tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2626500705845266525..comments2024-03-29T06:32:07.322-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: 19th Amendment champion — FRIDAY, Aug. 14 2009 — Papal name last used 1724 / Ponderosa pal / Subject of a 1976-79 Met exhibitRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86043871832850272512009-09-18T16:02:23.298-04:002009-09-18T16:02:23.298-04:00This puzzle was fun, fun, fun. I was really surpri...This puzzle was fun, fun, fun. I was really surprised that CRAIGSLIST was the correct answer. I thought it might be too modern for a Friday puzzle. I do tend to psyche myself out by thinking Fridays will be impossible and I think that slows me down quite a bit...VCR TAPES got me, too. It sounds so awkward. It was my first thought but I was shocked when it turned out to be right. <br /><br /><br />@Rex "clued-as-if-it-were-real " re: the ark. LOL. Reminds me of one my favorite Simpsons quotes - Bart: Woah! God is so in your face!<br />Homer: Yeah, he's my favorite fictional character.Whitneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29029944378011723742009-08-15T23:50:45.480-04:002009-08-15T23:50:45.480-04:00@big steve:
Many people who do something very wel...@big steve:<br /><br />Many people who do something very well enjoy a certain competitive aspect to that activity. Usually 'self-competitive' as in comments like 'This took me much longer than the average Friday.' Yes, it's fine to solve crosswords, hike in the mountains, play tennis, or go surfing without any thought about what your standings are compared to others. But for many people that's just part of the fun.<br /><br />If you want to be slow (like me), great. If you enjoy timing yourself, what's wrong with that?Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87765382515993072042009-08-15T21:37:49.145-04:002009-08-15T21:37:49.145-04:00I don't see why anyone who does the puzzle reg...I don't see why anyone who does the puzzle regularly, meaning that you solve it regularly, and enjoy it, would bother to time himself doing it. That would seem to spoil the fun and introduce an element of tension into one thing in the day that can provide some simple pleasure. I actually prefer to stretch it out a little. Maybe some of you have jobs ... but my experience is that crossword puzzle people usually aren't really in much of a (legitimate) hurry. But that just my thinking.big stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76961297557241739822009-08-15T10:33:31.696-04:002009-08-15T10:33:31.696-04:00@Larry-T-L
Mesage received ;)
.../Glitch@Larry-T-L<br /><br />Mesage received ;)<br /><br />.../GlitchGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7943922073715148222009-08-15T09:01:45.843-04:002009-08-15T09:01:45.843-04:00@Glitch: Thanks for the "shout-out"! I...@Glitch: Thanks for the "shout-out"! I wouldn't want to disappoint you, hence this very late -- no one will read it, as it's already "tomorrow" -- post. Sigh...<br /><br />A Niners pre-season game got in the way. Meaningless, but fun anyway, with an odd ending which I predicted. Happiness...<br /><br />So: PCLAB not hinted as abbr.:<br /><br />Grrr!<br /><br />Larry from the (Bear's) LairAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85859618190242720512009-08-15T00:23:04.737-04:002009-08-15T00:23:04.737-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> 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 6:30, 6:59, 0.93, 32%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 9:34, 8:35, 1.11, 81%, Challenging<br />Wed 14:01, 12:41, 1.10, 78%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 16:49, 18:35, 0.90, 25%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 20:11, 26:00, 0.78, 8%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:32, 3:43, 0.95, 43%, Medium<br />Tue 4:49, 4:25, 1.09, 78%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 6:54, 6:11, 1.12, 84%, Challenging<br />Thu 8:04, 8:53, 0.91, 24%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 9:06, 12:12, 0.75, 7%, Easy<br /><br />For the Top 100 solvers, there have only been 3 puzzles that were easier relative to the average for the day of the week and only 4 have been easier for all solvers (I've been tracking solve times for 10 weeks now).sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80864945451314839362009-08-14T23:47:17.055-04:002009-08-14T23:47:17.055-04:00Bah, I never got out of the box with this one afte...Bah, I never got out of the box with this one after cruising through yesterday's puzzle.deerfencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05185773504451380520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11479064987537956662009-08-14T23:03:21.132-04:002009-08-14T23:03:21.132-04:00@Orange: Happy Birthday!!
