tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post2981227393011883893..comments2024-03-28T04:40:27.172-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Agave drink / THU 6-9-16 / Shrubby wasteland / 1920s screen star Naldi / Large but not often vocal voting bloc / Publications for by aficionados / Modern Japanese martial art Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55552888870339579882016-07-27T17:23:10.065-04:002016-07-27T17:23:10.065-04:00Rex can write whatever he wants. Its his blog. Id...Rex can write whatever he wants. Its his blog. Id say anyone reading it and expecting him to change his opinions needs to get over himself. Im a casual solver and i never time myself. Most of you are way out of my league but i still enjoy reading it. For the most part the exchanges are civil and entertaining. Thanks Rex! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05274559583460009125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42049317889905936832016-07-15T01:40:04.767-04:002016-07-15T01:40:04.767-04:00I seem to have had the opposite experience of ever...I seem to have had the opposite experience of everyone else - I noticed that the circled letters were silent, but didn't notice that they spelled "silent" reading diagonally. I thought I was just supposed to understand that the shaded letters were silent, then take that word for the clues to 21A and 49A. <br /><br />I remember from years ago, think it was when I was a kid, a boxed ice cream flavor called something that sounded like biscuit tortoni. I haven't heard of it in all the years I've been eating gelato.wcutlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08615799228069705972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74433685375611665822016-07-14T20:18:20.764-04:002016-07-14T20:18:20.764-04:00D,LIW--
I agree with others: good real-time thoug...D,LIW--<br /><br />I agree with others: good real-time thoughts. leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26054073716197548922016-07-14T18:18:39.657-04:002016-07-14T18:18:39.657-04:00I don't understand the hostility regarding MAJ...I don't understand the hostility regarding MAJOR/MAJORITY and FAIR/FAIRE. In fact, I think it would be interesting to take a four or five letter word, and construct an entire puzzle using that word in every entry. I'm sure that would be a challenge to the constructor.D_Johnsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61185461307161957382016-07-14T18:09:19.856-04:002016-07-14T18:09:19.856-04:00Early solve, had to run, late post. Not that it ma...Early solve, had to run, late post. Not that it matters.<br /><br />This was DEFinitely on the easy side, especially the theme and revealers, but clever in cluing. "Pair of jets?" for AISLES took a bit of looking at it, but with the right meaning of "of" it was good to go.<br /><br />I stumbled on the GELATI/TORTINI cross, tripping over the Italian "I" and going for an "e".<br /><br />Close but non sigari.<br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55787173222241315052016-07-14T16:32:04.519-04:002016-07-14T16:32:04.519-04:00Thank youThank youAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09340016892537606108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24424215577312785372016-07-14T16:11:30.713-04:002016-07-14T16:11:30.713-04:00Had a Natick at Nita/Nonbasic. Of course, since I...Had a Natick at Nita/Nonbasic. Of course, since I had REdacT instead of RECANT, more errors ensued.<br /><br />Got the rest with a bit more work than apparently most. Some day I'll get around to watching an episode or two of Downton Abbey - everyone seems to love it. <br /><br />Funny to see the responses to my post of 5 weeks ago. Didn't intentionally post it twice - didn't get the "your comments have been saved" the first time. Should have waited...<br /><br />Had gag before GOO, act I before KNOB. Once again, saved by the eraser. <br /><br />@Rondo - have fun at Lake G. Spent 3 summers at Lake G's Williams Bay campus - 2-week grad school sessions surrounded by 10-year-olds at an old YMCA camp. Rustic. Have a "butter burger" for me.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74144220162282005432016-07-14T12:20:57.781-04:002016-07-14T12:20:57.781-04:00EDNA/ANNA - Boooooooooooooooo!
