tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6769871151156511542..comments2024-03-29T04:46:57.646-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Six-Day War leader Weizman / THU 12-6-12 / Federal agcy 1946-75 / PayPal purchaser / Bit of attire for Mr Monopoly / NL East team informallyRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61666533931233457902013-01-10T16:32:58.435-05:002013-01-10T16:32:58.435-05:00I loved this puzzle for all the usual reasons plus...I loved this puzzle for all the usual reasons plus it reminded me of all the reasons why I like winter in Maine better than summer: 1- Don't have to spend time every day measuring and adjusting the PH of the WATER in the pool; 2- NOPE, I guess that's the only one. Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42146483333180651742013-01-10T16:10:30.351-05:002013-01-10T16:10:30.351-05:00Got the trick at PHONE which helped me separate SO...Got the trick at PHONE which helped me separate SOPHOCLES from Socrates. Enjoyed the puzzle but ended with an error, tASER crossing tILS. would have helped if had known to either look for 7 PH's or the pet names of teams. Also don't know the difference between a PHASER and a tASER. So much to learn!DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11230311369666064222013-01-10T13:44:20.668-05:002013-01-10T13:44:20.668-05:00Clever! As a former chem major, my first answer w...Clever! As a former chem major, my first answer was BASES, then I looked at the bottom, and ACIDS went in, and optimistically checked the centre, and yes, WATER. pHscale wouldn't fit, and so I didn't realize there was a rebus (not really a rebus, but that's what we say) and so I worked over to the NW and after rejecting TOPHAT because a TACH is not a needle holder, and I'd never heard the term AERO engine, I went elsewhere and picked up PHONE/PHANTOM, which got me PHSCALE, and the entire NW. Except for the CADY/ITAR cross, everything else was a snap. Ashamed that I knew BAIO, for some reason. <br />For those taking notes: Some salts are neutral, but most are either basic or acidic depending on the base/acid combination from which they spring. Pure water is neutral, but most water on the planet is very slightly acidic because of dissolved gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, etc.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63751566783767262682013-01-10T11:43:03.902-05:002013-01-10T11:43:03.902-05:00Weird. Not a single blogger has mentioned MY only ...Weird. Not a single blogger has mentioned MY only writeover: tell me you didn't see "Cargo vessel" and write in SHIP. Man, I could not make sense out of the "North by Northwest" (shameless plug for my all-time favorite flick) to save my bacon. Some very odd clues in this area helped obfuscate:<br /><br />"Whole lot" for BUSHEL<br />"Stick (to)" for HEW<br />"-engine" for AERO (WTF is that?)<br /><br />Eventually I hit on TOPHAT, which ought to be part of another theme entirely: PHrases containing a P-end word followed by one that starts with H. This helped straighten the whole thing out.<br /><br />Simple clues can often be the toughest. "Ring," "Won," "Lifts," "Pop," "Complete," "Arrange," "Lugs," "Beats." Look at any of these and you think: this could be ANYTHING. <br /><br />Started with HANSOLO and BIN, then ran through the NL East for a team with second letter I. HMMM. FISH? Left it, went down and filled in the SE. "Destructive pest" ending in -ID = APHID. Uh-oh, only four letters. Suddenly, I could solve that problem and the baseball one too: my beloved PHILS!! Any grid housing the guys in red is thumbs-up by me!<br /><br />Can't believe OFL missed WATER. Very cleverly done J&J. Now if we can give poor OMOO a few weeks off...Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41803181422709853372012-12-06T21:40:14.750-05:002012-12-06T21:40:14.750-05:00@ Bob Snead
"Lots of people being extra nice...@ Bob Snead<br /><br />"Lots of people being extra nice to this puzzle..."<br /><br />If you read the comments, most people appreciated the well-constructed theme, the above-average fill, the fun of filling in the rebus, and they didn't get naticked. ; )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89772853937230208382012-12-06T20:56:23.653-05:002012-12-06T20:56:23.653-05:00Lots of people being extra nice to this puzzle, no...Lots of people being extra nice to this puzzle, not quite sure why. But whatever. My biggest issue today is that I expected Rex to post a Bukowski photo, which he did not. <br /><br />Also totally naticked at HEW/SCOW.Bob Sneadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75630606547521925502012-12-06T19:07:16.103-05:002012-12-06T19:07:16.103-05:00PASSEL instead of BUSHEL. So close, yet so far.PASSEL instead of BUSHEL. So close, yet so far.Stevlb1https://www.blogger.com/profile/03814855846710624128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14355884170637594602012-12-06T18:19:37.450-05:002012-12-06T18:19:37.450-05:00@Z ...and only if he/she failed to read the clue f...@Z ...and only if he/she failed to read the clue for 2d before entering it.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38454599272440833332012-12-06T16:50:59.842-05:002012-12-06T16:50:59.842-05:00ETUI is a mistake that only an experienced crosswo...ETUI is a mistake that only an experienced crossword solver would make.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90093872255403253202012-12-06T16:25:04.051-05:002012-12-06T16:25:04.051-05:00Correction - I meant ETUI at 1A.
