tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4329603396055032659..comments2024-03-28T09:07:44.866-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Sugary punch slangily / WED 8-13-14 / Eurasian plain / Twain's New York burial place / Brat holder / Jenner of reality tv / Children's author Asquith / Caron title role of 1958Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67548814432569240292022-10-25T17:39:26.491-04:002022-10-25T17:39:26.491-04:00I'm with spacecraft on this one. The theme is...I'm with <i>spacecraft</i> on this one. The theme is fun, especially as the embedded languages come as dessert <i>after</i> I suss the answers. SHORT HAIR is a little weak as clued; I'd expect a cat clue, or perhaps "one way to distinguish National Guard from hippie protesters". Still, the reveal isn't a dead giveaway for the theme, and I love that.<br /><br />LATIN isn't an outlier: the point isn't propensity among immigrants; it's that the language spans the barrier between words. Rex, I've seen you swallow DA BEARS, DA BUMS, and THE ORIOLES without bothering to chew first; you <i>gotta</i> be okay with THE BREWERS.<br /><br />What keeps me from gushing over this Mittwock entry is the execrable fill. GOYA seems to be regionally and/or culturally locked. I don't know that I've ever seen the brand; people are citing Kroger, which had little (if any) presence west of the Rockies until after this puzzle was written. The bean favorites in my area are/were Western Family and Trader Joe's, much better !/$ than the national-brand tins on the national-chain shelves.<br /><br />ROBB is/should be obsolete. It was a 3-second gimme for me, but how many of the audience are old enough to remember ... and why should we care? There's gotta be a better ROBB in our national consciousness, neh?Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81983684486266536042014-09-18T00:41:53.802-04:002014-09-18T00:41:53.802-04:00I've been a Brewer fan since 1970. THEBREWERS ...I've been a Brewer fan since 1970. THEBREWERS is fine.sdcheezhdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05457420125517948430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88898518740698288982014-09-17T18:02:01.484-04:002014-09-17T18:02:01.484-04:00EPT is apt for today's theme as it stands for ...EPT is apt for today's theme as it stands for English Placement Test where I come from.<br /><br />Only writeovers were ASA before MOB and MILBREWERS before THEBREWERS. Luckily for me Mrs. Waxy knew oblong pastries were ECLAIRS at 46D opening up the SE where I was having a wee, make that SMA, problem.<br /><br />521=8 which got me ALLATINGLE until I noticed that @DMG had already achieved that lofty plateau.<br /><br />SEEYAWaxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67394619975592432582014-09-17T16:57:40.455-04:002014-09-17T16:57:40.455-04:00I came by to see what language SHORTHAIR might con...I came by to see what language SHORTHAIR might contain - OHO, Thai, got it. LL Bean is a big name in outdoor gear; REI, not so much, I think.<br /><br />8149 - let me see, carry the one, add the digits in the sum and all I get is a lousy 4?! I RESIGN that! (I wonder how one would solve that using the "new math"?)Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47582564288243008892014-09-17T13:48:16.494-04:002014-09-17T13:48:16.494-04:00Solved this one, then came to see what LANGUAGEBAR...Solved this one, then came to see what LANGUAGEBARRIER had to do with anything! To make it even worse. I still couldn't see ...THAI.. until someone pointed it out! So much for my blind spots. I did DNF on the MTs/sOYA thing. GOYA products must be rife on the shelves somewhere in the States, but Mexico is the only place I've ever bought them. And I associate the name with juices (nectars?), bought for the wee ones, not beans. Maybe my brain is rattled by the unsufferable heat/ humidity thing going on here in So Cal. Wish it would end, but apparently there is another hurricane sneaking up on us. Reminds me of my Florida years!<br /><br />Maybe 1133 can be some consolation as I crank the fan up another notch!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83093518803588407462014-09-17T13:21:26.545-04:002014-09-17T13:21:26.545-04:00Five 2Ds make a rapper. Too many 3 letter fill wor...Five 2Ds make a rapper. Too many 3 letter fill words- don't like 'em.<br />383 - lose.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51904748950896811702014-09-17T10:55:32.133-04:002014-09-17T10:55:32.133-04:00I thought "good with beans" meant counti...I thought "good with beans" meant counting them, and so CPAS. This coupled with (hand up!) ASA gave me fits with--up till then--a breeze. Saw GERMAN right off, and so I got ALLATINGLE from just the AL-. The top half went down like a Monday.<br /><br />But several WOEs, aside from the western fubar, slowed me down. REI is a "Big name??" Can't be TOO big: I. Never. Heardofit. Nor of the twin threes at the bottom edges, LOD and ROS. That's a lotta NHO's for a Wedensday.<br /><br />Fine theme, with the entries deteriorating from the top down, as OF described. I wouldn't call THEBREWERS a faceplant; THE is necessary for the the theme (see what I did there?). But it IS a defect, and the grading points were already fleeing with fill CLUTTER like CARTIN, CEN, EPT (really?) and the silly partials ANDI and ONCEA.<br /><br />[Now I am saddled with a BAD earworm: "To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him, ANDI do (ANDI), ANDI do (ANDI), etc."]<br /><br />Sorry, guys, if I have to suffer, so do you. This one struggles to a C.<br /><br />More illegible captchas ending finally in 238. Wasn't worth the wait.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48844208967510339022014-08-14T00:56:15.363-04:002014-08-14T00:56:15.363-04:00This 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 6:02, 6:02, 1.00, 50%, Medium<br />Tue 7:39, 7:54, 0.97, 40%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 10:01, 9:31, 1.05, 67%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:08, 3:57, 1.05, 71%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 5:24, 5:21, 1.01, 53%, Medium<br />Wed 6:16, 6:08, 1.02, 58%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4909596771901707382014-08-14T00:11:44.412-04:002014-08-14T00:11:44.412-04:00Thanks for the musical nugget from two of my faves...Thanks for the musical nugget from two of my faves from the 1980s. I had somehow missed this collaboration. madsymohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04455074088671539704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52695492434196691252014-08-13T23:19:53.115-04:002014-08-13T23:19:53.115-04:00@Gill I.P. - Yep. The old guy. The young guy is #...