tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3242496318826172284..comments2024-03-29T04:46:57.646-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: MONDAY, Jul. 6 2009 — Wall St. whiz / Baltic sea feeder / Wavy pattern on fabric / Pattern on pinto horse / Pindaric piecesRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17757261321104457482009-08-11T01:31:58.059-04:002009-08-11T01:31:58.059-04:00Should it have been "wall street wiz"? ...Should it have been "wall street wiz"? I thought one goes for a whiz or takes a whiz. Wasn't sure if there was a play on words with that clue.Denis20100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71857468052542296622009-07-07T02:01:14.271-04:002009-07-07T02:01:14.271-04:00.. yet the consistent analysis of a chosen constan..... yet the consistent analysis of a chosen constant and its variant is the only way to come to grips with things, as dull as this conclusion may be.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64492523368139706782009-07-07T01:31:12.649-04:002009-07-07T01:31:12.649-04:00With no way of knowing, I might presume there are ...With no way of knowing, I might presume there are a few that rip through, and the rest that follow your almost normal distribution.<br /><br /><br />Fergus<br /><br /><br /><br />(The chi-squared distribution, by chance, is showing up lately. What is one to make of that?)fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80823385396050367332009-07-06T23:33:30.863-04:002009-07-06T23:33:30.863-04:00Absolutely, Fergus ... the sample is only represen...Absolutely, Fergus ... the sample is only representative of people who solve the puzzle online. But I think the numbers can be useful for gauging the relative difficulty of a puzzle. I also find them useful for evaluating my own solve times.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87178461456778483202009-07-06T23:10:47.683-04:002009-07-06T23:10:47.683-04:00Data Alert:
A significant portion of solvers, who...Data Alert:<br /><br />A significant portion of solvers, who do it on paper, is missing from the data. Lest we get too accurate in our analysis, let's not elide the dinosaurs. Many pen and paper types, who may be in the top 100, or they may not, should be part of the sample.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21710811844257207412009-07-06T23:06:44.277-04:002009-07-06T23:06:44.277-04:00This week's numbers ... the numbers in parenth...This week's numbers ... the numbers in parentheses are the number of solvers.<br /><br />Mon (all) 6:38 (879) prev 4 week avg: 6:51 (898)<br />Mon (Top 100) 3:24 prev 4 week avg: 3:43<br /><br />Today's puzzle was apparently on the easy side for a Monday. The 3:24 median for the top 100 solvers is the fastest time in the 5 weeks I've been tracking the numbers (although two weeks ago, the median time was 3:25). The 6:38 median for all solvers is quite a bit behind the median from two weeks ago (6:16).sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78220666724087669442009-07-06T22:27:36.479-04:002009-07-06T22:27:36.479-04:00Lots of funny little errors today.
Guile for Guis...Lots of funny little errors today.<br /><br />Guile for Guise, Skin for Skit.<br /><br />There's some correspondence there, which others teased out, I'm sure, since I didn't read through as I normally would.<br /><br />Why I chose Conservative Lie (sic) for the stated Liberal Benefits, came from reading an Atlantic article (dated 01-09) last night about the senior NY Senator, and his reclassification, as it were, of the middle classes. I won't get into the argument, but it did rest on a data reinterpretation that made a fair amount of sense.<br /><br />I know there's no truck with political advocacy chez Rex, but when the puzzle itself insinuates a political consideration, I'm not averse in response.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63116236539660789332009-07-06T21:54:38.614-04:002009-07-06T21:54:38.614-04:00@acme: Your intuition about Aida is really on: She...@acme: Your intuition about Aida is really on: She was a princess from down south (egyptically speaking) and became a slave only when she was captured. Radames (aka Placido Domingo) would've never fallen in love with a mere "slave".Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51565126783183393532009-07-06T21:33:00.182-04:002009-07-06T21:33:00.182-04:00On my old Mac LCII back in the day, there was a sc...On my old Mac LCII back in the day, there was a screen saver called moire that, if I recall correctly, was a bunch of wavy lines that would change colors and undulate and stuff. My first response to seeing it was, "Oh, THAT'S a moire!"chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28474281787675728662009-07-06T21:07:40.406-04:002009-07-06T21:07:40.406-04:00@Andrea - there is indeed a device called a melon ...@Andrea - there is indeed a device called a melon baller - it looks like a very small ice cream scoop. <br /><br />And Mondays arent't the same without you!JannieBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18282015159638078416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26147262329836777682009-07-06T20:54:26.421-04:002009-07-06T20:54:26.421-04:00Thank you for the shout out of the day:
