tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4034519255968296408..comments2024-03-28T10:02:31.252-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Cheers in Berlin / MON 5-27-19 / Desert crossed by ancient Silk Road / Old office worker who took dictationRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32641716926961372232019-07-08T13:43:37.548-04:002019-07-08T13:43:37.548-04:00One thing puzzles me massively: Bruce Haight menti...One thing puzzles me massively: Bruce Haight mentioned, in his constructor note for 10-31-18, that his son Ryan died from an OD of Rx meds that he bought online (Haight mentioned that a law bearing his son's name prohibits the online sale of such drugs). <br /><br />So I'm astonished that he would use OD ON, and clue it so lightly, and cross it with LETS DIE -- or, if Shortz et al. made changes that they would make such callous ones. (BH's constructor note for this one says that WS re-did the NW corner, so I don't know.)<br /><br />Meh puzzle for me. I liked BH's 10-31-18 very very much, but by and large his sense of humor doesn't do it for me. And the fill on this one has some depressing "Only well-off white guys matter" crap: <br /> ** RIOTS clued with prisons (zero acknowledgment of the societal conditions that lead most people to jail, conditions that most of us refuse to fix); <br /> ** SMEAR clued with "Mascara mishap" (feel free to exclude women from puzzles *except* to reinforce the worst stereotypes about them, such as they need to focus on their appearance OR ELSE); and<br /> ** HOBOS, clued "Tramps" -- two words I'd love to see expunged from constructors' wordlists ("Hey, Mom, I know that I wanna do with my life -- I want to be impoverished and homeless!" -- complete refusal to acknowledge that *we* built a society in which more and more people can't survive while others gorge themselves on 20, 100, 1000 times what they deserve). <br /><br />[Syndie solver, 7-8-19]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80579014829624194392019-07-01T14:40:34.692-04:002019-07-01T14:40:34.692-04:00Monday Natick! NaYO/OVULa cross. Didn't know ...Monday Natick! NaYO/OVULa cross. Didn't know NEYO but should have known OVULE.leftcoastnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64623983569167018872019-07-01T12:41:19.844-04:002019-07-01T12:41:19.844-04:00I used to have a lot more trouble with Mr. Haight&...I used to have a lot more trouble with Mr. Haight's puzzles.<br /><br />Is it me, getting better?<br /><br />OR, OR, OR...<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords<br /><br />HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL!!!Diana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88710869663730582302019-07-01T12:39:16.288-04:002019-07-01T12:39:16.288-04:00DEMONDEMONBS2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52180109348430612242019-07-01T12:37:42.345-04:002019-07-01T12:37:42.345-04:00EMON SCAM TSAR
The CORPORATEWORLD is a HORRORSTOR...EMON SCAM TSAR<br /><br />The CORPORATEWORLD is a HORRORSTORY,<br />EERIE with blood SPATTER, I've heard,<br />ALAS, a MERE STAB LETSDIE your glory,<br />that's it JACK, and it's WORDFORWORD.<br /><br />--- JIM PROST, CIABurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21914193291535162322019-07-01T09:54:19.900-04:002019-07-01T09:54:19.900-04:00The theme is OK, but I do agree that the extraneou...The theme is OK, but I do agree that the extraneous OR's are a minus--as are all the xwordese mentioned by OFC. Mr. Haight seems to lean rather heavily on that stuff. EERIE.<br /><br />There's no shortage of HEMEN: JIM, JACK, WALT...but no BEAUTs. I guess we could reverse HARPO and have OPRAH--or maybe Holmes' femme fatale Irene ADLER--but no real DOD's. Oh well, there's tomorrow. Par.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56858689176835335142019-05-28T09:46:41.145-04:002019-05-28T09:46:41.145-04:00Yes, @GILL -- You're next!!!!! You've got...Yes, @GILL -- You're next!!!!! You've got booze and music to work with, as well as paint. And thanks, Joe! Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48030282166377801262019-05-28T02:20:23.578-04:002019-05-28T02:20:23.578-04:00I think that’s a great idea. @GILL, have at it.I think that’s a great idea. @GILL, have at it.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73673178231292070112019-05-27T23:07:32.989-04:002019-05-27T23:07:32.989-04:00@GILL - perhaps you would like to write Part 3? (n...@GILL - perhaps you would like to write Part 3? (nudge, nudge)Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28338835167783635552019-05-27T22:55:46.058-04:002019-05-27T22:55:46.058-04:00I think @Nancy and @Joe should corroborate o a no...I think @Nancy and @Joe should corroborate o a novel and name it......<br />"For Whom the Green Paint Tolls."<br />I'd buy it.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90982276300149808892019-05-27T22:03:44.768-04:002019-05-27T22:03:44.768-04:00•••••• THE GREEN PAINT MYSTERY ••••••
Part 1
