tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2263369788460479812..comments2024-03-28T14:27:07.588-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Titular queen of Castile in a Handel opera / THU 5-19-16 / terminer criminal court / punny quip about perp's predicament / Turing test participant / Pollock painting unit / Bygone name in Chinese politics / Modern prefix with gender / One-named Grammy winner for American Boy 2008 / Daughter of Sweeney Todd in Sondheim musical / Nautical commandRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87087028419043464772016-06-25T21:57:21.320-04:002016-06-25T21:57:21.320-04:00I was content to walk away from the puzzle with &q...I was content to walk away from the puzzle with "blob" unfinished. Thursday puzzles should have funky themes like symbols or entire words that fit in a single block. To quote Shallow Hal, "It's a quip, not a slowp."r.heebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17290937232713625619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39486321791621420012016-06-23T22:25:52.247-04:002016-06-23T22:25:52.247-04:00@Diana, LIW, what you did there, I see it.@Diana, LIW, what you did there, I see it.Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10400983259307175972016-06-23T16:16:24.898-04:002016-06-23T16:16:24.898-04:00Hooray for quips and puns! Don't you love the...Hooray for quips and puns! Don't you love the word "quip?" Go ahead, say it. Makes you smile, right? Quip!<br /><br />That said, when a puzzle has a PPP count over 35% by my reckoning, and then 5, count 'em 5, lines are quippy, unless your wheelhouse is being tapped you're gonna struggle. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong, all's fair in love and puzzles, but the quip/ppp combo made this less enjoyable than usual. If you're playing "guess what I'm thinking?" without a clue, it doesn't really give you a brain workout. Just a lot of "I don't know." So I plan to put the new answers into my future wheelhouse.<br /><br />Actually, the quip was one of the easiest parts once some crosses were in place. I can see OFL's point about at the end of the joke placing the punchline. But, since I solve all over the map, it didn't to me much matter. <br /><br />RUTH for those solvers who had their day ruined. There's a puz for every person. Just as some don't like the TATE, one needn't go all PYRO.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords<br /><br />Got a small toehold, but then looked up some of the woes. So true dnf. Diana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-804711878896440452016-06-23T16:00:19.728-04:002016-06-23T16:00:19.728-04:00The satisfaction was all in finishing this challen...The satisfaction was all in finishing this challenging puzzle. RUTH should have been clued as archaic; have you ever heard "have RUTH on me?". @old timer's opinion notwithstanding, I've been doing crosswords for years, and still detest spelled-out letters. I just roll my eyes and try to move on.Sailorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05185068601066087185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15638114032742782972016-06-23T15:40:03.300-04:002016-06-23T15:40:03.300-04:00Ah, those poor folks who didn't get "thei...Ah, those poor folks who didn't get "their" rebus today, sniff. I must say I kind of like quip puzzles. True, they are frequently unfunny, but it is fun to, as @LMS, figure out what words or letters will work as the quip unfolds. <br /><br />Knowing LOME and guessing JOHANNA got the North, and then it was a matter of some savvy intuits to finish the deal. Like @M&A, RUTH came from ruthless. Cute. So many times, those ---less words are nonsense. In the SW (the hardest part for me, I immediately thought "inside LANE" for the track thing, but then remembered those lanes are numbered.<br /><br />I thought all OLAFs were Norwegian, but it had to be. Write over for eLMIRA, and then done.<br /><br />I really can't say anything negative about the puzzle, and certainly don't look to crossword puzzles for humour, generally. rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64205649304956596812016-06-23T14:00:13.240-04:002016-06-23T14:00:13.240-04:00This one took some doing.
