tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4392046278772296186..comments2024-03-29T10:29:48.789-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: 1997 Nicolas Cage thriller / TUE 9-3-13 / In Valley of 2007 film / Suffix with road hip / Onionlike vegetablesRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32207302536397616192013-10-08T21:15:02.805-04:002013-10-08T21:15:02.805-04:00@Sis, So syndi-synchronicity strikes once again! M...@Sis, So syndi-synchronicity strikes once again! Maybe next time...Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11541230471063660872013-10-08T20:57:52.847-04:002013-10-08T20:57:52.847-04:00@Waxy, too funny! I actually live in Kirkland. Wou...@Waxy, too funny! I actually live in Kirkland. Would have been nice to meet.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49699771115218848502013-10-08T19:48:40.724-04:002013-10-08T19:48:40.724-04:00@SiS, other than a traffic tie-up in Portland duri...@SiS, other than a traffic tie-up in Portland during rush-hour (go figure), no problemo. (Of course, the fact I was a passenger in the back seat of a pickup truck both ways made the driving really easy.) And kudos to your Washington I-5 rest stop volunteers who provide free coffee to travelers - great service. BTW, enjoyed a brief visit to the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, especially since I live in the Montreal suburb of the same name. Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89361683880837999722013-10-08T18:55:13.356-04:002013-10-08T18:55:13.356-04:00@Waxy, how was the drive from Vancouver to Salem?@Waxy, how was the drive from Vancouver to Salem?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65691908677360772922013-10-08T18:01:19.331-04:002013-10-08T18:01:19.331-04:00@Diri, thanks for your concern. Actually, I did po...@Diri, thanks for your concern. Actually, I did post here on Thursday & Friday last week on my return from the left coast but late at night each time - still on Pacific time, I guess. And shout-out or not, WHAT is EERIE is that my last entry into the grid was WAXY! <br /><br />Who would have thunk there would be so many crossword-worthy words than begin and end with X: XBOX, XEROX, XANAX, XY-MATRIX(?),...<br />Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-406410977160756082013-10-08T15:38:34.494-04:002013-10-08T15:38:34.494-04:00Silly me, I went looking for the theme in the grid...Silly me, I went looking for the theme in the grid and there it was in the clues, hiding in plain sight the whole time! So no "Whee!" upon discovering the clue but overall I enjoyed doing the puzzle.<br /><br />Shout-out to @Waxy in Montreal at 1d, which makes me wonder where he's been lately - long time, no post here.<br /><br />@spacecraft - how in the world do you arrange for all those exotic women to introduce you every day?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28518680448831245912013-10-08T15:18:50.043-04:002013-10-08T15:18:50.043-04:00Do you suppose the Tamil girls sit around and do t...Do you suppose the Tamil girls sit around and do the NYT puzz between calls? Then shout "Whee!" when the phone rings?<br /><br />I was AGap before being AGOG. Terrible CLUE..<br /><br />I must have skipped the philosophy class on AGEISM.<br /><br />Do guys ever, ever use the term CAMEONTO? I think that's strictly a chick term. <br /><br />OK, enough piling on. Dan, I did get a kick out of your WIIouiwewheewee theme.<br /><br />Capcha: gazaow. Whee, in Mandarin?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42728143078208396022013-10-08T10:20:02.484-04:002013-10-08T10:20:02.484-04:00Not a big fan of Jeopardy!-style themes, where the...Not a big fan of Jeopardy!-style themes, where the clues and answers change places. The idea was clever enough, though I agree that to set up any kind of challenge at all you'd have to title the piece "Wheeze" or some such, and just put dashes in the theme clues. It could have been saved with quality fill...but no.<br /><br />IMHO, Dan should have aborted this one and gone back to the drawing board. Where to start? ASABC is just awful. I'm guessing I would not be excited to receive the entire box office take for that film classic "In the Valley of ELAH." CDE, at least, is clued as something more than "B-F connection," which I loathe. And how can you clue ANTS with "Antenna users?" That's a flag, fifteen yards for having the answer in the clue. There's a gaggle of tired crosswordese-isms: ANON, SRA, AGEE, RAE, RESET, EERIE, ERST. And the awkward (because it can't be clued ANY other way) possessive ELSES.