tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4078380704049948370..comments2024-03-29T03:22:09.826-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Anoint in western pacific / THU 9-15-16 / Isabel of mathetmatics fame / Squire message / Manila alternative in guessing game / Clan from ocean / Gaiter locales for short / Wand representer in myth / Croat who won academy award in 1999Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56807451868166989662020-09-23T22:43:56.201-04:002020-09-23T22:43:56.201-04:00This isn't a crossword puzzle, so spent less t...This isn't a crossword puzzle, so spent less than 10 minutes on it(time enough to realize that it just wasn't one or two inscrutable clues). Why Shortz allowed this crap to be published is something I'll never figure out.Tayvlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56849821117365195072016-11-12T08:47:10.946-05:002016-11-12T08:47:10.946-05:00A horrific abomination. At best, this is some oth...A horrific abomination. At best, this is some other sort of puzzle masquerading as a crossword puzzle. My wife and I do these together with Across Lite, often weeks after they first come out. We've been doing this for about ten years, and this is beyond doubt the most horrible, miserable puzzle ever on the Times website. Honestly, Shortz should be ashamed of himself. <br /><br />Yes, we eventually figured out the theme. (BTW "Trap" is an anagram of "part". Trap #1 is Part #1.) Trying to permute the letters into something reasonable was a terrible chore. Fortunately I found a website that will list all permutations of a set of letters that form a valid word. It's called Word Unscrambler. Could not possibly have finished without it, and frankly, would not have bothered. I mean who cares?? Who wants to subject themselves to such torture?<br /><br />This is simply NOT a crossword puzzle. Shame, shame, shame.<br /><br />-- Bob and SusanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43319418892631538202016-11-04T19:02:32.176-04:002016-11-04T19:02:32.176-04:00Was a tough one got a big zero then the aha moment...Was a tough one got a big zero then the aha moment was Folgers which I had seen before as an anagram of golfers; put in swing and then checked tenure which resolved to neuter which clues the s in swing to spay.<br /><br />Then as people have said it was a long slog but I did enjoy it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09298636899482441995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31297413735469742232016-10-28T11:34:20.809-04:002016-10-28T11:34:20.809-04:00This was hardest puzzle...I solve new york times q...This was hardest puzzle...I solve new york times quickly, even sunday <br />size ones, but this one confounded me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12734544005929875152016-10-28T05:29:23.294-04:002016-10-28T05:29:23.294-04:00I loved this! This is what Thursday puzzles are fo...I loved this! This is what Thursday puzzles are for. I enjoyed being completely lost for quite a while. It's a chance to travel through different parts of your own head! As Emily Dickinson wrote,"There is no FRIGATE like a crossword puzzle."I'm Nobody! Who are you?noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91619415658990900762016-10-24T16:29:37.849-04:002016-10-24T16:29:37.849-04:00Hated, hated this one, worst ever! Please no more ...Hated, hated this one, worst ever! Please no more of those. If I wanted to do anagrams, I would do anagrams, not crosswords. I was hoping to see an F on this oneramroothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14316802282814191149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11034317362123316112016-10-23T16:43:04.288-04:002016-10-23T16:43:04.288-04:00This was like a biathlon. First you had to solve ...This was like a biathlon. First you had to solve the anagrams, then you felt like shooting something.<br /><br />I stared at this while sipping my Friday martini, read every clue up and down and came up empty. Either this was some sort of mouse trap/chutes & ladders/rebus thing, or there was something going on with the clues themselves (we all know that strange clues usually add up to something stupid like a hidden message spelled out by 3rd letter of each clue).<br /><br />Eventually I realized that Trap is an anagram of Part, and the next thing you know I'm doing the Daily Jumble. Thankfully many of the answers filled in without my having to figure out the clues. <br /><br />Sweat of a perfectly good evening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2430433046994087202016-10-22T03:55:32.123-04:002016-10-22T03:55:32.123-04:00I'm surprised how many disliked this puzzle. ...I'm surprised how many disliked this puzzle. I probably would never have figured out the gimmick on my own, but having Googled this blog and learned that first words needed to be anagrammed, I thought it a fun extra puzzle in the puzzled, It was hard. Even tho I knew to anagram i often found myself trying to solve from the clues as written. But still, it was fun.<br />I can understand why some would hate it, like I hate cross references or roman numeral dates. But I would have thought at least half of puzzled solvers would like anagrams.