tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6654878698997486183..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Tessellating artist / THU 4-23-15 / Cloisonne artisan / Singer recognized as King of youtube in 2012 / Commodity-trading card game / Product of zymurgist / Garden of Oscar Wilde poem Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59336312388288483122015-05-28T20:47:51.655-04:002015-05-28T20:47:51.655-04:00Is @Burma Shave really BS2, etc., as well? No matt...Is @Burma Shave really BS2, etc., as well? No matter, BS is consistently entertaining. Thanks, BS. leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33640054878645587022015-05-28T17:11:54.737-04:002015-05-28T17:11:54.737-04:00Since when do you etch with a chisel (23d)? Got it...Since when do you etch with a chisel (23d)? Got it right, but seems mis-clued to me.DPJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36834583639492015802015-05-28T16:13:43.599-04:002015-05-28T16:13:43.599-04:00Struggled mightily, but got there. Think there was...Struggled mightily, but got there. Think there was bit of a tilt toward the seniors here. Used to play raucous games of Pit with the family in late 30's. Courtier immediately made me think Madamoselle MODISTE, which I think was an operetta about that same time. Do people still call cars HEAPs? Hardest for was not changing KLEPT... to KeEPT.... And dredging up the proper names. CIMINO had to come from crosses, as did confirmation of HEINE. (spell check elf thinks this word should be a beer!) Knew Erte wasn't the artist, but he stood in fronts of ESCHER blocking my view far longer that he should have. Liked the clue for MAZE, when I finally unravelled it. Enough!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41084636331246134252015-05-28T12:35:35.760-04:002015-05-28T12:35:35.760-04:00EPIC IDEA
BECAUSE THEYTAKE and yammer
THINGSLITER...EPIC IDEA<br /><br />BECAUSE THEYTAKE and yammer<br />THINGSLITERALLY became a clamor<br />until the female guard would RISKIT - don’t damn her,<br />She BLEU TOKLEPTOMANIACS in the SLAMMER.<br /><br />--- YUAN GAEA <br />BS2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63359500028818369482015-05-28T11:49:05.611-04:002015-05-28T11:49:05.611-04:00I had small bits and pieces spread out all over th...I had small bits and pieces spread out all over the grid before I wa able to make a few connections ans start filling it in. LAPdog did not help the cause (used the d for dawgS) and finally I figured the feline; don’t remember ever hearing the term, but why not I s’pose. So it was much more than easy-medium for me. Again the dead center letter was last to fall, but with the Deutsch clue the I was a good guess.<br /><br />Couldn’t remember which mount, so naturally started out MAUNA__A just to get going.<br /><br />Don’t use much for MEDs, so ZANTAC took a while.<br /><br />Rebecca De MORNAY, today’s yeah baby. She could be my CELLMATE in the SLAMMER anytime. Definitely closer to my age than many others found in grids.<br /><br />Due to some of the aforementioned write-over spilled ink this HERE was more of a BATTLE than it was easy.<br /><br />323 - pretty goodrondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27186403365816168492015-05-28T10:14:58.243-04:002015-05-28T10:14:58.243-04:00EROS BLEU EWE
Ms. De MORNAY has a beautiful HEINE...EROS BLEU EWE<br /><br />Ms. De MORNAY has a beautiful HEINE,<br />MAN, I’ll RISKIT to say it’s not tiny.<br />YES, it’s CLEAR she DATES a guy<br />only BECAUSE HESSOSHY<br />he won’t SLAMMER BECAUSE her rear looks so shiny.<br /><br />--- IRA LEONE<br />Burma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48934084706367841982015-04-24T15:54:24.472-04:002015-04-24T15:54:24.472-04:00Z said: "Both "Posses" and "CR...Z said: "Both "Posses" and "CREWS" are slang."<br /><br />There's no crossword convention for putting slang usages in quotation marks. In fact, slang is often the source of intentionally misleading clues.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15339432172410182520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26151442422415994142015-04-24T11:00:04.617-04:002015-04-24T11:00:04.617-04:00I, for one, scroll down immediately to your entrie...I, for one, scroll down immediately to your entries. Please keep them coming.<br />Pity the fool who can't see the humor in mocking the rex god.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52743062163711260312015-04-24T07:35:33.312-04:002015-04-24T07:35:33.312-04:00@Gilly - [grinning] MWAH!