Had to piece the quip t...This one took some doing.<br /><br />Had to piece the quip together before I could deal with some tough fill in the downs that cut through it.<br /><br />LOME, RUTH, ATRI, and CIS, each of them totally unknown to me. RUTH seemed logical enough, but there was no logical path other than the crosses to the others.<br /><br />I liked the PRIME COOKED or GRILLED, and found this overall to be good outing.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11877922741816795652016-06-23T13:38:29.116-04:002016-06-23T13:38:29.116-04:00Well, BYITSELF it’s better than jamming a whole wo...Well, BYITSELF it’s better than jamming a whole word into one square. Too bad it’s unfunny. Probably the only type of clue to get PEE into a puz. And UTERUS passes the “breakfast test”? But the only w/o was at TORn.<br /><br />Combo platter of yeah babies today with singer ESTELLE (another from the land of one-named people), and LIV Tyler, who fortunately did not get all of dad’s looks. I’d like to LIV a little.<br /><br />At least 18 three letter answers, which seems kinda high, even if it includes the shortest possible complete sentence in English - IAM. Still, I spent plenty of time on it due to the quip, which should have contained more WIT.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91354739576889153422016-06-23T10:48:40.675-04:002016-06-23T10:48:40.675-04:00THE”PRIME”SUSPECT
ANTOINE HADABEEF that WASGRILLE...THE”PRIME”SUSPECT<br /><br />ANTOINE HADABEEF that WASGRILLEDBYTHE PYRO<br />HOO would ACTLIKE a thief AFTERHE burned down the GAZEBO.<br /><br />--- ESTELLE ALMIRA SHRIVER<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32084378015675656102016-05-20T13:20:16.627-04:002016-05-20T13:20:16.627-04:00@Tita A - no ridicule from here. I've never ra...@Tita A - no ridicule from here. I've never ranked favorite painters, but Dali would surely be in top ten - maybe top five. I've always felt that for art to be important, it must speak not just to artists, but to a larger audience. kitshefnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7951287383031475202016-05-20T10:56:44.133-04:002016-05-20T10:56:44.133-04:00Pee=first letter of "political"Pee=first letter of "political"teevozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12953869019295892467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80968667404874442872016-05-20T09:23:12.910-04:002016-05-20T09:23:12.910-04:00my worst DNF in a very long time. couldn't ge...my worst DNF in a very long time. couldn't get going anywhere. kept on going back and having the same result. don't mind not finishing but doing as pathetic as i did really took a toll on my ego. at least today's (FRIDAY) was easy.ulysseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16574980607853347444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47839974319721181012016-05-19T23:50:29.117-04:002016-05-19T23:50:29.117-04:00bitch ,bitch , bitch. never heard so many unwarran...bitch ,bitch , bitch. never heard so many unwarranted complaints. you don't have to know the trivia to get the answer.you're supposed to work it out.but it should make sense after you get it, which will help you get it.the puzzle was hard which made it fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28029275135791073822016-05-19T23:30:52.214-04:002016-05-19T23:30:52.214-04:00Hartley and Loren, I do an acrostic every Sunday i...Hartley and Loren, I do an acrostic every Sunday in the local newspaper and many of the solutions are not much different than this quip.<br /><br />Old timer a boatswain is typically called a bosun. When I was growing up (Navy brat) my dad had a friend he called chief boats. <br /><br />Paint that drips from a brush forms a blob, tilt the canvas and that blob drips down the slope. I have no problem with the answer. Think painting as a verb and this works out quite well, rather than the finished painting as a noun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82678458977061643612016-05-19T22:55:21.986-04:002016-05-19T22:55:21.986-04:00Whew! Finished it just as it was about to finish m...Whew! Finished it just as it was about to finish me, and agree with most solvers' damnations AND praises. If Friday and Saturday are harder, I'll see y'all Monday. Joe Bleauxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13161776968606180476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42422419626563740182016-05-19T22:30:58.733-04:002016-05-19T22:30:58.733-04:00Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren was the best p...Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren was the best police procedural ever. But I did find the puzzle very difficult. Way beyond Thursday.captwittinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06199152721822338205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61071605268452747112016-05-19T22:04:41.847-04:002016-05-19T22:04:41.847-04:00@chatten -- PEE is the letter P, which is at the f...@chatten -- PEE is the letter P, which is at the front (the leader, in other words) of the word "political".Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42503399016811634672016-05-19T21:50:53.744-04:002016-05-19T21:50:53.744-04:00@chatten - "P" is the first (leading) le...@chatten - "P" is the first (leading) letter in Political - surprised nobody else posted this by now.<br /><br />Want to raise my hand with the gang complaining about BLOB clued by Pollack. He was indeed the dripper.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58629416357118789352016-05-19T21:02:08.137-04:002016-05-19T21:02:08.137-04:00About a year ago I received this rejection letter ...About a year ago I received this rejection letter from Joel Fagliano, writing on behalf of Will Shortz:<br /><br />Thanks for showing us your "_____________" 15x, which unfortunately, we're going to have to send our regrets on. It's a cute theme, but Will almost never runs riddle/quip themes anymore because they only have one payoff "aha" moment, and even that only works if you like the joke.Da Bearshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10584502565199186614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82802129131432227402016-05-19T19:31:20.197-04:002016-05-19T19:31:20.197-04:00Hand up for gnomes and drip.