Lon...<b>•••••• THE GREEN PAINT MYSTERY ••••••</b><br /><br /><i>Part 1</i><br /><br />Long before anyone saw it or touched it, Jonathan smelled it. It was a very faint smell because it was still wet. Paint smells the worst when it's drying -- not when the paint has just been applied. It's counter-intuitive, but it's something most people are aware of. But not Jonathan. How could he have known such a thing back then? He was only seven. <br /><br />Years later he would think: Such a tiny, seemingly insignificant detail. And yet the anguish that was to come to so many people over so many years could have been avoided. If only the smell had nauseated him. Choked him. Suffocated him. So that he didn't simply roll over and go back to sleep...<br /><br />•••••••••••••<br /><br /><i>Part 2</i><br /><br />He was thinking about that on a May afternoon, as he slipped his favorite Claudine Longet album out of its dustjacket onto his Dual turntable and poured himself a glass of prosecco. He had invited his good friend Rudolf Steiner to stop by his apartment in Red Hook that afternoon. Rudolf was a crack piano salesman -- he once sold an Imperial Bõsendorfer to internationally famous concert artist Henry Orient -- and a keen adventurer, and had also acquired a reputation as a bit of a sleuth.<br /><br />Jonathan wondered why he had never told Rudolf about that night. Now, Jonathan felt, Rudolf might be useful in helping him uncover what the police had never been able to piece together about the events that had transpired.<br /><br />"Sunday best, I'm dwessed to kill the afternoon / You know how dwaggy afternoons can be sometimes..." Claudine's endearing breathlessness wafted through Jonathan's living room. As he poured himself another prosecco the doorbell rang. Knowing that Rudolf was due to arrive at just about that time, Jonathan pressed the buzzer that unlatched the inside door of the building and stepped into the hallway. "Hey, Rudy--" he started to call out but almost immediately the words caught in his throat.<br /><br />For in the entranceway was a person from out of Jonathan's past memories that he had not expected to ever see again. "Hello, Jonathan," said the apparition calmly. "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?" Jonathan started to speak, but before any utterance could sound he fell to the floor in a dead faint. <br /><br />••••••••••••<br /><br /><i>Part 3</i><br /><br /><b>???</b><br />Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55914686415985080992019-05-27T21:55:18.677-04:002019-05-27T21:55:18.677-04:00Finally, a GoT clue I can answer.
WORN feels like ...Finally, a GoT clue I can answer.<br />WORN feels like an unforced error. Could have had WARN crossing ONA and avoided the non-theme OR. The others are not so easy to fix. <br />kitshefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10014225555838850414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1221299421261539402019-05-27T20:38:58.712-04:002019-05-27T20:38:58.712-04:00@webwinger and @ NYT Calling -- Moral of the Story...@webwinger and @ NYT Calling -- Moral of the Story: I shouldn't ever trust my memory and neither should you. That spoof took place 50 years ago, and I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night. There have to be some aspects of the anecdote I related that were accurate; it's just that I'm not sure which ones they were. I don't even remember which Literary Guild editors were involved in the spoof. Nor do I remember how much of it we actually wrote. (Probably not all that much).The only thing I'm absolutely sure of: The title of our parody was "Stranger Than Naked" and it was someone else's title, not mine.<br /><br />What you all should know is: Even my best-remembered memories tend to be fuzzy. And this was far from being one of my most vivid memories. So my bad. Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81405480335805906562019-05-27T19:23:11.131-04:002019-05-27T19:23:11.131-04:00@Off the Grid 2:43 PM
Now you've acknowledged...@Off the Grid 2:43 PM<br /><br />Now you've acknowledged it, and it will keep coming back thinking it's relevant. The best course of action is to completely ignore such drivel and it will go away.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14280291295109573368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19115131138903715852019-05-27T19:00:27.709-04:002019-05-27T19:00:27.709-04:00@Ein Prosit 11:25 AM
Prosit is the actual German ...@Ein Prosit 11:25 AM<br /><br />Prosit is the actual German word, if'n I recall my HS German my own self. I believe it's been bastardized in English, not in German.<br /><br />Either way, Prosit! to all the veterans and currently serving folk. I've got your six.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14280291295109573368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17739201143339651032019-05-27T18:59:17.550-04:002019-05-27T18:59:17.550-04:00...oh and @Anoa Bob - One of the first rules for ......oh and @Anoa Bob - One of the first rules for constructing multiple choice tests is that all answers should be equally probable. If you fail to ensure this you’re an amateur. jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16907002295491782102019-05-27T18:52:03.227-04:002019-05-27T18:52:03.227-04:00I’ve co-authored some journal articles and handboo...I’ve co-authored some journal articles and handbooks on competency-based testing. If you are a class room instructor you need to ask yourself one question about any test that you give students...”Does this test accurately assess the knowledge and/or skills I want my students to learn/acquire from taking my course?”<br />If the answer is no you are just being a dick and they will hate you.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54239921787825900962019-05-27T18:45:35.147-04:002019-05-27T18:45:35.147-04:00Hope everyone is having a pleasant Memorial Day.