ANNA and Bates were...EDNA/ANNA - Boooooooooooooooo!<br />ANNA and Bates were major characters on Downton Abbey. I watched the whole series and don't even remember EDNA - certainly "Dame?" or "Seymour's amour?" (Simpsons) would be far preferable to the intentionally-unfair clue provided. And as others have said, DAF and RNA are certainly reasonable-looking. I put in EDNA just because DEF and RDA made more sense as crosses, but figured there must be some sort of clever wordplay I was missing to justify having multiple letters (A and E, N and D) in those two boxes (a typical Thursday trick). Sigh.WilsonCPUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13979524409642122336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89139756877862821062016-07-14T12:16:44.035-04:002016-07-14T12:16:44.035-04:00All right, LAKE campers, here comes the penalty st...All right, LAKE campers, here comes the penalty stroke for improving one's LIE: No One Ever, Ever calls it a "HYMNBOOK." It's a hymnal, for God's (literally) sake. OUT! There is no HYMNBOOK. Period.<br /><br />Stroke applied, I must admit I never noticed that the shaded letters were all SILENT. This does add considerable depth and elegance to the theme. Had some trouble jumping the gun with spumONI, but the TBONE I had before dessert took care of that. Once again I finish in the NW, thanks to that really off-the-wall clue for AISLES.<br /><br />I don't really have an outstanding DOD today; don't know most of the ones @rondo mentioned. Sissy's kinda cute, so she'll do. This could have been a birdie, maybe, but...par. BTW, enjoy the action at Royal Troon this week!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37919823933658886582016-07-14T09:34:05.106-04:002016-07-14T09:34:05.106-04:00EMAJOR MAJORITY, FAIRE FAIRGAME? Didn’t we just ha...EMAJOR MAJORITY, FAIRE FAIRGAME? Didn’t we just have a redundant puz lately? Seems to e a lot of that going on lately. Nothing in this puz was a stumper or even a w/o, +/- 15 minutes, I think. Good enough for me.<br /><br />Nice acknowledgement of the Swedish KRONOR, which is the plural form of the singular Krona. Somewhere I have some old KRONOR that my grandfather brought OVER on the Lusitania. And I have a cousin whose name is ThORA, pronounced TORA, as is the Swedish custom. So your comic book and action movie character should be pronounced TOR (no h sound), as in TORTINI.<br /><br />A plethora of yeah babies from 90 years ago through today. NITA Naldi kinda crosswordease from the SILENT era and can be seen BARELY if you google, yeah baby. SISsy SPACEK was a Prime Cut in the ‘70s. OLIVIA Wilde could paint my House. ANI DiFranco is underappreciated, methinks. All very FAIRE.<br /><br />Off to LAKE Geneva on Sat, followed by Chicago, so posting may be sporadic for a while, in the case I might seem SILENT.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25655905760468518592016-07-14T07:59:39.178-04:002016-07-14T07:59:39.178-04:00OP/ED HYPES
It’s FAIRGAME for FANZINES to JOKE an...OP/ED HYPES<br /><br />It’s FAIRGAME for FANZINES to JOKE and RAVE OVER what they said,<br />when OLIVIA and her PARTNERS LIEIDLE, BARELY, talking in BEDS.<br /><br />--- EMILIO TORTONI<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3700145188574484112016-06-11T00:55:34.730-04:002016-06-11T00:55:34.730-04:00LL is its own letter in some Celtic languages (see...LL is its own letter in some Celtic languages (see: Lloyd (name)), so, neither is silent, etymologicly.<br /><br />I assume that that is the derivation of llama, if not, then good question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56636818947811769082016-06-10T09:04:59.110-04:002016-06-10T09:04:59.110-04:00@Leapfinger - Let us review. Rex writes, "The...@Leapfinger - Let us review. Rex writes, "The *other* thing that made me not love this puzzle so much is the very concept of the SILENT MAJORITY, which I associate with scary white bigotry (check out the signs at the Trump rallies, for instance)." <br />@David Krost then personally attacks Rex with "get over yourself," "pathetic" and "absolutely incorrect based on its history." <br />I then pointed out that it is @David Krost who is incorrect about the phrase's history. I ignored the peckishness, but wrong on history is wrong on history. <br /><br />If SILENT MAJORITY does not strike someone as inherently racist, fine. A case can be made that when Nixon used that term he was not appealing to the basest fears of white voters. Most people who look coldly at that period, though, make a persuasive and conclusive argument that this was exactly Nixon's intent. That you see similar signs at openly racist Trump rallies certainly supports this conclusion. That Nixon was able to hide his intent in coded language is what the term "dog-whistle rhetoric" means. <br /><br />I suspect what is discomfiting for people (and how I interpret your post) is that we all like to think of ourselves as the "silent majority." Most Americans have neither the time nor interest to be politically involved, but we like to think of ourselves as "the rational middle." When it's pointed out that this term, which we think means us, might actually mean "bigoted white males" it feels like a personal insult. It's not.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81450498382496653032016-06-09T20:50:49.894-04:002016-06-09T20:50:49.894-04:00Torturous seems fine to me.