@Wednesday's chi...Hand up for gnomes and drip.<br /><br />@Wednesday's child - Most days comments get cleared once or twice or thrice in the a.m. If you miss this "cut-off" your comment may be in moderation limbo for several hours. Some of us fret over this.<br /><br />@chattan - the <i>prime</i> (think rib) suspect knew he was <i>cooked</i> after he was <i>grilled</i> by the police detective. Not really puns so much as words with double meanings, though not <i>double entendres </i>because there is no sexual subtext. <br /><br />@skua76 - Sure. I mostly blame Will for this kind of thing. If you're going to publish a new constructor in the NYTX it is on the editor to insure it is NYTX worthy. Otherwise, a nice letter pointing out the strengths and illuminating the weaknesses would serve the constructor and solver better. There are some real skills here. Too bad those skills were wasted on a quip puzzle. <br /><br />BTW - iPad solving for the next couple of weeks. PPP Analysis will return with my paper sometime in early June.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49835797497024420782016-05-19T19:29:41.168-04:002016-05-19T19:29:41.168-04:00Ugh. What nick @ 12:18 said: "A dreary and ...Ugh. What nick @ 12:18 said: "A dreary and random trivia quiz in service of a dreary and random quip. Joyless." Yup.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10032302346488486116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79124324741940580782016-05-19T19:07:28.683-04:002016-05-19T19:07:28.683-04:00Using the spelling for an initial letter of a word...Using the spelling for an initial letter of a word is almost a sacred tradition in Crossworld. Bee, Cee, Dee, Eff, Gee, Aitch, Eye, Jay ... Those who carp need to get used to it. I think the only answer that was so obscure almost no one would know it was ALMIRA. Many might have known JOHANNA and ESTELLE but I didn't. On the other hand, I'm a lawyer who has taken an interest in English legal history, so OYER went right in for me. <br /><br />For those who got BOSUNS, a trivia challenge: What is the actual name of the person whose post is pronounced BOSUN?<br />old timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61624022883627978982016-05-19T18:44:47.580-04:002016-05-19T18:44:47.580-04:00Finished this in half an hour without cheating -- ...Finished this in half an hour without cheating -- but also utterly without joy. <br /><br />I adore acrostics. But I hated, hated, hated this puzzle. Ellennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1106145318388186202016-05-19T17:30:40.244-04:002016-05-19T17:30:40.244-04:00Pee?!? Really - this is ok?!? Ugh, this puzzle suc...Pee?!? Really - this is ok?!? Ugh, this puzzle sucked. DNF. Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05980511260482048263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72391086857072942682016-05-19T17:00:03.328-04:002016-05-19T17:00:03.328-04:00Had to cheat to finish so glad everyone struggled ...Had to cheat to finish so glad everyone struggled to. Probably got 80% so I guess a victory. Chronic dnferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05129538196003383400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44623406051024408762016-05-19T15:50:10.664-04:002016-05-19T15:50:10.664-04:00Most challenging puzzle for me in a very long time...Most challenging puzzle for me in a very long time. I couldn't figure out the first part of the quip for the longest time. The last two parts came much easier for me. I have nothing more to say, this puzzle was just a major bummer for me.lghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18102379714011955420noreply@blogger.com