@Andrea: I laughed at t...@Orange: Happy Birthday!!<br /><br />@Andrea: I laughed at the ORANGEPEEL-- skinny dipping meaning for Orange! First preceded by a few sips of Curacao, of course... <br /><br />@Plantie Bea and ArtLvr, thank you!<br /><br />ArtLver, where in Michigan are you?foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83044923359393579572009-08-14T22:54:25.178-04:002009-08-14T22:54:25.178-04:00@Bill from NJ, the way the "madeleine" c...@Bill from NJ, the way the "madeleine" crumbles-LOL<br /><br />I gave A Distant Mirror to a number of people, including my father, as a Christmas gift, somewhere around 1980. I think he actually read it. I remember discussing how apt the title was.<br /><br />Still have to read The Guns of August...good idea, now that I think of it.fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79356657122010805902009-08-14T21:44:36.174-04:002009-08-14T21:44:36.174-04:00@ArtLvr-
I first read Tuchman's A Distant Mir...@ArtLvr-<br /><br />I first read Tuchman's <b>A Distant Mirror</b> during the Reagan administration and found it pertinent to the times even then. Mark of a great book, I guess.<br /><br />I either do very well or have a miserable time with Barry Silk. I usually do well when his puzzles are more sports based - this one wasn't but I still did well, thinking of ChefBea the whole time. I quess that's how the madeleine crumbles.Bill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58077497170964848732009-08-14T21:13:03.904-04:002009-08-14T21:13:03.904-04:00@Ulrich (2:08pm)
The feeling / problem is mutual....@Ulrich (2:08pm)<br /><br />The feeling / problem is mutual.<br /><br />.../Glitch ;-)Glitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74565560449653063712009-08-14T19:54:14.276-04:002009-08-14T19:54:14.276-04:00@Bob Kerfuffle, @SethG
Not a surprising number of ...@Bob Kerfuffle, @SethG<br />Not a surprising number of the uses for tit--I reckoned it'd be for a small song bird or __ for tat, but if the Met indeed had an exhibit of that theme, I'd see it!Campesitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01852123189179333049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57545344818128714552009-08-14T18:46:02.908-04:002009-08-14T18:46:02.908-04:00@treedweller - give a hoot don't pollute! one ...@treedweller - give a hoot don't pollute! one of my favorite ad campaigns of all time!! <br /><br />nothing much to say about the puzzle - it always surprises me when so many of us have the same errors, esp. for such long answers - i too had DUMBWAITER and FRAZIERALI - even though neither of them seemed quite right - sort of like EATONESHAT, though. (excellent comment, @pednsg!)<br /><br />SHARONTATE just makes me sad - doesn't seem quite right to see her in a puzzle.hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48903795711043910702009-08-14T18:08:41.249-04:002009-08-14T18:08:41.249-04:00I got the NW pretty quickly (largely from the CRAI...I got the NW pretty quickly (largely from the CRAIGSLIST gimme). I got a smattering of other answers soon after. I slept. I worked more over breakfast and got the SE and most of the center. I went to work. I got the SW soon after returning to the office. I stared at the NE until I was sick of it and googled AUNTIEMAME, which broke the last corner. Ended up with an error at TaT/MaSERS. TUT probably should have been obvious, but my first guess was Arp and I never got off of looking for an artist--figured Tat was someone I never heard of.<br /><br />Usually I find Silk puzzles fall a little faster than this, even with my Friday/Saturday mental block. I dunno what went wrong for me today. It was fun, anyway.<br /><br />Help WOODSY spread the word, never be a dirty bird.<br /><br />@chefwen<br />Don't worry, I never fall out of trees--I use a rope and saddle. Plus, we don't have many CONIFERs in Austin (soil too alkaline). But thanks for thinking of me!treedwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12634227778469664442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8777467717021835062009-08-14T17:32:04.110-04:002009-08-14T17:32:04.110-04:00@ACME: Chita got the Presidential Medal of Freedo...@ACME: Chita got the Presidential Medal of Freedom ealier this week. Rita got hers back in 2004. I can't for the life of me understand why this would confuse anybody. :)Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10412634072650228847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52075943857158487102009-08-14T17:06:28.853-04:002009-08-14T17:06:28.853-04:00@eric Berlin
