tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2785194756304184616..comments2024-03-29T10:29:48.789-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Drink name means little water / THU 1-20-11 / Bowl mixing wine water ancient Greece / Onetime Facebook president Parker / Ostensible backdrop DevilRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35852238657338114762011-02-25T03:05:56.446-05:002011-02-25T03:05:56.446-05:00I still don't get two letters. Am I daft?I still don't get two letters. Am I daft?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30880516700322675352011-02-24T20:09:27.170-05:002011-02-24T20:09:27.170-05:00Nice theme --- took me about halfway through to co...Nice theme --- took me about halfway through to cotton on, as the British say. The NE was the toughest corner for me, although I did see DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Also I studied Latin and Russian, which both have a dative case, so I should have guessed that one.<br /><br />I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who was stumped by ABC.Marcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9834117770555430392011-02-24T16:19:08.284-05:002011-02-24T16:19:08.284-05:00SOCIALSECURITY and ADMINISTRATION filled in pretty...SOCIALSECURITY and ADMINISTRATION filled in pretty quickly for me (I think it's an age thing) so when I looked back and saw ASS was the opposite the theme became clear and the other theme answers were almost gimmes. The rest of the grid challenged me every step of the way but I finally got to the finish line, only to stumble and fall on ABC. When I came here and saw how painfully obvious the answer is, it really hurt.<br /><br />Still had a lot of fun and there was lots to learn so two thumbs up. Loved to see the constructor show up to comment on the comments.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7042084500075715702011-02-24T13:58:33.400-05:002011-02-24T13:58:33.400-05:00Took a while, but I figured out the theme and made...Took a while, but I figured out the theme and made it pretty easily thru the bottom half. I'm sure I saw something by Fra LIPPI at the Uffizi but kept thinking it should be FLIPPI. But I got murdered in those upper corners. Lots of R.O.S. (really obscure s***) for us non-pros. DATIVE? KRATER? OPERASERIA? BOSON? Sorry, not in my world. And so much of this was Greek to me.<br /><br />Although I somehow know CARL ORFF even if that's definitely not the direction my musical taste tends.<br /><br />Still and all a good puzzle that mostly responded to my persistence.Cary in Bouldernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7159309082669078432011-02-24T10:37:51.643-05:002011-02-24T10:37:51.643-05:00Been reading this daily x-word write-up for over a...Been reading this daily x-word write-up for over a year now, always thoroughly enjoy it but never felt motivated to post a comment - but this from Rex - "I love remembering that I once lived in what is now the digital equivalent of the Middle Ages. All the whirring and beeping. So magical." amused me so much I had to write in and send my apprecation for such an amusing, perfectly worded musing. Made my day.<br /><br />BTW loved this puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87011416959244315872011-01-22T00:15:51.595-05:002011-01-22T00:15:51.595-05:00Here is evidence that we Xworders are burrowing a ...Here is evidence that we Xworders are burrowing a tiny little hole in the cultural landscape that we are going to stick our heads into:<br />"2 letters" == ABC<br />"XXX" == TOE<br />The 2 letters one is cute, but the XXX is truly brain mush, and they are <b>both</b> Xword exotica! No one. Repeat NO ONE outside our own little world knows what we are going on about.<br /><br />And here are two bloggers who promise themselves that if they just squirrel this goop away in their memory banks, life will eventually get better:<br />"That type of clue always takes me too long, and I always swear I'm going to remember it next time..."<br />"Next time will I tumble to it?"<br />Bad news fellas... after we get our brains so pinched up that they tolerate these goofy things, no one will ever speak to us again.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911901473993027184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88960013197014378762011-01-21T13:00:53.701-05:002011-01-21T13:00:53.701-05:00maybe like you've gone too far, it's all a...maybe like you've gone too far, it's all a but muchacmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57801997443360827002011-01-21T11:48:24.426-05:002011-01-21T11:48:24.426-05:00One clue/answer I still don't understand (alth...One clue/answer I still don't understand (although I did 'get' it) is 32D. How is 'FAR' an answer for "Much"??ArrBeeJayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16315452614386717662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61184284063002366502011-01-21T01:47:37.628-05:002011-01-21T01:47:37.628-05:00no Arte Johnson clue on his b-day like last year.....no Arte Johnson clue on his b-day like last year...<br /><br />I quickly scanned the puzzle to find it and never did. <br /><br />Poor Arte...