tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6770541382978034752..comments2024-03-29T01:22:33.864-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Terror in Arthur Canon Doyole's Lost World / FRI 3-30-18 / Ubiquitous Chinese character / Like three-pitch inning / Italian poetic form Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31711314715309803002018-05-05T01:57:17.602-04:002018-05-05T01:57:17.602-04:00Rex Parker,
Asimov used the word in one of his la...Rex Parker,<br /><br />Asimov used the word in one of his later books for a law of robotics. Zeroth Law. Not sure if that is the origin of the term or it exists prior that. This would have been in the mid 1980s with Robots of Dawn or Robots and Empire. <br /><br />Solved this without hints but got one wrong. LENALADY not LANDLADY. Put a E in for DALES instead of a A. Did not think it was right but forgot about it until looking the answers here. <br /><br /><br />Mark Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52450759285391442342018-05-04T19:41:30.939-04:002018-05-04T19:41:30.939-04:00A Natick in the NW, WELLDArN/RIrA, and a mess in t...A Natick in the NW, WELLDArN/RIrA, and a mess in the SW three-stack, as a consequence of AMa/angErS.<br /><br />Yet it was (triple) ALL worth the price of admission with the clues/answers: "And I get dumped on again"/WELLCOMETOMYLIFE and "Jeez that's a shame"/AWMAN.<br /><br />Got some extra Kicks out of this one.leftcoastTAMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81374172996873721432018-05-04T14:30:35.446-04:002018-05-04T14:30:35.446-04:00According to the google ngram viewer (https://book...According to the google ngram viewer (https://books.google.com/ngrams), zeroth is more common than allosaurus and much, much more common than megadeal.<br /><br />https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=allosaurus%2Czeroth%2Cmegadeal&case_insensitive=on&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t4%3B%2Callosaurus%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3BAllosaurus%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Ballosaurus%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BALLOSAURUS%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Czeroth%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bzeroth%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BZeroth%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Cmegadeal%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bmegadeal%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BMegadeal%3B%2Cc0treeeetophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17928137848679460842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52345164024020780182018-05-04T14:26:22.200-04:002018-05-04T14:26:22.200-04:00Relatively easy puzzle for a Friday, and I enthusi...Relatively easy puzzle for a Friday, and I enthusiastically endorse it.<br /><br /><br />ZEROTH, ZIP ON, SNYDER, O SOLE MIO, LANDLADY and NO RUN were gimmes. The central down grid-spanner came off the W of WAR and the U of NO RUN.<br /><br />The rest was a lot of fun, filled with in-the-language colloquialisms. Too many? Hard to say, but I think I wouldn't want to see this many in all puzzles. Nonetheless, they add a certain sparkle to the fill.rainforestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32940353647423528732018-05-04T12:53:45.644-04:002018-05-04T12:53:45.644-04:00BTW, all the discussion about the NORUN inning is ...BTW, all the discussion about the NORUN inning is actually about a NORUN half-inning. As in the old riddler - how many outs in an inning? Answer is 6.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61698509760853464802018-05-04T12:27:09.133-04:002018-05-04T12:27:09.133-04:00My “refuse to drop” was HAngON at first, so that d...My “refuse to drop” was HAngON at first, so that didn’t help to figure out that whole ZIPON/ZEROTH thing, until the light bulb went on and allowed me to HARPON that. Otherwise blot-free.<br /><br />ENEMYSPY makes me think of SPY vs. SPY from MAD Magazine.<br /><br />For surveyors, PKS are special heavy duty nails with a spiral-fluted shank (made by Parker-Kaelon) that you can drive into bituminous (not *tar*) surfaces to mark your reference points. Called PKS since the company’s initials P-K are stamped on the nail head. You learn more here by accident than elsewhere by design.<br /><br />You might have the CLAP if it hurts PEEN.<br /><br />Yup. Yeah baby SADE again. IMAFAN. NEVERFAILS in the romance dept.<br /><br />Mostly easy and I could fill it ALLIN.