I too had _AME and confidently wrote ...@eric Berlin<br />I too had _AME and confidently wrote in PAJAMAGAME.<br /><br />@Greene<br />what do you make of THEGINGAME, PAJAMAGAME and AUNTIEMAME all fitting?<br />(I can see Lucille Ball in a nightie playing cards)<br /><br />And yes, Peggy Cass and Kitty Carlisle were folks I grew up on not realizing they existed before they wre TV panelists.<br />You don't see smart, quick women on shows that often, everything hosted by a male...altho Cat Deeley on SYTYCD is as quick as she is sweet and sexy.<br /><br />Wow, I just realized that altho I filled in SHARONTATE this whole time I've been thinking SHARONSTONE! WOndering what these comments have meant!<br /><br />@Orange<br />was ORANGEPEEL a nod to your birthday tomorrow????!!!!!!!<br />(are you going skinny dipping?)<br /><br />@joho, fikink, JannieB<br /><br />more than one corner, it was definitely a theme...<br />This was rife with food...<br />Adams APPLE, ORANGE, EAToneshat, AFTERS, DRANK, STEWARD, FRUITSALAD, TASTESGOOD,PITA<br />That's gotta be intentional!!<br /><br />(Or I just haven't eaten yet today)<br /><br /><br />Only quibble (nibble?) agree with you about<br />CRAIGSLIST and WISHLIST in the same puzzle?<br /><br />@anonymous 9:07am<br />I always conflate RITAMORENO and CHITARIVERA and today was no exception. And Chita (or was it Rita?) just got the presidential Medal of Freedom two days ago.<br /><br />@sethg<br />French lesson Coucher= to sleep<br />thus couchette is a little couch, sleeper on a train...<br />as in voulez-vouz coucher avec moi.<br />See how facile le Francais is?andrea cmon michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11056792591417351762009-08-14T17:01:11.072-04:002009-08-14T17:01:11.072-04:00@sanfranman: It's only against yourself that y...@sanfranman: It's only against yourself that you need feel you're competing. It's better on the soul that way. I am not Dan Feyer and never will be.Shamikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11635283729322415150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-788821019483208252009-08-14T16:59:24.258-04:002009-08-14T16:59:24.258-04:00Fun puzzle with some different fill that fell easi...Fun puzzle with some different fill that fell easily for me somehow. Third fastest Friday for me at 7:29.<br /><br />(Took me 3 tries to post since i forgot my password. Guess I haven't posted much lately...sharing a computer.)Shamikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11635283729322415150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14502956890307628102009-08-14T16:56:25.198-04:002009-08-14T16:56:25.198-04:00It must be a rather unfulfilling life if you don&#...It must be a rather unfulfilling life if you don't know who Peggy Cass is! Why she's Agnes Gooch, Auntie Mame's "sponge" in her "orthopedic oxfords." What a hoot! But I never knew until today that she won a Tony for that role.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60528743114984333062009-08-14T16:44:24.805-04:002009-08-14T16:44:24.805-04:00@Stan-
I also had FRAZIERALI at 51A before WISHLI...@Stan-<br /><br />I also had FRAZIERALI at 51A before WISHLIST going down disabused me of that notion.edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87557497525531550912009-08-14T16:36:25.438-04:002009-08-14T16:36:25.438-04:00@still_learnin & edmcan:
I have my own shamef...@still_learnin & edmcan:<br /><br />I have my own shameful admission to make. I too remember the television program with Peggy Cass and the monkeys. It was called <i>The Hathaways</i>, a rather ridiculous program from the early 1960s about a suburban couple (Ms. Cass and Jack Weston) who are raising three chimps instead of children. I think it ran for one season and then disappeared forever. I remember a recurring "joke" in which visitors would realize that the couple's children are actually chimps. The shock would always be mollified by a reassuring "They're adopted!"<br /><br />I know...I can't believe it only ran for one season.Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10412634072650228847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72816589288366568522009-08-14T16:26:54.726-04:002009-08-14T16:26:54.726-04:00@Can't come up with: Yes it was odd -- complet...@Can't come up with: Yes it was odd -- completely unintentional I'm sure.<br /><br />@william e emba: I think it's cool that you've actually seen "The Wrecking Crew"!Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50936705985124750792009-08-14T16:25:47.863-04:002009-08-14T16:25:47.863-04:00Friday midday report of relative difficulty (see m...Friday midday report of relative difficulty (see my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Fri 20:25, 26:01, 0.78, 8%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Fri 9:39, 12:15, 0.79, 10%, Easy<br /><br />I was feeling pretty good about myself for sailing through this Friday puzzle in record time (for me) and without even once being tempted to consult Google or Wikipedia. Now my bubble has been burst as this turns out to be one of the easiest puzzles in the 10 weeks I've been tracking solve times (relative to the day of the week, that is). C'est la vie.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22034942141305520142009-08-14T15:39:20.597-04:002009-08-14T15:39:20.597-04:00@Still_learnin-OMG, was that show 'Barrel of M...@Still_learnin-OMG, was that show 'Barrel of Monkeys'? For some reason, that sticks in my mind, go figure...edmcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18432176765106022049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38641870866672867092009-08-14T15:26:13.502-04:002009-08-14T15:26:13.502-04:00SW corner was tough for me. Fruit salad fit, but I...SW corner was tough for me. Fruit salad fit, but I thought of watermelon first. Nope. A water glass goes up and down during dinner. Nope. Tastes good I got right away, but took it out, put it back in, took it out. Not so tasty. After I got pagoda and woodsy things finally started coming together.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com