tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5652074872703135452..comments2024-03-29T05:08:37.783-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Sports Illustrated's "Olympian of the Century" / FRI 2-15-19 / Highest-grossing rom-com of the 2010s / Most popular U.S. baby name for boys, 1999-2012Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43943718005614803472019-03-22T19:38:36.901-04:002019-03-22T19:38:36.901-04:00Wyna Liu, this is your debut? Wow! Congratulations...Wyna Liu, this is your debut? Wow! Congratulations.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34218611341771185282019-03-22T18:45:37.459-04:002019-03-22T18:45:37.459-04:00A bit (a lot) too far out of my wheelhouse today. ...A bit (a lot) too far out of my wheelhouse today. I'll hang it on some PPPs, slang and other such lingo, like WUSHU, BROTOX, SPLINES, etc....<br /><br />leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67369953959669460052019-03-22T16:41:23.158-04:002019-03-22T16:41:23.158-04:00A mess, with 8 pisser clues/answers. Rejected.A mess, with 8 pisser clues/answers. Rejected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81445561716640034792019-03-22T14:57:22.464-04:002019-03-22T14:57:22.464-04:00I tried a lemONTART before I got the TIP for an ON...I tried a lemONTART before I got the TIP for an ONIONTART and I wanted to WINATLovE before I’d fill GWENIFILL to WINATLIFE. Otherwise clean. WOOHOO! @SPACY [sic] – there was more than the ampersandwich, what with both TNUTS and TSLOT standing right next to it.<br /><br />Shout out to TONKA Toys from right here in the Twin Cities.<br /><br />BTW, today is the birthday of J.J. WATT.<br /><br />The late GWENIFILL gets a yeah baby for being a terrific journalist.<br /><br />I was GLADTO finish this one.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81294792110777765322019-03-22T13:34:27.923-04:002019-03-22T13:34:27.923-04:00Agree on the selection by SA of LEWIS instead of O...Agree on the selection by SA of LEWIS instead of Owens, @Spacey, but disagree on the puzzle. <br />Thought I was gonna DNF big time, but got everything done pretty cleanly until I got stuck in the NW. My wife got me out of that hot mess with ONION TART, as I was stuck with only bacON and lemON. <br />Never heard of CATFISHES; huge misdirect to phISHES, at least to me.<br />Some CRAZY RICH stuff here. MEWL makes another appearance about which I am querulous.centralscrewtinizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03404913280254786506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35955069093776684092019-03-22T11:10:29.320-04:002019-03-22T11:10:29.320-04:00Two unforgiveable sins put a halt to my solving ef...Two unforgiveable sins put a halt to my solving efforts today: RTF (refuse to finish).<br /><br />One isn't really the constructor's fault: it's Sports Illustrated's. Please tell me you ditched the incomparable Jesse OWENS (who also, meanly, fits the space), who did his thing at a very focal point in world history in the very shadow of...yeah, that guy. How could anyone else even be CONSIDERED to be the Olympian of the year? Carl LEWIS? Sure, he ran fast. Won a few golds. Meh. Might as well name Bruce...oh, wait. Nevermind.<br /><br />That might have passed, though surely there are much better clues for LEWIS than that. But the other? The &wich? That did it. spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64438149957818591602019-03-22T10:44:20.986-04:002019-03-22T10:44:20.986-04:00WUSHU WOOHOO
SLY JUNO was GLADTO SLEEPEASY
with P...WUSHU WOOHOO<br /><br />SLY JUNO was GLADTO SLEEPEASY<br />with PEDRO and JACOB, she could then<br />say, “OOPS,SORRY to COO so sleazy,<br />but I’ve GOTONE or two HIRED WOODMEN.”<br /><br />--- RAYON FREON<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24636685207709172592019-02-18T08:20:26.449-05:002019-02-18T08:20:26.449-05:00Yeah! A mix of Monday and Friday fill, with hardw...Yeah! A mix of Monday and Friday fill, with hardware goofs.<br />One caramelizes the onions, not the tart. Freon was a coolant, not an aerosol propellant.<br />They can kiss my ano for not using the ñ.<br /><br />Except for the Tin Woodman of The Wizard Of Oz.<br />JimGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55671170380557801632019-02-17T01:11:00.372-05:002019-02-17T01:11:00.372-05:00Concerning all the indignation about Don Pedro: ex...Concerning all the indignation about Don Pedro: exactly what are you folks using as sources? And why try to make a distinction between "Don Giovanni" and "Don Juan"? That's usually just a matter of which language it's sung in. If you look at an Italian score, the opera is called "Don Giovanni". But German and English translations have historically used the Spanish versions of character names, with the title of the opera on these scores and libretti being "Don Juan".