tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4354482325057905662..comments2024-03-29T03:22:09.826-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Biology lab stain / SUN 12-4-11 / Rub with ointment as in religious ceremony / Gorilla skilled in sign language / Popular Fallacies writerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62141740317676598502011-12-12T16:45:42.419-05:002011-12-12T16:45:42.419-05:00DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE THEME....DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE THEME. In each phrase a pair of letters swapped to make a new phrase. How is that not unified?<br />Only Anonymous saw how great SCARED COW was? Made me smile everytime I saw it. <br /><br />Didn't particulary like ROUGE ELEPHANT for the reason Rex gave. And still don't really get INTERNAL ANGEL. Does anyone ever speak of an internal angle? How is that different from and external angle?<br /><br />Overall found it quite fun once I caught on to the theme. Had a hard time getting any answers to start.SharonAKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89287403758035044222011-12-11T21:49:44.757-05:002011-12-11T21:49:44.757-05:00This is going to be the weirdest blog you ever rea...This is going to be the weirdest blog you ever read here: it's not about a NYT puzzle; it's about an Observer puzzle themed "Melting Pot." I tried, really I did, to find the blog that belongs to it, but Google did not have it. Still, I felt so strongly about it that I HAD to vent somewhere.<br /> Many of the clues meant no sense at all. "Ride" is supposed to yield MOTOR. Huh?? "Man ____" turns out to be ALIVE. Man alive? Is that supposed to be a familiar phrase?<br /> Then we have ugly partials, like WHENTO, OEIL, and a whole corner containing ATMO, AERO--and he outdid himself with this one: ULUM. There is also both ODDFELLOW and ODDISH in the grid.<br /> But the sockdolager that made me not even want to finish the thing (and I didn't) was, with the theme title being "Melting Pot," one of the theme entries was--are you ready?--MELTINGPOT.<br /> Add to all that unknowable obscurities like NIANGUA (a river in the Ozarks--I don't know how many folks know this one, but I'll betcha five dollars they're ALL cousins!) and ANANA ("pineapple," a word I can't find anywhere), and you have abject construction failure.<br /> There, I've vented. I feel better. Thanks for listening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53132504760206601182011-12-11T20:55:29.824-05:002011-12-11T20:55:29.824-05:00How do you not know the SPAM sketch? Even if you ...How do you not know the SPAM sketch? Even if you never watched Monty Python's Flying Circus surely you knew geeks like me who recited it at every opportunity. <br /><br />@Greg Charles <br />"Spamalot" is a made-up word that has its origins as two words from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGpVcdqeS0" rel="nofollow">this song</a> from <i>Monty Python and the Holy Grail</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31412912314477131752011-12-11T18:15:52.544-05:002011-12-11T18:15:52.544-05:00My last fill was the "D" in SCARED COW, ...My last fill was the "D" in SCARED COW, for the same reason as richnrbq: I was sure the origin phrase was "SCARECROW" -- I stubbornly clung to this even after I figured out that rice had to be served in bed...Larrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62603024046159525342011-12-11T13:18:37.008-05:002011-12-11T13:18:37.008-05:00Spacecraft here. Finished this, and with no Google...Spacecraft here. Finished this, and with no Googles and no writeovers (!)--but gad! what a slog! Aiee, where to satrt?<br /> URANO as a heavenly prefix: who knew? ONEL: not that I don't appreciate good ol' Ogden--I do-- but we need to banish this, and yesterday's ANE, to the hinterland forever. EYER, ARUT, III, READA: quadruple UGH!!!!<br /> Curious that INUNCT is not listed in my Scrabble dictionary.<br /> Nor should it be, if you get my drift.<br /> Still, there is some nice stuff here: BOWSPRITS, WIDEBERTH.<br /> Some cluing is questionable: how is EDITORIAL a "counterpart of advertising?" Mystifying. OK, so they're two (totally separated!) departments in a newspaper office. Maybe the cluer means that the editor "advertises" his opinion... oh, forget it. The clue is just plain wrong.<br /> Forgot--all over again--the other meaning of "submarine." Seems every time I see that I picture underwater craft and not food. That's my own bad. Eventually, I got it, but the whole puzzle seemed like walking close behind a ROGUEELEPHANT.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83137820300976463192011-12-11T12:42:41.103-05:002011-12-11T12:42:41.103-05:00I'm kind of bumming today (that being 12/11 as...I'm kind of bumming today (that being 12/11 as I live in Syndiland) because me long-time neighbors are moving and I will miss them, so I did the puzzle earlier than usual to try to cheer myself up. Alas the exercise produced more groans than grins for me but that's possibly because my expectations were too high and my mood was too low. I needed a couple of lucky guesses to finish - it didn't help that I had arOD as the modern record holder for too long - in fact I almost left him in there as aNUNCT looked plausible (but rIED didn't seem right).