tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3857177243438160775..comments2024-03-28T04:40:27.172-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Vampire's bane / TUE 10-27-15 / Spider's hatching pouch / Hurrays for matadorsRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1496358476319527312015-12-01T15:58:21.702-05:002015-12-01T15:58:21.702-05:00What about that TAU sitting there right next to th...What about that TAU sitting there right next to the STAKE through the HEART? That is a Greek cross if ever there was one, and most Greek food I've had is (neck)laced with garlic. Further, if you took your SILVER BULLET and shot it at your BIBLE, it would be HOL(e)Y. Do that on a sunny day, and, per @M&A, there's yer rodeo.<br /><br />Fun little puzzle.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29559060088534407832015-12-01T12:33:36.431-05:002015-12-01T12:33:36.431-05:00To tell you the truth, I’m tired of all the recent...To tell you the truth, I’m tired of all the recent vampire and zombie and whatever creepy character stuff. Can’t keep up with what kills what or what may be their bane anymore; used to be the STAKE through the HEART and crosses and GARLIC and such for vampires and the SILVERBULLET for werewolves, when I was a kid. A simpler time, with the wolfbane.<br /><br />And like @spacey, I thought for sure that cross-shaped cross in the HEART of the puz was going to be something to do with a cross, other than what crossed.<br /><br />Today’s yeah baby Sonia BRAGA cold win my HEART.<br /><br />Started with write-over pAce for 1d, quickly fixed and not much resistance thereafter. A bane of Syndi-land is Halloween after the fact.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64466933696646467602015-12-01T12:11:33.253-05:002015-12-01T12:11:33.253-05:00TESTY HOSE BAGS
Against the CRUX of THEHOLYBIBLE,...TESTY HOSE BAGS<br /><br />Against the CRUX of THEHOLYBIBLE, <br />it IRKed the TART to pull it,<br />her USE of my DOODAD was liable<br />to unLODE a SILVERBULLET.<br /><br />--- ROY EARLYON<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44053218389332985982015-12-01T10:46:32.503-05:002015-12-01T10:46:32.503-05:00The memorable Ilya was, of course, a double agent,...The memorable Ilya was, of course, a double agent, only superficially a KGBSPY. Still, the clue's OK because, well, the KGB thought he was one! I was pleased to see McCallum get a second career with one of the best shows ever. I always liked him.<br /><br />To the GRID. When I got to THEHOLY, I was positive the rest of it was CROSS. Although it makes perfect sense (as much sense as a myth can make!), I've never actually run across the BIBLE as a vampire bane. Oh well, messy five-letter writeover. And again, in the middle--just looking at the related central clues before filling anything in--I was sure it had to do with a CROSS.<br /><br />What DOES make me cross is XED (short for--you guessed it--CROSSED!). XED is simply horrible. It should be CROSSED out of all future GRIDs. It doesn't even have Berry immunity; it's just. too. ugly. I'll flag it every time. And in such a pinched corner, totally unnecessary. C-.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63276467853315493592015-10-29T07:33:42.838-04:002015-10-29T07:33:42.838-04:00Braga is just a comon last name in Portuguese.
