tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3655143367614869300..comments2024-03-29T07:47:07.663-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Faerie Queene woman / THU 5-23-13 / Green of TV's Robot Chicken / Company with Running Man logo / Setting of Camus's Stranger / Bluffer's giveaway / Fleming of Spellbound / Sculpture Kryptos sits outside its hdqrs / Me say this word in 1957 hit Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59867914151350002792013-06-28T20:57:39.696-04:002013-06-28T20:57:39.696-04:00Didn't know any of the proper names, either --...Didn't know any of the proper names, either -- gotta be a popular culture fan, I suppose. But Googling the Twilight author revealed that her first name is not STEPHANIE but STEPHENIE. One day, when a seven-letter word is clued "Twilight author Meyer" this information may be of value.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57302525566777579142013-06-27T19:58:47.161-04:002013-06-27T19:58:47.161-04:00@Diri, yup!@Diri, yup!Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62903977053524751942013-06-27T19:34:13.557-04:002013-06-27T19:34:13.557-04:00@Waxy - if you mean this Russ Meyer, "Meyer i...@Waxy - if you mean this Russ Meyer, "Meyer is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful low-budget sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women such as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (wiki) I think you'd agree he was not an "ass-frère" but more of a...well, you know what I mean.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79511184083647652532013-06-27T16:48:05.817-04:002013-06-27T16:48:05.817-04:00BTW, the fact that I'm far more familiar with ...BTW, the fact that I'm far more familiar with the works of Russ, rather than Stephanie, MEYER may speak volumes about my life and times!Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86367347718839113932013-06-27T16:41:58.206-04:002013-06-27T16:41:58.206-04:00Well @Diri, guess that excludes me especially on a...Well @Diri, guess that excludes me especially on a hot day in ÉTE here on the ÎLE de Montréal.<br /><br />Another fun puzzle, perhaps Tuesday-like in difficulty but, like yesterday's, fresh and a pleasure to solve. Only real difficulty I had was in the NW corner but figuring out the theme led to the EYE in MEYER and the rest fell into place. Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72123266775092071152013-06-27T15:00:22.354-04:002013-06-27T15:00:22.354-04:00Easy if you knew most of the proper names, which I...Easy if you knew most of the proper names, which I did not but I still managed to RASSLE it to one blank square, #1 right up there in the top left corner. By the time I arrived back there I was too tired to run tha alphabet (again) and I knew neither the author or the actress so I called it a day. "Sharp-ass frère" sounds like urban slang for a really well-dressed dude in Québec.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27994816079363795792013-06-27T12:57:08.600-04:002013-06-27T12:57:08.600-04:00@Two Ponies: MAD Magazine used the expression &quo...@Two Ponies: MAD Magazine used the expression "YECH" frequently--sometimes spelled with an extra C, for, um, emphasis.<br /><br />Yes, this is another theme that gives away the store, so does not quite make it into Thursday territory, IMO. And although I did very much enjoy the twin framers of the central 15 with AGITATOR and FRENZIES, I would hardly call the fill "solid."<br /><br />Unless you mean solid consonants: LBJ JRS RNS MGM MCS. Add to that EZR, ESTH, EES, ENS and the dreaded Romanumeral, and the result is YECH.<br /><br />Hardest part (and that not very) was sussing out RASSLE from just "Scrap." I guess not mentioning "slang" was enough to upgrade it to a Thursday slot. MAYBEYESMAYBENO.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72663381183901473062013-06-27T12:38:56.003-04:002013-06-27T12:38:56.003-04:00Mostly what everyone has said. This was a fun, ea...Mostly what everyone has said. This was a fun, easy puzzle where once you saw the first set of circles under EYE, the rest were simply entered, and then the theme revealer filled in. <br /><br />FYI, and I know I'm speaking to maybe only three people, YECH is/was a favourite word in MAD Magazine which I read all the time as a lad. I miss MAD and POGO...rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8815604291187896372013-05-29T01:33:18.046-04:002013-05-29T01:33:18.046-04:00Eric is mistaken. For Jews the equivalent of Chris...Eric is mistaken. For Jews the equivalent of Christian Old testament would be The Hebrew Bible ( which is a neutral term that is often used in secular scholarship) Tanakh or sometimes Torah. However "Torah" may also be ised more narrowly to refer to the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses (i.e. the first five books of the OT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).<br />PHILPhil @https://www.blogger.com/profile/04102632485293966791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71344359301029600862013-05-23T23:06:48.073-04:002013-05-23T23:06:48.073-04:0021A: "Churchill, e.g.". Tory? IIRC he ...21A: "Churchill, e.g.". Tory? IIRC he was in both the Liberal and Conservative parties but never the Tory party.<br />Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14617585371407792008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85625155190721862212013-05-23T22:01:11.056-04:002013-05-23T22:01:11.056-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. 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 7:18, 6:14, 1.17, 96%, Challenging (8th highest ratio of 179 Mondays)<br />Tue 9:09, 8:09, 1.12, 77%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 8:47, 10:00, 0.88, 24%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 13:26, 16:53, 0.80, 15%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:21, 3:46, 1.16, 94%, Challenging<br />Tue 5:23, 4:49, 1.12, 77%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 5:10, 5:45, 0.90, 25%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 7:58, 9:49, 0.81, 15%, Easy<br /><br />Go Sharks!sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79974871575413442572013-05-23T20:39:01.198-04:002013-05-23T20:39:01.198-04:00An exceptionally easy Thursday for me. I slowed up...An exceptionally easy Thursday for me. I slowed up a bit in the NW (tussle instead of rassle), but not for long.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56314800039204034922013-05-23T20:23:11.217-04:002013-05-23T20:23:11.217-04:00@Liberace - LOL!!