NITA Naldi was a sile...<a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/torturous" rel="nofollow">Torturous</a> seems fine to me.<br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nita_Naldi" rel="nofollow">NITA Naldi</a> was a <i>silent</i> movie star.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6161591030571605162016-06-09T20:06:41.175-04:002016-06-09T20:06:41.175-04:00@ED, Oscar Foxtrot Lima bean chortling over that e...@ED, Oscar Foxtrot Lima bean chortling over that ever since.<br /><br />@Z, based on a handful of replies, it seems that SILENT MAJORITY can be interpreted differently according to sources, memory and past experience. Probably just as well not to get Moor bogged down in Tweedy Prescriptivism than necessary. I'd hazard the guess that these days, the SILENT MAJORITY consists of persons who may have strong opinions (or not), but are too caught up in the maintenance of daily living to devote themselves to the large social and political issues with a whole lot of continuity. It ends up that the ones with not only the will, but the time and resources, are the ones who keep the focus and take the podium. I spose that one question is: Who supports/ funds this Vocal Minority? Seems they set the agenda.<br /><br />@Chaos, Good point about the frying pan and the fire. I'd wonder if @AliasZ hasn't thought of that himself. In ways, though, it strikes me as being less dramatic, and summat like that frog in the pot of water. As it heats up, hard for the frog to tell when the temperature has become life-threatening. Incremental change makes it hard to know when you're too far down the wrong road.<br /><br />If we want to keep this on topic, we could try to see whether these analogies apply to Cruciverbia in some way. Good luck with it; a couple of cinnamon buns might help.<br /><br />btw, @r.alphbunker, inexplicably nice to see you back.<br /><br />Thanks for the Thursday, Daemon. The walcum bit of TALCUM and the LAMA gave it a nice Ogden Gnash vibe.Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47497372386422979582016-06-09T19:49:51.073-04:002016-06-09T19:49:51.073-04:00@Alias Z - I'm not at all a Trump supporter, i...@Alias Z - I'm not at all a Trump supporter, in fact I can't stand the guy. Yet I found the attacks on the "Silent Majority" here today unsettling and didn't really know why. Your post explained that feeling clearly. Thank you for sharing.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80228438085169011912016-06-09T18:36:30.843-04:002016-06-09T18:36:30.843-04:00I like your perspective. I've been doing the N...I like your perspective. I've been doing the NYTP since last Thanksgiving when my wife and I were on a beach and we had a blast solving from Mon (20 mins) thru Sun (three hours). So she got me the app for Xmas. I do them daily and then I go to the archives and do several more for the same day of week and other than some topical issues I don't find that the quality has changed in the last five years. <br /><br />My times have gotten faster (down to 8 mins on Mon and around 2 hours on Sun) but I still enjoy doing them. All that said, today's was easy - finished in my Tuesday time with Tortoni being my only stumble (I had Tartoni and thought Aikida looked right)<br /><br />But as easy as it was - I still enjoyed itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4622998014177267912016-06-09T16:00:47.019-04:002016-06-09T16:00:47.019-04:00A few thoughts on later comments:
@kitshef: Agree...A few thoughts on later comments:<br /><br />@kitshef: Agree with a lot of what you said. The difficulty factor has definitely diminished over the last several decades. It seems that Will has tried to compensate for the lack of quality fill, by allowing more and more PPP. Many of the Evan Birnholz puzzles are indeed superior to the NYT Sunday offerings. He does have occasional clunkers, but considering who's shoes he's trying to fill, he's doing O.K.<br /><br />@Andrew Heinegg: Not sure if the practice of employing blonde streaks or highlights among both sexes really constitutes some sort of a cultural or societal trend worthy of a psychology journal, but I can tell you this. As a blue-eyed, blond-haired man of Danish ancestry, there is absolutely no truth to the old saw that blonds of either sex "have more fun." We simply get dirty faster!<br /><br />@puzzle hoarder said: "I take offense at cluing a MOOR as a wasteland." <br /><br />Indeed, and well you should! Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Catherine and Heathcliffe would strenuously disagree as well.