tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5932304294512483761..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Deceitful ballerinas / THU 3-8-18 / Word that no one has ever said before / McDonald's offering since 1968 / Bomb developed in 1950s / Classic railroad name / Golden Bears school familiarlyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72044712397218777302018-04-12T23:44:44.109-04:002018-04-12T23:44:44.109-04:00This was a great Thursday puzzle because.... I fin...This was a great Thursday puzzle because.... I finished it. Maybe a tad easy for some of the veterans. I would like to thank everyone who contributes to this blog as it has helped me earn my stripes as perhaps a decent crossword solver. This particular puzzle was a challenge but I thought a very well constructed puzzle with not too many obscure clues/answers. On to Friday.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38039657283608563782018-04-12T14:51:40.710-04:002018-04-12T14:51:40.710-04:00"You could do this all day", someone sai..."You could do this all day", someone said. Well, I can't. Maybe "stain removed" for remaining aloof? Oof.<br /><br />Kind of funky and kind of fun, for me. Puzzle in essentially two pieces which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it did divide into North: easier; South: harder.<br /><br />Two write-overs. AngorA for ALPACA, and rayS for BUCS. The former caused some probems for a bit, but the latter was quickly fixed.<br /><br />Overall, medium, with many good clues.rainforestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80769010868974870772018-04-12T14:20:41.256-04:002018-04-12T14:20:41.256-04:00Got MOOINWALKER first and LYINDANCER last due to P...Got MOOINWALKER first and LYINDANCER last due to PASTA first residing where PENNE belonged, until the real PASTA showed up below and chased PENNE home. No troubles elsewhere.<br /><br />CSI and SVU both in the same puz?<br /><br />I use my entire yard as a BOCCE court when we play, but I knew the answer from the dimensions given.<br /><br />From “The Right Stuff”, a description of the ladies at the Happy Bottom Riding Club: “. . . creamy CUPCAKES with loamy loins . . .”<br /><br />LANA Del Rey grabbed my ATTN as yeah baby today; any of her youtube videos will confirm.<br /><br />This was certainly better than a rebus, even with my PENNE PAINS.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78465224796380534092018-04-12T13:52:07.367-04:002018-04-12T13:52:07.367-04:00INTEL INDEX
STELLA is good at PLAYIN’FOLKS,
but h...INTEL INDEX<br /><br />STELLA is good at PLAYIN’FOLKS,<br />but her DAM CAPERs aren’t the CLEANEST,<br />that CUPCAKE’S got some PETR jokes<br />and she’ll CARESS your BALLs and PIANISTS.<br /><br />--- EARLGREYBurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38689846591264964742018-04-12T13:02:47.583-04:002018-04-12T13:02:47.583-04:00Once I got in with the IN crowd, (on the MOOIN), t...Once I got in with the IN crowd, (on the MOOIN), the theme helped me slip IN all the other answers - not a SNAP, but not hard for a Thursday - at all. Surprise.<br /><br />Actually, had quite a bit of fun when all the answers kept jumping onto my plate like a bunch of PENNE PASTA with AGED cheese. (Please hold the EELS and CAPERs, thanks.) I'll have CUPCAKES for desert with my EARLGREY. Mr. W will have APPLEPIE. <br /><br />That all reminds me - a local place makes TOASTY ravioli. A nice rainy day for that menu.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords and lunchDiana,LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11801595481877600252018-04-12T10:53:02.064-04:002018-04-12T10:53:02.064-04:00Well. A puzzle that gave me less trouble than it g...Well. A puzzle that gave me less trouble than it gave OFL. Go figure. Started in the NR with BUCS, which gave me BOCCE. A short tome later I had MOOIN[']WALKER, and out.<br /><br />A theme is not *bad* because you "can do it all day." That's like saying a pun is *bad*. You're really saying this because YOU DIDN'T THINK OF IT FIRST. I liked it, thought it was a little different. The fill, too, is maybe not the CLEANEST, but with all those OPENTOE corners, not bad at all. (BTW, how do we get from "upright" to CLEAN?} Makes me think of an upright vacuum cleaner.<br /><br />I love me some PENNE PASTA, but nowadays only eat the gluten-free type. DOD is the hauntingly lovely ANYA Taylor-Joy; honorable mention to the my-era beauty STELLA Stevens. Despite ending with the horrid XMAS, I give this easy-medium puzzle a birdie.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19614105504841972092018-04-12T09:59:17.561-04:002018-04-12T09:59:17.561-04:00Hello (or OLA) from a years-long lurker in the rem...Hello (or OLA) from a years-long lurker in the remote wilds of syndication. I get great pleasure in the comments from and back-and-forth between the regular contributors - thank you all for that. <br /><br />Today, I find I can’t resist chiming in by offering an alternatve clue to @Lewis 6:58 AM PAYIN MANAGEMENT = “Giving rent”<br /><br />How about “Giving a golden parachute” to tap into the pain for employees and investors that so often goes along with the reasons a golden parachute is used.