tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2723377072090217853..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: FRIDAY, Dec. 28, 2007 - John FarmerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74196112768991071332008-02-19T01:09:00.000-05:002008-02-19T01:09:00.000-05:00This was the 1st puzzle in ages that I didn't fini...This was the 1st puzzle in ages that I didn't finish & I didn't even bother to Google answers because I was soooo disgusted with what I felt were breaches of crossword etiquette. Maybe I'm not worldly enough (doubt it) but I didn't know SAMOSAS, LEK, or [Star] ANISE, and when they were vital to getting SPOKANE (not too vague a clue for that one, eh?) I decided to pack it in, feeling Mr. Farmer had broken the unwritten rule about multiple obscurities crossing a somewhat esoteric (i.e., non-gimme) answer. <BR/><BR/>Though I did solve all but that eastern portion, I still would like to complain, 6+ weeks later, that:<BR/><BR/>ENT, to me, is an area of practice, not someone who practices that speciality;<BR/>POTSY (for Hopscotch) will never compute (is it another name for the game?);<BR/>SIDEBOY is quite arcane; and ROOTY is forced & weak.<BR/><BR/>Not being a sci-fi geek, I had no idea who LANDOCALRISSIAN was until Rex explained it. Got it purely form anagramming & thought the character in question was LANDOCAL RISSIAN). <BR/><BR/>You say "challenging," I say worthless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88410528559602294852008-02-09T16:19:00.000-05:002008-02-09T16:19:00.000-05:00six weeks later ...Glad you said it was hard, Rex....six weeks later ...<BR/>Glad you said it was hard, Rex. I bounced answers off someone who has a talent for sounding certain about his wild guesses, made a big mess, and to Google to finish. <BR/><BR/>For example, he asserted that there was a fable about a country ANT, and was so confident about there being a musical "the CLASS" that I had ASSISTS for 33A. I was all primed for a rant about the poor clue, before I figured it out.<BR/><BR/>I was definitely puzzled by the non-human nature of the climber. I <BR/>I knew that a C-note was a US $100 bill, but the clue was too self-conscious to be monetary so I put PIANO, and that held me up.<BR/><BR/>My ignorance of Mexican food helped me here, because RELLENO is just a menu word to me, so I was happy to believe that not all Spanish cheese words started with ques.<BR/><BR/>And obviously I don't do enough crosswords, because I figured sniggling was like snogging.<BR/><BR/>Plus the dog was not grey when I learned to type, just lazy.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47494145527454394282008-02-09T15:56:00.000-05:002008-02-09T15:56:00.000-05:00I am still lurking, though I do not post so often ...I am still lurking, though I do not post so often these days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69505544448399271182008-02-09T15:54:00.000-05:002008-02-09T15:54:00.000-05:00Rex, you said:46A: "A parlor utensil for subduing ...Rex, you said:<BR/><BR/>46A: "A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor": Bierce (piano) - my favorite quipster of all time. You know what makes this definition? "Utensil." Genius.<BR/><BR/>I figured some of the regulars would pick up on this, but couldn't find a reference in the comments. Would you mind elaborating, svp?<BR/><BR/>Had "poker" for a while. <BR/><BR/>I was defeated by LANDO. JiNGLE and ANa gave me LiNDa. and DEcrIES and rDA at the other end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42500315973941578632007-12-29T08:27:00.000-05:002007-12-29T08:27:00.000-05:00Rex, as a hard core record collector with over 7,0...Rex, as a hard core record collector with over 7,000 pieces of vinyl, I can confirm that an "EP" has nothing to do with the size of the record, an EP can be 7" or 12", it merely stands for "extended play". When the term was originally created it was used to describe a 7" record that was not a single, that had more than two songs, hence "extended play". Later they started making 12" singles, so EPs also became available in the 12" variety. In short EP = more songs than a single but less songs than an album.<BR/><BR/>Liked the puzzle, did bottom half quickly, struggled on top half. A good Friday puzzle for me. (and I must add again - the Thursday puzzle was BRUTAL.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65230177741604713382007-12-29T00:34:00.000-05:002007-12-29T00:34:00.000-05:00Sadly i had PERSEUS instead of PEGASUS and so the ...Sadly i had PERSEUS instead of PEGASUS and so the East never quite came together.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82752556303588887552007-12-29T00:27:00.000-05:002007-12-29T00:27:00.000-05:00phillysolver and lislepammysue, thank you both for...phillysolver and lislepammysue, thank you both for clarifying about star anise.<BR/><BR/>Dan, thank YOU for bringing up the background on Sondheim's version of THE FROGS. (Sadly, when I hear "frog," the first thought that comes to mind is not Aristophanes, but Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse...)