<br /><br />As for The Commandant, in numerous scores and libretti - and even in many programs handed out at modern performances - the role is listed as "Il Commendatore (Don Pedro)". Occasionally you'll see records of historical performances listing "Don Pedro / Masetto", followed by the name of the singer ( since in the premiere and for some time afterward it was common for the same singer to perform both roles). And in one older German/English libretto he's listed on the German side as "Don Petro, Gouverneur" <i>(yes, Petro with a "t", Gott knows why</i>, and on the English as "Don Pedro, the Governor".<br /><br />Even Wikipedia includes the name. Now, I have no respect for Wikipedia as a source, but here they got it right...as do more venerable works such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, from which they possibly copied the information <i>(oops, I'm being cynically potentially libelous there, sorry)</i>.<br /><br />Sure it's become a bit of opera trivia, considering how many scores, libretti, and programs omit the name. But it's correct, and a perfectly fair clue.HSCW Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14954885428960480720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-666855858237678402019-02-16T14:23:52.994-05:002019-02-16T14:23:52.994-05:00Great job Rachel! Looking forward to your Jeopardy...Great job Rachel! Looking forward to your Jeopardy appearance. Jessenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42123036679014360012019-02-16T09:28:09.430-05:002019-02-16T09:28:09.430-05:00I'm all for more puzzles being designed by wom...I'm all for more puzzles being designed by women, but crossing unguessable proper nouns like WUSHU / ALOU and ZIA / IFILL is a dick move.timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00149897512395950733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16575242728396778232019-02-16T09:24:32.659-05:002019-02-16T09:24:32.659-05:00Agree with other commenters on the just plain wron...Agree with other commenters on the just plain wrongness of some of the clues (TNUTS/TSLOTS) and the crappiness of many of the others (SPLINES, SALSA DIP--what the....?, MOSTEST, MELODIZES). This sloppiness is typical of the Will Shortz puzzle era and, when combined with the rigid segmentation, made this puzzle not only hard to complete but no fun at all.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7095120311877602892019-02-16T06:22:59.818-05:002019-02-16T06:22:59.818-05:00I’ve known Don Giovanni for more of my life and I ...I’ve known Don Giovanni for more of my life and I have performed in several high profile productions, not to mention years of devoted study of Mozart, his life, and his works. I have never seen the name Don Pedro in reference to the Commendatore and if I had, it did not register as a detail worth remembering. It’s like worrying about Scarpia’s first name, Vittelio. I prefer the comment Anthony Laciura made once on a Met Quiz in response to that question, “What was Scarpia’s first name?” “Louie!! E avanti a Louie tremava tutta Roma!”<br /><br />I call foul, foulissimo. Michele Angelinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04709630577240293656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16834814548011598272019-02-15T23:13:30.457-05:002019-02-15T23:13:30.457-05:00Um, yeah. Um, yeah. SBpianisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12178263727385217459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46570082226513974192019-02-15T23:12:29.379-05:002019-02-15T23:12:29.379-05:00I’ve known “Don Giovanni” since I was a tyke. I’ve...I’ve known “Don Giovanni” since I was a tyke. I’ve never, ever heard of Don Pedro. Ever. A very rough Friday after a good week, and not fun. Natick upon Natick SBpianisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12178263727385217459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91094330915908481452019-02-15T20:44:18.267-05:002019-02-15T20:44:18.267-05:00I was so not on the puzzle’s wavelength. I couldn’...I was so not on the puzzle’s wavelength. I couldn’t get a toe-hold anywhere. Finally got RAYON and ALOU, and BYOB, and the middle, but I had a tough time with the rest. Relied on google a few times. I didn’t really enjoy it. Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174830953402611450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15992543340079321012019-02-15T19:42:48.536-05:002019-02-15T19:42:48.536-05:00Sanfranman59,