<br /><br />Keeping it simple and going with anonymous for this first foray,<br /><br />swAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7918367360050654852018-03-12T16:20:47.878-04:002018-03-12T16:20:47.878-04:00Yep. LINE DANCE or LION DANCE. PLAIN FOLK. BEAN CO...Yep. LINE DANCE or LION DANCE. PLAIN FOLK. BEAN COUNTER. MOON WALK.<br /><br />That’s how I see it.<br /><br />Sorry for formatting. I’m on my phone.TestMagichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01745441869696945791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20136989402350045772018-03-12T14:46:35.145-04:002018-03-12T14:46:35.145-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09399939590894367798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25514958469355639472018-03-11T11:12:36.901-04:002018-03-11T11:12:36.901-04:00Weak theme. Clues didn't make sense, answers d...Weak theme. Clues didn't make sense, answers didn't make sense. Trudged through the fill.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05327019234458793386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71850613601275765932018-03-10T16:35:44.370-05:002018-03-10T16:35:44.370-05:00Supposedly they are starting again, so this clue i...Supposedly they are starting again, so this clue is oddly current.Jillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67285821720869732282018-03-10T16:33:32.673-05:002018-03-10T16:33:32.673-05:00I think wgh is right. Ballerinas aren't line d...I think wgh is right. Ballerinas aren't line dancers, cows aren't moonwalkers, census takers aren't bean counters. Doesn't change the fact that line dancing, moon walking, and bean counting all exist in another context. Jillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17563907724181216722018-03-10T07:01:59.439-05:002018-03-10T07:01:59.439-05:00I did it in half my usual time. Found it way easy ...I did it in half my usual time. Found it way easy for a Thursday. I zipped through so fast that I didn't really have time to appreciate the puzzle.<br /><br />Andypubdef1960https://www.blogger.com/profile/15511690257007517737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14423794516276755012018-03-09T04:42:54.778-05:002018-03-09T04:42:54.778-05:00Agree! Welcome to the human race. Don’t blame you...Agree! Welcome to the human race. Don’t blame your slowness on bad puzzle making. I found the theme amusing. <br />Patricia Markerthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07117716094402586343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58479426402028142772018-03-09T01:42:34.149-05:002018-03-09T01:42:34.149-05:00DELE is crosswordese much like STET, used only by ...DELE is crosswordese much like STET, used only by editors (though taught in English classes).David Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421888573451451798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65658998284473734602018-03-08T23:56:10.332-05:002018-03-08T23:56:10.332-05:00But ... DELE??? Is that a word? An abbreviation? C...But ... DELE??? Is that a word? An abbreviation? Certainly an annoyance<br /><br />@quasiMojo re: cats. We had a similar problem with a previous resident of our house who creepily crept around to feed all her feral friends. I took to constantly patrolling and cleaning up that stinky cat food, trimmed a hedge she was hiding plates under, etc. That may not have been the reason but eventually she drifted away. Good luck Mel Curryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03950050340347524535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39921291359333427242018-03-08T20:59:48.471-05:002018-03-08T20:59:48.471-05:00I thought it was fun. It could have been a Wednesd...I thought it was fun. It could have been a Wednesday perhaps, but time-wise it was Thursday for me.<br /><br />As with others I had to stop and take a second look after putting in MERINO and MCMUFFIN and (for some reason) UPTOWNFUNKS and BOSS instead of FOLKS and ACES. This puzzle was just meant to throw you off a bit I think, and that's a good thing in a puzzle.<br />David Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421888573451451798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74637614454408670502018-03-08T19:18:25.129-05:002018-03-08T19:18:25.129-05:00Was waiting to see how much Rex was going to loath...Was waiting to see how much Rex was going to loathe this puzzle, which turned out to be slightly less than I was anticipating -- his disappointment with his own performance redirected some of the venom that would have otherwise gone to the puzzle.