tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2748002820514213109..comments2024-03-29T10:12:38.569-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Variety of pasture grass / WED 5-11-16 / Speedsters of old autodom / Bibliophile's prizeRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72824807931031483142017-09-24T16:57:16.735-04:002017-09-24T16:57:16.735-04:00Are you looking for free Facebook Followers and Li...Are you looking for <b>free Facebook Followers and Likes</b>?<br />Did you know you can get these <b>ON AUTO-PILOT AND TOTALLY FREE</b> by using <b><a href="http://socialexch.syntaxlinks.com/r/Like4Like" rel="nofollow">Like 4 Like</a></b>?Bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287821785570247118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66035487520993510492016-06-16T00:37:47.856-04:002016-06-16T00:37:47.856-04:00Later than usual getting to the puzzle today. I d...Later than usual getting to the puzzle today. I don't share @Rex's outrage at REDTOP, a very familiar range and pasture grass to anyone who pays attention to such things. I agree with just about everything else he wrote, however. By far the easiest Wednesday in a while.<br /><br />Re 57A: Any ham or military radio operator knows that US CALLSIGNS can also start with A or N.<br /><br />Really weird to see @Diana’s invitation to the MN puzzle tourney, sent a month ahead of time but appearing here after it’s already over. I marvel at your mastery of the DeLorean. That was more entertaining than today’s puzzle.Sailorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05185068601066087185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22819683617810629612016-06-15T15:46:56.092-04:002016-06-15T15:46:56.092-04:00I love a bad joke as much as the next guy, but had...I love a bad joke as much as the next guy, but hadn't heard this string before. So, that allowed me a laugh at the Sinatra entry. Which I had to respell. Wanted it to joins all the other "bes" that were buzzing around the puzzle. TOeCAR - I was trying to imagine what that would look like. Little piggy toe cars, sure. <br /><br />I knew that since I finished and solved that it would get at least some razzing here. <br /><br />Gotta go read the last 4 days' worth of newspapers.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77772926416319681382016-06-15T14:57:21.316-04:002016-06-15T14:57:21.316-04:00Bebe Neuwirth had a big todo because of doodoo in ...Bebe Neuwirth had a big todo because of doodoo in her tutu due to too much vitamin B2. Do you do B2, too?BS2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7281131255129702492016-06-15T13:34:26.951-04:002016-06-15T13:34:26.951-04:00If the joke wasn't so hackneyed, this would ha...If the joke wasn't so hackneyed, this would have been a pretty good puzzle. Like everyone else I knew it from years ago. Joke aide, it was a very easy puzzle, but even so, it did allow for knee jerk reactions to the clue about veal, so there's that. In the "how come?" vein, why was CHOPS vilified, but not OSSOBUCO? <br />A propos of nothing, I consider AMARETTO an excellent emetic. But I like veal.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52598387291909801382016-06-15T13:33:05.415-04:002016-06-15T13:33:05.415-04:00Completely with Rex today.
I hate to say it about...Completely with Rex today.<br /><br />I hate to say it about any puzzle, but this one is just plain dumb.<br /><br />Sorry, PF and WS.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43266037854747316502016-06-15T11:34:33.453-04:002016-06-15T11:34:33.453-04:00In the late 1950s Miss Betty on the Twin Cities ve...In the late 1950s Miss Betty on the Twin Cities version of Romper Room would urge all the kids “Do be a Do-Bee” – like be industrious or something. Of course, by the ‘70s it became do a doobie for some of us, which had nothing to do with industriousness. And after Michael McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers they became entirely unlistenable. Feels like time for a smoke.<br /><br />In MN if you just put the words “Bud Grant” in as a clue, the automatic answer would be STOIC.