<br /><br />Also I agree with others about 50d: the addition of the word "maker" makes the clue just plain wrong. LEITZ is the maker; LEICA is the brand name, or, you can say, the camera. Grading this, I'd trot out one of my DEES; I'd even add a minus to keep PepperMINT Patty company.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82692733445849559032013-09-04T02:39:09.800-04:002013-09-04T02:39:09.800-04:00This 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 6:06, 6:06, 1.00, 49%, Medium<br />Tue 7:37, 8:15, 0.92, 25%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:44, 3:48, 0.98, 36%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:34, 5:01, 0.91, 15%, Easysanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27651879448925947432013-09-03T23:46:42.017-04:002013-09-03T23:46:42.017-04:00@11:18: Yeah, I got that notice tonight, too. But,...@11:18: Yeah, I got that notice tonight, too. But, when I clicked the Subscriptions tab and entered my AppleID, as prompted, it did confirm that my subscription is valid for some months to come, and will auto-renew on the expiration date unless I change that option in settings. When I closed out of the Subscriptions page, I was able to access tonight's puzzle, albeit after Xing out a marketing come-on. August Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09919963003128838777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4164021282551345772013-09-03T23:18:34.354-04:002013-09-03T23:18:34.354-04:00Is anyone else experiencing Magmic losing their su...Is anyone else experiencing Magmic losing their subscription tonight?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32727798860883764602013-09-03T20:48:24.891-04:002013-09-03T20:48:24.891-04:00And ACMe has met the famous pilot !!
He got a kick...And ACMe has met the famous pilot !!<br />He got a kick out of her.bigSteveSFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56748510524705387282013-09-03T20:46:07.284-04:002013-09-03T20:46:07.284-04:00I know Scott Rosenberg. We all hung out -- him an...I know Scott Rosenberg. We all hung out -- him and his room-mates -- in LA.<br />I used to regale them with tales of my father as a private pilot. <br />One they liked was the story about when my sister and mother were in a plane which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. My father was the pilot. Bader Field at Atlantic City. Made the front page of the local paper on a July 4th weekend.<br />Everyone was OK, but the (rented) plane was a loss. Marty or "Crash", as we then called him, ran off the edge of the runway, and the plane tipped over as it hit the water. <br />While my father waited for FAA and for plane to be towed out, he told my mother and sister to go the Boardwalk. <br />They went to the taffy and T-shirt shops and to eat.<br />At every store my mother told the sales people "I bet you wonder why my money is all wet." And told them the story. They comped her burger at a diner.<br />Scott named the airport in Con Air after my father.<br />I got the envelope/prop as a souvenir.bigSteveSFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53891602580193505012013-09-03T20:25:58.946-04:002013-09-03T20:25:58.946-04:00@M&A, I suppose STERS was clued as well as it ...@M&A, I suppose STERS was clued as well as it could have been with “Suffix with road and hip.” Coulda been worse. Dare I say it? Suffix with mole. Breakfast test is for sissies.<br /><br />Whether STERS or RESEE, I think that corner was doomed to peg the suck-o-meter.<br /><br />Admirable clue for RESEE, sir.<br />Ray Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13648944675455785662013-09-03T19:36:23.906-04:002013-09-03T19:36:23.906-04:00@Ret_chemist
FWIW, Damon J Gulczynski is not an an...@Ret_chemist<br />FWIW, Damon J Gulczynski is not an anagram, nor a pseudonym (the NYT does not allow them)<br />He was a student at U of MD in engineering but graduated a while back.ACMEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28971399922146801232013-09-03T19:30:42.119-04:002013-09-03T19:30:42.119-04:00Considered leggy and lanky for rangy. Slowed me ...Considered leggy and lanky for rangy. Slowed me a bit in the NE because I wanted "carte" across the top.<br /><br />"Ameba" was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19248064180935541312013-09-03T18:49:43.295-04:002013-09-03T18:49:43.295-04:00@Sandy K, @retired_chemist, @Steve J - After I pos...@Sandy K, @retired_chemist, @Steve J - After I posted above about getting the "ei" v. "ie" question right every time, it occured to me that I should have added a parenthetical "unless you're Anthony Weiner." Interesting to hear about his reason for the pronunciation! I've read that Leonard Bernstein reacted to "Bernsteen" by asking whether people would say Gertrude Steen or Eensteen.