tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4812943080744084243..comments2024-03-28T12:43:48.312-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27, 2008 - Lee Glickstein (CASSIDY PORTRAYER OF TV AND FILM)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45100949063376323362008-04-10T18:42:00.000-04:002008-04-10T18:42:00.000-04:00I do the puzzles in syndication, so I did this one...I do the puzzles in syndication, so I did this one yesterday. In one of those weird coincidences that all statisticians know are not that rare, I had suggested naming a new kitten Duck Toe two days before seeing this puzzle!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76328007950479309352008-04-09T18:45:00.000-04:002008-04-09T18:45:00.000-04:00I can attest to the "I would" as words of willingn...I can attest to the "I would" as words of willingness, at least in some parts of the world. I am a computer programmer, and my dept was outsourced to India. When this first started, the offshore team would send emails asking for advice about how to proceed in a particular situation. My reply was something like this: "Instead of the way you have coded it, I would define a variable for (blah blah blah)" and then the offshore team would be surprised that I hadn't actually done it for them. They understood "I would" to mean "I will" and expected it to be done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39104385199427154112008-04-09T14:21:00.000-04:002008-04-09T14:21:00.000-04:00CAlady said:'Fry pan"--where I come from it's a "f...CAlady said:<BR/>'Fry pan"--where I come from it's a "frying pan"-and I would regard it as kitchen equipment, not a utensil, tho it fits the strict definition of "an implement for practical use"!<BR/><BR/>If anyone six weeks out is still watching, I download (right term?) the whole month at once, save this and, starting at the bottom, advance one day at a time. The original date for the puzzle is given right before the current date. Thus today we have #0227, 04/09/08. Of course, Sunday puzzles are on a different schedule, so you have to skip by them and look on the main blog. I hope this will help someone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7731127042974288132008-04-09T11:05:00.000-04:002008-04-09T11:05:00.000-04:008 down should have been "Sharpsburg leader" as Ant...8 down should have been "Sharpsburg leader" as Antietam is the Northern name of the battle and Lee was a Southern general.Musing without a musehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03979176806956713128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70645730039713495372008-04-09T10:54:00.000-04:002008-04-09T10:54:00.000-04:00You all crack me up! Between the SNAFU and FUBAR ...You all crack me up! Between the SNAFU and FUBAR (I only knew the latter); and "Sixteen Candles" (hilarious movie!), you have me literally LOLing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15181796509352452212008-03-04T15:04:00.000-05:002008-03-04T15:04:00.000-05:00The whole site is way, way easier to navigate with...The whole site is way, way easier to navigate with the system set up the way it is. If you hit the syndication link, you can see what date it is ... and every prior date is pinpointable from the sidebar. There is no reason this should be inconvenient.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75137946369893196712008-03-04T15:00:00.000-05:002008-03-04T15:00:00.000-05:00The new navigation system makes it more difficult ...The new navigation system makes it more difficult for syndicated solvers to find the puzzle, if we don't do it the very day it's published.<BR/><BR/>In the old system I could click the syndicated link, and then the week before that would be in the sidebar and I could just look for mine and click it. Now I have to do the math to determine which date it would have originally appeared, and navigate to it.<BR/><BR/>I know the world is not arranged for my convenience, however, so this is just a comment, not a complaint.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80283735013283949772008-03-01T09:43:00.000-05:002008-03-01T09:43:00.000-05:00yay rexyay rexAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69782411034929099032008-02-28T14:54:00.000-05:002008-02-28T14:54:00.000-05:00While I loathed 'short order cook's utensil', I go...While I loathed 'short order cook's utensil', I got it (FRY PAN) with crosses eventually. In my mind a utensil is a fork, a spatula, a whisk...a tool in other words. FRY PAN, while toolish isn't a tool in my mind...though I have a hard time coming up with a more apt 'family of objects' that FRY PAN would fit in. "Device" perhaps...but that's just another word for "Tool"...essentially. Ugh.<BR/><BR/>That said, if it were GRIDDLE instead "short order cook's surface" would be relatively nifty...perhaps. Or at least I would have gotten it without crosses ;)<BR/><BR/>Love the BlogUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488030595565543176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37549361781779031202008-02-27T23:58:00.000-05:002008-02-27T23:58:00.000-05:00@Nebraska Doug, if you've ever heard the phrase "a...