tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3987204222946137042..comments2024-03-28T11:54:29.605-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Irish-born Tony winner Patrick / MON 5-23-11 / Bridge hand assessment / Online chat components / Much-kissed rockRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26207460965904646792011-06-27T19:42:08.922-04:002011-06-27T19:42:08.922-04:00So, here I was wondering when the guy who played J...So, here I was wondering when the guy who played John Steed on <i>The Avengers</i> got a Tony, and why his role in that show wasn't in the stuff Rex posted. Oh. Patrick Macnee... never mind.<br /><br />@Dirigonzo: I too loved the clue for 13D! Very clever. Surprised nobody else commented.<br /><br />Don't know anything about bridge, but it wasn't hard to get 11D from crosses.<br /><br />@Nullifidian: I think the answer is just the abbreviation for "arrivals." The clue doesn't mention security.<br /><br />@OldCarFuddy: yes, people did seem grumpy. Maybe it's just the tougherishness-for-a-Monday problem. Or maybe it's something to do with too many appendages-of-a-dead-mammal in recent memory for non-syndi-solvers.Red Valerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04638265039015470938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58707319585581325282011-06-27T18:59:14.065-04:002011-06-27T18:59:14.065-04:00Syndicated solver here.
I thought the puzzle was ...Syndicated solver here.<br /><br />I thought the puzzle was a little more difficult than average for a Monday, but I still managed to finish the puzzle, the Jumble, and the daily Sudoku all in about fifteen minutes. That is unusual for me because I'm on the savor side of the savor vs. speed debate. I cross-check each answer where I can and rarely ever put an answer down unless I'm absolutely sure it fits.<br /><br />I didn't find the puzzle too bad. I felt it was a pretty enjoyable solve with no more than the standard amount of crosswordese. I do hear you about the cluing for IMS and INK, though. And I still don't know what ARR means in the context of airport security. I tried to Google it and found only that the Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove, IL has ARR as its FAA designation.<br /><br />There was no problem with any of the long answers. My father is a devoted bridge addict and I've picked up a few of the more basic terms from him, including POINT COUNT.<br /><br />I wish I could say I had more books in the MASS MARKET paperback format. I prefer that size of books as perfect for slipping in a slacks pocket and taking anywhere. Most of the books I prefer reading are only available in hardcover or trade paperback format, which I find clunky and difficult to manage. Some of the academic publishers are the worst offenders in this respect. I have a Routledge paperback anthology of continental philosophy that's 9.4 x 6.8 x 1.5 inches. It's almost impossible to hold up and read, but fortunately I still have my old wire book holder.Nullifidianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207390447020990907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38814434224825873272011-06-27T18:05:47.377-04:002011-06-27T18:05:47.377-04:00I wrote FIFTY as well. This after coming up with ...I wrote FIFTY as well. This after coming up with MXM as a late 11th-century year on Saturday. I'm clearly not smarter than a Vth grader. <br /> <br />hazel suggested:<br />"@rex - should have had that phone in your breast pocket!"<br /><br />Pockets can be dangerous too. I came this close >< to running my cell phone through the wash this morning. If it hadn't clunked to the floor as I was shoving a load into the washer...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39263087155307150392011-06-27T15:30:25.044-04:002011-06-27T15:30:25.044-04:00I carry my pen in my shirt pocket - even when I wo...I carry my pen in my shirt pocket - even when I wore a suit everyday and had a breast pocket and a chest pocket, I carried my pen in my shirt pocket.<br /><br />The catpaw/RABBITPAW juxtaposition didn't happen for us syndicated solvers due to the time warp in which we live.<br /><br />Liked the puzzle, seemed like a perfect Monday to me. Especially liked the clue for MOLAR (13d) which I don't believe anyone has mentioned yet.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77083839146744729922011-06-27T15:29:03.967-04:002011-06-27T15:29:03.967-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38558501198962807422011-05-24T01:14:07.135-04:002011-05-24T01:14:07.135-04:0050 down, a judge HEARS a case, a lawyer TRIES a ca...50 down, a judge HEARS a case, a lawyer TRIES a case. The two aren't interchangeable AFAIK. Bad clue.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79809882489500918602011-05-23T23:08:58.682-04:002011-05-23T23:08:58.682-04:00This 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 7:05, 6:52, 1.03, 66%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:49, 3:40, 1.04, 69%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55282069277450124212011-05-23T21:49:36.617-04:002011-05-23T21:49:36.617-04:00OldCarFudd - The rain has ruined my lilacs to the ...OldCarFudd - The rain has ruined my lilacs to the North - immediately gone brown. Bad luck for them.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4704481459914608342011-05-23T19:53:08.987-04:002011-05-23T19:53:08.987-04:00Don't post Sunday comments on Monday.