@Archeop...Thank you for the shout out of the day:<br /><br />@Archeoprof<br />Thank you very much... but it seems hopeless of late. Not to get too bitter, but I do feel if I had submitted this it would have come back with exactly Rex's commentary...not exciting enough, too much crosswordese, half the words only one letter different: AIDE/AIDA/crossing with ADA, ODES/ODER, IGO/GONO!!?! Many clues/words not Monday-enough, etc. <br />So I can only assume I'm still a bit of a persona(e) non grata(e), tho a bit afraid to say so so publicly, but what the hell! <br /><br />(Makes me wonder why the only people defending this puzzle or complimenting Fred are anonymous! But Fred IS a great guy, normally fabulous constructor, and super close to Will plus no longer has his Wash Post gig so prob has a million puzzles to funnel elsewhere, now the NYT)<br /><br />(That said, I have two in the pipeline, but both collaborations later in the week, so maybe I'm not total box-office poison...till this post!)<br /><br />What I learned today:<br />Never knew what a MACRO was...only vaguely remember AIDA was a slave (I liked that clue a lot) and the whole accent thing for MOIRE.<br /><br />Private tangent of the day:<br />I was weirded out by the very first clue. Melon balls are they cut? Can you cut something to make it round? Or are they scooped? Or formed somehow??<br /> Just the phrase "cut into balls" seemed leg-crossing worthy and I'm not even a guy!<br /><br />Scrabble lesson of the day:<br />VIN is no longer good in Scrabble. "They" took it out, deciding too foreign...but VINO is ok! GO KNOW!<br /><br />Bleed-over word of the day:<br />from Orangebach's Sunday puzzle: HENCEandrea go know michaelshttp://acmenaming.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31298014909054172232009-07-06T19:22:48.834-04:002009-07-06T19:22:48.834-04:00Rex: "And ARB = arbitrageur"
Doh! I k...Rex: "And ARB = arbitrageur"<br /><br />Doh! I knew that. Obviously hadn't had enough coffee yet and was riffing off the last case I worked one. My apologies to Anonymous@9:23Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10032302346488486116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49541329085643035742009-07-06T19:14:27.045-04:002009-07-06T19:14:27.045-04:00I wonder what Sanfranman's assessment will sho...I wonder what Sanfranman's assessment will show. In scanning the numbers, I think that Rex's rating of Medium is spot on. If anything, I think the numbers will be slightly faster than the last few weeks, but within the noise..Or may be not: ) <br /><br />But I don't know how well the 800 people who solve on line represent the general solvers of the puzzle. The fact that the entire group can average a little over 6 minutes for a Monday probably says that most of them are pretty experienced. So, as @edith b suggests, there might be some head scratching...foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28440466971881051442009-07-06T18:45:42.053-04:002009-07-06T18:45:42.053-04:00Several years ago, my husband's firm got into ...Several years ago, my husband's firm got into it with their younger associates over the issue of "conservative ties." The firm thought that neckties with hula dancers on them were not suitable attire for people who handled money for clients. The younger associates persuaded my husband to wear a psychedelic tie in solidarity with them and a good time was had by all.<br /><br />As rex pointed out, this puzzle was slightly wonky with a bad mixture of simple and Friday level clues. This one must have had new solvers scratching their heads.edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31468081377597618582009-07-06T18:25:38.742-04:002009-07-06T18:25:38.742-04:00oof, because I can't count I did a good job of...oof, because I can't count I did a good job of fitting "undecidedrinker" in place of "moderatedrinker". I didn't notice until I had three letters left to fill.Treenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32601723287953942382009-07-06T14:41:05.231-04:002009-07-06T14:41:05.231-04:00It's fitting that EVAN Bayh is crossing CONSER...It's fitting that EVAN Bayh is crossing CONSERVATIVE. He was never the "onetime darling of the Democratic party." He was the darling of a certain segment of the political class that thinks Democrats ought to act like Republicans, but just not be as nutty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6676836918527867052009-07-06T13:51:22.495-04:002009-07-06T13:51:22.495-04:00I dunno, I liked it and found it quite easy. And I...I dunno, I liked it and found it quite easy. And I enjoyed seeing GONO in the middle, sort of a counterpoint to NOGO that we've seen of late. I liked many of the words pointed out.