@Nebraska Doug, if you've ever heard the phrase "a Herculean task" it refers to the 12 Labors of Hercules (or originally Heracles in the Greek). As the story goes, Hera made Hercules lose his mind temporarily and he killed his wife and children. Pretty gruesome so far. When he came to his senses, he was overcome with grief and asked the Oracle at Delphi for advice. He was given ten tasks to perform for penance. He had help with two of them so he was given two more, thus 12 of them. Because they were so outrageous and difficult, he was not only forgiven, but gained status has a hero. So here they are:<BR/><BR/>1. Slay the Nemean Lion and bring back its hide.<BR/>2. Slay the 9-headed Lernaean Hydra.<BR/>3. Capture the Golden Stag of Artemis.<BR/>4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.<BR/>5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day.<BR/>6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.<BR/>7. Capture the Cretan Bull.<BR/>8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.<BR/>9. Obtain the Girdle of the Amazon warrior queen Hippolyte.<BR/>10. Obtain the Cattle of the Monster Geryon.<BR/>11. Steal the Apples of the Hesperides, which were strictly guarded by a 100-headed dragon called Ladon.<BR/>12. Capture Cerberus, the guardian dog of Hades, using no weapons and bring him back.<BR/><BR/>Probably in the more-than-you-asked -for category, but you may run into another of them in another puzzle sometime.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11754140321711253202008-02-27T23:53:00.000-05:002008-02-27T23:53:00.000-05:00I enjoyed this puzzle, too. I've been flying thro...I enjoyed this puzzle, too. I've been flying through all the _NYT_ and _NYS_ puzzles this week--I guess I'm peaking right before the tournament! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16937038626563683392008-02-27T23:32:00.000-05:002008-02-27T23:32:00.000-05:00Green Mantis, thank you for your help on the pronu...Green Mantis, thank you for your help on the pronunciation. <BR/>Tabors was a new word for me, too; it makes me think of the old Dutch word tambour, a military drummer.<BR/>I'm sorry now I will not get to put faces to so many of Rex's followers....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60334602769932172062008-02-27T23:09:00.000-05:002008-02-27T23:09:00.000-05:00Happy today to see that I was able to beat Rex's t...Happy today to see that I was able to beat Rex's time... by a whopping 7 seconds!!! Of course I was using Across Lite which is my method of choice (I can solve with a keyboard much more quickly than I can with a pencil - which unfortunately does not bode well for this weekend.)<BR/><BR/>I had different struggles with this one than most of the rest of you did today. My only hiccup was in the SW, where OSHA, OILMAN, OTOOLE, ARMADA, and ONEAD (at 59A, my favorite clue/answer of this puzzle, incidentally) proved obstinate to me. I left this section for a while and came back to it at the end. After a brief moment of bemusement I finally noticed that OSHA would fit with ARMADA, and that crossing M brought to mind OILMAN - and the rest came out easily.<BR/><BR/>Having been a huge mythology buff in my 20s, NEMEAN was no trouble for me today either. I can see how many would have found it a stumbling point though. I'd also seen Le Duc Tho in enough crosswords that I was able to guess it right first time. BOYD I didn't know, but it fit, and sometimes that's enough.<BR/><BR/>I have to say that I found this to be a very satisfying puzzle! Great fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62306950548958656312008-02-27T23:03:00.000-05:002008-02-27T23:03:00.000-05:00Same as for everyone - a fun puzzletwo comments:a)...Same as for everyone - a fun puzzle<BR/>two comments:<BR/>a) although I got "narrated" from the crosses, I was a little thrown off by the term "soundtrack." Since we are well past the silent movie era (and even silent home movies era), soundtrack nowadays almost always refers to music - so it was jarring to see it in this context.<BR/>b) James F - In answer to the question "Who would be willing to go to the game?" "I would" is certainly grammatically correct and can be described as words of willingness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3036718132399781672008-02-27T21:39:00.000-05:002008-02-27T21:39:00.000-05:00I made a list when I was about 16 of my favorite w...I made a list when I was about 16 of my favorite words of all time. SKEDADDLE was in the top 10. Made me very happy to see it today.<BR/><BR/>Almost as happy as I was when I saw the Long Duc Dong picture!! 'What's happening, hot stuff??' Haha!Little Ljhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371573469972636027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90961709194054597882008-02-27T21:01:00.000-05:002008-02-27T21:01:00.000-05:00"NEMEAN" a gimme? All I can say is if that's a gi..."NEMEAN" a gimme? All I can say is if that's a gimme, that's why you are the 166th best crossword solver! I only got it because of crosses and still have never heard of it. I can usually find a faint trace a something in the deep recesses of my memory, but NEMEAN is a total blank. <BR/>But, everybody knows different things, sometimes I'm amazed at what I consider are science gimme's that stump Rex and others (and I'm not a scientist - not even close.