Braga is just a comon last name in Portuguese.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16220805613472273602015-10-27T20:44:28.925-04:002015-10-27T20:44:28.925-04:00Sunday's Hallowe'en puz was awfiul. Today&...Sunday's Hallowe'en puz was awfiul. Today's Hallowe'en puz was maybe 1/2. step above awful. Methinks NYT needs to stay away from this theme. Last themer needs to be runningwatEr - it fits - not the just plain wrong SILVERBULLET.kitshefnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5380550664084019192015-10-27T14:28:52.626-04:002015-10-27T14:28:52.626-04:00Holy Bible? Is there any other, @Rex? Assuredly. L...Holy Bible? Is there any other, @Rex? Assuredly. Lately, I've been watching Australian television shows via Hulu and on one in particular, they credit the author of thier Bible. A Show Bible or Story Bible is a document that lists details about the characters, settings and other elements of the series including world building and technology for shows like <i>Game of Thrones</i> and <i>Star Trek</i>. <br /><br />The STAKE through the HEART filled itself in on the first pass for me. I was wondering how that was going to work out as a cross at 34A but the H of HIC and the E of ERN gave it away and, indeed, though it wasn't a crucifix, it was still a cross. <br /><br />It seems to me that daylight, more than DIRECT SUNLIGHT is the bane. Otherwise there would be a lot vampires walking around under golf umberellas. We don't really get a lot of that in our neighborhood. While we're talking about vampire banes, lets not forget about Sookie Stackhouse. While she's not fatal particularly, she certainly manages to mess with their heads.<br /><br />So I guess we're in for a weak (pun intended) of All Hallows Eve buildup. Let's hope it all improves.Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26466715716953364352015-10-27T13:58:55.087-04:002015-10-27T13:58:55.087-04:00The playfulness of STAKE (through the) HEART made ...The playfulness of STAKE (through the) HEART made this puzzle for me. Like @Carola, @Hartley and others, I really enjoyed it. And thanks to you, too, @"Bram Stoker." Because I absolutely won't go near horror tales-- not in books, movies, plays, TV -- I had no idea how beautifully written "Dracula" was. All that gorgeous prose wasted on such an unpleasant, blood-sucky story. Too bad...but I've learned something I didn't know, at least. Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13216613615652408152015-10-27T13:51:45.930-04:002015-10-27T13:51:45.930-04:00I was worried when I saw how isolated the parts of...I was worried when I saw how isolated the parts of the puzzle were but it was pretty easy so no problem in the end.<br /><br />I used to like vampire stories before they became ubiquitous after The Twilight phenom became a thing (a bandwagon I did not jump on). It seems that every writer makes up their own rules on vampires (and why not?) so SILVER BULLET doesn't bother me - I've seen that one as a bane. I will agree on GARLIC NECKLACE as being more specific than it need be.<br /><br />I looked INside during my self-examination, causing all kinds of havoc, black ink being one of the Banes of my existence.<br /><br />Fun Tuesday with another Halloween-y theme. Thanks, KM.Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31937342115559946092015-10-27T13:44:31.096-04:002015-10-27T13:44:31.096-04:00@Leapy, I don't remember that. The last thing ...@Leapy, I don't remember that. The last thing I recall DTS saying was, "Why John from Chicago felt obligated to post 17 times is beyond me. And he tiptoed dangerously close to an ad hominem attack on Martin." And I didn't even post the most. Her comment was like a stake through the heart. That was about the puzzle that was a mishmash. Rex came dangerously close to calling this puzzle a mishmash. Why do I have this feeling that Rex is an expert when it comes to banes of vampires?<br /><br />PS. The avatar is the Cinnamon Bear, my favorite radio program between Thanksgiving and Christmas.Da Bearshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10584502565199186614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44462145210655550672015-10-27T13:38:27.738-04:002015-10-27T13:38:27.738-04:00My husband and I do something similar --we try to ...My husband and I do something similar --we try to pick which clues/answers will ranked Rex the most. I suggest you change your scale from 1-5 to -1 - -5, ranging from Rex almost said something nice to Rex really, REALLY hated. Seems a bit more accurate. Not as cross as Rexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80500464130274160622015-10-27T13:20:35.912-04:002015-10-27T13:20:35.912-04:00@Tita - Thanks, I guess. I'm just not convinc...