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51310210920970255962007-12-29T00:09:00.000-05:002007-12-29T00:09:00.000-05:00Another fun, but challenging one for me today, tha...Another fun, but challenging one for me today, thanks to John Farmer, but it didn't feel as brutal as yesterday. I did this essentially in two halves, one this morning and one tonight. The bottom fell more quickly, built around my first answer south of the Mason Dixon... relleno. Loved quickbrownfox. The top half was slowed by the fact that with the j from jangle and the z from Zadora, I very cleverly filled in Julio Iglesiez, then suffice for satiate, causing a bit of grid lock. Saved in the end by eeled and micas, both learned from doing puzzles. Yeah! <BR/><BR/>I'm embarrassed by my lack of knowledge of American Indian tribes, other than the usual crosswordesque ones. The fact that these two were also major cities is the only reason I eventually got them. <BR/><BR/>Mmmm... samosas. <BR/><BR/>I can't wait for the awards! Thanks to Rex and Orange for that. Also looking forward to the 2008 Pantheon!<BR/><BR/>And Emily... Emily... just awesome.<BR/><BR/>Teeny nit... I don't really think of my errands as giving me the run-around. Causing a run-around maybe. And I'm not crazy about the have quite enough for clue, either, Fergus. The have and for bug me, too. So, to employ Orange's use-it-in-a-sentence test: The 20-pound turkey will satiate the crowd. The 20-pound turkey will have quite enough for the crowd. Doesn't quite work. <BR/><BR/>Fridays and Saturdays often seem about the same to me, both days usually pushing me to the limits of my ability. After yesterday and today, I feel like the weekend should be over. But bring on Saturday!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66656453957849034402007-12-28T23:02:00.000-05:002007-12-28T23:02:00.000-05:00Another inane typing phrase: "This is the kind of...Another inane typing phrase: "This is the kind of drill that you can type fast." You really can type it fast.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46407154592662013462007-12-28T21:32:00.000-05:002007-12-28T21:32:00.000-05:00Trying to remember the inane phrases for the other...Trying to remember the inane phrases for the other exercises in typing class -- It is right for a man to know when he goes ...<BR/><BR/>I was wondering about FRANKIE AVALON instead of JLO, having no clue about either's songs. Spent quite a while filtering the Anagram. Star Wars, eh? Also was displeased with the SATIATE Clue. The 'have' and 'for' clanged off the rim for me. Too cold, though, to launch into any reason for this apparently clumsy clue. (Did the puzzle in the waning sunlight at the beach, and my fingers are still not so keen on typing -- maybe I should do some QBF exercises?) Chilly enough to be obtuse about the STEAM UP Clue.<BR/><BR/>Had VERVE, then VIGOR (?) before finding VALOR. I had a little amused grimace at the OPERA clue, thinking it was a more appropriate place to Lose, rather that Find, a C-note.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34532252473016174692007-12-28T20:28:00.000-05:002007-12-28T20:28:00.000-05:00(Aw, Doc, you're sweet, but I'm really not worth a...(Aw, Doc, you're sweet, but I'm really not worth any kind of commitment.)<BR/><BR/>Only pointing this out because nobody else has: Sondheim's THE FROGS premiered back in 1974 at the Yale swimming pool (!), with an ensemble that famously included students Chris Durang, Sigourney Weaver, and Meryl Streep. (Plus other future stage vets and my favorite college professor.)<BR/><BR/>But the 2004 Lincoln Center production was its Broadway debut, so the clue is legit enough.<BR/><BR/>Since PIANO is my livelihood, I greatly enjoyed the Bierce quip... not as much as the QUICK BROWN FOX clue, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54776584724673896432007-12-28T19:54:00.000-05:002007-12-28T19:54:00.000-05:00And thanks to Dick Swart too, for the excellent de...And thanks to Dick Swart too, for the excellent description of the yard-long glass!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11163612054770090102007-12-28T19:52:00.000-05:002007-12-28T19:52:00.000-05:00Thanks Rex, and Hammy and Orange -- yard-long gla...Thanks Rex, and Hammy and Orange -- yard-long glass for ale is now something I won't forget! Do you know there are yard-long paintings too? They are generally Victorian-era floral still-llfe works painted by farmers' wives over printed feed-sack designs. Roses and pansies were the favorites, and similar half-yard paintings can also still be found. Anyway, I was in a rush this a.m., and my plane back to Albany from Chicago's O'Hare was probably the only one which was boarded on time! TGIF, thank you again, and Happy New Year to all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48709666755426490842007-12-28T19:05:00.000-05:002007-12-28T19:05:00.000-05:00@ Puzzlegirl: hmm, wonder where I got the idea the...@ Puzzlegirl: hmm, wonder where I got the idea the cookies were called Samosas? Oh well, a mistake worked in my favor today!<BR/><BR/>@ Orange: I agree with you 100%. However, in my case, I had DAN instead of DON and DRAGS made more sense to me than FRAGS, so I talked myself into the "half a load" part. Now where would I get the idea that a musical could be called Drags? *wink* <BR/><BR/>I guess I should have gone back and revisited DAN to see what words would have worked better with the O in place of the A. Wish I knew why I was so darn committed to DAN in the first place!