tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3002004096754906679..comments2024-03-28T17:08:03.319-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Thin Russian pancake / TUE 1-14-14 / Inscribed stone slab / Car with stylized caliper in its logo / Jimmy who wrote Galveston MacArthur ParkRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21868179010181124772014-02-18T20:42:38.727-05:002014-02-18T20:42:38.727-05:00Thanks @Ginger. Can't speak for @Diri but the ...Thanks @Ginger. Can't speak for @Diri but the temperature here tomorrow is actually expected to be above freezing with some rain possible. worst may be over...Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91595333713961951272014-02-18T20:32:17.536-05:002014-02-18T20:32:17.536-05:00Solved this one in the waiting room at the clinic ...Solved this one in the waiting room at the clinic trying not to giggle out loud, and trying not to draw attention to my silly grin as all the nonsensical words came popping up. Irreverent, Irrelevant fun was unfortunately not had by all. <br /><br />@ahisma thanx for the ear worm! Much better than the O Cedar song.<br /><br />@Waxy and @Diri - and any other east coast syndilanders - Stay warm and dry. <br /><br />Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45699299251181265732014-02-18T20:08:08.975-05:002014-02-18T20:08:08.975-05:00@Solving in Seattle - Might I suggest Mother Night...@Solving in Seattle - Might I suggest <b>Mother Night</b> or <b>Cat's Cradle</b> to get a feel for the style and then <b>Breakfast of Champions</b> and <b>Slaughterhouse Five</b>. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63060107602796295842014-02-18T18:38:47.154-05:002014-02-18T18:38:47.154-05:00@Waxy, I've never read Vonnegut so I thought t...@Waxy, I've never read Vonnegut so I thought the Anonymouse repetition was some inside humor. <br /><br />This Croce puz was more like a Thursday to me. Balderdash! Man, you jus talkin' s%#t! Poppycock! <br /><br />My Capcha, with "The" is another lost Ludlum manuscript: Cheflarc Recensions.<br /><br />Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55200006303573527202014-02-18T15:53:21.246-05:002014-02-18T15:53:21.246-05:00To the repetitious @anonymouse, GROK isn't act...To the repetitious @anonymouse, GROK isn't actually a Vonnegut creation - it comes from the 1961 Robert A. Heinlein classic novel, Stranger in a Strange Land. Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31617857319655083602014-02-18T15:50:30.490-05:002014-02-18T15:50:30.490-05:00Loved working out all variations in this one. Brou...Loved working out all variations in this one. Brought back the days of Roget/Webster hunts for the perfect word when writing term papers. I miss those days when finding a word led to prowling for another. On-line, isolated definitions just don't have that appeal. That said, I just Googled PAPAW, and find it defined as either a synonym for ."papaya" or a tree in the eastern states. So, whence "prairie banana"? Now to get down the dictionary, sadly less used in these days when the print seems to get smaller and smaller!<br /><br />DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15493102563989644342014-02-18T15:25:34.291-05:002014-02-18T15:25:34.291-05:00I've always been of the opinion that one can n...I've always been of the opinion that one can never have too many words at his disposal for calling out bulls#@t; it's nice to have an adequate selection to avoid repetition so I enjoyed adding a word or two to my verbal arsenal. (I said many of them to myself while reading the comments today.)<br /><br />Sure I had some write-overs but the crosswords set me straight, and that's fun, no? I say Booyah! to BUSHWA. <br /><br />Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16363874078309377802014-02-18T15:05:36.324-05:002014-02-18T15:05:36.324-05:00To the person who used an h word while asking what...To the person who used an h word while asking what a GROK might be: it's a verb, silly! Go read some Vonnegut.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11759915129667971452014-02-18T15:03:01.567-05:002014-02-18T15:03:01.567-05:00To the person who used an h word in reference to t...To the person who used an h word in reference to the wonderful word GROK:<br />it's a verb, silly! Go read some Vonnegut.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51162613467185499942014-02-18T14:59:49.064-05:002014-02-18T14:59:49.064-05:00To the person who used an h word in asking what a ...To the person who used an h word in asking what a grok might be: it's a verb, silly! Go read some Vonnegut.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61067599053473616132014-02-18T14:59:17.485-05:002014-02-18T14:59:17.485-05:00To the person who used an h word in asking what a ...To the person who used an h word in asking what a grok might be: it's a verb, silly! Go read some Vonnegut.