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16959514595838867122018-05-04T11:04:00.155-04:002018-05-04T11:04:00.155-04:00So OFL hates poker; I'm not surprised. IMAFAN....So OFL hates poker; I'm not surprised. IMAFAN. And there's lots of poker today!<br /><br />"ICHECK."<br />"ALLIN."<br />[Calls, learns his top set has just lost to a runner-runner straight] "WELL, DAMN! AWMAN, I'm a DENSE FATHEAD. WELCOMETOMYLIFE."<br /><br />Oh. Maybe THAT's why he hates it.<br /><br />As to ZEROTH, I learned in today's blogs more than I ever wanted to about that word. For me it went in on crosses, having inferred the Z. But the real outlier is that uber-obscure part-name of an even more obscure river, AMU. I don't know how to fix that corner, but PLEASESTOP with the AMU's. Again, forced by crosses, so no real DNF threats; call it easy-medium. First thing I dropped in was the vertical gridspanner, off just the clue plus some finger-counting. OSOLEMIO followed, and it was off to the races.<br /><br />Must be a thicket of baseball fans here; they all HARPON ways to skewer the NORUN inning. Well, not ALL...speaking of which, we have a plethora of ALLs in this one with ALLIN. ALLERGIC and ALLOSAURUS ALL occurring in one area. (I like MOLD next to ALLERGIC.)<br /><br />SADE reprises as DOD. She could be my LANDLADY any time. Lots of cool conversational entries in this one; that NEVERFAILS to impress. Shorter fill, though, brings it down to a par.<br /><br /> spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4542319010320566172018-05-04T11:03:32.836-04:002018-05-04T11:03:32.836-04:00Stupid appears twice as a clue for no particular r...Stupid appears twice as a clue for no particular reason:<br />20A (FATHEADED) and 43A (DENSE)<br />But enough about Trump.thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38653120870556654412018-05-04T10:15:57.429-04:002018-05-04T10:15:57.429-04:00DENSE PAGAN ALLIN LACE
My DAMN FATHEADED LANDLADY...DENSE PAGAN ALLIN LACE<br /><br />My DAMN FATHEADED LANDLADY will hem and haw<br />in BED, and NEVERFAILS to HARPON my wife,<br />“AW,MAN, PLEASESTOP. PLEASE go. Menage ATROIS,<br />and DON’TWAITUPFORME.” WELCOMETOMYLIFE.<br /><br />--- DALE_S. SNYDERBurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62889237698993147202018-04-01T21:33:15.261-04:002018-04-01T21:33:15.261-04:00Easy one, got it quick!!!!!!Easy one, got it quick!!!!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18038002669098155804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2048652951875382062018-03-31T19:00:37.556-04:002018-03-31T19:00:37.556-04:00Hey Mr. Der,
Thank you for the superb puzzle. Wha...Hey Mr. Der,<br /><br />Thank you for the superb puzzle. What an achievement.<br />And what a boon that Sharp was stymied. His egotistical rant and nonssnsensical claim about how many directions were in play are pure gold. <br />Thanks again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69326260925570467412018-03-31T06:57:22.051-04:002018-03-31T06:57:22.051-04:00"Thoroughfares?" If you're going to..."Thoroughfares?" If you're going to put a puzzle in the *New York* Times, and the theme is about the streets of *New York* City, then you better get the fact that thoroughfares in *New York* are always two-way and not one-way.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10083721675500441739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12731932576321973572018-03-31T02:26:40.769-04:002018-03-31T02:26:40.769-04:00I loved this one, Seemed difficult at first, but t...I loved this one, Seemed difficult at first, but then I worked my way through it. Initially had DArN like some others, but then I got the Almost There message and checked the downs. Didn't expect the PG13 DAMN in the NYT!<br /><br />By the way, not to brag (okay, totally to brag), but I met LMS at the ACPT. She is the best person in the world, and she was so incredibly nice to this ACPT rookie! Thank you LMS!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16491771194367384213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11070888123640163352018-03-30T20:58:08.980-04:002018-03-30T20:58:08.980-04:00IBBs don't require any pitches, so you could g...IBBs don't require any pitches, so you could give up a dinger, walk a guy, get a double play, and have a one run three pitch inning.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13479563228686790504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66764579391268478672018-03-30T19:44:35.796-04:002018-03-30T19:44:35.796-04:00@Anoa Bob, good one.