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14177356404355457742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55642003870251028662011-01-21T00:25:32.496-05:002011-01-21T00:25:32.496-05:00This puzzle would have been really splendid if we ...This puzzle would have been really splendid if we could have had an organization or something represented by the acronym GOF (Grand Old Farty?), since that would make it all symmetrical. Well almost ... too much to tweak, including the grid, but that would have really been impressive had it worked out with that further degree of balance.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66916446103490191582011-01-20T23:03:54.440-05:002011-01-20T23:03:54.440-05:00@ I Skip: x-x-x => tic-tac-TOE@ I Skip: x-x-x => tic-tac-TOEretired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55031665944041874602011-01-20T22:58:18.721-05:002011-01-20T22:58:18.721-05:00I completely missed the cross at INFRA and CARL OR...I completely missed the cross at INFRA and CARL ORFF. I've never heard of him and don't know what infrasound is (nor does my spell-checker apparently). I guessed T for lack of a better guess there. Oh well.<br /><br />I thought that the coolest answer in the grid was MAYO CLINIC. Mostly because the life of a friend of mine was saved there, but it's also a place worth knowing about.<br /><br />Better luck tomorrow for me...Kendallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04176353196193935474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41153834204068732512011-01-20T22:42:00.949-05:002011-01-20T22:42:00.949-05:00One more nitpick. I don't think a Tolkien cre...One more nitpick. I don't think a Tolkien creation counts as a myth, so would not define Orc that way.I skip M-Wnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33653602135488026342011-01-20T22:39:08.141-05:002011-01-20T22:39:08.141-05:00Pleasant, smooth and easy for me, in fact under th...Pleasant, smooth and easy for me, in fact under the average time, maybe a first for me. Though a boson isn't necessarily a subatomic particle (it could be an atom, for instance). And still don't know why xxx part is toe.Stocking?<br />Just guessed at Rocky III, could have been CIX for all I know( or at least VII) and guessed at Sadie and Sean, just as @Rex did. Dial phones still had ABC with 2, so it doesn't have to be a button.I wasn't certain whether Orff's first name was spelled with a C or K, but cross took care of that.I skip M-Wnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66243821547958462872011-01-20T22:26:52.888-05:002011-01-20T22:26:52.888-05:00Took me a while, but finished w/o Googling. On Thu...Took me a while, but finished w/o Googling. On Thurs.! OPERA SERIA crossing SER was a guess.<br /><br />Had valise before DATIVE for "a kind of case" for quite an ugly while. Had roC for ORC for a bit.<br /><br />Didn't care for the theme. Not in love with initials.<br />Did like water mini-theme and Greek mini-theme.<br /><br />A very similar krater to the red-figured one you show (Also attributed to the Niobid artist) was borrowed by the Getty from Gela, Agrigento, Sicily, once a Greek colony. The Getty has provided a quake resistant case. The Gela is a volute krater. Yours is a calyx krater. Note the handles.<br />There are several specific Greek vessels, with the amphora and lekythos being more commonly known.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63267451750225478962011-01-20T22:00:56.085-05:002011-01-20T22:00:56.085-05:00This 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 7:28, 6:56, 1.08, 78%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 11:30, 8:56, 1.29, 99%, Challenging<br />Wed 10:40, 11:44, 0.91, 31%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 19:29, 19:00, 1.03, 64%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:57, 3:42, 1.07, 83%, Challenging<br />Tue 5:29, 4:35, 1.20, 94%, Challenging<br />Wed 5:13, 5:46, 0.90, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 9:16, 9:09, 1.01, 63%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75428267722430567022011-01-20T20:59:10.545-05:002011-01-20T20:59:10.545-05:00Like others, I had to come here to understand abc ...Like others, I had to come here to understand abc and toe.<br /><br /> I didn't know that the Americans for Democratic Action was (were?) still around. Seems like you don't hear much about this group anymore.michael (not the constructor)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72461206598345501732011-01-20T19:44:25.083-05:002011-01-20T19:44:25.083-05:00@ Andrea - Infrasound sounds weird to me too, but ...@ Andrea - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasound" rel="nofollow">Infrasound</a> sounds weird to me too, but it is legit.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42402444232329611272011-01-20T17:52:40.628-05:002011-01-20T17:52:40.628-05:00I just posted a similar recap on the Wordplay blog...I just posted a similar recap on the Wordplay blog and am now going to highlight the wit and humor of this group:<br /><br />1. "Bravo, Mr. Vodka." 1:59am<br /> <br />2. "andrea carlorff michaels said..." 3:00am<br /> <br />3. "That NE corner... Let's Carl the whole thing Orff." 8:05am<br /> <br />4. "I was wondering what on earth that XXX was. (I suspected it was not related to foot fetishes.)" 