tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4055129427566564688..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Malay for human / THU 11-21-13 / Trypanosome carrier / People for whom tena joe means hello / Her birthday is Oct 4 2011 / O'Brien's team / President whose initials stink /Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28721590735247612612013-12-27T20:06:33.747-05:002013-12-27T20:06:33.747-05:00Thank-you. I hope you had a good one too.Thank-you. I hope you had a good one too.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45474045263017332962013-12-27T09:44:01.125-05:002013-12-27T09:44:01.125-05:00One of my favourite puzzles was Liz Gorski's &...One of my favourite puzzles was Liz Gorski's 'Downward Spiral' on Oct. 13 2002, which in essence was a double helix.Nomad UKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04120256102756583160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25274981689178402022013-12-27T08:37:19.050-05:002013-12-27T08:37:19.050-05:00First in 4d AWL. then got WOOD and DOWN COMFORTER ...First in 4d AWL. then got WOOD and DOWN COMFORTER and then basically just skipped though it thinking this is a really easy Thursday until I get back to where I started at 4a and confidently plunked in ARM...So everything perfect except for my last entry......GRRRRR!! Where are those down comforters. <br /><br /><br /><br />Nomad UKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04120256102756583160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82105433511958322052013-12-26T22:09:57.852-05:002013-12-26T22:09:57.852-05:00Took me most of the day, and half the night, (betw...Took me most of the day, and half the night, (between kids, grands, and greats) but I finished with only a little help from Google. I count it as a DNF that I feel pretty good about. <br /><br />Had trouble in the same spots as have been mentioned, many times. ARC,LOD and LOEB. Had a lucky guess at CON (what does that say about me?) Looking at the grid post solve it doesn't look so bad, it's that confounding, clever, circuitous clueing that cills.<br /><br />Hand up for "Double Feature". Great and unforgettable.<br /><br />Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24282487467937516032013-12-26T21:10:52.405-05:002013-12-26T21:10:52.405-05:00I was just reminded of the need to wish all syndil...I was just reminded of the need to wish all syndilanders who pledge loyalty to the Queen of England a very happy Boxing Day!Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32749747514145454352013-12-26T19:05:42.490-05:002013-12-26T19:05:42.490-05:00I had COLD comforters, because that's what tho...I had COLD comforters, because that's what those phrases seemed to offer. Therefore I DNF, which is a bit of a DOWNer.<br /><br />\ the multiple meanings of all those words are a consolation prize.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43804473003070547512013-12-26T16:47:06.312-05:002013-12-26T16:47:06.312-05:00@Joshua - wiki (and maybe SIRI, too) begs to disag...@Joshua - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lod" rel="nofollow">wiki</a> (and maybe SIRI, too) begs to disagree.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29872525461850342112013-12-26T16:39:14.862-05:002013-12-26T16:39:14.862-05:00I had quickly and confidently entered ACidIC for 3...I had quickly and confidently entered ACidIC for 30a so after I figured out what the revealer meant and managed to finish the grid I sat for a while trying to understand how ASS ENd meant "Say so". It was with great reluctance that I finally changed the answer.<br /><br />@Z - Your video clip was everything you promised and more!Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85739209669641624822013-12-26T16:33:39.425-05:002013-12-26T16:33:39.425-05:00I disagree with the clue "El Al hub city"...I disagree with the clue "El Al hub city" for LOD. I recognize LOD as the site of Tel Aviv's airport, but the hub city for El Al is Tel Aviv, not LOD.<br /><br />A clue such as "Site of Ben-Gurion Airport" would have been better for LOD.<br /><br />Joshuanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2996400587553683542013-12-26T15:50:23.770-05:002013-12-26T15:50:23.770-05:00Sure wish I'd have eaten and drunk more yester...Sure wish I'd have eaten and drunk more yesterday...<br /><br />@M&A, I agree with @Anon 3:55 that "DOUBLE FEATURE" by Patrick Blindauer was my fav puz so far. Simply brilliant.<br /><br />Jules, I liked your cwpuz today, too. No FLAP about cluing from me. Cute that ORANG is ATHOME with the MELEE peninsula. <br /><br />I did business with BAIN capital once. There is a reason their ilk is called "vulture capitalists."<br /><br />@DMG, what do you think of the numerical capchas?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79949482277953365332013-12-26T15:04:19.845-05:002013-12-26T15:04:19.845-05:00I very much liked this puzzle, particularly all th...I very much liked this puzzle, particularly all the themers and the revealer. Despite what MetaRex said, crosswordese was not noticeable in this little gem. <br /><br />Started with FOWLES, ARC, ACETIC, and kind of circled back to the NW where CON dawned on me, and whipped around the West, across the South and back up to the NE which was the knottiest section. Paused at ASSENT, thinking maybe 'assert', but NONWAGES made some sense.<br /><br />ESSES was cute, but that kind of clue and answer is getting a little old, although this was a nice example of the type.<br /><br />rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70907601084437633022013-12-26T12:11:12.521-05:002013-12-26T12:11:12.521-05:00Brutal! This belongs squarely in a Saturday slot. ...Brutal! This belongs squarely in a Saturday slot. Did I manage, somehow, to finish it? Yeah, but I felt like I'd done a whole day's TOIL.<br /><br />Guessed the natick at SUFI/UAR only because other vowels (E, O) would have yielded common words across. Still lucky I didn't stick an A or an I in there.