@Eveeryone else - thanks for al...@Liberace - LOL!!<br /><br />@Eveeryone else - thanks for all your hilarious/witty/insightful/clever comments.<br /><br />Wow - how unusual that the dead tree solvers are the ones complaining for a change.<br /><br />@Ellen - so solly - there are occasionally delays in updating of the puzzes.<br /><br />OK - I've got a backlog of Daily Shows to catch up on - been out all week.<br /><br /><br />@Mr. Levinson Wilk - my favorite thing about yer puzz is that, as @mac said, it's not about what's IN the circles.<br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68016768846001370162013-05-23T19:31:23.926-04:002013-05-23T19:31:23.926-04:00Wilk! That's what I tell my 3-year-old he has...Wilk! That's what I tell my 3-year-old he has when we put water in his milk cup.Mitzienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62445668117898135792013-05-23T19:24:04.779-04:002013-05-23T19:24:04.779-04:00Loy og Google opportunities for this one: enya, se...Loy og Google opportunities for this one: enya, seth,rhonda,warwick and HEISS. I don't know my Old Testament, so I had to look up the books and figure based on the letters already in place. I simply can't do the later-week puzzles without resorting to some Googling.Otherwise, no fun at all.LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61937303976424722972013-05-23T18:57:46.095-04:002013-05-23T18:57:46.095-04:00Drivers in NASCAR races wear fire-resistant clothi...Drivers in NASCAR races wear fire-resistant clothing, but they are not "members" of NASCAR any more than a baseball player is a member of the league in which his team plays.DPHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18198792079731509312013-05-23T18:47:44.067-04:002013-05-23T18:47:44.067-04:00My (print edition) of the Times also had Wednesday...My (print edition) of the Times also had Wednesday's paper in it instead of today's. Weird. When I opened the Arts section and saw the article about Pearl Buck's newly discovered novel, I thought, "didn't I read about that somewhere else recently?" It turns out I did, yesterday, in the Times, on that same page that somehow turned up in Thursday's section, wrong date at the top and everything. Very poor proofing somewhere along the line. The website should be offering a free download of the puzzle for us print subscribers who were denied our brain workout today. Melissa Tidwellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31183325051226733022013-05-23T17:19:46.166-04:002013-05-23T17:19:46.166-04:00@M&A -
Ramona, duck! = M and A, u rock! Agree...@M&A -<br />Ramona, duck! = M and A, u rock! Agree about Zorro.Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35645632309735868112013-05-23T16:19:44.600-04:002013-05-23T16:19:44.600-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Thu 13:32, 16:53, 0.80, 15%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Thu 8:24, 9:49, 0.86, 20%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76534359138451699822013-05-23T16:15:50.510-04:002013-05-23T16:15:50.510-04:00Goin the anagrams route with the 15 circled letter...Goin the anagrams route with the 15 circled letters didn't yield a whole lot. My faves:<br /><br />1. ADORE NO REAR SIZE<br />2. I SEE ZERO ON RADAR<br /><br />Item 1 could be one of the tavern commandments. Item 2 pretty much sums up my research efforts.<br /><br />Possible honorable mention to<br />I NEED ZORROS AREA<br /><br />It don't make much sense, but ZORRO kinda rules. Anybody do better? Heck, if y'all spent the day watchin Zorro reruns, you pretty much come out lookin like masters of time management, next to M&A.M and A Anagram Reportnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20059244430615224822013-05-23T16:09:29.207-04:002013-05-23T16:09:29.207-04:00@Eric - I've always been under the impression ...@Eric - I've always been under the impression that New vs. Old Testament is a Christian distinction and terminology. And being that the clue was offered using this Christian terminology, the clue/answer was correct. Do Jews call the Torah the Old Testament? I'd like to be enlightened if I'm wrong about this.