tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4380037977322243067..comments2024-03-28T06:44:48.044-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Mark Twain farce about painter who fakes his own demise / SUN 2-11-18 / As-yet-undeciphered Cretan script / First mass consumer product offering wifi / Buoyant cadences / Runner Liddell depicted in Chariots of FireRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger183125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2730879619176203762018-12-10T23:43:04.514-05:002018-12-10T23:43:04.514-05:00No, Arlene is a pink cat with a gap in her teeth. ...No, Arlene is a pink cat with a gap in her teeth. John is not popular with the ladies but he tries to date her owner maybe? According to wikipedia they dated for less than 2 monthsAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12327650976030888080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50390032354950688532018-11-29T12:42:40.877-05:002018-11-29T12:42:40.877-05:00I am no great fan of NYT and prefer WSJ. That bein...I am no great fan of NYT and prefer WSJ. That being said, this was one of the best NYT Sundays I have done in a while. What some see as groaners, I found clever. The lack of much standard xw crap was a welcome relief in a shortz vehicle. If you didn’t know edh it was easily solvable by the crosses; and while I was previously unaware of Linear A, I was glad to use downs to learn a new term. Crosswords should be fun and mentally stimulating. I’m anonymous because while I find some of the comments clever or interesting, many, if not most, reflect that side of puzzling which I find tiresome. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-242302120062087532018-02-22T10:04:16.829-05:002018-02-22T10:04:16.829-05:00Many days later. You can "learn" by goog...Many days later. You can "learn" by googling (or by just checking the solution )AFTER you have conceded defeat as I have<br /> What a joke..to only use internet to get a hint rather than going straight for the answer. And again, while nothing wrong with going for speed I maintain that it is more enjoyable to mull clues over for a few extra seconds.Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16937106538342819008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8445933118225445872018-02-18T22:10:07.989-05:002018-02-18T22:10:07.989-05:00 Got this puzzle a week later in my local paper. F... Got this puzzle a week later in my local paper. Filled in some of the theme clues without understanding the pun. Horrible.Ralphnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53315208551322965822018-02-18T19:14:38.753-05:002018-02-18T19:14:38.753-05:00First reaction--after cheating to get it finished:...First reaction--after cheating to get it finished: brilliant and very challenging puzzle. Especially impressed by the theme clues and answers--except for STRATOSPHERE as a homonym. The "O" just doesn't make it work as well as it should. Thought all the others, especially PHARMACIST, were better.<br /><br />Second reaction: I learned from it, and I need to learn more about these things.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58734490790948527212018-02-18T19:13:23.742-05:002018-02-18T19:13:23.742-05:00No, the themers aren't zingers, more like MOAN...No, the themers aren't zingers, more like MOANERS, but if ya want wordplay, this puz is full of it. My biggest complaint, beyond things like PIET and PAIX, is the doodoo, as in ITLLDO TODO REDO OUTDO. A quad DO. Haven't yet read comments. Anything about DOs? Agree with @spacey and @rainy on SE difficulties. <br /><br />I'll go deep on the yeah baby front with ARLENE Martel (Tiger on Hogan's Heroes), who also appeared in Star Trek.<br /><br />If you ARBORED with puns I can understand the dislike. If not, it was a good da,y if you could understand the CLU.<br /><br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39097018446818174212018-02-18T18:01:54.041-05:002018-02-18T18:01:54.041-05:00TIRED DRESSER
Director ARLENE O'CASEY SAYS, &...TIRED DRESSER<br /><br />Director ARLENE O'CASEY SAYS, "ISHEDEAD,<br />or so CALM he ORCHESTRATES a nap?"<br />"I want TODO him in ARTIFICIAL LACE", she said,<br />"IT'LLDO . . . oh, and ALSO that SERAPE."<br /><br />--- CLAIR BORDEAUXBurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81710308004827303912018-02-18T16:16:08.553-05:002018-02-18T16:16:08.553-05:00Well, huh! I rather enjoyed the wordplay. And now ...Well, huh! I rather enjoyed the wordplay. And now that I know what an <i>oronym</i> is, I realize why STRATOSPHERE works (stratus fear). Doooh!<br /><br />It's interesting the rules we set for ourselves, innit? In my case, I "win" if I complete the puzzle without resorting to Google——but resort I will if I have to in order to complete the fill. (As the saying goes, "I'm not OCD, I'm CDO: It's the same thing, but with the letters in alphabetical order, as they damn well should be.") For some reason I couldn't complete O'CASEY (Ochsey? Ocksey?), so Linear A was a fail. But at least now I'm kind of curious about Linear A and Linear B.