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5009190973786556652008-02-27T20:29:00.000-05:002008-02-27T20:29:00.000-05:00I got this one completely right , but had to guess...I got this one completely right , but had to guess on the cross of imo and nemean. I knew imho and thought that perhaps imo was also ok. "Nemean" lion was new to me.<BR/><BR/>I agree with others that this was a fine Wednesday puzzle. When the answers were crosswordese (not too many), the clues were good.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5963511447587510682008-02-27T19:59:00.000-05:002008-02-27T19:59:00.000-05:00Not much to add to what's been already said but......Not much to add to what's been already said but...<BR/><BR/>Although I also found FRY PAN to be sort of niggling, I do recall that the cooks at Waffle House use fry pans for preparing certain dishes.<BR/><BR/>Also, although I've been in marching bands and play in a wind ensemble now, I've never hear the word TABORS. I was thinking tom toms but it didn't fit.<BR/><BR/>@ Rikki- maybe the weekend will be as beautiful as today and you can go surfing then!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30105530385794449842008-02-27T19:22:00.000-05:002008-02-27T19:22:00.000-05:00Mmmmmm, DOTS and FRITOS. I love balancing sweet a...Mmmmmm, DOTS and FRITOS. I love balancing sweet and salty snacks. All I need is a beverage (preferably carbonated and caffeinated) to wash it down.<BR/><BR/>Rex, you may have to put up a "Mature Readers" only notice, if everybody keeps dropping the F-word so liberally!<BR/><BR/>Not much to add, but I really enjoyed today's puzzle, too.<BR/><BR/>Would that I could be with you all in Brooklyn this weekend. Maybe next year...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88569433299792355722008-02-27T19:11:00.000-05:002008-02-27T19:11:00.000-05:00Catherine - if you click the "Play Against the Clo...Catherine - if you click the "Play Against the Clock" button, rather than the "Play the Puzzle Now" button, you'll see the on-line applet, which is harder to use, but allows you to time yourself against others.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17061491158278453862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4240156897761887112008-02-27T19:09:00.000-05:002008-02-27T19:09:00.000-05:00I enjoyed this puzzle, and found it, with one exce...I enjoyed this puzzle, and found it, with one exception, to be interesting and fair. The one exception to "fairness"--to me an agreement (however obscure) between the clue and the answer--was 31A, which also bothered Rex. "I would" is a reply of unwillingness, as in "I would, but my sock drawer needs tending." Even the tense isn't quite right. "Sure, I can" is how I say that I am willing.<BR/><BR/>Although I am fine with it, it is good crosswordese to have "DEAD ON" and "DOA" (dead on arrival) in the same set of answers?James Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13331084554956262012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48810538762373672732008-02-27T19:04:00.000-05:002008-02-27T19:04:00.000-05:00Green Mantis and Rex have commented on their puzzl...Green Mantis and Rex have commented on their puzzles being "accepted". I'm confused. I've been using Across Lite to solve, thinking that was the only online method. Are you guys referring to a program inside the NYT site that tells you right away if your answers are right? Across Lite won't tell you that until the next day, when you input the answer key.Shanti11https://www.blogger.com/profile/03397942491057116387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15403551364964250572008-02-27T19:00:00.000-05:002008-02-27T19:00:00.000-05:00I had "run" instead of "rbi" for awhile. Fry pan ...I had "run" instead of "rbi" for awhile. Fry pan was a bit odd .. had fry then put in pan but thought it was .. odd. Star power seemed similarly a bit odd, more descriptive of a Hollywood person than a celestial object. But overall it felt like a nice puzzle with lots of good stuff in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7643086474998882342008-02-27T18:16:00.000-05:002008-02-27T18:16:00.000-05:00Antietam is pronounced "Anteetum," with the accent...Antietam is pronounced "Anteetum," with the accent on the second syllable. Or at least it was when my grandmother lived there. <BR/><BR/>Was surprised, like Rex, when my puzzle was accepted on the first try. I had a smattering of spaces I just had to drop letters into without really being sure, like the "t" in dots (don't know this candy, and I'm pretty well-versed in theater candy) and "m" in a amain--don't really have a hold on this word, but the m felt workable. Even with those uncertainties, the puzzle felt really easy, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44607910327280540682008-02-27T17:56:00.000-05:002008-02-27T17:56:00.000-05:00I wanted JERK instead of YANK, but otherwise few p...I wanted JERK instead of YANK, but otherwise few problems. <BR/><BR/>Squash's mom, I saw that on Amer Idol too...I liked that he called himself a 'word nerd' (and then Simon attacked him for being too boring! Boo.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com