tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5124206000457772550..comments2024-03-28T09:29:17.902-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: 2003 hip-hop hit by Fabolous / THU 3-4-10 / Fiesque composer / Eponymous scale developer / Villainous member of Serpent Society Marvel ComicsRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29165228485501598662010-04-08T22:58:42.079-04:002010-04-08T22:58:42.079-04:00MOHS was MACH for so long...MOHS was MACH for so long...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78277221342547849342010-04-08T15:34:08.066-04:002010-04-08T15:34:08.066-04:00So I am the only one to put musketeers for masked ...So I am the only one to put musketeers for masked men with blades. I needed a ladder to climb out of that hole.centralscrewtinizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03404913280254786506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79093101055765333952010-04-08T12:34:02.477-04:002010-04-08T12:34:02.477-04:00With the "e.g." after Adam Vinatieri hin...With the "e.g." after Adam Vinatieri hinting "abbreviation!" I confidently plopped down NEPATRIOT, giving me _NTI, so I knew that was gonna be "ANTI", when that Hairy Himalayan lumbered in! Gack... total write-over after several minutes of run-the-alphabet. Foo. But fun overall, and a good time was had (and achieved)...<br />Captcha: colud = roiling cloud?WilsonCPUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13979524409642122336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54754780624558250282010-03-24T04:27:21.933-04:002010-03-24T04:27:21.933-04:00OMG. Its fun. Duh, btw it's fabulous. Not fabo...OMG. Its fun. Duh, btw it's fabulous. Not fabolous. LMAO. Are you a kind. You kinda young. Hmmm. Self tagging much.Beenananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55236458481652113002010-03-05T02:01:15.145-05:002010-03-05T02:01:15.145-05:00I LOVED this! thought it was terrific.
DOing this...I LOVED this! thought it was terrific.<br />DOing this puzzle was like (insert funny mixed metaphor here, but I'm too tired to think of one)<br /><br />@JannieB<br />Yesterday's YETI was actually YAKS, we just all THOUGHT it was going to be YETI, so it was sort of a bleedover malapop. ;)<br /><br />I tried to post this exactly twelve hours ago but there was no captcha thingie and it ate my entry.<br />Sort of surprised so many disliked or didn't get the anagrams and looked for mixed metaphors...how literal can you get?! I thought this was FABOLOUS!!!!!!andrea noT-REX michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30262555246304856182010-03-05T00:21:32.616-05:002010-03-05T00:21:32.616-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 post 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 7:39, 6:55, 1.11, 76%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 10:22, 8:48, 1.18, 88%, Challenging<br />Wed 9:37, 11:50, 0.81, 10%, Easy<br />Thu 17:27, 19:30, 0.89, 23%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:18, 3:41, 1.17, 85%, Challenging<br />Tue 5:23, 4:30, 1.20, 88%, Challenging<br />Wed 4:27, 5:48, 0.77, 10%, Easy<br />Thu 7:02, 9:19, 0.78, 7%, Easysanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87433373067820526802010-03-04T21:58:11.988-05:002010-03-04T21:58:11.988-05:00Mac -- any intended correlation between Thursdays ...Mac -- any intended correlation between Thursdays and Florida?<br /><br />During my recent week in the Sunshine State, I visited quite a few of the publicly-funded Parks tagged as "the Real Florida" and only skirted what I guess was draw of the artificial. <br /><br />(The user fees associated with most anything one does there did strike me as a fairly good form of capitalism.)fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5967441948242011422010-03-04T21:18:40.618-05:002010-03-04T21:18:40.618-05:00@mac
David Kahn's a master with a bad rash rig...@mac<br />David Kahn's a master with a bad rash right now; it was my first exposure t oone of his puzzles, and I'm afraid I sent a little 'contact dermatitis' his way. Hey, David--it's called a 'murrain'...and you'll be feeling much better in a couple of weeks, I swear. I guess I'll be seeing more of you....just subscribed to Fireball! Hmmmm, there's a hex idea!Elainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195458656221202202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47315779819218027012010-03-04T20:38:11.198-05:002010-03-04T20:38:11.198-05:00Wow, those Dubliners look old... I've been on ...Wow, those Dubliners look old... I've been on several busses with lots of Irish people singing that song.<br /><br />Even though sports and rap and pop are not my strong suit, I raced right through this one, AND I didn't get the anagram bit! Actually like the mop hater. I even got the ex-Patriot with just and x and a p. <br /><br />No complaints about the cheater squares??