tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4847186719973407851..comments2024-03-28T18:12:10.683-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Old-time actress Meadows / THU 1-16-14 / For whom Alfred Pennyworth is butler / Glass Menagerie woman / Wheel with sloped teeth / Roman rebuke / Cartoonist who said I don't read watch TV to get ideas My work is basically sitting down at drawing table getting sillyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42861554035099468582022-12-27T04:52:54.214-05:002022-12-27T04:52:54.214-05:00Satta Matka originated in the 1950s when people st...<a href="https://www.hindigurujee.in/satta-matka/" rel="nofollow">Satta Matka</a> originated in the 1950s when people started to place bets on cotton opening and closing rates.Vanessa Maranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604040265109144428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2878660879117810112022-08-08T18:21:17.146-04:002022-08-08T18:21:17.146-04:00I recall Rex saying once that "just because a...I recall Rex saying once that "just because a constructor <i>can</i> do a theme, doesn't mean they <i>should</i>." I heartily agree with that sentiment, but this puzzle is the reason that the statement is conditional.<br /><br />This one is so well-constructed and subtly unfolding that the few speed bumps were forgiven even as I hit them.Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62838811496341444452014-02-23T13:20:36.877-05:002014-02-23T13:20:36.877-05:00As others experienced, I saw the O's as dots a...As others experienced, I saw the O's as dots and completely missed the DOTs. It was only upon seeing the answer in Friday's paper and noticing the italicized <i>D</i> where I had guessed a T (tAPS)that I saw the bigger picture. Had I noticed that while filling in the grid I obviously wouldn't have had to guess at that last letter.<br /><br />I have no problem with ANECDOTE as a speaker's aid. Also no problem with DOTTED I...because it beat the pants off LITTLE I or BABY ELL, both of which I considered first.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24979766594830484042014-02-21T18:58:52.026-05:002014-02-21T18:58:52.026-05:00Definatedly? Damn!! Proofreading is DEFINATELY bec...Definatedly? Damn!! Proofreading is DEFINATELY becoming a lost art!Page the pagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60682374576720665062014-02-21T18:56:21.560-05:002014-02-21T18:56:21.560-05:00@DMG, That would be Mathnet (thanks, IMDB) in whic...@DMG, That would be Mathnet (thanks, IMDB) in which she played Lady Esther Astor Astute.<br /><br />@Anonymous 12:04 12:05 & 12:18 PM, I tried to define "daps" on google and inadvertantly typed "dabs," which turned up the fishing reference. Also, if you REPEAT a rumor, you are PASSING it ON, so that makes sense to me, but it didn't make it an obvious answer! (If you don't think that milk that has turned is spoiled, do you drink it? lol) I tried to make SPOoLS work for a while for "turns."<br /><br />Back to DAPS: I'd never heard of it, and my google search defined it as a greeting consisting of a complicated series of hand gestures. I watched an entertaining youtube video which showed many examples; and while several of them contained touching fists vertically (the top of one fist with the bottom of the other), when I hear the term "fist bump" I think of the congratulatory bashing together of the knuckles.<br /><br />Hand up for never having heard of VAN; vanguard, yes, VAN, no.<br /><br />When I got the revealer, I just thougt it meant there were only 6 i's in the puzzle, and since they were in the middle of the words, naturally they would be lower case. Never even got as far as noticing the o's above them, not to mention the entire "dot!" Way too subtle for me!<br /><br />I avoided "ricers" instead of "dicers" by leaving the first letter blank until LADD revealed it(her)self!<br /><br />I started out thinking this would be super easy, but after zipping through the NW, I got stumped in the SW after only getting BELLA and BATMAN. After that, I had no trouble with the SE, and couldn't get anything in the NE. So this one ended up taking me quite a while.<br /><br />In a funny coincidence, the "Bizaaro" cartoon that appeared in the same day's paper was captioned "Another day at the Beckett International Airport" and showed a chauffeur in the arrivals area holding a sign with the name "GODOT" on it. That definatedly helped me think of the answer to 34A!