<br /><br />Thanks for listening - I feel a little better now. Maybe a visit to 12/11/2006 will help: <br />- "Solving time: 4:46"<br />- "Happy 75th Birthday, Rita Moreno! What a great idea for a puzzle - if I were she, I would be blown away with honor (if that's an expression)."<br />- "Everything I Need To Know I Learned From The ELECTRIC COMPANY. In fact, this blog, now that I think of it, is deeply indebted to the ELECTRIC COMPANY. Why? Because the very idea that being intellectual and being fun and irreverent might go together - I got that from ELECTRIC COMPANY (Not "Sesame Street," which, no offense, I thought was a show for slow kids)."<br />- "Speaking of musical acts, it's good to see rap stars L-RON (53D: Scientologist _____ Hubbard) and T-NUT (57D: Carpenter's metal piece) out promoting their new album, RARIN' (48D: _____ to go (eager)). Look for it in stores tomorrow."<br />- "Always bad not to know stuff on a Monday. Never heard of TEMA (35A: Melodic subject, in music), which I'm guessing is just some foreign word for "theme." <br />- "While I'm sure Ms. Moreno was Fabulous in "The Ritz," It's hard to believe she could ever top her work on THE MUPPET SHOW (25A: TV program for which 59-Across won an Emmy, 1977). That's a pretty high bar."<br />- There were 10 comments, one of which suggested that sometime in the future the NYT may run a tribute puzzle to Rex Parker, to which he replied: "When I see a puzzle wherein HARVEY PEKAR crosses KELLY CLARKSON, then I will know that the constructor is at least thinking of me, if not paying tribute, exactly."Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70363579710443529292011-12-06T14:23:36.557-05:002011-12-06T14:23:36.557-05:00@nurturing: Thank you for setting me straight. I ...@nurturing: Thank you for setting me straight. I can now comfortably go to sleep in a bed of rice - or is it on? Now I forget, but I prefer Arborial.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40216887999849410152011-12-06T03:12:18.024-05:002011-12-06T03:12:18.024-05:00@anonymous:
The bowsprit is a spar (pole) of a sa...@anonymous:<br /><br />The bowsprit is a spar (pole) of a sailing vessel. (I googled for you!)nurturinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46257709695306765692011-12-06T02:56:40.543-05:002011-12-06T02:56:40.543-05:00@ Gill I. P.: you do so serve rice in a bed, i.e.,...@ Gill I. P.: you do so serve rice in a bed, i.e., ladling it onto a plate to be a nest-like surface for savoury (usually) toppings. <br /><br />You don't, as you said, serve rice 'on' a bed. ("Mine gets served on a bed", to quote you exactly.)<br />You serve other foods on a bed of rice. The rice IS the bed.<br /><br />Agree that it's a little awkward.nurturinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55360422125639293362011-12-05T23:04:06.876-05:002011-12-05T23:04:06.876-05:003 Down: For the longest time, I had backed SCARERC...3 Down: For the longest time, I had backed SCARERCOW as one "starting" a stampede. SCAREDCOW didn't seem qualified to start anything, but got the position anyway just for fitting in with the team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83600318656105155872011-12-05T10:05:04.317-05:002011-12-05T10:05:04.317-05:00http://tinyurl.com/fullforcegale
Van the Man!
(Um...http://tinyurl.com/fullforcegale<br />Van the Man! <br />(Um, sorry, this puzzle didn't life me up again...kinda got me down.)GenJoneserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09444004085542476774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32528775860176693912011-12-05T08:41:54.868-05:002011-12-05T08:41:54.868-05:00What is bow sprits?What is bow sprits?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68441872779455718752011-12-04T22:58:02.748-05:002011-12-04T22:58:02.748-05:00I found it a mix of good misleading clues (I had M...I found it a mix of good misleading clues (I had MARKETING instead of EDITORIAL for Counterpart of advertising and QUESTION for Dilemma) and irritations (like Island hopper). I know something can be served on a bed of rice - can rice be served in a bed? And if it's a heavenly voice, can it be internal? and finally, isn't Downright an adverb, whereas UTTER is an adjective?Joe in Canadanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13709426470456679842011-12-04T21:59:40.141-05:002011-12-04T21:59:40.141-05:00@meta4: you're welcome! It's a great, qu...@meta4: you're welcome! It's a great, quirky movie with Ryan Gosling.<br /><br />Found this puzzle to be kind of a slog. Abandoned it halfway through.JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8295387967979226892011-12-04T21:37:10.487-05:002011-12-04T21:37:10.487-05:00Busy day today - I started this puzzle about 7:30 ...Busy day today - I started this puzzle about 7:30 AM, found it really slow, then went off for about 11 hours, came back and polished it right off - except that I didn't get the ENICA/INUNCT crossing, on account of I figured that Julius, if not Orange, must be at least VII, so I was looking at ENVA_ for 34A. <br /><br />I did get the other horrid word, EOSIN, after being forced out of smear by crosses.<br /><br />The rest was OK. In addition to everything mentioned, I liked BOWSPRITS. I think EARLY DAY is an anglicism. And I too think 'cataracts' just screams out NILE - everywhere else they're called rapids or waterfalls.