<br /><br />@archeoprof: I have to agree with you. Shopping streets seem to look the same the world over. Even in Tokyo it looks like Rome.<br /><br />I've been doing a lot of Scrumptious Thursday crosswords edited by Peter Gordon this week in Florida, maybe that helped. Actually did 2 Kahns, and you've heard it before, he's a master.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58658620665927213012010-03-04T20:06:17.872-05:002010-03-04T20:06:17.872-05:00And they totally missed out on another one, actor ...And they totally missed out on another one, actor Tom MOPATHER. Though I guess that's too obscure and you can't make it funny.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09251376991793478372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70042615678377969032010-03-04T17:57:35.136-05:002010-03-04T17:57:35.136-05:00@stan - LOL on Oh Snap. Sure felt stupid last nig...@stan - LOL on Oh Snap. Sure felt stupid last night searching for metaphors. Feel even more stupid after reading the write up. Some you win some you lose, and boy did I ever lose this one. Finished it correctly, but DOH!!!chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86079017868552962222010-03-04T17:50:18.842-05:002010-03-04T17:50:18.842-05:00@Treedweller - I'm with you on the clunk facto...@Treedweller - I'm with you on the clunk factor and the correlation between success and enjoyment. Alas, though I actually succeeded at this one, there was no joy...<br /><br />Elegance in the construction, but the anagrams were just lame - and they made up a large portion of the grid. Not my cuppa, as my favorite Scottish detective would say.hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80966391768363512392010-03-04T17:26:41.794-05:002010-03-04T17:26:41.794-05:00Got the NW in a snap, then I could not get on the ...Got the NW in a snap, then I could not get on the wavelength of the constructor's slanted clues and struggled mightily. Took a quick pee k here and then the puzzle went OK at best, slowest this week - probably all three so far in less than this one. Different strokes...<br /><br />Super-easies vs. super dense me. Stuck with ONTHE WEB then ONTHE NET forway too long at 21A, work made it hard to concentrate and see my folly.xyzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08287781952915413013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76342176609196684102010-03-04T17:19:40.089-05:002010-03-04T17:19:40.089-05:00OK, I pretty much bombed on this puzzle, despite k...OK, I pretty much bombed on this puzzle, despite knowing Vinatieri as an EXPATRIOT (football fan here). Had MIXEDMESSAGES at first, also. <br /><br />Was also looking for actual metaphors. Didn't get the theme until I read Rex's blog. D'oh!<br /><br />My captcha is feccacu, which pretty much sums up how I feel about my solving today.JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30171849513754910802010-03-04T16:39:02.686-05:002010-03-04T16:39:02.686-05:00@Moonchild - I liked your first version better.@Moonchild - I liked your first version better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67959640913026028842010-03-04T16:33:01.868-05:002010-03-04T16:33:01.868-05:00Of course I meant pray-to-god.Of course I meant pray-to-god.Moonchildnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33140886585061516432010-03-04T16:31:23.577-05:002010-03-04T16:31:23.577-05:00So if I want to pray to god I kneel on a pay-to-go...So if I want to pray to god I kneel on a pay-to-god? How handy.<br />Or I am not tramslating that well?<br />I sorta liked the concept here but the payoff fell short for me.<br />I agree with whoever said it should be Mo Phat. Anyone who would say Phat would not say the complete More.Moonchildnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34499597164304336902010-03-04T16:04:17.272-05:002010-03-04T16:04:17.272-05:00Much better than yesterday's — and for me easi...Much better than yesterday's — and for me easier too since I guessed 14D:MIXEDMETAPHOR soon enough to get on the constructor's wavelength. (Though it did lead me to confidently enter "mo phater" at 34A even while I wondered why the comparative wasn't spelled "phatter" — I didn't even notice the duplication with 14A.) But yes, the SW is a big blot on an otherwise lovely puzzle. Presumably it was forced by the combination of the theme entry 61A:TOPMAHER with the final U of the otherwise lovely 36D:PRIEDIEU. At least clue 51D:EXON as "intron's counterpart" or somesuch rather than Former Senator Whoever. I guess Shortz would no more countenance "___-Sachs disease" for 58D:TAY than he would allow "cancer" to be clued as anything but the constellation... (And even that only once according to xwordinfo.)