tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5574251013774486574..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: 1983 domestic comedy / SUN 10-2-11 / Horror movie locale in brief / 1999 Broadway revue / Celestial being in France / Green-headed water birdsRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6706600986224527002011-10-09T20:15:52.321-04:002011-10-09T20:15:52.321-04:00Re: Blindauer puzzle. 52D ("Main vein") ...Re: Blindauer puzzle. 52D ("Main vein") is wrong two ways. Anatomically the answer is an artery. And colloquially "Drain the main vein," i.e. "to urinate," refers to the urethra.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90138585084339098162011-10-09T17:32:31.743-04:002011-10-09T17:32:31.743-04:00@RP said, "If you don't know who Don Chea...@RP said, "If you don't know who Don Cheadle is, your "life" is not as good as it could be." That's an interesting perspective on what constitutes a "good life", I think.<br /><br />I liked the puzzle well enough but I would have liked it more without the theme which I found distracting. Still, I finished too quickly and I wanted to prolong my time sitting in the sun so I amused myself by locating abbreviations and acronyms in the grid that are so much "in the language" that they no longer require clues that reference them as such. I found ET(S) (32a); (USER)ID (40a); (IN)LA (which where I live stands for "Lewiston-Auburn", btw (65a); AMMO (70a); (EYE)EXAM (78a); URL (84a); and TEMP (120a). That's not a compaint, just an observation. I guess we are moving toward "short-speak" to save time in a world that may be moving just a little too fast?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78504010980965800002011-10-09T15:34:20.794-04:002011-10-09T15:34:20.794-04:00Pretty easy and didn' like the theme answers e...Pretty easy and didn' like the theme answers either. Two disconnected words. RANCHAXLES! Yuk. All the celebs were easy.eastsacgirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47679242744833849192011-10-09T15:15:56.781-04:002011-10-09T15:15:56.781-04:00@Tobias Duncan's initial post made my day. Th...@Tobias Duncan's initial post made my day. Thanks.<br /><br />@Anonymous 9:31am--you should get yourself an avatar and go by your name (Spacecraft) instead of anonymous...Red Valerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04638265039015470938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89433784124950561952011-10-09T12:13:14.660-04:002011-10-09T12:13:14.660-04:00Sausage fest.Sausage fest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21757401834453926482011-10-09T09:31:18.659-04:002011-10-09T09:31:18.659-04:00Spacecraft here. Finished with one wrong letter, t...Spacecraft here. Finished with one wrong letter, the natick at 48.<br />I could've Googled the obscure French thing, but didn't bother, as I thought ORESTEID (cf. AeneiD, IliaD) was reasonable.<br /> On single-word nitpicks, I didn't mind APPLETS (only because I'm techlueless) or OSMOSED (yeah, that's a real word). But I call your attention to one of the most common crossword puzzle words--that is NOT a word! I refer to ADE. People, there is NO SUCH WORD as ADE! It exists as a suffix only, meaning a drink made with the named fruit. Sell your lemonade by the gallon, drink orangeade till you turn into Donald Sutherland--but you can't have ADE! Constructors, please clue this entry as a suffix, if indeed you must use it at all.<br /> Personally, I was very disappointed that the down entries containing two shaded squares did not also yield hidden celebrities. In fact I was very slow to get started, because who was 6d? Levi Cox? Never heard of him. Then I pondered over Al deBry--or maybe Alex Bro?? Then I looked around, and noticed that those were the only two going down, save for WRINGS. What can you make with that, Mr. Ines?<br /> I did like the clever letter replacements, especially ALExTREBEk<br />and BObDyLAN. Lots of nice long fill (maybe they'll stop throwing octopi on HOMEICE and throw OPOSSUM<br />instead).<br /> Oh, and this veteran of K.P. is all too familiar with UNCOUNTED POTATOES.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85791684238543106052011-10-06T22:25:58.479-04:002011-10-06T22:25:58.479-04:00No one seems to have objected to the 49A clue: &qu...No one seems to have objected to the 49A clue: "smartphone supplements" (APPLETS).<br />Where I come from (in the computer world) "applet" is well defined, and it is not something you can use on a smartphone. The word "app", which is a widely-used abbreviation for "application" is well established as something you can use on a smartphone. The clue is wrong. <br />Anyone disagree?Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911901473993027184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27028515155529455492011-10-05T10:49:47.323-04:002011-10-05T10:49:47.323-04:00What a pleasurable puzzle! Fie to the detractors! ...What a pleasurable puzzle! Fie to the detractors! Finished in good time with absolutely no writeovers/mistakes. Since I do the puzzle in ink, that is always a satisfying outcome. <br /><br />The whole magazine being about food AND the second puzzle being a cryptic made my day.nurturinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65399254205662257132011-10-03T22:28:24.114-04:002011-10-03T22:28:24.114-04:00I just wanted to log on to congratulate Joon Pahk ...I just wanted to log on to congratulate Joon Pahk on his Jeopardy! victory. We were rooting for you the whole game, and knew you'd win!<br /><br />With that excellent mental cross-referencing inherent in his puzzle abilities, how could he lose? :)<br /><br />GE Portlandcody.riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05883012611419987246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33764412657033367012011-10-03T18:16:08.339-04:002011-10-03T18:16:08.339-04:00I whipped through this except for sols. And the r...I whipped through this except for sols. And the recent Don Cheadle movie is "The Guard" -- I agree with Bram that it is excellent.Porch Momnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13418726407332074412011-10-02T23:55:51.231-04:002011-10-02T23:55:51.231-04:00Thanks, Martin, I had missed the twist in the long...Thanks, Martin, I had missed the twist in the long verticals!CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41221112528632008992011-10-02T22:22:34.967-04:002011-10-02T22:22:34.967-04:00The most recent Don Cheadle/Irish movie was awesom...The most recent Don Cheadle/Irish movie was awesome!Bramnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46091884039175281622011-10-02T21:27:43.233-04:002011-10-02T21:27:43.233-04:00My Times Digest puzzle had the note but it referre...My Times Digest puzzle had the note but it referred to changing shaded squares to unmask the celebrities. But the shaded squares weren't shaded, so you had to guess which two to change. It made for a much funner puzzle IMO. Without shaded squares Green Organ can become Greg Norman or it can become Bree Morgan (NSFW) who for some is as famous as Don Cheadle:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20823178100979490472011-10-02T21:08:17.806-04:002011-10-02T21:08:17.806-04:00Here's what I got for Blindauer but I could be...