<br /><br />PagePage the pagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61215418507666849902014-02-20T17:18:22.210-05:002014-02-20T17:18:22.210-05:00DOTTEDIS was hard for me to decipher-I solve in ca...DOTTEDIS was hard for me to decipher-I solve in capitals, so no dots anywhere, unless, of course, you count the DOTs the clue referred to that I never saw! So finished this one, and didn't get the point until coming here? Again!<br /><br />For me, an "old time actress" would be someone more along the lines of Sarah Bernhardt. Someone who was gone before I came. I've enjoyed many JAYNE Meadows performances. Surprised no one mentioned her appearances on an early 1980’s PBS children's show. Wish I could remember the name. Maybe my inability to recall it is due to my DOTAGE?<br /><br />And thanks to those who reminded me of my Dad singing of Abdul Abulbul Amir.<br /><br />Four 9's!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32904083042817764092014-02-20T15:49:03.080-05:002014-02-20T15:49:03.080-05:00Thanks @SiS. It was a golden day all around for ou...Thanks @SiS. It was a golden day all around for our Canadian ladies as the women curlers from Winnipeg also won gold today. Still, the American lady hockey players gave it their all today and it's just too bad both teams couldn't receive gold medals.<br /><br />Have no problem with today's puzzle (other than with VAN) but once the theme was eventually sussed out of 36A, I thought in the words of the old Peggy Lee standard "Is that all there is?".<br /><br />Three 9's, two 8's. Might be more gold in store...Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64653388912957400052014-02-20T15:42:38.027-05:002014-02-20T15:42:38.027-05:00@Diri, yeah, i spose - reluctantly. @Diri, yeah, i spose - reluctantly. Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4508522436966812582014-02-20T15:32:07.998-05:002014-02-20T15:32:07.998-05:00@SiS - re 22a, "e.g." is, I believe, the...@SiS - re 22a, "e.g." is, I believe, the signal that an abbr. is needed, doncha think?<br />Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52488971974532125962014-02-20T15:17:23.605-05:002014-02-20T15:17:23.605-05:00Congrats to all our Canadian amigos (@Waxy, @Rainy...Congrats to all our Canadian amigos (@Waxy, @Rainy, @Red, @Joe, @et.al.) on taking the women's hockey gold. What a comeback!<br /><br />Like Rex, i didn't solve the revealer until last, then saw the "dot"s over the "i"s. Pretty clever when you realize they are the only "i"s in the puz. DAPS to you, Elizabeth.<br /><br />When i get ready for bed at night am i an UNBELTist?<br /><br />Nit: shouldn't the clue for 22A contained "abrev?"<br /><br />No numbers in my capcha today, so I am not a pokerist. Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44402758161747165792014-02-20T14:13:16.048-05:002014-02-20T14:13:16.048-05:00I liked it and I think DOTTED I is a fine theme (w...I liked it and I think DOTTED I is a fine theme (which I didn't fully appreciate until arriving here. I seem to remember from learning to write in cursive that an undotted i is a sign of sloppiness and an uncrossed t, well I guess that's just an l, n'est pas?<br /><br />@spacey - of course gunfighters didn't UNBELT, because they kept their pants on!<br /><br />Two pair does not a winning hand make.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80790414312028245652014-02-20T13:33:13.966-05:002014-02-20T13:33:13.966-05:00Urba n dictionary. from google search
dap
The kn...Urba n dictionary. from google search<br /><br />dap<br />The knocking of fists together as a greeting, or form of respect.<br />He gave me a dap when we greeted.<br />by Phil March 10, 2004<br />Syndicate Bobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22288289869614515562014-02-20T12:59:00.115-05:002014-02-20T12:59:00.115-05:00P.S. Today's Los Angeles Times has a very cle...P.S. Today's Los Angeles Times has a very clever puzzle by Paul Hunsberger. It's "Fill in the blank" and I, for one, have never seen it done before.<br /><br />Ron Diego 2/20/14Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41650044665845108142014-02-20T12:29:27.784-05:002014-02-20T12:29:27.784-05:00I am with @Jeremy Mercer re the GODOT clue; though...I am with @Jeremy Mercer re the GODOT clue; though we never see actual proof of it, we assume that M. Godot is indeed a person. The "what" of the clue was the stickiest point of the whole solve, for me, since that is the narrow alley for access to the NE, so I agree with @Alias Z as well.<br /><br />Also with @Carola and @Arf Mutt Canoeist about the "D-T"s. Never saw that till I got here. I did think, so big deal. O's over I's. Is that all there is? I see now, that would be a no. My admiration increases threefold.<br /><br />The lovely JAYNE was also a mainstay on various game show panels of the day, including the one on "To Tell the Truth" that led off the Frank Abignale, Jr. story "Catch Me If You Can."