<br /><br />For a brief moment I wondered if Bert Parks’ pageant had sparked a boycott, perhaps feminists or some such. Maybe a result of doobies? Even before that I was thinking nilnil for ONEONE.<br /><br />Watched enough Sopranos to know that EDIE Falco’s character Carmela needs a yeah baby pat on the back. Bada-bing.<br /><br />Not much to say after starting the week much better. I guess today’s word is MUM. MUM is the word.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5350076673195019282016-06-15T11:08:23.242-04:002016-06-15T11:08:23.242-04:00The Descartes quote is incomplete; it should be &q...The Descartes quote is incomplete; it should be "I think therefore I am [9-across]ed." Yeah, this guy lost me when the Sartre quote wasn't "Hell is other people." I am in agreement with OFL again today--a mental WEDGIE if ever there was one. Keep those NICE long downs and build a whole new puzzle around them.<br /><br />We very proudly salute ROSA Parks, beautiful of soul, as today's DOD.<br /><br />Stranger (in the night, heh heh) than fiction is the cluing today: straight out of Monday. TO BE sure, yesterday's clue set should have appeared later in the week than today's.<br /><br />Oh, all right, if we MUST have a more physically appealing DOD, we have a character in "Rear Window" nicknamed by Jeffries as "Miss TORSO." Hitchcock went for a cheap joke when at the end, her boyfriend comes home from the army--and he's a head shorter than she is. The actress' name, for those who care, is Georgine Darcy.<br /><br />Basically, we got humped on humpday. Double bogey.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44606400692171924112016-06-15T09:53:44.127-04:002016-06-15T09:53:44.127-04:00ARREAR ENTOMBS (DOOBYDOOBYDOO)
ROSA made the ALIS...ARREAR ENTOMBS (DOOBYDOOBYDOO)<br /><br />ROSA made the ALIST, BOYS, and I HOPETO, too,<br />she gets her MINN ABED, for there TOBE,ISTODO,<br />she tries BONDAGE ALOT,<br />TODOISTOBE on her COT,<br />that’s what I CALLSIGNS she’ll turn a NICE SCREW.<br /><br />--- EDIE CASINOS<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53877792555955826932016-05-12T15:13:18.020-04:002016-05-12T15:13:18.020-04:00Talk about INANER (from the other day). The "...Talk about INANER (from the other day). The "joke" was ridiculous and DEAR SANTA in May? <br /><br />I wasn't even going to post about this one because it was so bad until I saw the folded NYT page this morning next to my computer and got peeved all over again. <br /><br />Ghastly. notarysojackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14393842095041585457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83468845567100039722016-05-12T14:50:25.062-04:002016-05-12T14:50:25.062-04:00Pretty much agree with Rex. Didn't see the gim...Pretty much agree with Rex. Didn't see the gimmick until I was almost done, so it didn't affect my solve. Puzzle was on the easy side for a Thursday, but people are going to moan about the SE quadrant.<br /><br /><br />@Anonymous 12:20AM Whoa! You'd never get away with that at Wordplay my friend. LOL. Those Emus would peck the living shit out of you! Your post reminded me of the old riddle:<br /><br />How do you tell if your girlfriend is ticklish?<br /><br />@madchickenlittle: With all due respect, DOREMI has been used in crossword puzzles forever. In the cruciverbalist world, it goes right along with CABBAGE, MOOLA, MOOLAH and many others. What do all these words have in common? With the exception of CABBAGE, they all have as many or more vowels than consonants. People who aspire to become expert puzzlers have to understand that constant. Many words used in puzzles on a regular basis, are not chosen because of their obscurity or difficulty. They are used because of vowel count or arrangement. If you're really interested in becoming an elite solver, A crossword puzzle dictionary is still a good investment. Many times, its easier that using a search engine. Hope this answers your question.<br /><br />@LMS: LMAO! AMENRA? That's "coffee through the nose" funny! I can understand that you thought 56A might have been ELANA, but if you were Naticked at 62A, a very short alphabet run would have given you AMENDA. At that point, you should have had your DOH! moment. AMANDA is a pretty comment name!