<br /><br />I'm OK with STEROID being singular even though I understand that athletes are generally said to be on steroids in the plural. I imagine this is because in the olden days steroids were extracted and it was hard to separate one from the other. Now that people take synthetic forms, an athlete can take say Androstenedione, a particular anabolic steroid. <br /><br />Whenever I hear of someone named Moira, I imagine her dressed in purple MOIRE...Beyond the sound, there is something about Moira meaning someone who assigns fate and the wavy look of MOIRE that go together well.. <br /><br />Rex, I'm old enough to have lived through the "Hot Pants" era. This puts a whole different spin on it.foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68823836202595628472009-07-06T13:46:24.739-04:002009-07-06T13:46:24.739-04:00I always find it interesting when a modern usage c...I always find it interesting when a modern usage completely overtakes a very old traditional one. Today the word is Moire, which is now used to refer to the wavy patterns you get when scanning.<br /><br />The word actually goes back to at least 1660, when Pepys is quoted as saying "We bought some greene watered Moyre for a morning wastecoate".Jim in Chicagonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61054430344599514142009-07-06T13:45:23.519-04:002009-07-06T13:45:23.519-04:00I remain with mac - ou would have been preferable....I remain with mac - <i>ou</i> would have been preferable. Not that "or" was much of a slowdown.......<br /><br /><i>Chacun à son ou.....</i>retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59857382133225643872009-07-06T13:39:38.251-04:002009-07-06T13:39:38.251-04:00I agree. OK puzzle, but strangely lifeless.
Ag...I agree. OK puzzle, but strangely lifeless. <br /><br />Again this Monday, I miss ACME.archaeoprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956231727789223463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81105143973533182292009-07-06T13:23:48.372-04:002009-07-06T13:23:48.372-04:00After Friday and Saturday I was starting to think ...After Friday and Saturday I was starting to think I was a SIMP, but today I didn't need to use my MELON much and EXITed fairly quickly (for me). HENCE, IGO into Tuesday EXUDE-ing confidence that I won't ERR as i PLY my GUILE towards ever-greater crossword DEEDs, ready to SNAG a personal best... or not.still_learninhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04330040267594904790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81649893067671622452009-07-06T12:45:14.668-04:002009-07-06T12:45:14.668-04:00I want to start timing myself and I'm beginnin...I want to start timing myself and I'm beginning by doing the puzzle as quickly as I can without too much thought about anything. It makes for a very different experience. I know I've said this before and it's the last time I'll say it. I'm just venting. And seeing moire the other day helped my time.Annenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11749231173946005792009-07-06T12:40:24.812-04:002009-07-06T12:40:24.812-04:00Since we'd seen MOIRE so recently, (no accent ...Since we'd seen MOIRE so recently, (no accent on the capital letter), I guessed that the word of the day would be RAS Tafari... <br /><br />Other than that, not much here in the way of surprises -- but thanks to Ulrich for extra notes on ADA Louise Huxtable!<br /><br />∑;)ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22250356765282759092009-07-06T12:23:24.283-04:002009-07-06T12:23:24.283-04:00@HudsonHawk: you're right, Chablis is typicall...@HudsonHawk: you're right, Chablis is typically a white wine. I did find some red ones online, but the name is probably used inaccurately, just like Champagne.<br />I do stick with the suggestion to use "ou" instead of or to require the French "vin".machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35538253255311910362009-07-06T12:12:06.983-04:002009-07-06T12:12:06.983-04:00Anyone who's been on an interview in the busin...Anyone who's been on an interview in the business world knows what a conservative tie is. Great puzzle Fred.<br /><br /><br />"she's got a mohair suit, electric boots; you know I read it in a magazine...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com