tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3373116584655044686..comments2024-03-28T20:49:13.267-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Magazine opposed to Cuban trade embargo / WED 1-26-11 / 2000 election scrap / Rapper Combs a k a Diddy / River in 1914 battleRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10402710936258885272011-03-28T15:43:28.888-04:002011-03-28T15:43:28.888-04:00HAW I knew right away.
Don Ho I knew right away.
C...HAW I knew right away.<br />Don Ho I knew right away.<br />Can't say I knew anyone else's names, which made a lot of other stuff hard to figure.<br />As I am a rookie, and try to solve these with my kids, I am grateful to learn all the ones we didn't know...and feel no guilt in seeing the correct word, as we'd never before heard of each one I did look up! <br />I'm just pleased with your giving me peace of mind.<br />Even oneacross.com was no help on most of the ones I'd left blank!! :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10702093129521072342011-03-03T21:32:59.454-05:002011-03-03T21:32:59.454-05:00(1/26 in Mar’11). My dad (b.1923; d.1989) always ...(1/26 in Mar’11). My dad (b.1923; d.1989) always used to say NATCH for “sure thing”, or, as Mr. Murchie said “why of course”. Maybe it’s a mid-20th century thing. DINGE, on the other hand, I’ve never heard of (‘dingy’ – my first entry here – yes) although it is in fact a word.lodsfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05345395843784742434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86012184146825133482011-03-03T09:07:41.241-05:002011-03-03T09:07:41.241-05:00He never hears it, not he never heard itHe never hears it, not he never heard itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39060687443402474942011-03-03T08:59:21.244-05:002011-03-03T08:59:21.244-05:00@Rex I'm surprised you haven't heard "...@Rex I'm surprised you haven't heard "Natch" used; Otto the bus driver says NATCH!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15311732358082895552011-03-02T17:24:52.279-05:002011-03-02T17:24:52.279-05:00@NarB is a hard act to follow any day, and he'...@NarB is a hard act to follow any day, and he's in exceptional form today so I'll just say I thought the puzzle maintained this week's string of fun puzzles with just the right level of difficulty. Hand up for every mistake already mentioned; finished with the mES/EmENI mistake smack in the heart of the grid, so it had a sad ending for me.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76432128896782588572011-03-02T16:42:06.231-05:002011-03-02T16:42:06.231-05:00Syndi-late solver.
I love Bachman, all you sooooo...Syndi-late solver.<br /><br />I love Bachman, all you sooooo-concerned-about-not-being-offensive-lefty-hypocrites. GEE (to the right), CANI?<br /><br />Was initially alarmed to read Rex's admission that he hadn't commanded plow horses in some time, since, as Tom Waitts says (and everybody KNOWS that), "Ya gotta get BEHIND the mule, in the mornin' and plow." But then when he talked about getting his sealegs back, it all became clear: a sailin' man, NATCH!<br /><br />I'm not overfond of LIAISES either; but it's shorter than "intermediates," it has fewer political connotations (nowadays) than either "arbitrates" OR "mediates" and it's easier grammatically and carries less conceptual baggage than "goes between;" so, despite its unattractive aspects, I bet we'll see LIASES increasingly over the years to come.<br /><br />@Dirigonzo: Love to see it whenever you and/or @Cary and/or @Waxy and/or whomever else chimes in also. You gave me a Charlie Sheen moment there the other day, made me feel like a "rock star from Mars." Except in a good way.<br /><br />captcha:<br />"pokedam":<br />Highly fecund parent of all Pokemon, along with Pokesire. Sidenote: Lady Gaga may well be the THE pokedam, since Pokemon is short for "pocket monsters" and she calls all her fans "the little monsters."NotalwaysrightBillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63838044300021438692011-03-02T13:05:03.470-05:002011-03-02T13:05:03.470-05:00Though a gimme, I didn't like the clue on 16A ...Though a gimme, I didn't like the clue on 16A OMAHA, since this was a code name. Perhaps "Normandy beach, once".Timhttp://clerestory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61379951275374348052011-01-26T22:01:29.644-05:002011-01-26T22:01:29.644-05:00This 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 6:03, 6:55, 0.87, 7%, Easy<br />Tue 11:40, 8:58, 1.30, 99%, Challenging<br />Wed 11:45, 11:44, 1.00, 57%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:15, 3:41, 0.88, 4%, Easy<br />Tue 5:35, 4:36, 1.22, 96%, Challenging<br />Wed 5:57, 5:46, 1.03, 65%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88663490608763920432011-01-26T20:57:42.202-05:002011-01-26T20:57:42.202-05:00Isn't CHAD a mass noun? Come to think of it, ...Isn't CHAD a mass noun? Come to think of it, so is "scrap" in some circumstances, so I guess I won't be able to nitpick. <br /><br />I share a birthday with DONHO.