As for ...Don't post Sunday comments on Monday.<br /><br />As for GISMO, well, maybe some of you knew need to read more and Google less. Here's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grinning-Gismo-Too-Hot-Hell/dp/B0018DVN8G/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1306193803&sr=8-7" rel="nofollow">GISMO</a> in a book title. For a while it was the common spelling in science fiction, most famously by Damon Knight in his classic <a href="http://www.fantasticreviews.com/a_for_anything.htm" rel="nofollow"><i>The People Maker</i>, revised and retitled <i>A for Anything</i></a>. My guess is that Gizmo-with-a-z took over after <i>Gremlins</i>.<br /><br />(Oh, wait, did I find these links by using Google? Did I just contradict myself?? Did I just turn into a black hole of paradox??? Not my LUCKy day!)william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69080150646591859172011-05-23T19:44:27.626-04:002011-05-23T19:44:27.626-04:00Left early, home late, just completed puzzle in (m...Left early, home late, just completed puzzle in (my) record time and found it very smooth and easy. Think Rex is right that puzzle was skewed to "older" solvers as I'm 60,, but hey- we're happy to have bone thrown our way. Thanks Steve and Will!<br />P.S. Never heard of "chest" pocket.....only breastAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4246258887482171592011-05-23T16:59:56.096-04:002011-05-23T16:59:56.096-04:00I did have some difficulty with the Jabberwocky cl...I did have some difficulty with the Jabberwocky clue because I didn't remember Humpty's explanation of the poem, so the only bird I could think of was jubjub bird (which didn't fit). I tried to go through other things in the poem but none of them seemed to fit -- the problem was that I was misremembering it as BOROG*R*OVES.Kurisuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00132568197501054206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63667460311449237712011-05-23T16:04:28.785-04:002011-05-23T16:04:28.785-04:00Nice solo debut, Steve Salitan! No problem with gi...Nice solo debut, Steve Salitan! No problem with gismo because I had the seven in already, after I had repaired the "can" for "lav". Also had panic before manic.<br /><br />@Rex: LOL at the latte treatise!<br /><br />Love gamut and finagle. Was grossed out by the rabbits foot, but the "paw of a gnu" would be sort of hard to carry around. Makes me think of the woman I saw taking a red telephone horn out of her purse. It was her mobile phone! Easy to find, I guess.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39026173758778672942011-05-23T15:58:03.743-04:002011-05-23T15:58:03.743-04:00Midday 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 />Mon 6:57, 6:52, 1.01, 58%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:55, 3:40, 1.07, 83%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26766208610860656222011-05-23T15:48:01.137-04:002011-05-23T15:48:01.137-04:00Home today so I get to check the blog in daylight....Home today so I get to check the blog in daylight. This is fun. I fully endorse the notion of mapping Rexville. I always marvel at how far-flung we are. Is there a tool that allows different people to enter their locations online, and then compiles the data into a map? Could the same tool handle both domestic and international locations?<br /><br />Finally, I gotta point out a snort-worthy observation by @pannonica over at <a href="http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2011/05/22/monday-52311/" rel="nofollow">Orange's place:</a> "And what, what, are we to make of the inadvertent imagery in Row 12: “LARGE ARR SOLE”?<br /><br />Three and out.JaxInL.A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13792405579998093081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90497024454487401942011-05-23T15:29:34.927-04:002011-05-23T15:29:34.927-04:00@MathewG
At least one site (www.electronicgismo.c...@MathewG<br /><br />At least one site (www.electronicgismo.com) includes this line in it's mission statement:<br /><br />"This site will help you to keep aware about the latest technology in the field of electronic <b>gismo</b>."<br /><br />Granted, the all knowing(?) Google assumes/presumes giZmo as more common, many dictionaries show giZmo as the varient of giSmo.<br /><br />OTOH, many others show the reverse.<br /><br />I'd call this a tie, and in case of a tie, Will's decision (per @Martin's explanation), by definition, wins ;).<br /><br />But @Pete has a good point too.LookUpGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46428648807397881122011-05-23T15:29:14.555-04:002011-05-23T15:29:14.555-04:00@foodie I'm all for a Rexville map!!@foodie I'm all for a Rexville map!!chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76774319846424828032011-05-23T14:48:55.286-04:002011-05-23T14:48:55.286-04:00Thanks Rex for posting the soccer video, good to s...Thanks Rex for posting the soccer video, good to see that the best player of our time gets some attention even in the U.S. And the video is in Ukrainian (or Belarus? not sure...), so I can laugh about the commentators' pronunciation of Russian words :-D It's like listening to a South African speak EnglishEvgenynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90117084737796916612011-05-23T14:26:42.757-04:002011-05-23T14:26:42.757-04:00It actually would be fun to do a Google Map/Google...It actually would be fun to do a Google Map/Google Earth rendition of Rexville Denizens...