9:24am<br /> <br />5. "So SHUI means water. What does FENG mean? (Maybe 'fire,' as in VODKA...)" 9:57am<br /> <br />6. "Didn't know the Orffmeister, but unlike the others, his crosses were humane." 11:31am<br /><br />Thanks for all the fun today. I really enjoyed reading your comments.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634526686601970863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15266013755346472812011-01-20T17:18:09.716-05:002011-01-20T17:18:09.716-05:00@quilter1: Seems that the varmints are gone. I h...@quilter1: Seems that the varmints are gone. I hired a professional trapper who put humane traps on the porch roof. He had a system for detecting the presence of any remaining raccoons. We didn't have smells, just a lot of stomping around above the porch ceiling, and finally a seam of said ceiling opened up a little, revealing evidence of a raccoon latrine (correct technical term, I kid you not). Now the raccoons' entry hole has been closed up and the porch ceiling cleaned up and put back togethr, and I, a gentlewoman in reduced circumstances, am poorer by a considerable sum. I took a photo of a captured raccoon, who, when it evidently became resigned to the fact that it couldn't escape, got bored and started grooming itself like a cat to pass the time. <br /> <br />Afterthought: The Russian language is a veritable thicket of case endings, DATIVE being one of them. I once asked my father, a native speaker, to help me demystify case endings. He (normally a precise and analytical person) shrugged and said, "If it sounds wrong, you know it's wrong." My knowledge of the langauge might charitably be called rudimentary, so all my case endings sound wrong to me. <br /><br />OHDEAR, it's starting to get dark, so I'd better get out back with the compost lest we be stuck with it during and after the predicted snow. I have a wildlife-proof compost bin.<br /><br />mativ: one who is possibly a nativemiriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57387637045811619192011-01-20T16:56:19.172-05:002011-01-20T16:56:19.172-05:00Like @ Anon 3:35, it's days like today that ma...Like @ Anon 3:35, it's days like today that make me realize how far I have come. I can count on one hand the times this year when I have thrown in the towel. Nowadays I never Google (a personal fail) but remember when I did. It has to be the daily practice and the feeling of friendly competition I find here to at least stay with the pack. Thanks Rex and everyone.<br /><br />Appropos of nothing: I am rereading Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror and learned that the Greek name for a unicorn is a monoceros. Astronomers probably already know this from the constellation.<br />I'd love to see that is a puzzle!Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21339262067772969892011-01-20T15:52:37.977-05:002011-01-20T15:52:37.977-05:00@miriamb: We have relocated lots of raccoons, also...@miriamb: We have relocated lots of raccoons, also possums. My hubby got a catch and release cage and relocates at a lake north of the city. They are so destructive! They were pulling down the soffit and trying to dig through into the crawlspace to winter in the attic. So you have my sympathies. They are filthy and stink, too. We also hung up a decoy owl. I think they have finally given up, but what a mess/expense.<br /><br />scrists: those who do crosswords with a quill penquilter1https://www.blogger.com/profile/09569747169212018177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82711367176063812752011-01-20T15:35:25.392-05:002011-01-20T15:35:25.392-05:00woo hoo! i rarely can do thurs. so i am doing my l...woo hoo! i rarely can do thurs. so i am doing my little victory dance. i wasn't up a tree on this one. also i often miss the theme but got it this time. reading rex and my perseverance are paying off and i'm improving. it reminds me of a sign on the window of a neighborhood deli- "Today stuffed cabbage" to which i silently respond, "tomorrow the world!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13902013615326575232011-01-20T15:32:33.627-05:002011-01-20T15:32:33.627-05:00@ret-chem @12:48
THAT is funny!
@Nancy in PA
I me...@ret-chem @12:48<br />THAT is funny!<br /><br />@Nancy in PA<br />I meant to say something earlier about XXX as I had put in Ten, thinking Roman Numerals, esp after the Rocky III clue!<br /><br />It always depends on what angle you come at it on...as sometimes you put in LIE etc and then don't even need the crosses or see the word...but I had LIE in for fishtale and took it OUT to put in Ten for part of XXX.<br /><br />(weird, my captcha is inaten, and it was there before I posted/noticed it)<br /><br />I still think Infrasound sounds iffy...or in this case infryandrea xxx michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14910230786036715212011-01-20T15:30:24.293-05:002011-01-20T15:30:24.293-05:00Tough but doable for me, had to Google a couple of...Tough but doable for me, had to Google a couple of things and fell into the head scratching mode with ABC, it's really irritating when one keeps falling for the same old trick. AARGH!!! Also loved 43D OH DEAR!<br /><br />How many people say @Van55's not going to like 15A Rocky III?chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.com