<br /><br />@AliasZ: Re: the SILENT MAJORITY. Thank you for addressing the term much more eloquently than I ever could have. I think it is safe to say that few among the posters on this blog have ever really lived in a country or society where they experienced the type of oppression that you did. I'm glad you escaped "the fire." I just hope that you didn't jump into what may become the proverbial "frying pan!"<br /><br />@evil doug: Re: Oscar Foxtrot Lima. Lima Mike Foxtrot Alpha Oscar!<br />Maybe everyone doesn't consider Rex as their "Fearless Leader", but most respect him as "cruciverbistocracy." He has earned that appellation. His critiques are mostly on point, but with plenty of room for opposing views. He should really make a more conscientious effort to refrain from injecting Political Correctness, thinly veiled ideology, and Social Justice advocacy into his critiques. IMHO, it detracts from the weight and credibility of his opinions regarding crosswords. Why try and compete with RealClearPolitics.Com? Look at what you've already done today Rex? Look at the comments you've instigated. Is that what you want this blog to become? <br /><br /> <br /><br />Chaos344https://www.blogger.com/profile/08901221000538028472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61881706865882308692016-06-09T14:32:06.018-04:002016-06-09T14:32:06.018-04:00Is there an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn that do...Is there an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn that doesn't serve tortoni? For years I thought that the ONLY possible desserts were tortoni and spumoni. I was surprised that so many found the term unfamiliar!<br /><br />Got the theme immediately, but there were too many proper names for my taste. Had a lot of trouble with EDNA crossing ANI. No idea who either of them are. I also considered EMMA and AMI. Seems just as probable. That would make 15 across "RMA" recommended minimum amount. Makes sense... But RDA was more familiar, so I finished. I also don't like the clue for "Faire." <br /><br />Did not care for this puzzle at all - perhaps I am part of a silent majority?<br /><br />As to the complaint about Anglicized spellings, i.e. Mescal and Havana...sorry, but we write "Munich", not "Munchen" . Some places and words get changed, while some (San Jose, never Saint Joe) do not. Spanish newspapers refer to Nueva York. Same as English calling "Habana" Havana. Common practice all over the world. OISKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808675378318214461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4539591445806582462016-06-09T14:30:28.816-04:002016-06-09T14:30:28.816-04:00I'm a geezer who has been doing the puzzle sin...I'm a geezer who has been doing the puzzle since high school--and I completely agree with you. The only post I now read is from Mohair Sam; he's funny and on my wavelength.anihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15324852681487598694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79533630847299573092016-06-09T14:25:43.958-04:002016-06-09T14:25:43.958-04:00@hartley70 and Anrew Heinegg, here you go, the hot...@hartley70 and Anrew Heinegg, here you go, the hottest updated version of the DYE trend that Marilyn Monroe started - blonde blue ombré. Of course the trend among young women to dye their hair gray or white is still popular too. This spring deep maroon on black hair seems to have replaced the bright green on black trend.<br /><br />@r.alphbunker, loved your analogy and @hartley70, your suggestions for his SILENT PARTNERSHiP. <br /><br />@evil, LIMA OSCAR LIMA<br />Aketihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07059835429995060000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51322824484696608682016-06-09T14:04:36.629-04:002016-06-09T14:04:36.629-04:00I started with the grayed squares and got SILENT a...I started with the grayed squares and got SILENT and had another debate with myself about whether the gimmick was worth finishing. Since I was waiting for a friend, I went ahead. AISLES? GELATI? Did not like EMAJOR/MAJORITY. Tsk tsk.