<br /><br />It's thundering here (south shore Long Island) and we'll have LOTS more snow overnight.miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67107140136783861652011-01-26T20:31:44.732-05:002011-01-26T20:31:44.732-05:00it's chad lowe...the ex-Mr. Hillary Swank...as...it's chad lowe...the ex-Mr. Hillary Swank...as @mac pointed out, "shad roe" is the pseudonym he uses when checks into hotels abroad.andrea cancelled plane michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83845513161727683632011-01-26T19:38:24.756-05:002011-01-26T19:38:24.756-05:00Didn't like DINGE. Another back formation from...Didn't like DINGE. Another back formation from dingy. dingier. dingiest. <br /><br />Had CHimeS before CHANTS, rEhab before DETOX, but they were obviously not quite right.<br /><br />Easy clever puzzle. Just like LA's, I think they both switched Tues with Wed. It's that world-wide conspiracy again. <br /><br />I always figured you speed demons used a different part of your brain, any way. <br /><br />Had a heat wave today. 34. Melting. Chance to move havy shovelsful.<br /><br />Nick Gage's best sellers were mob books. ELENI was about his mom. He was born Nikolaos Gatzoyiannis in Greece.<br /><br />@Jax is right; torts are civil. As far as the criminal part, how would you like to have your family pay for the rope that hanged you? We're so lucky to live in the USA.<br /><br />@7thecow - I don't think I've ever confused a torte with a TORT.<br />Also surprised the ACLU was that old.<br /><br />Cigars would make a great puzzle theme: cigarillo, stogey, humidor, don Diego, Churchill, hygrometer, el ropo stinko, roach, White Horse, Fidel, Cuaba, band ring. <br /><br />@Anon440 - who is the fella - too young for me to know, or even admit he's alive yet.<br /><br />@Artlover - Right on.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31137658691103116012011-01-26T19:00:02.973-05:002011-01-26T19:00:02.973-05:00@Matthew G - Best post you've ever made. Like...@Matthew G - Best post you've ever made. Like the brevity and the Punch (PI with CIGAR AFFICIANADO) and everything you said is subsumed in what I said earlier this morning....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61874404605482521312011-01-26T17:37:06.462-05:002011-01-26T17:37:06.462-05:00@RP
One option that lecturers have is to give a la...@RP<br />One option that lecturers have is to give a lab day if they are not prepared. Your writeup is like a lecture. Giving us a lab day would mean that we would be responsible for commenting on the puzzle. At the end of the day, you could read our comments and grade us.<br /><br />Just saying.r.alphbunkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6096826665261276542011-01-26T17:22:07.258-05:002011-01-26T17:22:07.258-05:00How does that origin preclude worditude? Dictionar...How does that origin preclude worditude? <a href="http://onelook.com/?w=liaise&ls=a" rel="nofollow">Dictionaries</a> include it as a word, so I'm gonna go with them here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18487228284290170212011-01-26T17:17:12.653-05:002011-01-26T17:17:12.653-05:00That's just some dude with a double chin.That's just some dude with a <a href="http://science.yalecollege.yale.edu/category/science-section/yser" rel="nofollow">double chin</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62623085519733460092011-01-26T17:00:43.627-05:002011-01-26T17:00:43.627-05:00Liaise may or may not be ugly, but I don't agr...Liaise may or may not be ugly, but I don't agree that it's a real word - it's a back formation from the French noun, isn't it?jberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169065390875378077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45733037579110203742011-01-26T16:40:46.197-05:002011-01-26T16:40:46.197-05:00Who is the gentleman in the photograph at the end ...Who is the gentleman in the photograph at the end of the post and how does it relate to the puzzle?