<br /><br />Of course, I always take a long time. Frequently come back to puzzles several times during the day to finish, so the time it took didn't bother me.SharonAKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13650093209770198302016-10-21T14:23:03.524-04:002016-10-21T14:23:03.524-04:00I loved this puzzle. I loved even more all the an...I loved this puzzle. I loved even more all the annoyance it caused here! Oh boy, you know you have hit it out of the park, Ian, when all these so-called puzzle fans are bamboozled because they had to actually puzzle something out.<br /><br />Only mild complaint: the anagrams for 13D and 29D being AGREE and AGREED seems pretty lame.Bananafishnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10614148851799631102016-10-21T00:52:22.972-04:002016-10-21T00:52:22.972-04:00All I have to say is, I'm glad you all were he...All I have to say is, I'm glad you all were here to explain this. Nice of the puzzle to have Veto/Vote with NON the answer in either case, so I could get one answer. I've never even seen a Cryptic crossword where you had to solve the anagram just to get the clue. Even reading the gimmick answers, I still didn't get it until I read the comments. <br /><br />I don't mind hard puzzles, but it's hard to pretend it's fun if you can't get started at all, because there isn't anything you're having fun doing yet.wcutlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08615799228069705972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84618594967675697662016-10-21T00:38:57.744-04:002016-10-21T00:38:57.744-04:00I can't say I hated this, but it took me perha...I can't say I hated this, but it took me perhaps ten minutes of going "what the Hell is this?" before I saw "ink of elite type"-PICA. Then "mineral alternative"-MINERAL, and then WADE. After that the game was up, but I just didn't want to play the game. Perhaps it was because I had to go pick up grapes to make this year's batch of wine, or perhaps because I'm bad at anagrams, or perhaps I figured that I could figure this whole puzzle out if I stayed at it but it just didn't figure as a crossword puzzle. <br /><br />Call me a wimp.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58642718414765962882016-10-20T22:44:23.662-04:002016-10-20T22:44:23.662-04:00First comment ever, but have read and enjoyed Rex&...First comment ever, but have read and enjoyed Rex's blog for about a year. Can't believe that some would consider a puzzle crap if they can't solve said puzzle in some self-imposed arbitrary speed limit. If I can attempt to solve but get totally stymied for 15+ minutes of absolutely no traction, then figure out the twist, but still struggle and slowly piece together the grid while enjoying the incredible masterly craftsmanship, and finally fill the final square, then this puzzle soars above the usual fare. Yes, way harder than a usual Thursday, but the payoff of finishing this gem was well worth it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11365086913649494439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74970980333308075422016-10-20T19:34:50.952-04:002016-10-20T19:34:50.952-04:00I'm English and I love cryptic crosswords. I&#...I'm English and I love cryptic crosswords. I've also come to love US-style crosswords, which have obscure general knowledge questions but more crosses to give you a fighting chance.<br /><br />This puzzle attempted to combine the two, I think, but made a bit of a mess of it. <br /><br />Love the idea, shame about the execution.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22810381759573997542016-10-20T18:21:30.756-04:002016-10-20T18:21:30.756-04:00Best. Puz. Of. The. Year. There’s a lot of gold i...Best. Puz. Of. The. Year. There’s a lot of gold in them thar “shill”. Got a really slow start, probably because I was airborne in a 6-seater “penal” from St. Paul to Detroit Lakes, MN. Filled it in from the edges toward the middle. Biggest problem was self-induced by putting RENTALs into the FRIGATE space. Damn “Nepal”! So my inkfest there was not a problem from the puz. Got it fairly quickly after that; everything finally in plane (har) sight.<br /><br />I guess the haters would be unable or unwilling, or both, to do the Harper’s puz each month, which I typically finish correctly. There are more traps, etc. in that one than ANAGRAMs. I don’t throw them away because they’re hard. I work harder.<br /><br />@teedMN – now I know what that warning was about 5 weeks ago. “wow”.<br /><br />@SPACEY even makes an APPearance. BTW that’s roster = resort. ALTA is a big ski place. And you are correct re: Ms. KIDMAN, look up “yeah baby” and there’s her photo.<br /><br />Now if I can just find where to post this it’ll be “KO”. SOBE it if you didn’t like the idea. "Chum" fun for “’em”.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66092693583965338712016-10-20T17:43:17.203-04:002016-10-20T17:43:17.203-04:00YESLETS, DEERE
