tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4550004022734389099..comments2024-03-29T05:08:37.783-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Like Nash's lama — TUESDAY, Oct. 13 2009 — Cramped spot slangily / Woad and anil for two / Prince Charles beginning in 1952Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13261053534075782242018-08-04T21:38:18.951-04:002018-08-04T21:38:18.951-04:00DIDOS: while most dictionaries say origin unknown,...DIDOS: while most dictionaries say origin unknown, Collins says "from the story that Dido, on purchasing as much land as might be covered with the hide of a bull, ordered the hide cut into thin strips, with which she surrounded a large area". Which actually makes a lot of sense.<br /><br />Edwardpaleolithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00869723067229032824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25223805815123510462009-11-17T17:15:25.599-05:002009-11-17T17:15:25.599-05:00Nullifidian, thanks for the info on NES. I obvious...Nullifidian, thanks for the info on NES. I obviously have heard of the Nintendo, but never owned one. In the mid 80s we had an Atari game console that we and the kids enjoyed. Never have been much into gaming.<br /><br />I do like Sherlock Holmes, but have never been a devotee to that level, and I have been doing crosswords pretty faithfully for about 10 years now, and have never come across Elzie SEGAR before that I can remember. Ewer is a pretty common term that I was familiar with pre-crossword, but etui is a word I learned from doing them. <br /><br />If SEGAR is that common in the crossword lexicon, then my cry of Natick is perhaps off base, but the Natick Principal is defined as follows by RP, and I still think the cross of these two names comes pretty close to qualifying:<br /><br />The NATICK Principle: If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names.Singernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5564910746828653882009-11-17T15:24:03.904-05:002009-11-17T15:24:03.904-05:00Singer,
Nintendo released an 8-bit video game con...Singer,<br /><br />Nintendo released an 8-bit video game console in 1983 called the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short. That was one of this puzzle's gimmes for me, since I used to have a NES. That was back in the era of Donkey Kong, the original Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, 1942, Knight Rider, etc.<br /><br />ADLER was easy for me too. It was among the first answers I filled in because Irene ADLER was the main antagonist of Holmes in "A Scandal in Bohemia" and someone for whom he came to have great respect. She only appears in one story, but is mentioned in three others (arguably four) and thus has an enormous profile to devoted Sherlockians.<br /><br />Also, I think Elzie SEGAR is such a common piece of crosswordese by now that few people here paid attention to it. Like EWER and ETUI, both of which threw me completely when I first saw them.Nullifidianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207390447020990907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29407264437816206692009-11-17T11:48:46.712-05:002009-11-17T11:48:46.712-05:00While reading my post I realized I should have sai...While reading my post I realized I should have said "when written" instead of "in writing".Singernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-282038747846062692009-11-17T11:46:32.268-05:002009-11-17T11:46:32.268-05:00I understand the argument for ICE TEA as usage, no...I understand the argument for ICE TEA as usage, not grammar, but I prefer grammar and even though it is pronounced as ICE, in writing it should be ICED.<br /><br />I didn't know of SALADA or DIDO but both were easily gettable from crosses. Didn't like NES, and still don't know what it means. Went with nothing before NOT A BIT. Don't think that is really the opposite of everything. Entered oil level before seeing the AGRO clue. <br /><br />Mostly I am surprised that no one commented on the cross of SEGAR and ADLER, both somewhat obscure names IMHO. I think that cross counts as a Natick.Singernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90674436346516149132009-11-17T10:41:47.089-05:002009-11-17T10:41:47.089-05:00In from syndication-land:
I must be too caught up...In from syndication-land:<br /><br />I must be too caught up in the breakfast table mentality, because I didn't get the theme <i>at all</i> until I checked in here. Ironically, however, I was just watching <i>Yes Prime Minister</i>, "The Diplomatic Incident", where Bernard Wooley gives a little bit of toilet humor that might have provided me with a clue. They're working on the previous prime minister's state funeral, working out all the different issues with various heads of state, and Wooley says, "If the Papal envoy says, 'We desire to wash our hands,' it means he wants to have a pee. Yes, a royal 'we'. Followed by a royal flush."<br /><br />Count me as another who fell into the NOTHING trap, but not into the OIL LIGHT trap, as I already knew AGRO- was a prefix that meant "soil".<br /><br />I didn't care for "NOT A BIT", which is too colloquial for my taste, given the clue.<br /><br />I've also never heard "Just for OPENERS", instead of "Just for <b>an</b> opener".<br /><br />I was also completely unaware of SALADA brand ICE<b>D</b> TEA (group me with the "ice tea" haters). It's a northeastern brand, and I've spent my life on the west coast or midwest.Nullifidianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207390447020990907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80479549291524434802009-10-14T13:02:49.732-04:002009-10-14T13:02:49.732-04:00Enjoyable puzzle, tho at 33D when it was partially...Enjoyable puzzle, tho at 33D when it was partially filled as "_ID_" I hastily concluded the answer was "AIDA" instead of "DIDO." When I finally figured that out online last night, I was too tired to figure out the theme, so thanks for clearing that up for me, Rex.F.O.G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14324805402319056492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47659812616157407172009-10-14T02:06:47.367-04:002009-10-14T02:06:47.367-04:00@ Sfingi - For just the reasons you mention, I sus...@ Sfingi - For just the reasons you mention, I suspect a play on words in the passage I referred to.