tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5513621932506419143..comments2024-03-29T09:48:31.305-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Bandleader Kay / TUE 9-4-12 / Olive genus / Inscribed pillar / Pretzels chips in adspeakRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69573676714219673442016-03-02T13:11:20.762-05:002016-03-02T13:11:20.762-05:00Vet, khaf, feh, and sin are no more separate Hebre...Vet, khaf, feh, and sin are no more separate Hebrew letters than c-pronounced-as-s is a separate letter from c-pronounced-as-k in English. AJDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15212125374163334242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79550508861345396012012-10-10T02:03:12.394-04:002012-10-10T02:03:12.394-04:00The two comments saying that the Hebrew language h...The two comments saying that the Hebrew language has twenty-two letters, not twenty-seven as per today's crossword were on the right track, but missed the mark. Hebrew actually has 26 letters, no more, no less, so there was a factual error in the puzzle. People who counted twenty-two letters forgot that three of the letters - bet, kaf, and peh - have a second form - vet, khaf, and feh, and the shin can also be a sin.....from Penny in Simi Valley.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16605750475893586742012-10-09T15:42:28.301-04:002012-10-09T15:42:28.301-04:00@Petrovich: 38D (ESTE): Okay, I got it, but I wil...@Petrovich: 38D (ESTE): Okay, I got it, but I will always object to foreign words. How many languages do we have to learn just so we can do the morning crosswords with our coffee?<br /><br />Since I've been doing crosswords, I've subliminally learned crosswordese in Spanish, French, Italian (all those operas!) and now, some German as well. After a few years, you'll remember those foreign words, too.Mary in Oregonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90079800973357999562012-10-09T15:38:45.028-04:002012-10-09T15:38:45.028-04:00I liked it but needed a couple of lucky guesses as...I liked it but needed a couple of lucky guesses as did many others.<br /><br />@Spacecraft - I am unfortunate enough to live in a region where the frozen precipitation can come in a number of varieties including snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain and any combination of some or all of the above. With that said to establish my creds on the topic, SLEETY is a perfectly good answer to, "What's the weather outside?" (If it's also a good answer to "What's the weather inside?", someone needs a new roof.)<br /><br />Shout-outs to my neighbors to the north at 45a and 49a!Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54020863493878712552012-10-09T15:32:50.770-04:002012-10-09T15:32:50.770-04:00@DMG Also, the French Open 'chairs' announ...@DMG Also, the French Open 'chairs' announce deuce as EGALitay (spelled phoenetically). Occasionally EGAL shows up being clued as 'equal' or something similar. <br /><br />I was surprised Rex called this easy-medium. Though I don't time, this took me longer than usual for a Tues. Gingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1659293624632479332012-10-09T15:12:17.508-04:002012-10-09T15:12:17.508-04:00This one was pretty smooth for me. Only pause was...This one was pretty smooth for me. Only pause was wanting STELe,which was denied by the cross SNAX. Maybe STELe is plural? <br /><br />@Ginger, don't know if you'll see this as you've already posted, but thanks for the info on "dene". I checked four or five dictionaries on line, and they all gave one of the other two meaanings. I find it interesting that the same word can mean a valley or a dune! No wonder we struggle with these things.<br /><br />As for AD IN, I love watching the French Open where the judges announce it as "adVANtÄge in" in, I'm sure impeccable French.DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52137908280646304502012-10-09T13:18:50.118-04:002012-10-09T13:18:50.118-04:00@Sanfranman59 It's fascinating how your stats ...@Sanfranman59 It's fascinating how your stats confirm my perception as I worked this puzzle. I kept thinking, 'today is Tuesday, right?' I was able to finish with no write-overs, but it wasn't Tuesday-smooth. <br /><br />As I understand a 'natick', it's when both words that CROSS are so esoteric the solver could not be expected to know either of them.<br /><br />@Petrovich, with 'outfit' you've encountered mis-direction, aint it fun? As to how many foeign languages we need to know.....All of em! ;-)<br /><br />Gingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74392750752118274662012-10-09T13:11:03.395-04:002012-10-09T13:11:03.395-04:00Seems to me OFL is getting more curmudgeonly by th...Seems to me OFL is getting more curmudgeonly by the day, pausing only for the P. Berry masterpiece of late. I don't think the fill in this is so bad; in fact for a 63-letter dense theme field it's remarkable. Look at those long downs: NUREMBERG and LIFESAVER. "Perfect"-ly OK--and not stuff you see every day. I also like the symmetrical entries EARTHY CYNICS. Yeah, some of the periphery gets xwordy, but I wouldn't want to try and fix it.<br /><br />I was astounded at the multiple coincidence mentioned in the reveal. All those wasted lives! Yet if not for pushing the envelope, none of them might ever have created anything memorable.<br /><br />I was sure at first that the long central across had to do with some ultra-famous player's uniform number. But that many wins? That's obscene! They oughta be ashamed of themselves!<br /><br />LEGGY is quite legit; it's a favorite adjective of pulp detective novelists. Sleety? Less so. It's not SLEETY: it's sleeting. Luckily for me, where I live it isn't--and likely never will!<br /><br />I grinned at ALGORE: it looks in the grid like all one word--which is exactly how Rush Limbaugh used to say it, and even pointedly remark that it should be all one word. [Disclaimer: I am NOT a Rush fan!]<br /><br />An easy and informative do. We're not ALL against you, Sara and Barry!Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38357868880108772502012-10-09T11:47:55.928-04:002012-10-09T11:47:55.928-04:00Where to begin?