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21620346421042967222011-01-26T15:42:17.806-05:002011-01-26T15:42:17.806-05:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Wed 11:38, 11:44, 0.99, 56%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Wed 6:03, 5:46, 1.05, 71%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65483989368338854302011-01-26T15:31:26.537-05:002011-01-26T15:31:26.537-05:00Shout out to Dear Old Dad at 13D, he would always ...Shout out to Dear Old Dad at 13D, he would always say, I don't know CAN you? I'm sure every other English speaking parent said the same thing. I already had LINC in place at 7D so I did not fall into that trap. Like @Nighthawk I had gee in before HAW at 23A and had a bunch of missteps trying to spell AFICIONADO. <br /><br />A most enjoyable and clever puzzle, thank you David Murchie. <br />My spell check wants to change that to munchies.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36828957612482786932011-01-26T15:30:48.763-05:002011-01-26T15:30:48.763-05:00Busy day today so just got to the puzzle. DNF
lov...Busy day today so just got to the puzzle. DNF<br /><br />loved sous chef of course.<br /><br />Know you all are suffering up north. We've had rain and lots of wind today however it was in the 50's!!!chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22421158405361646332011-01-26T15:28:22.010-05:002011-01-26T15:28:22.010-05:00Hope you're feeling more rested now, Rex. It i...Hope you're feeling more rested now, Rex. It is possible to solve in a sleep-deprived, distracted, or generally discombobulated state with enough practice; there does seem to be a subconscious process that kicks in at some point. I can only say that I've solved a good portion of a puzzle online while distracted, or very close to falling asleep, then have been surprised upon refocusing to find some of the grid filled in correctly (or mostly correct) without remembering consciously doing so.<br />Not what you want to do ideally, and I don't know how this works, but it's possible.<br />Hope to see and/or meet a bunch of you at the ACPT in March, awake and aware. :)<br /><br />Neat theme today. Well done.Howard Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00766792795622192271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41817842434981608112011-01-26T15:27:01.324-05:002011-01-26T15:27:01.324-05:00@David L, we are so often on the same wavelength. ...@David L, we are so often on the same wavelength. I. too. had PEACENIK.<br />@christelb... I had the same thought re: CAN I - very much corrected in my youth on that one.<br />@Two Ponies - thanks for the 19A clarification<br />@Rex, didn't know the slur, DINGE - appreciate knowing that, too<br />@dk, Wednesday is FIL's favorite day, too, at 90. You get Bachmann drivel at night there? Ugh.<br />@Nighthawk, yes I believe you are right - where "Hee Haw" comes from.<br />@Shamik, good for you for not buying into the wife-as-glorified-maid bullshit from WISK purveyors.<br /><br />CHEROOT! This puzzle was a good one! It will BLUNT my appetite until tomorrow's fix.fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13061576727590356892011-01-26T14:46:13.578-05:002011-01-26T14:46:13.578-05:00I'm sad @Rex is tired, but I like glimpses int...I'm sad @Rex is tired, but I like glimpses into his real life...it's the essence of great writing.<br /><br />Love the idea of CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR<br />as starters...<br />(My first collaboration with Patrick B included four versions of that as a tribute to Trip's near miss at the ACPT a couple years back)<br /><br />NO SOLICITING is wildly interesting given the myriad NO... phrases to be chosen from.<br /><br />And I normally would not be able to spell AFICIONADO (just had to peek at the grid again!) to save my life, or Pavarotti's!<br />Luckily it has yet to come to that.aficionado carla michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75936256916776712272011-01-26T14:12:33.016-05:002011-01-26T14:12:33.016-05:00Thanks, Dan. I like that grep syntax pretty much w...Thanks, Dan. I like that grep syntax pretty much works for both sites. I guess my $35 a donation to maintain a worthy site is money well spent anyway.<br /><br />captcha dessert - mmmm good.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25436581021146867912011-01-26T14:06:57.587-05:002011-01-26T14:06:57.587-05:00Yeah, ELENI isn't exactly ARENA, but it's ...Yeah, ELENI isn't exactly ARENA, but it's good to have in one's back pocket, especially since there's only the one way to clue it. I do more puzzles than anyone so I may be overestimating its crosswordeseyness.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.xwordinfo.com/Finder?word=ELENI" rel="nofollow">Here's that link</a> that would have saved you $35... (not that the Cruciverb database isn't useful, but the NYT data is available for free)Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11209543514266918480noreply@blogger.com