* The mention of Dido makes no sense to the play otherwise. It is in a scene with a bunch of wisecracking - but I need a hint or two at least to understand it. <br /><br />*or, ...to which I referred. Ending a sentence with a preposition, remember, is something up with which Winston Churchill would not put.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48200292256765789852009-10-14T00:42:28.410-04:002009-10-14T00:42:28.410-04:00"No, teas, Salada teas," or so said the ..."No, teas, Salada teas," or so said the judge in one of their ancient TV ads, distinguishing the brand as a distinctive blend of many fine teas.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42052408491536214522009-10-14T00:27:50.536-04:002009-10-14T00:27:50.536-04:00Not only am I not a fan of toilet humor, but I tot...Not only am I not a fan of toilet humor, but I totally repressed it. I thought the Royal Flush was the nicknames of the cards in a Royal Flush. Of course, I don't know thing one about poker. Actually, no humor is off limits to me, just not my type. Includes sports. I've known people who are rednecks from playing too much golf, not being farmers.<br /><br />Check out this unusual Mata Hari site put together by a Dutchwoman (MH was Dutch):<br />www.matahari.fantaseert.nl/homepage/show/pagina.php?paginaid=257189<br /><br />or Google "Mata Hari in Miniature."<br /><br />Unfortunately you need all this or you get into the Dutch stuff.<br /><br />INDO was on the LAT today also.<br /><br />@Retired - I don't understand how dido could be a prank. The Dido I know,the Queen of Carthage, was patient and fey and waited for Aeneas and eventually was a suicide.<br /><br />Agree with @Elaine and @Shaw on all. @Pix, let's face it. The language is on its way to Hell in a handbasket. Again.<br /><br />As per Mama Michelle, Papa pervert wouldacoulda gone to jail for courting her as well as doing his daughter if it happened today.<br /><br />Salada was weak American bag tea. Not that any tea can please like coffee.Sfinginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4562670771787485022009-10-14T00:26:18.852-04:002009-10-14T00:26:18.852-04:00Susan: Oh, piffle! If we constrained ourselves to ...Susan: Oh, piffle! If we constrained ourselves to that, 99% of conversation would cease. Okay, maybe that would be a good thing, but you know what I mean: It's similar to hypocrisy greasing the wheels of social interaction--stop it at your peril!<br /><br />I've gotten the fourth strike. I'm more than out--I'm done for. (Oops! Ulrich, is that an acceptable dangler?)slypetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537129206516720012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27169613567950454782009-10-14T00:19:29.373-04:002009-10-14T00:19:29.373-04:00Ulrich: As I said to Alex (it seems ages ago), the...Ulrich: As I said to Alex (it seems ages ago), the correct way to say "shaved ice" is "shave ice" (in agreement with him) and the correct way to say "fried bread" is "fry bread." Or, as someone pointed out, no one says "iced water," or "iced cream." The entire kerfuffle (hi, Bob!) is between the grammar vultures and the usage nuts. <br /><br />Perhaps we should agree to be disagreeable (though I do throw my inconsiderable weight [this time] behind the usage maniacs).slypetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537129206516720012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76880057184777148202009-10-13T23:20:11.044-04:002009-10-13T23:20:11.044-04:00Salada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsY_qcLCMzc...Salada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsY_qcLCMzc<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDPeSlMq4Tg<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsxsT4g2wTw<br /><br />I remember a "That's Salada Tea!" campaign in the 80s that played on the phrase "That's a lotta".Michael G. Benoithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10093254485102140215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78335556922641937472009-10-13T23:04:20.352-04:002009-10-13T23:04:20.352-04:00Rex, I am raising my hand to tell you that my moth...Rex, I am raising my hand to tell you that my mother used to refer to my silly antics as didos. Liked the puzzle, Sharon.coyotenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78425240976595765932009-10-13T22:50:53.431-04:002009-10-13T22:50:53.431-04:00As a logician I think it's important to point ...As a logician I think it's important to point out that the opposite of "everything" is neither "nothing" nor "not a bit." There's no neat tie-up for saying it, but it is "not everything." If you disagree, think about how the opposite of "nothing" is "something."<br /><br />I would not have a problem with this if the word "the" had been absent. I think of "nothing" as *an* opposite of "everything" in a certain sense. But if we restrict to allowing just one definition of "opposite" by putting *the* in front of it, as far as I'm concerned, that means logical negation.Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01154442090080258299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55415285695210381592009-10-13T22:05:56.279-04:002009-10-13T22:05:56.279-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> for an explanation. 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 8:10, 7:03, 1.16, 83%, Challenging<br />Tue 9:49, 8:38, 1.14, 79%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:30, 3:45, 1.20, 88%, Challenging<br />Tue 4:45, 4:25, 1.07, 75%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36170227117199007072009-10-13T21:53:11.027-04:002009-10-13T21:53:11.027-04:00@Susan, good point. I should tell my kid that one—...@Susan, good point. I should tell my kid that one—the "would you say it to their face?" test.<br /><br />Almost nothing gets into the crossword without dictionary or other reference support. (There must be some dictionary somewhere that says IRED is kosher.) In the first one I checked (New Oxford American on my Mac), ICE TEA is there with iced tea as an "also" spelling. (Language changes all the time. Does anyone think that 100 years from now, purists will get cranky at "ice tea"? I bet not. Ice water, ice cream, ice milk—can "ice coffee" be far behind?) As for "redneck," the dictionary tags it as "informal derogatory."<br /><br />The 10-year-olds among us might also get a kick out of a "euphemisms for poop" theme, but I don't expect to see that in the NYT any time soon.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57077673509816628222009-10-13T21:28:32.239-04:002009-10-13T21:28:32.239-04:00Hi, Susan,
YUP. We all kind of enjoy the jokes.