What conditions made it difficult fo...Sanfranman59,<br />What conditions made it difficult for Owens to compete?<br />Nazism? A repulsive ideology sure, but tbe Games they staged were first rate. Besides Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller were the US Olympians who had it rough at the '36 games. They got booted from the 4 x 400 relay team. Owens got one of the slots. The Americans were the class of the field and of course won gold. Easily. So Owens got a medal while Glickman got the shaft.<br />Of course Paavo Nurmi was better than all of them....<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30419598698350123862019-02-15T18:22:37.506-05:002019-02-15T18:22:37.506-05:00True about Il Commendatore, but only true opera bu...True about Il Commendatore, but only true opera buffs (or Mozart afficianados very deep into it) are aware of his name. In all my years performing on stage andnin the pit and as a regular opera goer, I have never seen Don Pedro listed as a character. He is occasionally (very) mentioned in the program notes. I cry foul. CDilly52https://www.blogger.com/profile/07727001753847073030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58366903776086849672019-02-15T18:14:05.664-05:002019-02-15T18:14:05.664-05:00Fine puzzle and excellent write up by Rachel.Fine puzzle and excellent write up by Rachel.Stanley Hudsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80872578036070504972019-02-15T18:13:06.051-05:002019-02-15T18:13:06.051-05:00Thank you re MELODIZE. Thank you re MELODIZE. CDilly52https://www.blogger.com/profile/07727001753847073030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23169819291163747892019-02-15T17:27:15.480-05:002019-02-15T17:27:15.480-05:00Was curious about the gender question, so did some...Was curious about the gender question, so did some research. The web site xwordinfo.com has a page of the crossword authors in the Will Shortz era, and how many puzzles each has had published (minimum of 10 to make list).<br />I ran the numbers and made my best guess from first names as to gender; here are the results:<br />Out of a total 215 authors, 33 are women, composing 15.3%. <br />Taking into account the number of puzzles, out of a total of 7884 puzzles, 1370 are by women, composing 17.4%.<br />Conclude what you will, this is just data. James Covingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08791480314913022088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45431153748976865132019-02-15T17:05:07.150-05:002019-02-15T17:05:07.150-05:00So made by a non-male constructor!. Oh please -- ...<i>So made by a non-male constructor!</i>. Oh please -- eyeroll. That's where I stop reading your blather today.<br /><br />Made the CRAZY STUPID LOVE mistake, a movie I'd rather had been at 33a than the unoriginal piece of dreck that's there instead. I detested that film so much I didn't even remember it existed at first. That error served to put a serious crimp in my getting the bottom half done. Now on to Saturday...Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81941946100140887152019-02-15T16:27:16.731-05:002019-02-15T16:27:16.731-05:00Challenging NYT Friday (16:16, 45% above my 6-mont...Challenging NYT Friday (16:16, 45% above my 6-month Friday median) ... WOODMEN (24A)/WUSHU (24D) and CATFISHES (1A)/COO (1D) were my primary trouble spots.<br /><br />I like to learn things from solving and I had a few learning experiences here:<br />- BROTOX (39D), Khaleda ZIA (50D) and the aforementioned WUSHU (24D) and CATFISHES (1A)<br />- SPLINES (21A) ... like Rachel, I know this word from biostatistics and wasn't aware of its construction connotation<br />- FREON (14D) was once used in aerosols<br />- There's such a thing as an ONION TART (15A), though that's not surprising. I don't do tarts very often<br />- TONKA (20D) comes from a Dakota Sioux word ... I wonder how that happened?<br /><br />It was such a shock to learn of GWEN IFILL's (54A) death a couple of years ago. RIP.<br /><br />Carl LEWIS (42D) was amazing and the greatest Olympian of my lifetime. But it seems to me that, under the circumstances in which he competed, the Olympian of the Century was Jesse Owens and that was my initial entry.<br /><br />Terrific debut!sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62525103787394329662019-02-15T15:50:07.206-05:002019-02-15T15:50:07.206-05:00Well I think this puzzle was just marvelous and so...Well I think this puzzle was just marvelous and so was Rachel's review of it.<br /><br />Friday is a tough day but I think we should all congratulate these two gals on the credible job they did.<br /><br />Color me (happily) surprised!Dr. Gary Johnsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82943393831627859572019-02-15T15:41:49.159-05:002019-02-15T15:41:49.159-05:00Like Trivial Pursuit. Who knows Khalida? Woodmen? ...Like Trivial Pursuit. Who knows Khalida? Woodmen? Wushu?What?https://www.blogger.com/profile/15386323706336872298noreply@blogger.com