@Tita - Thanks, I guess. I'm just not convinced that 50 years after the fact some random schmo gets to re-imagine the work of Ian Fleming with any credibility. I seem to recall a Sherlock Holmes movie from the '70s where Holmes was gay - these re-imaginings don't count in my bookAnon 12:03AMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9794011456996524542015-10-27T12:33:19.471-04:002015-10-27T12:33:19.471-04:00Loved it! Agree with what @MohairSam said earlier....Loved it! Agree with what @MohairSam said earlier.<br /><br /> Who are all these pseudo-experts on vampire life and death? And that Anne Rice arriviste? Mr. Stoker has spoken. I'll never understand how the Lone Ranger got in here, but that dude just named his bullets after his horse. Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11914904132378827652015-10-27T12:07:38.583-04:002015-10-27T12:07:38.583-04:00As I recall, a STAKE going through the HEART, cros...As I recall, a STAKE going through the HEART, crossing at the A, was the answer to a Matt Gaffney meta in a similarly-themed puzzle a while back. (Since my recollection is vague, both might have been embedded in longer words.)<br /><br />(Typed 12:07 PM)Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80168631969106623492015-10-27T11:46:40.283-04:002015-10-27T11:46:40.283-04:00I liked it a lot, though it took a lot longer to s...I liked it a lot, though it took a lot longer to solve than most Tuesday puzzles, since I remembered nothing about vampire-lore, other than STAKE through the HEART. And there's your Cross, hiding in plain sight! (Not all crosses are crucifix-shaped, you know).<br /><br />"Et alia" = and other things<br /><br />ET ALII = and other men or people.<br /><br />Thanks from me, too, for @Bram Stoker's long and fascinating quotes. old timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55898095479214009572015-10-27T11:41:31.881-04:002015-10-27T11:41:31.881-04:00The title page of just about every copy of the Kin...The title page of just about every copy of the King James Version that I have ever seen says it is "THE HOLY BIBLE". The outside cover may drop the definite article, but not the HOLY. Apart from any religious and spiritual value, it is a monument of English language and literature, which I think Rex teaches!Master Melvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00593874886180784660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79839206721102639892015-10-27T11:31:31.940-04:002015-10-27T11:31:31.940-04:00SILVERBULLET was probably added, to placate the gu...SILVERBULLET was probably added, to placate the gun lobby. But …<br />M&A Help Desk extensive research reveals that some cultures, like in the Balkans, do like to go with them bullets, more as a "just to be on the safe side" measure, in combo with other extermination methods. <br /><br />Yer SILVER bullets do have some folklore loriness, too, tho: for 'killing werewolves, witches, and other monsters". Kinda like a catch-all remedy. The Lone Ranger was evidently unto somethin, there. Masked dudes are so often ahead of their time.<br /><br />Halloweenie-ness Index is really jumping all over the place, so far this week, here at NYTPuz Central. Out of 10 being total spookfest schlockiness, we have:<br />SunPuz - 7. Halloween costumes. Okay, but lacks the edginess of a solid Hammer Films flick.<br />MonPuz - 2. San Francisco, Super Models, and Polar Bears. @009 went ahead and drove a stake thru it, just to make sure.<br />TuesPuz - 9. Vampire Defense System. Now we're talkin.<br /><br />STAKE thru HEART was primo. Some cultures cut off the (alleged) vampire head and stick in between the buttocks, for the burial layout pose. That woulda been a heckuva extra to show somehow in this grid. Us solvers don't ask for much, huh, Mr. Mueller?<br /><br />fave weeject & clue combo: {Vampire ___} = BAT.<br /><br />Masked & Anonymo5Us<br /><br /><br />**Rorschach test gruntz**Masked and Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16027736429645378004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67982563355749784342015-10-27T11:18:39.084-04:002015-10-27T11:18:39.084-04:00...and sacred bullet could have been made to fit.
......and sacred bullet could have been made to fit.<br /><br />I guess I don't know much about vampires, but I did look around for a cross or crucifix.<br /><br />@GILL I.: that would have to be a solidly frozen steak!<br /><br />Good Tuesday with plenty of theme answers, including the bat at 58D, and crux at 10A.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1126818886068383952015-10-27T10:58:18.648-04:002015-10-27T10:58:18.648-04:00Fun puzzle with a STAKE through it's HEART.