<br /><br />To say so is (among other choices) to ASSErT. ASSENT is say-so. Note the hyphen. That non-hyphenated clue gets the spacecraft flag. It is simply WRONG. I almost left the R in place, but NOrWAGES was giving me bad vibes. Finally the bulb came on, so I avoided a OWS finish.<br /><br />In a similar vein, what the HEY was O'Brien's Team mOCO? I have no clue who O'Brien is or what team other than Penn State he heads. But at least COCO registers a couple of hits in my brain. But ARC for "Go ballistic?"?? Man, that is just plain mean-spirited. And the day after Christmas, too. Not wrong, just...brutal.<br /><br />Never-heard-ofs, in addition to SUFI: LOEB, BAIN capital, SAMOS. Had to trust the crosses on all of these. Hand up for giVES and hOg. If this is only Thursday, I dread the next two days.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71559402364154157212013-12-26T11:01:37.469-05:002013-12-26T11:01:37.469-05:00Thanks Mr. Markey for a truly great and innovative...Thanks Mr. Markey for a truly great and innovative puzzle. Please disregard all the above negatives, including Mr. Parkers. I had a good time with this one. I would rate its difficulty as "medium."<br /><br />Ron Diego, 8:AM PST 12/26/13Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11599324626649891632013-11-22T02:05:59.379-05:002013-11-22T02:05:59.379-05:00This too shall pass is certainly familiar, but I w...This too shall pass is certainly familiar, but I would say this will pass to someone I was trying to comfort.<br /><br /><br /><br />GFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81918299012639779032013-11-22T01:19:58.904-05:002013-11-22T01:19:58.904-05:00Will. Huzzah!Will. Huzzah!Rolisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67152418407414725792013-11-21T22:03:26.270-05:002013-11-21T22:03:26.270-05:00This 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 6:36, 6:06, 1.08, 82%, Challenging<br />Tue 7:49, 8:12, 0.95, 34%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 10:26, 9:52, 1.06, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 19:16, 17:14, 1.12, 71%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:59, 3:46, 1.06, 78%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 4:50, 5:01, 0.96, 36%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 6:23, 5:49, 1.10, 76%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 11:29, 10:07, 1.13, 73%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5071929124060430492013-11-21T21:32:52.553-05:002013-11-21T21:32:52.553-05:00Bygone contributor, yet extant reader says, after ...Bygone contributor, yet extant reader says, after sharing of several stressful events today:<br /><br />"Being acutely sensitive is sometimes not an asset.<br />Yet in many a social situation some potential for anxiety lies.<br />and even when a conflict flares up, it can be put to rest.<br /><br />Just did today's Crossword where the conceit was DOWN COMFORTER, where unClued Down entries included: NOT TO WORRY, THIS WILL PASS, IT GETS BETTER and THERE THERE.<br /><br />Maybe another mere coincidence, or some cosmic concatenation?"<br /><br />fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90204128762659507702013-11-21T18:37:53.970-05:002013-11-21T18:37:53.970-05:00A puzzle that stands out in my mind
is from the M...A puzzle that stands out in my mind <br />is from the Maleska days. Jan.5, 1986<br />by Julian Ochrymowych.<br /> <br /><br />It was called JANUS STYLE (long before Gangnam Style)...for the Roman god Janus having 2 faces looking in opposite directions.<br /><br />The clue was 'evil' and you had to fill in PERNICIOUS in one direction and look at the clue again- from left to right, 'live' and put in ANIMATE- backwards! So your final answer was:<br />PERNICIOUSETAMINA.<br /><br />Or 'REWARD' which was RECOMPENSE one way, and SKETCHER backwards for 'DRAWER' thus RECOMPENSEREHCTEKS. <br /><br />Hardest puzzle ever and I was just a newbie. But I never forgot it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1572000635794974402013-11-21T16:21:46.075-05:002013-11-21T16:21:46.075-05:00July 25, 2013
Patrick Blindauer
D
O
U
B
L
E
F
E
A...July 25, 2013<br />Patrick Blindauer<br /><br />D<br />O<br />U<br />B<br />L<br />E<br />F<br />E<br />A<br />T<br />U<br />R<br />E<br /><br />...was my favorite as well!wreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08797908615185213756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76747321007845627422013-11-21T16:06:56.879-05:002013-11-21T16:06:56.879-05:00@M&A 2:29
This fave comes immediately to mind...@M&A 2:29<br /><br />This fave comes immediately to mind:<br /><br />January 15, 2004. Patrick Merrell. Goofy fun.<br /><br /><a href="http://preview.tinyurl.com/okcrtrp" rel="nofollow">pdf thanks to Jim Horne</a><br />Ray Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8183309932631905682013-11-21T16:04:36.793-05:002013-11-21T16:04:36.793-05:00
William Jefferson Clinton.<br />William Jefferson Clinton.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49080911607110278112013-11-21T16:01:15.169-05:002013-11-21T16:01:15.169-05:00@LaneB- The United Arab Republic was a short-live...@LaneB- The United Arab Republic was a short-lived union between Egypt and Syria. 1958-1961Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52329284173951907312013-11-21T15:58:52.268-05:002013-11-21T15:58:52.268-05:00It's a ballistic missile that arcs, Rex!It's a ballistic missile that arcs, Rex!MJLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11135714372039880171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17043998655266786922013-11-21T15:55:58.840-05:002013-11-21T15:55:58.840-05:00@M&A
July 25, 2013
Patrick Blindauer
D
O
U
B...@M&A<br /><br />July 25, 2013<br />Patrick Blindauer<br /><br />D<br />O<br />U<br />B<br />L<br />E<br />F<br />E<br />A<br />T<br />U<br />R<br />EAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60646963328373699552013-11-21T15:52:54.230-05:002013-11-21T15:52:54.230-05:00It's BO, because we don't acknowledge or u...It's BO, because we don't acknowledge or use his middle name. I don't know Clinton's. newbnoreply@blogger.com