@ED - I like the...Correction - I meant E<b>T</b>UI at 1A.<br /><br />@ED - I like the idea of F-SCALE.<br /><br />@Lewis - Maybe asymmetry, and making you guess, on such an easy theme is a good thing. Adds to the challenge.Birdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79396386307529154312012-12-06T16:18:07.137-05:002012-12-06T16:18:07.137-05:00@rube -- exactly! ETUI and BORA held me up in the...@rube -- exactly! ETUI and BORA held me up in the NW as well.<br /><br />ED -- I love the horrific thought of a FSCALE theme! And your vixen comment made me laugh. You're getting your edge back. <br /><br />I like that the PHs were assymetrical - kept me guessing. I loved this puzzle. Some parts flew, others were very crunchy, especially the NW. But with my persistence, it yielded. <br /><br />I don't know much about the PH scale, aside from it being ACID on one end and BASE on the other. But is it always WATER in the middle? They don't call it something like NEUTRAL?Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13101913561424781112012-12-06T16:07:23.711-05:002012-12-06T16:07:23.711-05:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Thu 16:52, 18:43, 0.90, 33%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Thu 10:49, 9:23, 1.15, 81%, Challenging<br /><br />With rebus and other gimmick puzzles, I trust the Top 100 rating more than the All Solvers rating. This is because such puzzles generally have a lot fewer online solvers. Today's puzzle is no exception.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71818924872087627372012-12-06T15:49:34.659-05:002012-12-06T15:49:34.659-05:00Started out really liking this after discovering t...Started out really liking this after discovering the theme (great theme BTW), but my pleasure morphed into meh as the pH locations were asymmetrical and not universally employed. Mostly, the pH was at the start or end of a word, but one time it was in the middle of two words – TOP HAT (@acme – I didn’t even think about the sound aspect so that’s a minus for me). I admire the multitude of pH squares, inclusion of ACIDS, BASES & WATER and the work that went into the construction, but the resulting grid left me so-so satisfied.<br /><br />I like the cargo mini-theme, but where’s the PANTS? I like the mis-direction of 22A. I liked 3D and 38D. I also like that there is not a single RRN, RCD or RGL.<br /><br />I could do without 3-letter state abbreviations. I don’t live in WIS, but does anyone use that abbr.? I don’t care for HIVED or the lack of a hint that 32A is abbreviated – need a “familiarly” or “informally” in the clue.<br /><br />Write-overs include ENUI at 1A, STASH at 18A and RISES at 41A.<br /><br />Deli choice threw for a little as I was looking for this or that as in WHITE OR RYE.<br /><br />Entre NOUS is a excellent song by one of my favorite bands, Rush, so that was a gimme.Birdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38217182597861525272012-12-06T15:35:44.578-05:002012-12-06T15:35:44.578-05:00Wasn't able to be here yesterday and just read...Wasn't able to be here yesterday and just read it. I had to comment: I was in W country (Texas) last year and at the fair they were serving deep-fried butter on a stick. Yup--1/4 lb. stick of butter with a stick in the end, coated and deep-fried. Only in Texas.Victor Poleshuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01611704791999583301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84519343682534396212012-12-06T15:24:56.330-05:002012-12-06T15:24:56.330-05:00Finally got to Staples for ink. Got most of the pu...Finally got to Staples for ink. Got most of the puzzle even though I know nothing about the PH scale. wanted etui as did others.<br /><br />Loved the clue for ware!!chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47933703027672871272012-12-06T15:09:17.583-05:002012-12-06T15:09:17.583-05:00Great puzzle! I also had the most trouble in the N...Great puzzle! I also had the most trouble in the NW, confidently putting in ETUI. When I didn't get anywhere with that, I tried CASE, which turned 4D into EGG ON RYE. Choreograph saved me there.<br /><br />@Bob Kerfuffle: I'm so glad I commented!<br /><br />@Gill I: LOL re - cote!<br /><br />I was totally confused with the vixen, couldn't imagine a female fox with antlers.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38698398148131142702012-12-06T14:26:57.811-05:002012-12-06T14:26:57.811-05:00@rube