<br /><br />NDENoam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89157962602015194372010-03-04T15:17:21.844-05:002010-03-04T15:17:21.844-05:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (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 of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Thu 17:26, 19:30, 0.89, 23%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Thu 7:18, 9:20, 0.78, 10%, Easysanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39784472968290828562010-03-04T14:35:35.872-05:002010-03-04T14:35:35.872-05:00I caught on not to early, not to late, which made ...I caught on not to early, not to late, which made this a fun solving experience. I had MIXED METAPHOR, then got MOP HATER and wondered where the two metphors were supposed to be. A bit of puzzling got me the aha, and the rest fell into place. I always had just enough cross stuff to see answers that I absolutely did not know: EX-PATRIOT, INTO YOU, LAIKA. Thumbs up.Clarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1570387874741766652010-03-04T14:20:48.623-05:002010-03-04T14:20:48.623-05:00I'll join the group that liked this puzzle, ov...I'll join the group that liked this puzzle, overall. There were a few areas that I had to come back to repeatedly, to figure out things fit together, but it was still a fun solve.<br /><br />Never heard of PRIEDIEU, but managed to piece together enough of it for an educated guess, which then gave me enough to finish up the SW. That whole corner was a land of best guesses and late epiphanies.<br /><br />MOPHATER was my first theme answer, based on getting those NE clues. At first I thought it might be going for some sort of letter-changing pun at first, but ended up relocating to the SW, where TOPMAHER gave me the anagram. Was probably lucky that the first two I really looked at had similar forms, it helped highlight the connection.<br /><br />Even with that, though, I kept using the anagram theme to fill in the wrong letters---if the cross with a theme answer had one of those mixed-up letters, I gave it more credit than it probably deserved. So I got caught up trying to make POSEUR end in a P for "up," which seemed plausible for the anagram. Lots of little delays like that. Still probably an all right time for me on a Thursday, but yesterday's was quicker, so Rex is on his own for that.<br /><br /><br />Since the puzzle and Rex already opened the door on comic book tie-ins, by the way, the theme actually really reminded me of an issue of a fun comic from a few years back, Promethea. In this one issue, every page included an anagram of the book's title that (sometimes pretty obliquely) referred to what was happening at that moment. Some of them were forced, of course, but it was still an impressive attempt across 21 pages. And this puzzle really reminds me of it because, appropriately, the issue was called METAPHORE.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13631743840776360363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16382468936105388752010-03-04T13:56:10.164-05:002010-03-04T13:56:10.164-05:00I was helped by the fact that I had the NH in plac...I was helped by the fact that I had the NH in place when I got to the MASKED MEN clue and since our Olympic goalie star Ryan Miller had a wild crazy mask.<br />I also happened to have the X in place when I got to Vinatieri. Wanted some sort of kicking answer but got the EXPATRIOT quickly because I'm a fan.<br />Misread the opening quote mark of "American Beauty"as an asterisk so wasted some time trying to get the METAPHOR letters in there. I could only think of SUBURBIA as the setting for that movie, so I re-read the clue for about the fifth time and ta-da.George NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11844466463123158982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44142799923280080832010-03-04T13:53:33.441-05:002010-03-04T13:53:33.441-05:00Caught on to the the theme after I finished. But,...Caught on to the the theme after I finished. But, as most of you said it was pretty easy (with the exception of SW), so it went smoothly. I'm on the positive side for this one. I thought it was cleverly done.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20901537908379387852010-03-04T13:52:22.031-05:002010-03-04T13:52:22.031-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.George NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11844466463123158982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29444246744146706992010-03-04T13:23:12.465-05:002010-03-04T13:23:12.465-05:00Usually whenever I think a puzzle is crap I'll...Usually whenever I think a puzzle is crap I'll be missing something -- and boy did I neglect to perceive, just liike Ms. Fikink. The straightforwardness of the Clues really did deny my appreciation of the puzzle. Nevetheless, I've got to ask myself why a MOP HATER or a ROME PATH could ever masquerade as a metaphor, much less a mixed one?fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.com