...Hope everyone is having a pleasant Memorial Day.<br /><br />One more question: What is a DOD, as in "just note a good DOD in ROBERTA Flack"? ____ of the day? Dame of the day?<br /><br />Thanks.Vandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10389229267863119352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24845732881633122612019-05-27T17:51:31.897-04:002019-05-27T17:51:31.897-04:00@anonymous 11:01 AM - There is no P in Binghamton....@anonymous 11:01 AM - <a href="https://twitter.com/binghamtonu/status/1116021549474168837/" rel="nofollow">There is no P in Binghamton.</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6323878065029580222019-05-27T17:38:41.426-04:002019-05-27T17:38:41.426-04:00@OffTheGrid - Inanity is not one of the reasons Re...@OffTheGrid - Inanity is not one of the reasons Rex gave us to delete comments. A Modnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4864714135571128762019-05-27T16:21:27.179-04:002019-05-27T16:21:27.179-04:00As a professor of mathematics and computer science...As a professor of mathematics and computer science, I don’t remember constructing any multiple choice exams. Fro the midterm exam in a graduate Group Theory course, I built a very clever true/false exam where all of the answers were false. All of my students were high school math teachers who told me that a bit more than half of the ansers should be true in a well-constructed true/false exam. What I really learned from that experience was that those students weren’t very good at finding counterexamples. Hungry Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465905817770134952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81297036713495968362019-05-27T16:03:21.899-04:002019-05-27T16:03:21.899-04:00Very quick solve, but I didn’t get to it until mid...Very quick solve, but I didn’t get to it until mid-afternoon. Hoped for a holiday theme since I’m a vet and feel strongly about this day. It’s a day to remember that our president shirked his duty with BS injury and that most of our elected legislators never served in the military. In spite of that, I’m still a patriot and am proud to salute during our Natiional Anthem, as I did this morning before a 5K race. Hungry Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465905817770134952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86063234368685158842019-05-27T15:43:59.740-04:002019-05-27T15:43:59.740-04:00@Z
re: your Budweiser comment, I thought you migh...@Z<br /><br />re: your Budweiser comment, I thought you might find this <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/business/craft-beer-low-calories.html?searchResultPosition=1" rel="nofollow">front page article</a> from today's NYT Business Section interesting. <br />JC66https://www.blogger.com/profile/05324615675333287919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73400657037260439962019-05-27T15:00:45.212-04:002019-05-27T15:00:45.212-04:00I thought the ORs were the theme because the answe...I thought the ORs were the theme because the answers on a multiple choice test are 1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4 OR 5. It is an OR TEST. This puzzle is an OR TEST. Whether other random ORs are fORbidden OR favORed is a question fOR all. From my viewpoint having many more ORs would be fun. From Rex's it is against the official and sacred book of laws on<br />crossword themery. I would like to see a copy of said book. I can understand that position, but I wonder if rules were made to be broken, and if so, have as many random ORs as possible. Go wrong big league as the pres says. Oops not the way to get Rex on my side.albatross shellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04076278220407657633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40955699800154451922019-05-27T14:57:28.944-04:002019-05-27T14:57:28.944-04:00@anoa -- I just see [Kind of test] as the clue for...@anoa -- I just see [Kind of test] as the clue for MULTIPLE CHOICE, but I see that answer as simply a pun hinting to the fact that there are three ORs in each theme answer. I don't agree with Rex's assessment that the puzzle is supposed to be "a good representation of what a MULTIPLE CHOICE exam is". I just don't see it as having anything to do with multiple choice tests. I certainly respect Rex's and your differing point of view, though.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.com