<br /><br />UNBELT bothers me more than DOTTEDI. In countless OATERs, when getting the drop on the [gang/posse], the [good/bad] guy will say "Unbuckle your gun belts." Not a single one has EVER said "UNBELT." The flag flutters in our springlike breeze (eat your hearts out, Northeasterners!), but stays put.<br /><br />And now will someone please tell me: what in BLAZES does "Lead" have to do with VAN? Oh wait, VAN Morrison was the "lead" singer on "Them." (Millionaire question)<br /><br />Today I am a CANOEIST: deuces full.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2627270770367388582014-02-20T12:20:06.037-05:002014-02-20T12:20:06.037-05:00fun puz. like rex, didnt get theme till very late....fun puz. like rex, didnt get theme till very late. all clues were correct and puz was solvable.Torbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01813931192681953872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16184151585039946452014-02-20T10:41:11.786-05:002014-02-20T10:41:11.786-05:00Firstly, I found the puzzle easy for a Thursday. ...Firstly, I found the puzzle easy for a Thursday. Secondly, it was absolutely delightful to find so many commenters who disagreed with Mr. Sharp (a/k/a Rex). The naysayers and nitpickers abound on this blog. I've been doing cw puzzles for over 50 yrs. and found this one to be clever, completely doable and correct in every way. So put that in your collective pipes and inhale. And thank you Liza Long.<br /><br />Ron Diego 8:40 AM PST 2/20/14Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1538377269984125052014-01-20T11:46:00.031-05:002014-01-20T11:46:00.031-05:00I realize I'm very late to the game here but I...I realize I'm very late to the game here but I only got to solving the Wed Jan 16th puzzle today. There is a character called a "dotless i." It is found in the unicode character set at position 0x0131 (full name is "latin small letter dotless i"). The primary use is in the Turkish alphabet. The Irish apparently also use it from time to time, but in their case they mean the "standard" 'i' but only omit the dot to avoid confusion with other marks.<br /><br />The dot over the i and j, by the way, has a name and is called the 'tittle' (like the tilde ~ and the umlaut/diaeresis ¨) and can be considered a modifying mark. Don't confuse the tittle with the 'dot' diacritic, which is something else entirely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49709539505107990322014-01-17T15:29:56.036-05:002014-01-17T15:29:56.036-05:00I used to bowl about 40 games per week. I no longe...I used to bowl about 40 games per week. I no longer do but I am still an enthusiast. This encompasses almost 50 years. Never heard the term "Dime Store" for the 5 - 10 split.BobFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09744462970991506857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14819437014265617872014-01-17T12:18:08.594-05:002014-01-17T12:18:08.594-05:00I am sorry but it truncated my comments. So I wil...I am sorry but it truncated my comments. So I will restate what I said.<br /><br />I stated that while many people found this an easy puzzle I thought it was one of the worst puzzles I have ever encountered. I like a puzzle to say what it means and mean what it says. There is no correlation between some of the clues and the answers and there appears a purposeful obfuscation of the thread tying the clues and answers together. <br /><br />For example, a simple one 13D Indian bread. You should be able to get nans from the cross but it is not correct. Naan is the correct current usage unless you get involved with umlauts. 51D maybe I am in left field but daps is an old fishing term on how you throw out your line. 38D passed on, in a way and of course when you put 'in a way' you can correlate to almost anything, but 'repeated' that is a reach, in a way. 29D 'turn' (a verb) in no way relates to 'spoil' (verb). Of course it sounds like it should but use each in the same sentence. It does not work. The closest 'turn' comes to spoil is when your milk 'turns' but it still does not mean 'spoil'. Tell someone your [meat, vegetables, fruit] 'turned' or your crossword puzzle was turned because of the incoherent mapping of the clues.<br /><br />And finally, 28D the Tao, you don't meditate on the Tao you become one with it. By eschewing your attachments and ego you become tranquil and thus become part of the Tao and this puzzle has surely 'turned' my tranquility such that there will be no 'daps' at the dojo tonight and as such I will not pass this on, in a way, and will probably have to repeat it in a future life.