<br /><br />I can to my buddies who are computer geeks (I have quite a few :) and see how feasible it would be. <br /><br />Or may be we already have a pro amongst us?<br /><br />Rex, would you be OK with that?foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63334964077682306662011-05-23T14:09:50.481-04:002011-05-23T14:09:50.481-04:00I had the BOGIE to BOGEY writeover, otherwise ever...I had the BOGIE to BOGEY writeover, otherwise everything went in smoothly. <br /><br />Except that I just noticed my error! I had PANIC/PSN for 43 A&D; figured PSN was some obscure West Coast thing. I was just about to complain about it, but fortunately checked Rex's grid first. Blush!<br /><br />@JAXinLA said what I was thinking, too - though my brother, who's somewhat jingoistic, insists that he is a Native American, since a) he took Latin and knows the root of native, and b) he was born in America. I guess we use 'indigenous' now to avoid that confusion.<br /><br />I used to play bridge, but it seemed like the main point was for people to tell their partners what a dumb bid or play they had made. Fun, in it's way, but not for me.<br /><br />Not that I'm overly soft, though - unlike others here, I'm kind of hoping to see "You can make an umbrella stand from an - - - - - - - - 's foot" tomorrow.<br /><br />And, while this one is as old as the hills, somebody has to say it. If a rabbit's foot is so lucky, why isn't it still on the rabbit?jberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169065390875378077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71601782497862005062011-05-23T14:01:16.259-04:002011-05-23T14:01:16.259-04:00@Tobias Duncan -- I would drive an hour and a half...@Tobias Duncan -- I would drive an hour and a half (one-way) to retrieve Rex's phone, as long as I had a few days to fit it into my schedule. Road trip! That's tri-state coverage (IL, WI, MI).Clarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10451692366000814452011-05-23T13:50:07.037-04:002011-05-23T13:50:07.037-04:00Write-up and especially wedding photos much, much ...Write-up and especially wedding photos much, much better than the puzzle.<br /><br />GISMO? Meh.Shamikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11635283729322415150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91904952188031275192011-05-23T13:42:03.586-04:002011-05-23T13:42:03.586-04:00Took me longer than usual also: had LOO before LAV...Took me longer than usual also: had LOO before LAV, FAA/ARR, FIFTY/LARGE, ADA/DDS.<br /><br />The MAGEE/MINERAL crossing and TOBESURE took the longest, for me.<br /><br />Didn't like 12d ATSEA.<br /><br />GISMO didn't bother me; I've seen it in puzzles before.<br /><br />Nice pictures and welcome back, Rex. I especially like the Best Dog.JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52647409826224896162011-05-23T13:23:43.362-04:002011-05-23T13:23:43.362-04:00How far would you drive to help retrieve a lost ph...How far would you drive to help retrieve a lost phone for Rex?<br />I reckon jesser, SantaFeFran and me can cover the Rio Grande corridor of New Mexico and southern Colorado. <br /> It would be fun to make one of those google maps of the U.S. and try to figure out just what sort of cell phone coverage Rex actually has...Tobias Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14828873893205954337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62419396318952607782011-05-23T13:20:44.093-04:002011-05-23T13:20:44.093-04:00If you take a close look at the wedding cake (than...If you take a close look at the wedding cake (thanks for the pix, @Rex) you can see the Best Dog! I did not see him last night.<br /><br />@Glitch, you make a good point about learning more by using Google than by using the Check feature. I consider actually getting up from the keyboard and looking at the globe or a reference work even more of an academic exercise, so to speak. I learn the most that way. But sometimes, I just want to be done with the damn puzzle, and use Check, or (the shame) Reveal.<br /><br />@SantaFeFran, my version of AcrossLite supports both Check and Reveal. With Check, an incorrect letter is X'd out, and when you erase it you get a permanent black triangle. With Reveal, an incorrect letter is replaced with the correct one, and you get a red triangle. Check allows you to use your mind for an alternate solution to your first try. And yes, I consider both a DNF.<br /><br />@JaxinLA, thank you very much for saying what I was thinking about the erroneous implication that the "natives" speak Spanish.CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30008903614901270382011-05-23T13:14:12.400-04:002011-05-23T13:14:12.400-04:00@Matthew G, I, too, wrote in FIFTY for L in XXL, w...@Matthew G, I, too, wrote in FIFTY for L in XXL, which is okay as part of my on-going post-rapture fey.John Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557037910799243636noreply@blogger.com