22A (MEET): Nonparallel lines on...Where to begin? <br /><br />22A (MEET): Nonparallel lines only meet in plane geometry.<br /><br />23A (MOONS OF URANUS): Well, of course! Who wouldn't know that?<br /><br />58A (HIHATS): Never heard of 'em. I guess you'd have to be in a band.<br /><br />2D (NOEL): I did not know that a "Noel" was a Christmas carol.<br /><br />12D & 24D: I got these pretty easy, but to me, an "outfit" is slang for a military unit. "Hey, Bub. What outfit were you in, back in WW2?"<br /><br />38D (ESTE): Okay, I got it, but I will always object to foreign words. How many languages do we have to learn just so we can do the morning crosswords with our coffee?<br /><br />NIH, OLEA, ORFEO, NECCO, HEISS, and TER, were all new to me. I can't say I "learned" something from this, as I doubt I'll retain this information.<br /><br />Just too many stretches for a Tuesday.David Bowmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14673241422745751614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61236710228630268192012-09-05T06:54:36.734-04:002012-09-05T06:54:36.734-04:00Man, I love this place. - @Numbers Guy, I do belie...Man, I love this place. - @Numbers Guy, I do believe that the common usage of parallel and nonparallel is the euclidean definition. So in both technical and common usage senses the clue is correct.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52356114752790480662012-09-05T04:00:56.474-04:002012-09-05T04:00:56.474-04:00@Z
Interesting, see what you are trying to say, bu...@Z<br />Interesting, see what you are trying to say, but it's a bit devil's advocate...I mean,<br />Otis Redding who was only 26, died in a plane crash, the others in the infamous "27 club" were drugs and alcohol related and tied together by overwhelming talent , but selfdestructing and sadly demonstrating how much abuse your body can endure to die that young.<br /><br />But you are so right about Keith Richards!Acmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35171126922391418862012-09-05T00:03:37.374-04:002012-09-05T00:03:37.374-04:00@Z Axis 11:07pm:
But still shouldn't the clue...@Z Axis 11:07pm:<br /><br />But still shouldn't the clue specify Euclidean geometry? In a hyperbolic plane can't nonparallel lines never MEET?<br /><br />Less discussion-worthy: @dje 2:00pm is of course absolutely correct in that there are twenty-two, not TWENTY-SEVEN, HEBREW LETTERS. It's not up for debate: applying this answer to the theme is simply imcorrect.<br /><br />If you want to double count the five Hebrew letters with distinct final forms, then you must be comfortable saying the English alphabet has fifty-two letters, since each one has two forms: upper and lower case. (Hebrew doesn't have upper and lower cases.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87424424628372794252012-09-05T00:01:42.932-04:002012-09-05T00:01:42.932-04:00@Z Axis. i dont disagree on a narrowly factual ba...@Z Axis. i dont disagree on a narrowly factual basis, but that isnt the rulebook. if you elevate your game to the 4th dimension, you'll recall that common usage is the criterion most often cited - not arcane distinctions commonly used in certain professions.<br />even though thats sometimes wack.Numbers Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15073498950619150459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44361722976924276342012-09-04T23:55:02.499-04:002012-09-04T23:55:02.499-04:00@numbers guy - i do get the NYT delivered, but . ....@numbers guy - i do get the NYT delivered, but . . . whatever. anyway the clue is correct.not a robotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84227194994690917722012-09-04T23:51:31.914-04:002012-09-04T23:51:31.914-04:00WTF??WTF??Ginger Amelianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11293882423876364152012-09-04T23:32:53.972-04:002012-09-04T23:32:53.972-04:00Four naticks (1, 30, 66 and 68 across) for those o...Four naticks (1, 30, 66 and 68 across) for those of us who don't speak fluent xword-ese.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14279230667110472462012-09-04T23:25:36.331-04:002012-09-04T23:25:36.331-04:00I think it has something to do with the NUREMBURGe...I think it has something to do with the NUREMBURGer funnel.