B...Fun puzzle with a STAKE through it's HEART.<br /><br />Besides rhat and SUNLIGHT, a vampire's main bane is a cross. Might have been some nice word play there, given that the puzzle has A CROSS section.<br /><br />Another wordplay opportunity: FANGS (down) sinking literally into a THROAT (across).<br /><br />I'm with Mr. Stoker on the uses of a BULLET. Just because it can kill a werewolf doesn't mean it can't kill a vampire, too. <br /><br />Liked the clues for ITALIC and VANE and thought that DIE HARD was an excellent tie in to the theme.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Joseph Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8434629459692894072015-10-27T10:40:15.923-04:002015-10-27T10:40:15.923-04:00@Bram Stoker, thanks for the clarification. I real...@Bram Stoker, thanks for the clarification. I really enjoyed the puzzle. Having never read Dracula, the potential errors, which aren't errors, didn't bother me. I really liked the STAKE through the heart. I was looking for some sort of cross. <br /><br />Nice job, all.Malsdemarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05375476737540476148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89468085441273760322015-10-27T10:37:21.477-04:002015-10-27T10:37:21.477-04:00@McGillicuddy, yes, that ticketed me too. You'...@McGillicuddy, yes, that ticketed me too. You're all HEART!<br /><br />@Alias, how does that succumbus have anything to do with all the vampire tips?<br /><br />Sonia BRAGA's the Best! Won't list all her wonderful movies, but "Dona Flor's Two Husbands" kind of fits today's theme, with one husband being alive, one not. The ' nof' one wasn't a VAMPIRE; he just didn't believe in "till death do us part".<br /><br />Enjoyed the solve, love love all the myth stakes under discussion, but it's some of the comments that make me Lestatic!!<br /><br />Arroz con steakLeapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64049472309092006892015-10-27T10:36:37.403-04:002015-10-27T10:36:37.403-04:00I liked it. Sure, silver bullets bring to mind the...I liked it. Sure, silver bullets bring to mind the Lone Ranger, definitely for this golden ager to be, and werewolves, but somehow they're still in my pile of DOODADs you need to fight off bad stuff. The stake through the heart threw me as I was sure CROSS would be there somewhere and it took me a minute to rule that out. Enjoyed KGBSPY, DIEHARD, CHEERIO, SHRINE STEPS, INWARD, CRUX, and BLOSSOM - the puzzle had a little sweet a little sour, a little TESTY even. Even liked Man or Manhattan. Kiss of the spider woman would've been nice with Spider's hanging pouch, no doubt there, but I thought this puzzle was fun - nice way to start the day. thfennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12184305198435406844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4345017053081685892015-10-27T10:05:34.505-04:002015-10-27T10:05:34.505-04:00Hey All !
Fun Halloweeny TuesPuz. The STAKE throug...Hey All !<br />Fun Halloweeny TuesPuz. The STAKE through the HEART was the highlight, of course. Agree with the SILVER BULLET nay-sayers, however, @Bram Stoker seems to set it straight. (That's why I like to read the comments first before commenting myself, makes me seem like I actually know what I'm talking about!)<br /><br />@AliasZ, awesome! Got a big laugh out of that. Also limed Rex's Vampire Bob Seger! Funny stuff.<br /><br />Lots of blocks, 42, but puz was still good. Closed off NE and SW corners. Not too much dreck (looking at you, XED). EGG SAC seems like one of those words that are icky, like Juicy, or Moist. (That was to make Rex cringe!)<br /><br />Enjoyable romp, off to watch Supernatural on TNT. Awesome show. Out here in Las Vegas, it's on weekdays starting at 9am with four episodes in a row!<br /><br />CHERRIO ALII<br />RooMonster<br />DarrinV <br />RooMonsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14103892151115549684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82777783128774984182015-10-27T09:58:11.244-04:002015-10-27T09:58:11.244-04:00@Lewis, you have to admit that, in general, drivin...@Lewis, you have to admit that, in general, driving a steak through any body's heart will severely compromise cardiac output. Arroz con steak.<br /><br />@Da Bears, this has been a while in coming. Just because you're in disguise doesn't mean we don't recognize da guise from old venues. I look at your avatar and see Winston Churchill. Remember what DeadTreeSolver said about the 'writer's voice'.Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82937916205935121892015-10-27T09:56:06.989-04:002015-10-27T09:56:06.989-04:00Loved it. Something about the vampire theme tickl...Loved it. Something about the vampire theme tickled me, and the STAKE through the HEART (at the heart of the puzzle with the intersecting words forming another bane, the cross -CRUX!) was just inspired. Witty and fun.<br /><br />Re: various banes for vampires and werewolves - Glen Duncan's trilogy, beginning with <i>The Last Werewolf</i> will tell you all you need to know.Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.com