<a href="http://zesoterica.blogspot.com/2011/10/blindauer-october-2011.html" rel="nofollow">Here's what I got for Blindauer</a> but I could be wrong.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76333615489438515862011-10-02T21:00:02.108-04:002011-10-02T21:00:02.108-04:00Re: Blindauer - I count 6 theme answers, but would...Re: Blindauer - I count 6 theme answers, but wouldn't be surprised if there are two more that I'm missing. Hope that isn't TMI for LR and others. Solved it without ever getting the extra levels of complexity, even after RP said they were there.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56865993820170687422011-10-02T20:56:13.596-04:002011-10-02T20:56:13.596-04:00@Martin or @CoffeeLvr--I don't like asking on ...@Martin or @CoffeeLvr--I don't like asking on this blog about another, but I just finished the Blindauer the two of you have been discussing, and I'm stymied. Martin, I failed to see the T to L, so thanks for pointing it out, but what does that do to the T in education? Are we just to ignore that one? Also, I don't really get the reversal to T is L when the title says L is T. <br />So here's my question: Is there another blog where it's legitimate to be discussing the Blindauer puzzle?<br /><br />Probably everyone's off the blog right now, having a life, so I suppose I'll never know . . .600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16828020086806513752011-10-02T20:52:24.388-04:002011-10-02T20:52:24.388-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.skua76https://www.blogger.com/profile/15450051465313263422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68596439563221066442011-10-02T20:52:19.954-04:002011-10-02T20:52:19.954-04:00All you bright people showing off have just SPOILE...All you bright people showing off have just SPOILED the Blindauer puzzle for those who hadn't gotten around to it yet.<br /><br />Fie, or, better yet, feh!LRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72757554172666380392011-10-02T20:00:01.501-04:002011-10-02T20:00:01.501-04:00Re: the Blindauer. Maybe Rex saw the horizontals ...Re: the Blindauer. Maybe Rex saw the horizontals ("W is H") but missed the verticals ("L is T").<br /><br />In fairness, they're reversed so the parallel interpretation of the downs would be "T is L." But the symmetric property of is'ls says that this is cool for across vs. down.<br /><br />On the other hand, there could be something beyond W is H L is T that I'm missing too. Wouldn't be the first time.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38695580987872059302011-10-02T18:15:08.336-04:002011-10-02T18:15:08.336-04:00Rex - are the authors friends of yours? Where'...Rex - are the authors friends of yours? Where's the outrage? This puzzle was awful. Bad fill. Mediocre theme. Is this what computers have brought us to? Bad, computer generated, barely fit for cat litter puzzles?<br /><br />A couple of years ago, you would have savaged this. Stop getting soft.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74244887945311444822011-10-02T18:03:49.036-04:002011-10-02T18:03:49.036-04:00@Mike, the title of the Blindauer puzzle is Wish L...@Mike, the title of the Blindauer puzzle is Wish List. Just parse that differently by adding two spaces. (I don't know if this is what @Rex referred to - maybe I missed a second level of complexity myself.)CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50207355846063527992011-10-02T17:42:52.858-04:002011-10-02T17:42:52.858-04:00OK, I'll bite. What is the "level of comp...OK, I'll bite. What is the "level of complexity" Rex missed in the Blindauer puzzle?Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59787712976155243482011-10-02T17:32:49.881-04:002011-10-02T17:32:49.881-04:00Just take some sell-ebrity namez™. change two rand...Just take some sell-ebrity namez™. change two random letters to get random two-word phrases — that's the whole theme? Despite the shifted word boundaries and pronunciations, I second hazel's "supersized sack of lame", and admire hazel's restraint in keeping the comment G-rated.<br /><br />@exaudio — 95A:MASSÉ is a crossword standard; while it's not been seen in the NYTimes in almost three years, there are 26 precedents in the 14 years before that, according to xwordinfo (not counting four "En _____" clues for MASSE). You'll probably see it again.<br /><br />NDENoam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16515133971105172972011-10-02T17:04:12.180-04:002011-10-02T17:04:12.180-04:00PS to CoffeeLvr,
BTW, your statement about canola...PS to CoffeeLvr,<br /><br />BTW, your statement about canola is just out-of-date, not totally wrong. Originally "Canola" was just a marketing name for Canadian rapeseed oil. The crop became so important that the government stepped in, passing laws mandating standards for the oil and creating the industry that produces the varieties of plant, now called canola, certified to produce oil that will pass assay.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49510987842766735832011-10-02T16:50:16.107-04:002011-10-02T16:50:16.107-04:00@CoffeeLvr,
Among the information available onlin...@CoffeeLvr,<br /><br />Among the information available online is <a href="http://www.canola-council.org/chapter2.aspx" rel="nofollow">the official Canadian government regulation on Canola</a>, codifying that specific low-erucic acid cultivars of three species of <i>Brassica</i> may be called "canola." These plants are called canola. Their seed are canola seed. Canola seed is processed to produce canola oil. Generic rapeseed oil may not be sold as canola oil.Martinnoreply@blogger.com