@Gill I.P. - Yep. The old guy. The young guy is #3, off to college in four weeks. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33149534699844556432014-08-13T22:19:20.707-04:002014-08-13T22:19:20.707-04:00@Z....Is that you proud papa? Happy Days!@Z....Is that you proud papa? Happy Days!GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58801680883166392832014-08-13T21:38:23.608-04:002014-08-13T21:38:23.608-04:00@Z. Enlightening, thanks for the link.@Z. Enlightening, thanks for the link.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49376050076651692472014-08-13T17:22:16.922-04:002014-08-13T17:22:16.922-04:00Rex tweeted a link to this article on gender bias ...Rex tweeted a link to <a href="http://theamericanreader.com/puzzle-trouble-women-and-crosswords-in-the-age-of-autofill/" rel="nofollow">this</a> article on gender bias in CrossWorld. An interesting read. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9524766886523562652014-08-13T16:47:35.279-04:002014-08-13T16:47:35.279-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Wed 10:02, 9:31, 1.05, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Wed 6:34, 6:08, 1.07, 71%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46353818445526346722014-08-13T16:31:01.592-04:002014-08-13T16:31:01.592-04:00@Leap - no - he didn't mention syncronicity - ...@Leap - no - he didn't mention syncronicity - it was Nutbag.<br /><br />The synchronicity was mine - having heard the word for the first time ever yesterday (I tape the Daily Show), and then seeing it in the grid.<br /><br />Though he is a cruciverbaphile (see Wordplay, the movie), and who knows - he may come to these blogs from time to time, and would then very possibly know the term as we use it.Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10125294507037757432014-08-13T15:07:36.302-04:002014-08-13T15:07:36.302-04:00I think the sugar content attracts bugs to the tab...I think the sugar content attracts bugs to the table. Think yellow jackets at a camp picnic table in August.Hartley70noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70824534400716535082014-08-13T15:07:04.423-04:002014-08-13T15:07:04.423-04:00@AnoaBob, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, holy smokes, that ...@AnoaBob, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, holy smokes, that was priceless! !<br /><br />I'll smile the rest of the day thinking about that! <br /><br />RooMonster <br />DarrinV RooMonsternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32890998611766326172014-08-13T15:01:43.360-04:002014-08-13T15:01:43.360-04:00
A little tougher than the usual Wednesday, partic...<br />A little tougher than the usual Wednesday, particularly (for me) the NW what with SMA, ENGARDE (nice clue) and PARTB. Labored thru the rest and barely avoided the dread DNF.LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66077610926452428172014-08-13T14:50:52.891-04:002014-08-13T14:50:52.891-04:00Am I the only one who tried SCROTUM for 69A "...Am I the only one who tried SCROTUM for 69A "Nutbag"?<br /><br />Re "Synchronicity", it's been around a long time, at least going back to the writings of Carl Jung.<br /><br />SHORT HAIR for a themer? PEW.Anoa Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16185183023273883700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35848662028482063982014-08-13T14:08:42.599-04:002014-08-13T14:08:42.599-04:00@Zeke - "Never argue with anons..." coul...@Zeke - "Never argue with anons..." could be amended to "never argue with trolls." To be fair to my anon - s/he was articulating a distinction that others would assert to be true, and one I don't entirely disagree with. I just think metaphorical distances can be real, too. Ending sentences with prepositions, however, is not something I can cotton to.<br /><br />@Anon1:43 - The Evil Duck may make an appearance to explain, but he has said more than once that he does not post things he does not what attributed to him. So, no.<br /><br />@Leapy - I just assumed Alias was channeling an inner LATIN poet.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87041463217504042152014-08-13T14:00:21.303-04:002014-08-13T14:00:21.303-04:00"powerful" smelling?"powerful" smelling?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27058820099268223432014-08-13T14:00:05.164-04:002014-08-13T14:00:05.164-04:00@Mohair Sam go to pun of the day and sign up to g...@Mohair Sam go to pun of the day and sign up to get a pun every day.chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33468162471210564712014-08-13T13:50:39.365-04:002014-08-13T13:50:39.365-04:00I always hate it when I get down to the very last ...I always hate it when I get down to the very last letter in a puzzle and have to gamble on whether I'm guessing right or wrong.<br /><br />54-A strongly tempted me to write in an S to make it SOYA because GOYA was just a painter to me, but if 41-D was MTS was an abbreviation for a get-together, I couldn't imagine it, so I finally went with GOYA and MTG. I knew somebody on the blog would tell me what GOYA knew about beans, and once I saw the explanation it made perfect sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74499723034369289432014-08-13T13:43:08.065-04:002014-08-13T13:43:08.065-04:00Is Zeke, perhaps, an alias for Evil Doug?Is Zeke, perhaps, an alias for Evil Doug?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56701736032962292892014-08-13T13:18:00.773-04:002014-08-13T13:18:00.773-04:00@ZZZ-AAA Aside from from the fact that you just in...@ZZZ-AAA Aside from from the fact that you just insulted the preceeding 49 commenters, I have to wonder, how did I prevent you from saying anything cheery, interesting, funny or insightful? Am I really that powerful?Zekenoreply@blogger.com