And one nother one for ...@Gilly - [grinning] MWAH! <br />And one nother one for @Teedmn. Always happy to elicit a smile, a groan, or a pucker.<br />A quick peek behind the curtain: my poisonal fave was the RaPUNzel, which took some grammatical gymnastics to reach.<br /><br />Cheers!Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65254909333975364062015-04-24T03:12:28.921-04:002015-04-24T03:12:28.921-04:00@Casco: here's a tip - I do the paper puzzle, ...@Casco: here's a tip - I do the paper puzzle, I start with red ink, use only a quarter of the square, then have room for write-overs, in extreme write-overs I use black ink. Works for me.Fred Romagnolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11994837736408182418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44740696270230490502015-04-23T23:55:50.185-04:002015-04-23T23:55:50.185-04:00@Z Now *that* is how to explain a solve. Bravo! Ev...@Z Now *that* is how to explain a solve. Bravo! Every step you made was credible. I'd have to have used UNO in place of GIN even though UNO fit better elsewhere in the same puzzle. Hmm. Well, had I done that, I imagine I might have accomplished a very similar solve -- had I also been less daring with the guesses and had looked at the clues in the most constructive order. One thing all successful solvers have in common: a handful of write-overs. @Wreck said it more than once. Wrongness, once in, is very, very hard to get out. When will I learn?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6386699989529790552015-04-23T23:40:46.816-04:002015-04-23T23:40:46.816-04:00Earlier there was a comment that TCM should have b...Earlier there was a comment that TCM should have been clued with an abbrev., and I was wondering if there is some kind of Network Exception Convention. Would ABC or CBS demand an abbreviation note?<br /><br />Also, there was discussion about "posses" being in quotes. I still don't get that. Aren't "nob/BEAN" equally slangy?<br /><br />36D clue worst I've seen for that particular answer.<br /><br />Earlier poster felt that 21A should be a gimme for anyone who has done "more than two" crosswords. Been solving on and off NYT, Washington Post, Daily Telegraph for, oh, 35 years and never run across that.<br /><br />Enjoyed ETCH and ESCHER, KLEP and KELP. Did not understand 67A until it was explained in an earlier comment. I was trying to come up with something to do with racetracks (e.g. Churchill Downs), but that would be furlongs.kitshefnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17024455660473302762015-04-23T22:51:35.934-04:002015-04-23T22:51:35.934-04:00@zeke, click on my icon and tell me more about FCA...@zeke, click on my icon and tell me more about FCA or direct me somewhere. Thanks dkdkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17317008233459295376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61452059320218353212015-04-23T22:34:26.773-04:002015-04-23T22:34:26.773-04:00I would have liked this puzzle a lot more if I had...I would have liked this puzzle a lot more if I hadn't heard the joke many times before.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32964293841729442752015-04-23T22:19:05.020-04:002015-04-23T22:19:05.020-04:00@Casco Kid - "...while I argued vigorously fo...@Casco Kid - "...while I argued vigorously for my excellent wrong answers." Right there. That's what ensnares you. <br />UNO or Gin? Both fit the clue, both are "right," but one of them doesn't work as well with MAU as the other (UM/gM, NA/iA, OU/nU) (One is also fairly common ese and the other isn't). From that -OU I guessed YOU, lighting up PSY, giving PUM-- meaning that the funky name must be a shoe designer of PUMPS. <br />Another example, MAZE, ALAS, and ALUMNA, ESSAYS gave me ZA---- with a crossing M-A. "Grand Central" suggested "Transit" yielding MTA crossing ZA-T--. That was enough to dredge ZANTAC out as a possibility. <br />My only actual writeovers today were -dog to CAT and CaMINO to CIMINO, but I had "wait for crosses" at madre/LEONE and Paar/LENO. My "I've no idea" included Blahniks, PIT, ZANTAC, MORNAY, HEINE, MODISTE, "Posses," GEESE, and Cloisonné. But they were all spread out and there were enough crosses. It was because of BECAUSE that I finally fixed LAPdog, figured out "Posses," and fixed CaMINO via AS IT IS.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58258593538757621092015-04-23T22:05:00.264-04:002015-04-23T22:05:00.264-04:00@leapy -- I echo Gill. That Goethe line was class...@leapy -- I echo Gill. That Goethe line was classic.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13509813593734344862015-04-23T22:00:26.183-04:002015-04-23T22:00:26.183-04:00I liked the quip, and got it long before I finishe...I liked the quip, and got it long before I finished the rest of the puzzle, so it was a help. Felt good finishing after a very slow start, not knowing what Blahniks are, nor who Cimino is, nor PSY (???) Zantac is a brand name I know, but I still don't like product clues, never heard of "He's so shy,"... but the puzzle was not overloaded with any particular genre. In all, I enjoyed it. Nice Thursday. Nancy, if you are reading this, I will post my seat location as soon as I find out where it is. Tis a glorious thing I ween to be a regular royal queen...