...Hi, Susan,<br /><br />YUP. We all kind of enjoy the jokes.<br /><br />You might could use a nice glass of iced tea with some Jack Daniels in it. Andrea IceTea Michaels ought to have a recipe. <br /><br />Brighter skies soon!<br />three and out,<br />elaineElainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195458656221202202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33570397917859216972009-10-13T21:15:33.611-04:002009-10-13T21:15:33.611-04:00@Martin...thanks for the info...never realized my ...@Martin...thanks for the info...never realized my eyes would get tired seeing 5 letters in a row that are caps, but who am I to argue with The Times...again, thanksPIXnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27772545834474511722009-10-13T21:08:11.306-04:002009-10-13T21:08:11.306-04:00Also, has no one discussed 1A MAMAS and the fact t...Also, has no one discussed 1A MAMAS and the fact that Michelle is the wife/stepmother of John/Mackenzie Phillips? <br />(She was a teenager when she first met John...becoming the second of his four wives... and at one point was fired from the group for sleeping with the other Papa, Denny Doherty.<br />Ah, California Dreamin' on such a winter's day).andrea mamas michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91027548614217642782009-10-13T20:55:44.885-04:002009-10-13T20:55:44.885-04:00@Elaine, the term redneck is just offensive, even ...@Elaine, the term redneck is just offensive, even in jest. My earlier comment was flippant, for which I apologize. I am sure you are a very nice person and I understand that it was innocently done. And I know Parshutr did it first. And I know Jeff Foxworthy made a career out of it. But I don't care. "Redneck" is an ugly slur that always shocks me coming from educated, enlightened people. Defend it if you want; I won't respond (this is my third). But I have a test for whether an expression describing someone (or a group of people) is okay. Ask yourself, "Would I say it to the face of the person or people it's meant to describe?"Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06707253125941238251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61043786646566148212009-10-13T18:49:29.500-04:002009-10-13T18:49:29.500-04:00@HudsonHawk: All of these are, to me, not examples...@HudsonHawk: All of these are, to me, not examples of bad spelling, but of incorrect usage (the wrong word, given the intended meaning, and therefore misleading), and that should be avoided--I'm with you there. <br /><br />Headline in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette years ago: "Steeler line is missing crucial principles"--if you read the article, you would have realized that that was not what the author meant--he wanted to say that 4 guys were injured.<br /><br />This is totally different from seeing "ice tea" on a menu IMO.<br /><br />@fikink: I don't think I can oblige you--those dangling participles are often in desperate need of a referent that the author didn't provide (BTW said Dept. Head was extremely fond of them--he didn't consider a sentence complete if it didn't have a dangling participle).<br /><br />3 and outUlrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62871755445799780402009-10-13T18:43:34.933-04:002009-10-13T18:43:34.933-04:00The New York Times Style Guide mandates initial ca...The New York Times Style Guide mandates initial cap only for acronyms used as proper names if they have five letters or more: NATO, Nafta, Unicef. Longer names in all-caps are considered tiring to the eye. Crossword clues are bound by the Style Guide.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47007568572265622842009-10-13T18:18:02.111-04:002009-10-13T18:18:02.111-04:00A bit off the subject but: 43A is clued as "O...A bit off the subject but: 43A is clued as "One signatory to Nafta"...when I was a lad, many years ago, all letters of an acronynm were capitalized, e.g. NATO...(at least in America)...when did we adapt the British system of just capitalizing the first letter?...just asking...thanksPIXnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67253849169938354592009-10-13T18:10:56.885-04:002009-10-13T18:10:56.885-04:00@Ulrich, thanks. You captured why I'm okay wi...@Ulrich, thanks. You captured why I'm okay with ICE TEA, but I do get annoyed with the it's/its, then/than, your/you're examples that AuntHattie mentioned (may as well throw in there/their/they're, too).HudsonHawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16119485923243014649noreply@blogger.com