What are you saying (twice! ;)) about poor R...@rube<br />What are you saying (twice! ;)) about poor RudolPH?<br />Maybe Dec 24 is still consided early winter there...<br />that's why sometimes you find pieces of antler in your xmas stocking (next to your lump of coal)Acmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36489372182677967062012-12-06T13:14:01.460-05:002012-12-06T13:14:01.460-05:00Found it. You have to hit escape. I'll spare...Found it. You have to hit escape. I'll spare you from my complaining about how incredibly poorly this is implemented, but that's the last nail in my trial of the new NYT app. Back to Across Lite from now on.Arbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48161111335129362982012-12-06T12:51:25.567-05:002012-12-06T12:51:25.567-05:00Got the rebus at PHONE/PHANTOM, but had to reset a...Got the rebus at PHONE/PHANTOM, but had to reset at that point and start over. I was solving in the new NYT puzzle app (which I am trying to like, but still don't). I could not for the life of me figure out how to enter multiple letters, though I'm sure I've done it accidentally at least 5 times before. What is the magic incantation that opens up a square for more than one keystroke?<br /><br />Downloaded the puzzle in Across Lite and finished in record time, but that is tainted because I had already discovered many of the answers.Arbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21430643259996394192012-12-06T12:40:11.748-05:002012-12-06T12:40:11.748-05:00How can you have PHISH in the grid and not clue it...How can you have PHISH in the grid and not clue it via Vermont hippie jam band goodness?Mr. Bensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12507031178939980974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91117364234354731852012-12-06T12:12:31.197-05:002012-12-06T12:12:31.197-05:00Before someone takes me to task for implying that ...Before someone takes me to task for implying that the ph scale has only integer values (it's bound to happen), let me clarify: I expressed myself poorly. What I wanted to say is that the position of a ph rebus square in a column spanning 15 rows can be directly interpreted as a value on the scale, and I like this because it makes the revealer apply literally to the whole grid.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52085453368514962332012-12-06T11:59:19.284-05:002012-12-06T11:59:19.284-05:00... and pj's for Sunday mornin'.... and pj's for Sunday mornin'.Masked and Anonymo4Usnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32967291938189845782012-12-06T11:39:28.714-05:002012-12-06T11:39:28.714-05:00pg for TuesPuz
ph for ThursPuz
Life of pi for SatP...pg for TuesPuz<br />ph for ThursPuz<br />Life of pi for SatPuz (est.)<br />Another phunky phearless phorecast from M&A.<br />Pretty good week for puzs. Liked this one most of all; hard to beat a rebus with a stick.<br /><br />Non-retired-chemist brain thought maybe 37-A would be SALTS. Isn't that what's left over, after the acid hits the base? But, ever alert for patterns...<br />UNITER twice. <br />Then UNCUT twice.<br />Next up, WATER twice? Deice.Masked and Uncutamousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1964555948570002772012-12-06T11:21:28.620-05:002012-12-06T11:21:28.620-05:00Here's another wrinkle in this delightful puzz...Here's another wrinkle in this delightful puzzle that nobody seems to have mentioned yet: The PH scale has 15 values (from 0 to 14). So we have indeed ph values at various points of the scale in their respective columns.<br /><br />How do I know this? Last year, I removed the weeds from patch of land that was supposed to grow into a lovely meadow, but never did, turned the earth, and made a vegetable garden. Being somewhat obsessive by nature, I had the soil tested, and that was the occasion I learned about the ph scale.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16137545293627473982012-12-06T10:56:09.560-05:002012-12-06T10:56:09.560-05:00Phooey - couldn't phinish. Loved your write-u...Phooey - couldn't phinish. Loved your write-up today @Rex, very phunny. Had *every single mistake* that everyone else had. My Entre was a cote (always thinking food) and like @Z IToR would not give up his seat.<br />Did get the PH at PHONE so I caught on quickly but, alas, the WATER did not HOLD.<br />Thanks Jill and Jeff for a really great puzzle - can we have more, please?GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.com