<br /><br />Rob Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7172700260152789072013-05-23T16:04:03.121-04:002013-05-23T16:04:03.121-04:00The NW had too many unknowns for me at first, but ...The NW had too many unknowns for me at first, but I cracked it open by changing YuCk to YECH. I think putting BAGS under the EYES would have made the puzzle too easy after a solver figured out the gimmick. I think making the words in the circles spell something would have made this grid way too constraining.<br /><br />I did smile at the theme and was proud to complete this without Googling, considering the number of answers that weren't in my wheelhouse.<br /><br />A good workout for me...Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51111452793816841522013-05-23T15:48:18.113-04:002013-05-23T15:48:18.113-04:00Parent missed a meeting on Monday. I adjusted my s...Parent missed a meeting on Monday. I adjusted my schedule and agreed to meet this morning at 7:30. No shows again. What an ASS.<br /><br />RASSLE? Twilight is just something the boys make fun of in this house, so -EYE- could have been rEYEs or fEYER or lEYEl for all I knew. Got RASSLE but it seems not quite right for "scrap."<br /><br />Otherwise, I like the use of the circles. Happily, the computer versions are able to accommodate the circles so I didn't have to read complaints about the inadequacies of the software. <br /><br /><a href="http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=EWTctn-svvA" rel="nofollow">ALGIERS</a>Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12899759149212865072013-05-23T15:12:46.305-04:002013-05-23T15:12:46.305-04:00Disappointing puzzle. Today is Thursday so where’s...Disappointing puzzle. Today is Thursday so where’s the gimmick, the rebus, the switching of letters? And this should be a Monday/Tuesday puzzle if change some of the cluing/fill.<br /><br />Write-overs:<br />YUCK before YECH<br />STRIKE before YER OUT<br /><br />Uglies:<br />RASSLE<br />VOLLEYERS (What the?! Yeah they might volley, but does that make them volleyers?)<br />LVI<br />MCSBirdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4667607735644938292013-05-23T14:51:31.265-04:002013-05-23T14:51:31.265-04:00Before I get distracted by discussing the puzzle, ...Before I get distracted by discussing the puzzle, @Loren, it's not hard to make links for the web addresses you often include. However, the tutorial OFL links to in his FAQs shows a lot of options that Blogger doesn't support, but worse, it is <i>wrong</i>. The FAQ thing says you can put in "mywebpage.html" but you need to put the full address: "http://www.mywebpage.html". You can easily get the correct address by copying straight from the address bar on the page you want to link to. I <a href="http://blog.nicetechnology.com/how-to-put-a-link-in-a-blogger-comment.html" rel="nofollow">made a tutorial</a>, that MetaRex was able to use, so I bet you can, too. <br /><br />I had fun with the puzzle once I got to it. I had missed most of last week, so I never noticed that R.alph Bunker's Gridfinger app had given me last Thursday's puzzle. Finished it and came here to discover my error. Then no matter how much I deleted the just-finished puzzle, Gridfinger would not display it. Sulked off to bed and did the puzzle this morning, BAGS UNDER my EYES from staying up doing the wrong one. <br /><br />This was filled with bonuses: not one but <i>two</i> Old Testament Books (abbr) in one puzzle, even if they're not, really. And not one but <i>two</i>random French words plus the setting of a random French novel! <i>And</i> a RRN! And a non-word -- RASSLE. I didn't mind "YER OUT", because it was clued ("Ump's cry")in a way that signaled, at least to me, a colloquialism. But RASSLE for "scrap", I just dunno. That corner held out to the end. I put in MEYER right away and then began to doubt myself, because it gave me nothin'. Not helped by my putting in "by the CIRCLES" instead of "IT HAS CIRCLES." <br /><br />@Eric, as a secular Jew who never went to religious school, I thought everything before the New Testament is in the Old Testament, so I appreciate the info. <br /><br />@Bob Kerfuffle, wikipedia says Urdu has a right-to-left alphabet, but I don't understand that either. The language is written right to left, like Hebrew, Arabic and several others. But ... well, I guess they'd write the alphabet that way, too. Ellen Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00473445503706985149noreply@blogger.com