<br /><br />If you are looking for an anthology of classic puzzles from an earlier era, try "Sunday Times Crossword Omnibus" edited by Margaret Farrar, including puzzles from 1959 to 1974. They're tough. notarysojackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14393842095041585457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76665087757269251232016-06-09T13:43:54.728-04:002016-06-09T13:43:54.728-04:00Just as I pushed the button to read Jeff Chen'...Just as I pushed the button to read Jeff Chen's comments at Xwordinfo, I got the silent letters bit. I had stared at my filled-in grid and said, "That's it? On Thursday?" So it was a relief to see that that wasn't "it". <br /><br />KRONOR let me see that "act I" at 10A was not "the opening part". And having NERS in at the end of 21A, I put in __owNERS but TORA ( X 3) had to be right. Was that really from 1970? Google agrees with the puzzle clue but in my mind, it is in black and white so I had mentally placed it in an earlier era. Could we have still had a B&W TV in 1970? Hard to believe with my early-adaptor Dad; we had cable by 1976. Hmm.<br /><br />@Diana, LIW, I agree with your take on the puzzle. Although I began timing myself some time back, I try not to let it affect my enjoyment of the puzzle; it's mostly a way to make the Monday-Wednesday puzzles more interesting.<br /><br />Thanks, Damon, nice puzzle.Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88744381567635015382016-06-09T13:39:25.238-04:002016-06-09T13:39:25.238-04:00I really liked the puzzle and appreciate the chall...I really liked the puzzle and appreciate the challenge its construction must have required. Having said that, I think both today and yesterday were one day off on the difficulty factor. I'm hoping the next two puzzles will put up the fight that most of us look forward to on the weekend.<br /><br />@Diana,LIW: Excellent post! I'm sure there are many here who hope that your hypothesis is correct, but the issue is not that easily explained. It's interesting to note that in his reply to your comment,@Conrad said, "there has been no decline in quality, at least since 1993." 1993 just happens to be the year that the late, great, Eugene T. Maleska handed over the editing reins to Will Shortz. Go find and complete a Sunday puzzle from circa 1980 and get back to me. Then we'll talk about quality as it pertains to difficulty and PPP.<br /><br />@David Krost: Couldn't agree with you more, and your Wednesday comment on the subject was equally excellent. Regardless of it's origin, and contrary to what some political agendas want you to believe, the term SILENT MAJORITY is not synonymous with "bigoted white men." That analogy is an elitist dog whistle similar to "flyover country." This is Rex's blog, so he can interject politics and Political Correctness into the puzzle critique if he chooses to. That doesn't mean you or I can't call him on it.<br /><br />@LMS: What have you got against ale-filled chalices, mutton, and venison pie? Don't forget where you live Loren. People swap road-kill recipes there! I've gotten several good ones from some friends in Upper Tract. Well, no need to carrion about the subject.<br /><br />@OSCAR 7:18AM: LMAO!<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /> Chaos344https://www.blogger.com/profile/08901221000538028472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2581536631216367052016-06-09T13:04:46.418-04:002016-06-09T13:04:46.418-04:00"[Great] Silent Majority" was definitely..."[Great] Silent Majority" was definitely Nixon/Agnew-ese for conservative "traditional-values" Americans (also called "middle-Americans") who were patriotic and "mainstream" by Nixon/Agnew standards: they supported the war in Vietnam; they opposed aggressive governmental policies to assist the poor (including, but by no means only, African-Americans); they considered feminists to be misguided at best and castrating, man-hating b!tches at worst; they were resolutely opposed to the "hippie" counterculture and everything it stood for . . . they were basically Archie Bunker, minus his stereotypical "New Yawk" affect. <br /><br />Their ideological/spiritual descendants, I'd suggest, are today's Tea Partiers and others dedicated to "making America great again"<br /><br />I certainly opposed virtually everything they stood for (still do!) -- nonetheless, that being said, I can't object to using the phrase as a clue.<br /><br />And I do have a query: What's this "breakfast test" business? I see that phrase around here quite often . . . does it refer something so offensive/repugnant/intolerable that it would make someone so sick to their stomach they couldn't eat breakfast? Really?! If you're that hypersensitive about mere WORDS (of any kind, shape, or form) -- then you really shouldn't be doing crossword puzzles at breakfast (or any other time)in the first place!jazzmanchgohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02568707898871466512noreply@blogger.com