a V, and the first thing I did was run to find the original to see if Will had changed something, or if there never was one to begin with!<br /><br />I'm not gonna say ;)andrea v-formation michaelsnoreply@blogger.com