<br /><br />Speaking of the classroom....now that it's the beginning of the semester, I was actually "rehearsing" in my mind my first day of lit class, as if I were actually going to be teaching...that hasn't happened since I retired in 2010! I do miss the grappling of ideas with students.<br /><br />@retired_dhemist - Please forgive the teacher (or pedant) in me for adding that "Holz" can also mean "ein kleiner Wald" - a small woods.Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82710418000909076442013-09-03T18:31:58.921-04:002013-09-03T18:31:58.921-04:00@ Sandy K - beautiful wood. Forest is der Wald.@ Sandy K - beautiful wood. Forest is der Wald.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9079148655180356422013-09-03T17:47:14.949-04:002013-09-03T17:47:14.949-04:00Hey, @Ray J. yep. RESEE kinda sucks. But are th...Hey, @Ray J. yep. RESEE kinda sucks. But are there not distinked levels of suckativity? RESEE is at least pretty much almost a real word. People (and 4-Oh) were actin like non-word STERS sucked the chrome off a trailer hitch.<br /><br />I've fought hard to come up with a redeemin clue for STERS. "Short steers?" "Headless asters?" "Sternless sterns?" A hard ride down a long, dry road, dude.<br /><br />Fave RESEE clue: "___ Witherspoon (Watch Clueless again)" Day-um... a really wacko constructor could build a whole puz theme out of that there kinda stuff...<br /><br />M&A<br />Masked and Anonymo4Usnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17409418759878267702013-09-03T16:41:27.821-04:002013-09-03T16:41:27.821-04:00Midday 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 />Tue 7:39, 8:15, 0.93, 26%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Tue 4:46, 5:01, 0.95, 30%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28183055746003386872013-09-03T16:15:20.021-04:002013-09-03T16:15:20.021-04:00@Carola- Both of my parents spoke German fluently,...@Carola- Both of my parents spoke German fluently, as well as Hungarian and Slovak. Me, not so much...<br /><br />Einstein Is a good pneumonic- I could've used it when I commented on LIEbfraumilch- now I don't have to google the spelling!<br /><br />Doesn't our constructor's name mean 'good/beautiful woods or forest'?<br /><br />@retired_chemist- agree- both make me cringe!Sandy Knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11337757844927573282013-09-03T16:07:17.698-04:002013-09-03T16:07:17.698-04:00@retired_chemist: You're not alone at cringing...@retired_chemist: You're not alone at cringing at the "wee-ner" pronunciation of Anthony Weiner's name. You're exactly right it should be "wine-er"; I seem to recall ranting about this myself a few weeks back.<br /><br />@Anon B: The dictionary lists "hwut" as a pronunciation of "what" because, in many dialects, there's a distinct H sound at the front of that and other "wh" words. I'd have to look up where it's most common; I know it was uncommon in the area I grew up (Minneapolis suburbs). Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30702472585786282142013-09-03T16:05:40.289-04:002013-09-03T16:05:40.289-04:00For 1/2 a second 23A looks like FRENCH FOUR EYES. ...For 1/2 a second 23A looks like FRENCH FOUR EYES. I guess you clue it as geek from Paree?Not Bill Gatesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1986361836961112712013-09-03T15:20:29.569-04:002013-09-03T15:20:29.569-04:00@Carola
Thank you for that great explanation of t...@Carola<br /><br />Thank you for that great explanation of the EI vs IE! Your students must've thought you were an Einstein of a teacher/professor?<br />You're definitely my go-to person on the variety puzzles. : )<br /><br />Altho I do hesitate on the correct spelling, I am familiar with the pronunciation- since my father's greatest wish was to own a LEICA camera- and he did! And I knew it sounded like Laika- the Soviet space dog...<br /><br />As for Anthony Weiner, I had heard that he didn't want to sound like a 'whiner' so he preferred the Other pronunciation- which at this point, shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone!Sandy Knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39856070244923752352013-09-03T15:07:06.794-04:002013-09-03T15:07:06.794-04:00I guess my problem with this type of "theme&q...I guess my problem with this type of "theme" is that it does not help you with the solve. I thought the "theme" should give you a hint at the answers. This puzzle is reversed. - JMO wreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08797908615185213756noreply@blogger.com