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37559730521654121502012-09-04T23:23:50.594-04:002012-09-04T23:23:50.594-04:00@notarobot -- realizing that subtlety is a challen...@notarobot -- realizing that subtlety is a challenge for some here, <br /><br />if you dont get your news from dead trees in blue bags at the base of your driveway, you can read the relevant reference to algebra <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />Numbers Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15073498950619150459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59637438278587475052012-09-04T23:07:34.429-04:002012-09-04T23:07:34.429-04:00@Numbers Guy et al - the clue is right. You are co...@Numbers Guy et al - the clue is right. You are conflating "not parallel" with "nonparallel." Parallel lines and their opposites, nonparallel lines, are, by definition, coplanar. Skew lines are not coplanar so are not nonparallel.Z Axisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6301987859762090742012-09-04T22:57:31.129-04:002012-09-04T22:57:31.129-04:001@numbers guy - I think you mean GEOMETRY
@Z - it...1@numbers guy - I think you mean GEOMETRY<br /><br />@Z - it is NOT random because all the musicians listed died at 27 it would be random if there was a politician, teacher, astronaut and poet<br /><br />nuf saidI am not a God Damned robot!noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62673802300804066442012-09-04T22:36:15.412-04:002012-09-04T22:36:15.412-04:00surprised at the challenging rating from sanfran, ...surprised at the challenging rating from sanfran, but perhaps it was all due to the incorrect clue at 22A, which was pointed out early this morning by 2 different people, but ignored thereafter. im sure a similar mis-statement of facts related to literature or film or sports would not be forgiven so easily.<br /><br />rex must have breezed past this because he didnt know that the answer wasnt right. as we all know from reading the NYT recently, algebra (or even basic math) isnt necessary for many careers - or crossword puzzles. <br /><br /><br />Numbers Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15073498950619150459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33518749810767516982012-09-04T22:04:28.327-04:002012-09-04T22:04:28.327-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 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 6:12, 6:48, 0.91, 15%, Easy<br />Tue 9:38, 8:57, 1.08, 73%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:39, 3:41, 0.99, 49%, Medium<br />Tue 5:46, 4:39, 1.24, 97%, Challenging (6th highest median solve time of 167 Tuesdays)sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11272598016457746812012-09-04T21:52:44.575-04:002012-09-04T21:52:44.575-04:00Fun theme, things got pretty naticky for me though...Fun theme, things got pretty naticky for me thoughBob Sneadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34614862399926630732012-09-04T20:13:42.301-04:002012-09-04T20:13:42.301-04:00@mitchs - no, it's random. Humans are pattern ...@mitchs - no, it's random. Humans are pattern seeking creatures. The "26 Club" has Otis Redding, Gram Parsons, Nick Drake, Jimmy McCulloch of Wings, and Hillel Slovak of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (that took a google search, too). People die at all ages, regardless of fame. The real mystery is Keith Richards.<br /><br />@delusional JFC - Just don't call me late for dinner.<br /><br />I think the captcha generating robot can't read its own handwritingZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75086674152963467682012-09-04T18:55:50.360-04:002012-09-04T18:55:50.360-04:00@Gill I. P. -
My dad was at the opposite end of th...@Gill I. P. -<br />My dad was at the opposite end of the spectrum from your grandmother. I think Herblock's cartoons helped keep him sane during the Nixon years.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8037" rel="nofollow">Here's a good one of that nose,</a> by cartoonist Paul Conrad.Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.com