Ms. KIDMAN had the MOXIE to send t...YESLETS, DEERE<br /><br />Ms. KIDMAN had the MOXIE to send the FIRSTWORD,<br />the INTRO AS_SENT TO_ME? NAH, wasn’t heard.<br />She OPERATEs an APP with no ENTRY of text,<br />she said, “FRIGATE with MANORS!” So I GOT a SEXT.<br /><br />--- EMANUEL GUERRERO-PENA<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29969234110917588252016-10-20T17:42:56.322-04:002016-10-20T17:42:56.322-04:00P.S. Wouldn't have finished today, or maybe no...P.S. Wouldn't have finished today, or maybe not even tomorrow, if I had kept at it. My puzzle stamina undoubtedly would have given out. Not totally inept at anagrams, but not all that good at them either.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55324666649148211532016-10-20T16:03:49.369-04:002016-10-20T16:03:49.369-04:00Got the anagram gimmick early with Rahm EMANUEL, s...Got the anagram gimmick early with Rahm EMANUEL, saw that there were anagrams all over the place, that they were first words in clues, and finally that they were all anagrams, all crosses, all downs. Yeesh! After filling in a dozen or so answers, decided not to WADE/logs/slog through this swamp of a puzzle.<br /> leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4379927717173599272016-10-20T14:18:51.230-04:002016-10-20T14:18:51.230-04:00Sorry, did not mean to double-post my original com...Sorry, did not mean to double-post my original comment. Apparently only 200 comments appear and then you have to page down.<br /><br />There was a puzzle about two years ago that involved completely arbitrarily changing letters in the across clues to make the downs work. That was worse than this one. But it's close.<br /><br />Diana - good luck with the flight, and the puzzle is not worth it as far as I'm concerned, but a lot of posters liked it.kitshefnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86737726209257010522016-10-20T14:00:09.769-04:002016-10-20T14:00:09.769-04:00My tummy is in a knot because we fly with the cats...My tummy is in a knot because we fly with the cats today. Always worry. Then I found this puzzle. Could not get started. Shall put it aside for a day when my brain and I are both on the ground. What a ????fest.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for CrosswordsDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30017785297527776862016-10-20T12:50:49.878-04:002016-10-20T12:50:49.878-04:00Shame on Shortz. Even trying to anagram the first ...Shame on Shortz. Even trying to anagram the first words don't fit the spaces for them. This is a cryptic puzzle---and a bad one at that. Just plug in a bunch of random words.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06577843003037198943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47667442180896686932016-10-20T12:44:15.507-04:002016-10-20T12:44:15.507-04:00Ha! Never got the trap/part of the revealer clues ...Ha! Never got the trap/part of the revealer clues until @Mike D proved me one of the dolts. I was all set to complain about three separate "traps," but of course it was all perfectly within the theme.<br /><br />Count me another who stared stupidly at a blank grid for some "item." Like @Martin Abresch I "was" the light with MINERAL. This led, unfortunately, to uNscRAMblE for the first "trap." I wondered what other traps there might be yet; one seemed MORE than enough for a Thursday.<br /><br />I never thought I would say this--it's a modern mot that I really don't care for--but: haters gonna hate. The guest blog leads off with a rather intense (but very good) poem about it, and I speculate it was aimed at OFL. (Not the writer's attitude toward him, but his attitude toward...seemingly everything.) Most surprising is the number of folks who joined that chorus. We all agree this was a challenge to get off the ground, and the aha! moment had to be sweet, but then half of us felt that the bloom left the rose very swiftly. Not me; I enjoyed the whole "night." Come on, didn't you allow a chuckle for the "clan"/NaCl turn? The one clue I'm still scratching my head over is "Rooter in 63-across." What, "torero?" Luckily, ALTA went in on crosses, and I see that it's correct, so no "Rahm" done.<br /><br />The luscious Nicole KIDMAN owns the DOD title--REALLY owns it! Oh yes, the fill, that "time" that OFL usually blasts when it's at all rough, is fine today. Strange that he should dismiss it sans discussion. Oh well, HGH. Me? I say "Touchdown!"spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88034805861314697782016-10-20T12:41:12.184-04:002016-10-20T12:41:12.184-04:00Also, I had to Google "Under the Pink." ...Also, I had to Google "Under the Pink." Even then, seeing TORI did not clue me in on the conceit the puzzle was using. So not one single puzzle entry on my own. I guess I'm not the MANSE you solvers are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29649518592032845892016-10-20T12:28:24.947-04:002016-10-20T12:28:24.947-04:00Syndicated solver here (six weeks behind the times...Syndicated solver here (six weeks behind the times, as it were). This puzzle is not #1 on my "most hated puzzle" list. That award goes to the (in)famous "hurricane" puzzle of a couple of years ago. <i>This</i> anagram puzzle is a solid number two (in more ways than one) on my "most hated puzzle list."<br /><br />I <i>do</i> realize no one will ever read this post.<br /><br />Still, a belated thank-you to @aliasZ for the list of anagrams, as I can't access Jeff Chen's site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88068722776467949632016-10-19T23:28:19.946-04:002016-10-19T23:28:19.946-04:00Terrible.Terrible.kitshefnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13460667470052081972016-09-20T07:58:49.493-04:002016-09-20T07:58:49.493-04:00This puzzle would have been much better/well-recei...This puzzle would have been much better/well-received had there been a note that read something like:<br /><br />"There was some sort of mix-up with today's puzzle that we weren't able to fix before going to press. Sorry."<br /><br />It would have given puzzlers a bit of a heads up without making it at all obvious. Chippahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03107515676098149768noreply@blogger.com