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87703755796746646022014-02-18T13:35:41.141-05:002014-02-18T13:35:41.141-05:00Thank you, Mr.Croce, for introducing and educating...Thank you, Mr.Croce, for introducing and educating the many followers on this blog to the word "Bushwa." Being an old-timer, I aced the puzzle without any help. The commenters seem to forget how many other puzzles contain words "I've never heard before." Too, too bad, he said sarcastically. My word of the day is "ad out.' Now I know, and so many others do, thanks to an informed commenter. In my humble opinion, the sign of a good puzzle construction is having at least one uncommon word to ponder... or look up... or to learn. Thanks again.<br /><br />Ron Diego 10:35 AM PST 2/18/14Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25819933057781780872014-02-18T12:54:18.280-05:002014-02-18T12:54:18.280-05:00TOSH brings to mind 1950's pro wrestler and vi...TOSH brings to mind 1950's pro wrestler and villain Tosh Togo who partnered in tag-team bouts with his "brother", The Great Togo. Later in life, Tosh - actually Toshiyuki Sakata - reinvented himself as an actor, notably playing Oddjob in the James Bond thriller, Goldfinger.<br /><br />Only problem here other than TRITEness was STREWN before STRUNG at 39D which prevented HOGWASH and YARN for a while. Not the best Tim Croce puzzle by far. Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52015744774176417812014-02-18T12:08:50.969-05:002014-02-18T12:08:50.969-05:00I got stalled getting into the NE because I laid d...I got stalled getting into the NE because I laid down ieDS, certainly of everyday concern to anyone over there, instead of WMDS, which were dismissed as [pick one] early on. And the clue for 19a led me--like the PP himself--to DERAT, but I balked at setting that stinker down.<br /><br />I wound up leaving there and just winding my way counterclockwise from the NW, and it was getting tougher by the section. TOSH--and in the same grid with TESH? BUSHWA?? Count me among the many who never heard of those two. Gotta be a regional thing.<br /><br />To me the fill wasn't that terrible...OK, ANIGH and ROWB (OMG, what a precedent! Don't do it, lads and lasses, don't you dare do it!!) are pretty bad. TRITER...I feel a song coming on.<br /><br />Nothing could be TRITER<br />Than to fill your grid with NITER<br />In the mooorning...<br /><br />OK, Jimmy WEBB I ain't. But in a Tuesday puzzle, wouldn't ol' Jack of Badge 714 do?<br /><br />TRITER than IBAR, ERST and AGEE it's hard to get. The rest of it is AOK. Have to give props for Scrabbliness, no?<br /><br />Easy to challenging; average: medium, I guess.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82668752670711807912014-01-16T01:40:12.389-05:002014-01-16T01:40:12.389-05:00Hands down one of the worst crossword puzzles I...Hands down one of the worst crossword puzzles I've ever done. Most of the clues are themed as Nonense which is nonsense. How is JAZZ nonense? Or JIVE? I've been staring at them for a while and I still don't get it. <br /><br />I gave up before half the grid was finished with a bunch of blank crosses with Nonsense. <br /><br />Absolutely the worst puzzle I've seen in a long time. Absolute garbage. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21652568318946043612014-01-15T12:29:19.665-05:002014-01-15T12:29:19.665-05:00@muse. Tried a couple takes on drawin happy eyes w...@muse. Tried a couple takes on drawin happy eyes with angry mouth. First impressions = <br />* Oh look what yer cute poodle just did on our new carpet.<br />* Constipation or gas problem.<br />* You scored us two tickets for the opera tonight?<br />* Nice puz -- one U, huh?<br />* Oh, look. She made us eel casserole.<br />* It only hurts when I laugh.<br />* Ponderin one's relative insignificance in a universe of uncountable bajillions of stars. While bein out of weed.<br /><br />p.s. Each kid in the class drew a thanx U drawin, and the teacher mailed the art collection to me. Hours of entertainment, decipherin.<br /><br />p.p.s.s.<br />har! Now I finally get it! It's a Croce-ODILE! day-um.<br /><br />M&AJust An Expressionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10843077354749881512014-01-15T09:03:39.629-05:002014-01-15T09:03:39.629-05:00Thought this whole puzzle was HOGWASH. Never hear...Thought this whole puzzle was HOGWASH. Never heard of BUSHWA, GROK, ROT, or TOSH and thus DNF. And, just for the record, I really could care less if I finish a puzzle, I am usually satisfied to come close when the puzzle has been fun. This was garbage. So many short answers with crosses that were not give mes making the "nonsense" clues extremely difficult in my opinion.oldbizmarkynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25032503646711718262014-01-15T06:40:01.256-05:002014-01-15T06:40:01.256-05:00@John Child – this game is such a hoot. And all ag...