<br /><br />JTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23113872994685939412014-01-17T12:05:04.497-05:002014-01-17T12:05:04.497-05:00For example, a simple one 13D Indian bread. You s...For example, a simple one 13D Indian bread. You should be able to get nans from the cross but it is not correct. Naan is the correct current usage unless you get involved with umlauts. 51D maybe I am in left field but daps is an old fishing term on how you throw out your line. 38D passed on, in a way and of course when you put 'in a way' you can correlate to almost anything, but 'repeated' that is a reach, in a way. 29D 'turn' (a verb) in no way relates to 'spoil' (verb). Of course it sounds like it should but use each in the same sentence. It does not work. The closest 'turn' comes to spoil is when your milk 'turns' but it still does mean 'spoil'. Tell someone your [meat, vegetables, fruit] 'turned' or your crossword puzzle was turned because of the incoherent mapping of the clues.<br /><br />And finally, 28D the Tao, you don't meditate on the Tao you become one with it. By eschewing your attachments and ego you become tranquil and thus become part of the Tao and this puzzle has surely 'turned' my tranquility such that there will be no 'daps' at the dojo tonight and as such I will not pass this on, in a way, and will probably have to repeat it in a future life.<br /><br />JTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30143151358178190012014-01-17T12:04:18.644-05:002014-01-17T12:04:18.644-05:00For example, a simple one 13D Indian bread. You s...For example, a simple one 13D Indian bread. You should be able to get nans from the cross but it is not correct. Naan is the correct current usage unless you get involved with umlauts. 51D maybe I am in left field but daps is an old fishing term on how you throw out your line. 38D passed on, in a way and of course when you put 'in a way' you can correlate to almost anything, but 'repeated' that is a reach, in a way. 29D 'turn' (a verb) in no way relates to 'spoil' (verb). Of course it sounds like it should but use each in the same sentence. It does not work. The closest 'turn' comes to spoil is when your milk 'turns' but it still does mean 'spoil'. Tell someone your [meat, vegetables, fruit] 'turned' or your crossword puzzle was turned because of the incoherent mapping of the clues.<br /><br />And finally, 28D the Tao, you don't meditate on the Tao you become one with it. By eschewing your attachments and ego you become tranquil and thus become part of the Tao and this puzzle has surely 'turned' my tranquility such that there will be no 'daps' at the dojo tonight and as such I will not pass this on, in a way, and will probably have to repeat it in a future life.<br /><br />JTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66829625599355307722014-01-17T09:32:33.425-05:002014-01-17T09:32:33.425-05:00I am not a genius silver, but this puzzle was so e...I am not a genius silver, but this puzzle was so easy for me, I kept checking to see if it really was a Thursday. No problem anywhere except for that "van" thing, which I never heard of before. I'm female, age 69. Could the discrepancies in level of difficulty that people experienced be an gender-generation thing?Debby Weinsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09697339459488288520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52157453846418160402014-01-16T22:10:52.517-05:002014-01-16T22:10:52.517-05:00On the question whether something is a thing or no...On the question whether something is a thing or not, I am always reminded of the recurring David Letterman segment <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UdLBwqmus4" rel="nofollow"> Is this Anything? </a> It's pretty much the same exercise. Is this something? Or is it nothing?Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17459992224851404501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64094580819654720402014-01-16T19:34:03.992-05:002014-01-16T19:34:03.992-05:00@Steve, I'm a lawyer, so take that as a compli...@Steve, I'm a lawyer, so take that as a compliment. I can't speak for the others, however. I think lawyers rank slightly behind the mafia on the scale of respect....<br /><br />JFCJFCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-219600846877646762014-01-16T19:15:27.210-05:002014-01-16T19:15:27.210-05:00I will not say what I thought the dotted i's m...I will not say what I thought the dotted i's meant. Never. Ever.<br />You never read this. <br />Thank-you in advance for being so tactful.Questiniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06225633428852696530noreply@blogger.com