<br />OISKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16808675378318214461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61457916483033514322015-04-23T21:36:04.879-04:002015-04-23T21:36:04.879-04:00p.s. If I were wearing false teeth, they would ha...p.s. If I were wearing false teeth, they would have popped out of my mouth!GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84533170377992868132015-04-23T21:34:11.078-04:002015-04-23T21:34:11.078-04:00@Leapy...."Goethe B. HEINE, Ms Aten."......@Leapy...."Goethe B. HEINE, Ms Aten."....I wish you could have seen my puckered mouth when I read that!<br />GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68747460150975579682015-04-23T21:28:44.032-04:002015-04-23T21:28:44.032-04:00Thanks to everyone who responded to my desperation...Thanks to everyone who responded to my desperation. I did finally solve the puz but I had substantial help from a local expert solver who showed tremendous patience while I argued vigorously for my excellent wrong answers.<br /><br />I'll classify my errors thusly:<br /><br />Blindness (dope slap administered) or blanked or blocked by other wrongness: EATSAT HESSOSHY SYNERGY EPIC PSY HASTEN SLAMMER SIEGE<br /><br />Ya-got-me misdirected: LAPdog LEONE NOB<br /><br />Clue so vague as to be effectively unclued: AIDE and the theme, of course.<br /><br />Clues so misdirected that I rejected the right answer as non-responsive: PICA, MAAM<br /><br />I didn't even know what the clue was asking: "Posses" CREWS, (Manolo) PUMPS, (Couturier) MODISTE (zymurgy) ALE, (Roux) MORNAY (calico) PIED<br /><br />Bad luck: GAIA<br /><br /><br />Unsussable ignorance: PIT ZANTAC EROS MTA CIMINO<br /><br />Deep wrongness: _EATS->WEILL<br /><br />All made That. Much. Harder. because 45 theme squares were effectively uncrossed.<br /><br />My expert solver friend thought Rex's "easy-medium" was harsh. It was unambiguously easy for him. And many of you. Wow. <br /><br />I've been solving for two years next week. I blush to consider the hours I've dumped into this. I'm still far short of @jae's recommended 10,000, but, well, I can only salute you all for your flexibility of mind and breadth and depth of knowledge. <br /><br />Lastly, regarding WEILL, the composer who worked with [BR]ECHT and several other librettists: he was separated by 100 years from Heinrich HEINE. While WEILL wrote copious Lieder, he probably never wrote a single lyric. I was really reaching on that one.<br /><br />From now on: rightness or silence.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74232591146336048072015-04-23T20:50:11.958-04:002015-04-23T20:50:11.958-04:00@Zeke - Let me remind you about engaging in battle...@Zeke - Let me remind you about engaging in battles of wit with the unarmed.<br /><br />@Elephant's Child - Now there's a cooking show I'd watch <a href="http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/ellipses.html" rel="nofollow">...</a>.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49017814682488149072015-04-23T20:42:28.500-04:002015-04-23T20:42:28.500-04:00Zeke,
It's clear that you're very proud o...Zeke, <br />It's clear that you're very proud of yourself for your "new" concept. Sadly, people have been studying and discussing multitasking for about 50 years. But if it works for you, call it FCT and keep telling yourself you invented it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89974435288701046382015-04-23T18:50:16.261-04:002015-04-23T18:50:16.261-04:00@Rex,
So Rebacca de Mornay and Zooey Bechamel wen...@Rex,<br /><br />So Rebacca de Mornay and Zooey Bechamel went out and got sauced together...Elephant's Childnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52361543514548973392015-04-23T18:28:36.094-04:002015-04-23T18:28:36.094-04:00Friday level for me today. @jae, I almost fell off...Friday level for me today. @jae, I almost fell off my chair when I saw your "sELL gUNS" 'cause I couldn't imagine anyone else would have made that connection. I left it in long enough that it wasn't until I was re-doing the puzzle in AcrossLite (which I like to do to check for errors on my hand-written version) that I saw my mistake. And I totally DNF with TCv crossing CIvINO.<br /><br />Quips not being my favorites, I didn't expect to enjoy this much but it was fresh and fun. And @Leapfinger, love the rock riffs. PTOMANIACS, indeed!<br /><br />Thanks, DS and BL!Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71765860270482811732015-04-23T18:16:37.130-04:002015-04-23T18:16:37.130-04:00@jae, @casco: I agree. Get a book of easy Monda...@jae, @casco: I agree. Get a book of easy Mondays. Then, if you finish and feel like you've mastered that level, get a book of Tuesdays, and so on. Asking someone who has trouble on early and midweek puzzles to do a difficult Saturday themeless seems like throwing them in the deep end.Benkonoreply@blogger.com