<br /><br />I'm beginning to think that you don't give a rat's ass weather you DNF or not? So many times you've commented that you DNF'ed because you had an entry that you knew couldn't possibly be right, and yet you went with it anyway? There is so much divergence, vis-a-vis how people on this blog view a DNF. I'd rather have a root canal than a DNF, but that's probably due to my Taurean nature.<br /><br />So, SWEATER SETS is a real thing that you've never owned? I'll admit to never having heard of them either, but knowing your fiendish affinity for our furry four-legged friends, I thought you might be referring to SWEATER PUPPIES? I know what they are! Don't ever change Loren. This blog would never be the same without you!<br /><br />@ George Barany: LOL! Surely you jest? Nuclear Overhauser Effect? I loves me some extreme Saturday Tim Croce bullshit cluing, but your suggestion might be just a tad over the top? I do agree that NOE is a tough clue for anyone not familiar with the San Francisco Bay area. For those unfamiliar with the district, its pronounced NO-E! Once again, crosswordese junk fill with one consonant and two vowels.<br /><br />@Carola: Good catch on FARMERS crossing SEACOW. I didn't really like the clue for SEACOW much. I understand that Mr. Tuttle or Mr. Shortz might have been looking for Thursday level difficulty, but behemoth is too much of a stretch to use when describing that creature. An aquatic behemoth would be more like a whale shark, sperm or blue whale. I would have clued the entry as aquatic bovine, but that might have been a more Tuesday type clue? Just sayin?<br />Chaos344https://www.blogger.com/profile/08901221000538028472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31050524349874688562016-05-11T18:49:30.022-04:002016-05-11T18:49:30.022-04:00same here. same here. LaurieG in Connecticutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43197753579433119432016-05-11T17:53:15.895-04:002016-05-11T17:53:15.895-04:00Filled in the theme clues to make sure I wasn'...Filled in the theme clues to make sure I wasn't missing a twist or something, then dropped it. Second puzzle I haven't bothered finishing in as many weeks. Really bad. ZenMonkeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01351161309102608706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61285750897318467032016-05-11T17:27:42.323-04:002016-05-11T17:27:42.323-04:00I did not originally see this joke on a bathroom w...I did not originally see this joke on a bathroom wall. Nope. Freshman year 1979 -- it was on the wall of the laundry room in my residential college.<br /><br />My time today was freak-weird low (by my standards). New Wednesday record. Considerably faster than Monday or Tuesday this week.TomAznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26590864780787189342016-05-11T16:18:32.692-04:002016-05-11T16:18:32.692-04:00A fun simple solve. Should have been earlier in th...A fun simple solve. Should have been earlier in the week, but what the hey. So what if is an old joke?<br /><br />Sure was infinitely better for me than yesterday's PPP trivia slog/Nattick fest.David in CAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13557446562342084342016-05-11T16:15:11.081-04:002016-05-11T16:15:11.081-04:00Hi Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo don't!Hi Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo don't!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73295986933111717022016-05-11T16:00:18.530-04:002016-05-11T16:00:18.530-04:00Am surprised no one has mentioned the old Romper R...Am surprised no one has mentioned the old Romper Room song "Do be a Do bee."QuasiMojonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66554915167734096392016-05-11T14:53:53.012-04:002016-05-11T14:53:53.012-04:00I don't recall every setting EYE on the DO + B...I don't recall every setting EYE on the DO + BE joke before, and got a kick out of it. I also liked RED x ROSA, STATUE and TORSO, and the Italian pair AMARETTO and CIABATTA. The Hamlet question seems to be answered "NOT," with CHOPS, NOOSES, and ENTOMBS.Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59990411250563128232016-05-11T14:16:36.967-04:002016-05-11T14:16:36.967-04:00I'm not familiar with the theme.