<br /><br />I struggled with the top-center stack of shorter answers for some reason. Had OPS, but for some reason thought it shouldn't be plural and switched to LAB. EPIC I still don't quite get. I didn't know those PETRs, but was eventually able to guess it. <br /><br />I also was not super delighted by the theme. It just *was*, no sense of accruing delight as it revealed itself. (But even themes that I think are weak are still pretty, pretty impressive when I try to put myself in the constructor's chair.)<br /><br />Paperback Writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01842959603424839217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48558165103530707812018-03-08T18:44:36.280-05:002018-03-08T18:44:36.280-05:00As a Brazilian, I also was confused with the "...As a Brazilian, I also was confused with the "Alo" and "Ola". Both acceptable in Brazil. However, "Alo" is a telephone greeting while "Ola" is a personal greeting. Though actually most people say "Oi" and/or "Tudo bem?". However, I can see the puzzlemaster's preference to use a "Ola" than doesn't have an H as in Spanish ("Hola")Kevin Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02960819910221180744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23093960023557598862018-03-08T18:18:44.130-05:002018-03-08T18:18:44.130-05:00Hated this puzzle. Ripped through the top half ...Hated this puzzle. Ripped through the top half and the hit a wall. Finished, just not quickly.<br /><br />Big beef is the inconsistent form of the themes answers.<br /><br />“Moonwalker” “plain folks”vs “lyndancer” and “bencounter”?? No.ChE Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63421799515545213182018-03-08T16:52:48.918-05:002018-03-08T16:52:48.918-05:00@Jeremy Smith at 2:07 you make an excellent point ...@Jeremy Smith at 2:07 you make an excellent point re the Edsel. Thanks for making me think about that. 😊Whatsernamenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22474564082184064072018-03-08T16:52:38.126-05:002018-03-08T16:52:38.126-05:00Happy to see ANYA Taylor-Joy make (what I assume i...Happy to see ANYA Taylor-Joy make (what I assume is) her puzzle debut. She is so excellent in "The Witch" and has a new movie coming out this weekend called "Thoroughbreds".Citizen Dainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09789010705241919403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24914095383880525762018-03-08T16:31:54.033-05:002018-03-08T16:31:54.033-05:00In the former sense it’s BEIN’ used ironically. M...In the former sense it’s BEIN’ used ironically. Maybe your post was ironic? Maybe I’m BEIN’ ironic! tho surely I’d know if I were.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21599064635649826512018-03-08T16:24:52.153-05:002018-03-08T16:24:52.153-05:00@MisanthropeAllergicToCats, wow, just wow. Not get...@MisanthropeAllergicToCats, wow, just wow. Not getting laid enough? Maybe you should talk to @Larry Gilstrap.Old Cootnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64296626215993072272018-03-08T16:18:24.004-05:002018-03-08T16:18:24.004-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 1/2/2018 post for an explanation of my method. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio & percentage, the higher my solve time was relative to my norm for that day of the week. Your results may vary.<br /><br />(Day, Solve time, 26-wk Median, Ratio, %, Rating)<br /><br />Mon 4:15 4:09 1.03 60.3% Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 4:03 5:26 0.74 3.4% Very Easy<br />Wed 6:48 6:07 1.11 67.8% Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 7:39 9:51 0.78 17.9% Easy<br /><br />Somehow, I take solace in knowing that OFL also has inexplicable solving struggles. I had little or no trouble with this one and didn't mind the theme. IMHO, the fact that there are lots of other examples doesn't detract. I don't get Rex's objection to the clue for CUPCAKES. They're not always presented in pans in the bakeries I've been in. I usually see them on a tray in baking cups.<br /><br />Other thoughts:<br />- Like Rex, I went with the PASTA malapop at 4D, which later showed up at 55A.<br />- Other erasures: topS before ACES at 49A and OLe before OLA at 28A. I thought the vowel was different in Portuguese. This kept me from seeing ALPACA as quickly as I should have and added some seconds to my time.<br />- 'Most upright' seems like a bit of a stretch for CLEANEST.<br />- As a hockey fan, I remember PETR Nedved, but I'm sure that was a stumbling block for some and especially non-sports fans since it crosses SCREENS.<br />- OTOH, ANYA Taylor-Joy is a complete unknown to me. This is not surprising since I've not heard of any of the movies or TV shows she's been in.<br />- I can never remember if it's CATE or kATE Blanchett/Winslet.<br />- Clever clue for COINAGE.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.com