<br /><br />But it's late, and almost everything has been said, so goodnight to all!jberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169065390875378077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13295535392671411742011-12-04T20:25:34.058-05:002011-12-04T20:25:34.058-05:00I too thought the theme was a bit lackluster, but ...I too thought the theme was a bit lackluster, but that's in comparison to the frequently brilliant wordplay on display week after week in these puzzles. As a relative newbie who has dabbled in -- and run screaming from -- constructing crosswords, I think we should cut the author some slack. <br /><br />That said: INUNCT? EOSIN? Yeesh.<br /><br />Thought I was clever when I put in ACT III right away... which led to LOKI for the signing gorilla, then KIKI. Took me a while to realize it was an act too far.Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01366620471331747531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73308137356455419842011-12-04T20:02:03.792-05:002011-12-04T20:02:03.792-05:00Liked this puzzle a great deal, but the main reaso...Liked this puzzle a great deal, but the main reason I wanted to comment is that, without Rex and all I've learned from him and all of you over the past few years, I could not have hoped to have finished a puzzle like this.<br /><br />So, THANKS!CoolPapaDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11542059534657415505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48923882959330101642011-12-04T19:26:46.001-05:002011-12-04T19:26:46.001-05:00So you're insensitive to differences in qualit...So you're insensitive to differences in quality, think others should be more like you, spend time watching bad tv, and prefer to snipe anonymously. Anything else?a-patnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56709676735847106712011-12-04T18:44:26.467-05:002011-12-04T18:44:26.467-05:00Not sure why you were so negative about this puzzl...Not sure why you were so negative about this puzzle,. I found it clever and challenging.<br /><br />But then I think every crossword is an amazing accomplishment.<br /><br />You should try being more "Sing-Off" and less "X Factor" as a critic.<br /><br />One comment I will make: "oily"? Come on, puzzle-maker -- millions of teenagers don't need this extra disparagement!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56986113113246535212011-12-04T17:30:11.839-05:002011-12-04T17:30:11.839-05:00@LR, sorry, my fingers got mixed up. And I didn...@LR, sorry, my fingers got mixed up. And I didn't proofread.quilter1https://www.blogger.com/profile/09569747169212018177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5500916288324647492011-12-04T16:45:04.906-05:002011-12-04T16:45:04.906-05:00Had visions of Kelsey holding up flash cards for R...Had visions of Kelsey holding up flash cards for Rev. Spooner, who then put his inimitable spin on things, which looked to give us a fun theme, neologistic-wise. <br /><br />Anyone regularly completing Times puzzles is totally familiar with Anais Nin and the answer of DIARYQUEEN should be a knee-slapping delight to most.<br /><br />But, after that, and the animal phrases of ROUGEELEPHANT and SCAREDCOW, things were exemplified by INUNCT at the beginning and EOSIN towards the end (but, sorry, "exemplified" in no way means "exemplary").<br /><br />Sad to say, the puzzle proved a bit of a slog.jackjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35657214788420098422011-12-04T16:42:04.608-05:002011-12-04T16:42:04.608-05:00@Tita, YESORNO gave me a "Paradise by the Das...@Tita, YESORNO gave me a "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" moment also.<br /><br />Another typical Sunday puzzle, good thing I love the big silly grids. Nice theme density; ACME, I also wish the entries were more related to each other.<br /><br />My favorites are TRIAL BLAZER & SCARED COW. Enjoyed seeing the ELEPHANT appear from the feet up, so to speak. Also liked: LOST HEART, HEAD COLDS, QUANDRY, DIGS INTO, TREASURED.<br /><br />Writeover for illbeT before MY FOOT.<br /><br />Words I didn't know, but got through crosses, intuition and luck: EOSIN, INUNCT, & EFFIE.<br /><br />Enjoy the rest of the weekend, all.CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11436118213602934262011-12-04T15:56:59.568-05:002011-12-04T15:56:59.568-05:00It felt like it took forever, but actually only to...It felt like it took forever, but actually only took a bit longer than usual. No, it felt like it took forever because it wasn't fun, didn't have pop, at least to me.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28256507038053700762011-12-04T15:22:47.288-05:002011-12-04T15:22:47.288-05:00@quilter1 said...
...
Yesterday we went to a per...@quilter1 said...<br /><br />...<br /><br />Yesterday we went to a performance of Handel's Messiah ... It was the Dublin 1792 premiere version.<br /><br />---<br /><br />1742LRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68628115307250434622011-12-04T14:40:35.018-05:002011-12-04T14:40:35.018-05:00I thought it was OK. I really liked the ROUGE ELEP...I thought it was OK. I really liked the ROUGE ELEPHANT and DIARY QUEEN. I guess I'm mellow today.<br /><br />Yesterday we went to a performance of Handel's Messiah by the Grinnell College Singers accompanied by Chicago's Baroque BAnd on period instruments. It was the Dublin 1792 premiere version. Possibly the best Messiah I've ever heard.<br /><br />Then we went to a Drake basketball game, which we won. Drake 62, Air Force 60. Good game, but too much refereeing. Yeah, I'm mellow.quilter1https://www.blogger.com/profile/09569747169212018177noreply@blogger.com