@John Child – this game is such a hoot. And all ages can play.<br /><br />1. Divide into even teams, both in number and in brain power – there's always that problematic someone in each group. Work around him/her.<br /><br />2. Each person in each team spends about 10 minutes and writes things, people, places, on small strips of paper, folds them, and puts them in a bowl for the other team to draw from. Sample ideas that work are: zip-loc baggie, Mr. Rogers, clothes pin, hay bale, Uncle Sam, thermos. (Sample ideas that don't work: osprey, vitreous humor, 6 inch replica of the Statue of Liberty, the Kreb Cycle, eyepit.)<br /><br />3. When it's Team One's turn, someone on Team Two sets his timer for 1 minute. The "clue giver" for that turn on Team One draws a slip and then uses words, sentences, gestures. . . anything but words included in the answer. . . to get his/her team mates to call out the answer. It sounds too easy, but it's actually not – an excellent score (at least for my family) in one minute is over five correct. But there again, you have to figure we had Dad – "Use your words, Dad. Please." And Mom, who, I guess in the spirit of good sportsmanship and holiday cheer, enthusiastically, helpfully cried out answers for the other team. <b>Answers that she herself earlier had written on the slips.</b> At least she drew the line and did not, in fact, cry out answers to herself when she was the one actually giving the clues.<br /><br />4. Successful answers are thrown to the ground. If you can't figure out how to clue one, PUT IT BACK IN THE BOWL – do not throw it on the ground. Dad. Ahem. Then just draw another one.<br /><br />5. Obviously, you need a scorekeeper, and again, this is always problematic. If Aunt Ethel is a known cheater, don't let her keep score. ("What, she messed again with the tally? Whack her!)<br /><br />The Jabberwocky idea went off without a hitch, thanks for asking. Funny, I actually challenged someone who had already drawn the TumTum Tree to give slithy toves a shot!<br /><br />@M & A - what a great idea to do with kids!! I'm going to steal this. I absolutely loved their responses to the happy-mouth-angry-eye face. RUN! Was my favorite, too. Wonder what they would have responded to happy eyes but and angry mouth?Loren Muse Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05308030011870397977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90659798687707790202014-01-15T06:35:14.913-05:002014-01-15T06:35:14.913-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Loren Muse Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05308030011870397977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-92086088815646011532014-01-15T00:12:34.594-05:002014-01-15T00:12:34.594-05:00@Anon 11.13: It came from Russian. Blini is the pl...@Anon 11.13: It came from Russian. <em>Blini</em> is the plural of <em>blin</em>.Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89810122970894776622014-01-14T23:13:57.339-05:002014-01-14T23:13:57.339-05:00A thin Russian pancake is a Blini---NOT a blin. Wh...A thin Russian pancake is a Blini---NOT a blin. Where did that come from?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13707054393621089292014-01-14T19:30:13.456-05:002014-01-14T19:30:13.456-05:00Thanks, @MetaRex, @Steve, and @ahimsa. I dabbled a...Thanks, @MetaRex, @Steve, and @ahimsa. I dabbled a little bit in the south too, but I found that the AT YA/NSEC/TSO fill was the best one available.Evanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15440942981870183719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33493311406984759032014-01-14T16:48:27.255-05:002014-01-14T16:48:27.255-05:00Nice. Easy. Have never said Bushwa, but have read...Nice. Easy. Have never said Bushwa, but have read it many times. This reminds me of a puz in the mid sixties that had a zillion dog breeds (or maybe cats, it was a while ago). It was my first Times puz that amazed me. The previous ones were just fun. Sometimes I think Rex is all wet and I think this is one of those times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43614512128578935252014-01-14T16:29:46.095-05:002014-01-14T16:29:46.095-05:00I mean, bad that it's good.
Sheesh.I mean, bad that it's good.<br /><br />Sheesh.gifcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12612467417938884430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15678184823509464112014-01-14T16:28:42.887-05:002014-01-14T16:28:42.887-05:00Same DNF in the east.
Never heard of BUSHWA but I...Same DNF in the east.<br /><br />Never heard of BUSHWA but I'm gonna start using it.<br /><br />@Ahimsa is right, it's so good that it's bad! DERAT for President!gifcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12612467417938884430noreply@blogger.com