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9035629633410097612007-12-28T19:02:00.000-05:002007-12-28T19:02:00.000-05:00Chief Big Tree begs to differ.rp<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_John_Big_Tree" REL="nofollow">Chief Big Tree</A> begs to differ.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16801589677234746972007-12-28T18:38:00.000-05:002007-12-28T18:38:00.000-05:00Doc John, I hope you do realize that "half a load"...Doc John, I hope you do realize that "half a load" isn't an in-the-language phrase (despite being grammatically correct, it's not a stand-alone semantic entity, the half a load) and thus A LOAD wouldn't fly as a crossword entry with a "half ___" clue. "___ off my mind," sure. "Take ___ off," sure.<BR/><BR/>I see a fair number of blog comments from folks who'd talked themselves into something that's just plain wrong—it never hurts to remember that a crossword editor expects a phrase to be more than just a string of words that obey grammatical rules. For example, RED TAPE and RED INK are OK, but RED PANTS are not. BIG DEAL, fine; BIG TREE, not.<BR/><BR/>The tricky part comes when there's an in-the-language phrase that's rather quaint and you just haven't heard of it, even though it's got solid reference support. A friend just asked me today if I knew the term <A HREF="http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dar1.htm" REL="nofollow">Darby and Joan</A>, which is in the dictionary but was completely unfamiliar to both of us.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13088546476492230722007-12-28T18:26:00.001-05:002007-12-28T18:26:00.001-05:00Tough puzzle. I had to Google to get the bottom ha...Tough puzzle. I had to Google to get the bottom half. As others have mentioned, lots to love.<BR/><BR/>@doc john: The Girl Scout cookies are actually called <A HREF="http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/meet_cookies.asp" REL="nofollow">Samoas.</A> (Or, they used to be anyway -- now they're called Caramel deLites.) They're my favorite. Yum!PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09017772879976436923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89206819104829994532007-12-28T18:26:00.000-05:002007-12-28T18:26:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09017772879976436923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72604153514902346522007-12-28T18:23:00.000-05:002007-12-28T18:23:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09017772879976436923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41354231776643959822007-12-28T17:26:00.000-05:002007-12-28T17:26:00.000-05:00A tough Friday for me. I've seen Lando Calrissian ...A tough Friday for me. I've seen Lando Calrissian in another puzzle, I think, but I didn't remember it...Still, I got all but four letters.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56717629274325673082007-12-28T17:09:00.000-05:002007-12-28T17:09:00.000-05:00@ Johnson, et. al.- I posted this comment late las...@ Johnson, et. al.- I posted this comment late last night so I guess not too many people saw it. I'll repeat it here:<BR/><BR/>Another way to google word definitions is to type into the google search box <B>(without the quotes)</B>:<BR/><BR/>"define: <I>the word you want</I>" <BR/><BR/>There are other secret google shortcuts such as:<BR/><BR/>for currency exchange type "150 dollars in pounds"<BR/>for metric conversion type in "150 inches in meters"<BR/>or calculator "5*5+3"<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html" REL="nofollow">Click this for more google info</A><BR/><BR/>Hope this helps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11066513023333322432007-12-28T17:07:00.000-05:002007-12-28T17:07:00.000-05:00Are we to assume that it requires valor to play lu...Are we to assume that it requires valor to play lutes?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45970995145014918782007-12-28T16:48:00.000-05:002007-12-28T16:48:00.000-05:00Very tough puzzle.Had to google 6 clues.This puzzl...Very tough puzzle.Had to google 6 clues.This puzzle played on my weakness -Star Wars,pop culture especially pop music,and Broadway musicals.FEH,FEH,FEH.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15447162545694461366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48800617246616013762007-12-28T16:07:00.000-05:002007-12-28T16:07:00.000-05:00Profphil -- I also had the south completely filled...Profphil -- I also had the south completely filled in with just EELED, ELITE, FDA, and NANAS staring at me in the north.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51191722575714292792007-12-28T16:06:00.000-05:002007-12-28T16:06:00.000-05:00Occasionally Jennifer Lopez is clued as a "singer"...Occasionally Jennifer Lopez is clued as a "singer" which just seems wrong, given her minimal singing ability. She's not a bad actress, though.<BR/><BR/>And as long as people are talking about George Clooney, I'm still upset that we were in the same theater breathing the same air and I never actually saw him (see blog 9/18/07).Ellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09699703443886498884noreply@blogger.com