<br /><br />In my Old English class, it was always spell Eth.El Dingohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04864290772960286801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1903795273886152222018-02-18T15:48:31.624-05:002018-02-18T15:48:31.624-05:00Ugh. The worst of the worst. I understood once I g...Ugh. The worst of the worst. I understood once I got ORCHESTRATES, and then immediately put this in the recycling. <br /><br />Life’s too short for this mess of a puzzle. AnonymousPVXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10078186298428497941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4383860538155315292018-02-18T14:25:43.974-05:002018-02-18T14:25:43.974-05:00Aha, a whimsical puzzle where I truly enjoyed the ...Aha, a whimsical puzzle where I truly enjoyed the whimsy. <br /><br />My solve was similar to @Spacey's where I found the SE to be by far the most difficult section with the fiendish clues for DIGITS, PROFITEERING, ETTE, UNITS, and DULCIMER.<br /><br />Unlike others, the theme density is what kept me going, and it was fun figuring out what the constructor/editor was going for. I got ARTIFICIAL for the wrong reason and had an AHA when I saw what the paronoword really was. Actually now that just typed that, belay it. I was correct at first and being too cute for jazz.<br /><br />Good Sunday.rainforestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26066002382937085682018-02-18T13:24:36.832-05:002018-02-18T13:24:36.832-05:00Imagine am Olympic skier got the a slalom course, ...Imagine am Olympic skier got the a slalom course, or whatever those tricky puppies are with all kinds of obstacles are, and said, "Hey - I wanted this to be a straight, downhill run so my time could be fast." <br /><br />You know who I'm thinking of.<br /><br />It's a freaking puzzle. It should make you THINK. This did. Puns within puns. Sure, it beat me. So what? If I wanted easy I'd turn to the local paper. <br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords, especially when they are tricky<br /><br />Diana, LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12565302133527101152018-02-18T12:36:04.865-05:002018-02-18T12:36:04.865-05:00Oh boy, I knew the death march crack was gonna ope...Oh boy, I knew the death march crack was gonna open a whole Pandora's box of ILLS. The EDH controversy, however, was totally unexpected. I saw what was going on early, and fielded the pun-ishment throughout. Puns aren't awful, groaning things; they are what they are. No big deal, and certainly not worthy of OFL's obvious wrath. I liked doing it--until I got to the SE corner. That puppy was an absolute BEAR! Second and fifth?? Okay, I get second UNIT, they're often employed in filmmaking. But fifth UNIT??? WHA??? Eventually I got it, after prophet-earring finally occurred. But that section took me as much time as the whole rest of the puzzle.<br /><br />So a very uneven difficulty rating: easy-challenging, and a mini-triumph factor. Fill was not nearly as atrocious as OFL SAYS. Hey, any time you can give ol' Supe (KAL-EL) a shout-out, that's a plus. For DOD I must tack a silent E onto CLAIR and nominate CLAIRE BLOOM.<br /><br />This one gets a birdie from me, and OFL's post a double-bogey. spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7930914234485222792018-02-18T12:32:41.075-05:002018-02-18T12:32:41.075-05:00To Rube@12:03, Why would I do a puzzle if I don...To Rube@12:03, Why would I do a puzzle if I don't learn from it? By using google or a dictionary, I learn, and do not leave a void of ignorance unfilled.<br />To anon @2:30.In my Century Dictionary, last copywrite date 1914, idealogue is listed with, "see ideologue", which is preferred. There is a quote though by Mrs. Browning, using idealogue.<br />Yes, I am old, but "not dead yet", and still learning:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21406659409002261942018-02-18T12:25:52.934-05:002018-02-18T12:25:52.934-05:00'K - I've only read a few comments, but th...'K - I've only read a few comments, but they intrigue me. So I'll post more later. But this puzzle, tho a dnf, was a real treat - for me.<br /><br />Seems like some comment leavers don't like a puzzle if it isn't "challenging" yet easy. <br /><br />Lady Di<br /><br />Hi @Foggy - you're a Futurelander on Sundays!Diana, LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31236118492836212202018-02-18T11:45:58.172-05:002018-02-18T11:45:58.172-05:00One of the worst puzzles ever!!! As I live upstate...One of the worst puzzles ever!!! As I live upstate the puzzle in the UTICA OD is always a week behind. Not only was this puzzle so arcane in its ridiculous clues- my puzzle had the page cut off wrong in the printing so I didn't have multiple clues from the bottom 4th of the puzzle grid. On top of the that some of these answers were ridiculous and made zero sense. e.g the ans to 72 A - pet?? what the hell is that. never heard of ibook. the answer moaners doesn't even have same type of word as the clue, Rambo of course I wanted to put in rocky but found that wouldn't work - nutso? and noseeum?- as I didn't have the clue - and the Wheaties what the hell was that - just awful . one of the worse puzzles ever. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75840017695599090982018-02-18T01:29:26.347-05:002018-02-18T01:29:26.347-05:00My bad. I posted my previous comments then realize...My bad. I posted my previous comments then realized that it wasn't a themed clue. I guess I didn't have a clue after all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8519125502093568502018-02-18T01:17:18.984-05:002018-02-18T01:17:18.984-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87347944071339351012018-02-17T17:49:32.748-05:002018-02-17T17:49:32.748-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83699822840935131612018-02-17T12:45:25.566-05:002018-02-17T12:45:25.566-05:00I loved this one, very clever. I especially appre...I loved this one, very clever. I especially appreciated dulcimer and mistletoe.<br />Give them a little break, RexFrank s.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80604981227274035892018-02-15T19:27:56.499-05:002018-02-15T19:27:56.499-05:00Grok. Seriously? Again, and again, and again, and ...Grok. Seriously? Again, and again, and again, and again. What's with this obsession? It's never even identified as slang for those who haven't seen this idiotic clue for the thousandth time. Always mismatched with an actual word. I'm about to skim the puzzles before starting to make sure grok isn't in them before starting. Seriously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58767944626936220182018-02-15T10:37:25.153-05:002018-02-15T10:37:25.153-05:00With all due respect to Rex, I found this week’s S...With all due respect to Rex, I found this week’s Sunday puzzle to be both challenging and satisfying. The theme – puns on sounds rather than words alone – was innovative. It was noteworthy that theme answers ran both across and down, at times intersecting, which added to the challenge. All in all, this puzzle was exactly what I hope for, but so often do not find, in the Sunday NYT. I look forward to Matt Ginsberg’s early return to the Sunday NYT.<br /><br />In comparing this week’s puzzle with last Sunday’s (with its silly “Y’s” chopped into “V’s” and “I’s”), I wonder if a second dimension – “Satisfaction” – should be considered for rating a puzzle’s quality. As other contributors to this post have noted, “Relative difficulty” is in the eye of the solver depending on their age, education, background, and crossword experience. At the end of the day, more important to me at least, is whether I had fun and derived satisfaction in finally solving the theme answers. I would agree with Rex’s rating of “Medium” for difficulty this week, and would add a “High” for the satisfaction I felt in finishing it. In contrast, I would rate last week’s edition as “Medium” in difficulty (compared to Rex’s “Very Easy”), but the theme answers were so dumb and few in number that the puzzle provided zero satisfaction, and only a sense of time wasted.<br /><br />Alas, there is no objective measure of crossword quality. “Fun” is also in the eye of the solver, as reflected in the various posts this week (e.g., TomAz).<br /><br />BTW, I heartedly endorse Rex’s recommendation for Evan Birnholz's WaPo Sunday Crossword.FreddyRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20723169579484483462018-02-13T10:27:37.836-05:002018-02-13T10:27:37.836-05:00Same with HADJ. Never seen hajj spelled that way. ...Same with HADJ. Never seen hajj spelled that way. Brendan Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18397356616693377367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77070767424157252882018-02-12T17:17:28.122-05:002018-02-12T17:17:28.122-05:00@Anonymous 10:06 your post is really fine up until...@Anonymous 10:06 your post is really fine up until 1800 as the date for the obsolescence of thorn in English. 1600 is probably still too late a date for it; edh and wen had died out much earlier. Ash, usually as a simple letter pair "ae" lived longest. The only printed letterform from 1800 that could stump a modern reader would be the long s.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74956499944976795712018-02-12T11:33:14.104-05:002018-02-12T11:33:14.104-05:00I agree with Rex about @ Evan Birnholz. I always d...I agree with Rex about @ Evan Birnholz. I always do them first on Sundays then the NYT wen I have time. Evan's puzzle sparkle, they're solvable and fun, and he provides a new one himself every week, which is pretty amazing. J Cordellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13057879629870123433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52983053311038338532018-02-12T06:34:49.400-05:002018-02-12T06:34:49.400-05:00I agree with Rex that this puzzle was a slog. Fini...I agree with Rex that this puzzle was a slog. Finished in 2 hours (no cheats) Got the theme at Locomotion. Meh. Didn't understand trix/ ette until I saw,above comments. I knew had but when I read the book years ago there was no D. The 1st and only time I went to S.C. the noseeums were a nightmare. Never heard of John Rae or is it Rae John? Finally, how are ties or tees undergarments especially if they are wee? PatKShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11527048302847956744noreply@blogger.com