I imagine it... I'm not familiar with the theme.<br /> I imagine it seemed novel to the constructor when he came across it at some kind of craft fair. This is taken from his own comments. To his credit he assumed he was making a Monday or a Tuesday puzzle. He said the editor worked on the clues to bring it up to Wednesday level. I really don't see the evidence of that. This would have been easy even for a Monday. Other than an AREARS/ARREAR and the double DOOBE/DOOBY write overs just about everything flew in as fast as I could write it. I don't understand the objection to REDTOP it was one of the few things that actually puzzled me. This is only it's second appearance.puzzle hoardernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78147929213887325422016-05-11T13:38:07.874-04:002016-05-11T13:38:07.874-04:00Missed opportunity for a gridspanner, DooDooDooDoo...Missed opportunity for a gridspanner, DooDooDooDooDoo ("Rolling Stones' song, ____________ (Heartbreaker)".<br /><br />Martel Moopsbanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68352405079074695722016-05-11T13:17:24.345-04:002016-05-11T13:17:24.345-04:00I think the clue for 68A is wrong. A speedster wa...I think the clue for 68A is wrong. A speedster was a generic name for a stripped, sporty two-seater, often home made. I've never heard of REO building a car with that name. REO did build a TRUCK, not a car, called the Speedwagon. That's where the musical group got its name.OldCarFuddnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64018961757601793552016-05-11T13:12:28.007-04:002016-05-11T13:12:28.007-04:00Yup, saw most of this theme (but no "authors&...Yup, saw most of this theme (but no "authors" credited) on the bathroom wall in college in the late 70's which enabled possibly a record Wednesday time today. But the non-theme fill doesn't annoy me anywhere close to @Rex's level. My writeover was at 28A where I had the ARREAR TO DO written in and thought it would be similar to 20A which begins and ends with TO BE so I started 28A with TO DO, mentally scratching my head as to the meaning of TO do IS TO DO. I quickly ENTOMBS that answer thanks to 7D and 8D.<br /><br />A bit clunky but it is only Wednesday. Thanks, PF.Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84520401738384856672016-05-11T13:11:19.227-04:002016-05-11T13:11:19.227-04:00Doublin' down on what @Rex said. Felt like th...Doublin' down on what @Rex said. Felt like the play on the old joke needed a "Get it?" in about three places.<br /><br />Thought this might be the puzzle that stopped @LMS's loved-the-puzzle streak at about a thousand. But nope, it floated her boat. She finds the good in everything. Those of you who are even remotely acquainted with Loren and do not have her on the very top of your resume reference list are fools.<br /><br />Owned a small commercial finance company for the better part of a decade. We never had an account in ARREAR. Maybe if somebody fell behind by exactly one dollar we would have. We had entirely too many in ARREARs however.<br /><br />Why in this age of anti-bullying do we still consider WEDGIES funny? And don't tell me I'm too PC, or it's personal. They only happen to little people (I'm well over 6 feet), and the victims are humiliated.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79115697145814533002016-05-11T12:59:51.957-04:002016-05-11T12:59:51.957-04:00Enjoyed the puzzle but not the odd Sinatra spellin...Enjoyed the puzzle but not the odd Sinatra spelling which really seemed forced. Some of the longer fill and clung worked for Wednesday. <br /><br />@George Barany and @lms. Thanks for the jokes. All Big Bang Theory worthy. RAD2626https://www.blogger.com/profile/18196568765752439378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33275623444983610192016-05-11T12:07:40.120-04:002016-05-11T12:07:40.120-04:00@indie009: har. Good mornin, sunshine! Only one ...@indie009: har. Good mornin, sunshine! Only one U in the whole WedPuz? No wonder U R upset. And 30 O's! TMO.<br /><br />Seems like an original theme, NYTPuz-wise, so … ok.<br />Kant and Sartre seem like the unoriginal dudes, in this rodeo. Socrates and Nietzsche beat em to it. Not sure if Sinatra's doobies have an official spellin -- researchin the "Strangers in the Night" lyric didn't turn much up, here at the M&A Help Desk. Did resurrect these lil jewels, tho ...<br /><br />BE BOP ALULA, SHE'S MY BAY-BE. (Gene Vincent, 1956)<br />BE I BICKEY BI BO BO GO. (Gene Vincent, 1957)<br /><br />72-worder grid is indeed kinda ambitious for a themed puz, and such ambition can eventually tend to bite one in the ARREAR or possibly on the REDTOP. But, if one dares to embrace the desperation, there is still a lot to enjoy, here. Did seem, as @indie009 indicated, that it was a pretty breezy solve. Had heard of the themers before, so the only challenge here was the doobie-spellin controversy.<br /><br />fave weeject: MUM. [Finally, a nod to Mum's Day.]<br /><br />Thanx, Mr. Fludzinski. <br /><br />Masked & AnonymoUs<br /><br />p.s. <br />This just in to the Help Desk: Dooby Dooby Doo is Scooby-Doo's cousin. There is also a Yabba-dabba-doo gorilla doo-dooin in the room, but I digress.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/UploadRunt/FetchPage?id=MzY2ODI0Mjk0MDg3OTE0OQ&title=Me_1_First_1_-_1_by_1_M_1_and_1_A" rel="nofollow">**gruntz**</a>Masked and Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16027736429645378004noreply@blogger.com