@Gill I, your sister and my s...@Anoa Bob, good one.<br />@Gill I, your sister and my sister would do well together. My sister is the shortest in my family (by 1/4 inch) and she qualifies as a MAMA bear too. <br />@Nancy, my son is great, I have my maternal flaws. Apparently not so many that I impeded his development. Aketihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07059835429995060000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74805288979140962822018-03-30T19:23:24.394-04:002018-03-30T19:23:24.394-04:00Will someone please explain to several clueless fo...Will someone please explain to several clueless folks on here that beginning with the 2017 season, Major League Baseball removed the requirement to throw four intentional balls. The manager of the team in the field now simply asks the plate umpire to let the batter go to first base. Abner Doubledaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30791743855111503192018-03-30T18:52:01.201-04:002018-03-30T18:52:01.201-04:00Huh. Zeroth is a very legitimate word in my book. ...Huh. Zeroth is a very legitimate word in my book. See, for example, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeroth_law_of_thermodynamics" rel="nofollow">zeroth law of thermodynamics</a> And I am not a baseball fan, so NORUN was an answer that I have deductively figured out and had no problems with. I though this was a good Friday puzzle, with the right amount of tricks and stuff.<br /><br />I had S_ _ _ for <i>School cafeteria food, stereotypically</i> and for a while I legit thought "SHIT?" I was relieved to find out that wasn't the answer.<br /><br />One thing that worked against the puzzle was the abundance of exclamatory etc. answers. They were crossed fairly, but it felt overwhelming in the beginning.<br /><br />Good one. Happy with it.<br /><br /><b>GRADE:</b> A-, 4.05 stars.<br />semioticus (shelbyl)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16204028248874222567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24618870299644561392018-03-30T18:51:55.070-04:002018-03-30T18:51:55.070-04:00@lms - those redundancies were superfluous. But t...@lms - those redundancies were superfluous. But thanks anyway.<br /><br />Ottermom!!!!!! LoD (Laugh of the Day!)<br /><br />@Carola...all those in-charge ladies were my favorite part of this puzzle. <br /><br />Did raise my eyebrow at PAGAN, long enough to wonder why poor Christmas was singled out. It made me wonder about how many rituals get absorbed over the millenia into whatever is the belief-du-jour.<br />Seems like a fairly widespread practice.<br /><br />Speaking of, how many other Catholic elementary school alums bought PAGAN babies? I remember those little purple and white cardboard boxes, collecting pennies in them, then sending them somewhere to "buy pagan babies"? We would get to name them. It puzzled me a bit as a little kid. It puzzles me more now.<br /><br />@Wm C - My parents lived in Le Vesinet!<br />I worked on r. Galilee, a generation later.<br /><br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20409162287400821252018-03-30T18:49:16.169-04:002018-03-30T18:49:16.169-04:00@Birchbark - D’Oh.
@Mohair Sam - A draft is one ...@Birchbark - D’Oh. <br /><br />@Mohair Sam - A draft is one solution. Expecting political leaders to avoid misguided foreign wars because, you know, they’re bad ideas is apparently naive. <br /><br />@John Child - Nice puzzle. WELL DAMN, I thought there was an Interesting synchronicity with today’s NYTX. <br /><br />Speaking of baseball, I think video review is a stupid idea, but at least if you’re going to have it live by the rules you create for it. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15778086548435522992018-03-30T18:46:23.063-04:002018-03-30T18:46:23.063-04:00WELLDArN , a DNF here as I did not know RIME.
No ...WELLDArN , a DNF here as I did not know RIME.<br /><br />No problem with ZEROTH here, but I teach physics. I’ve noticed OFL often struggles with math/science clues. I tend to struggle with music and author clues.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38467543492246661852018-03-30T18:42:34.824-04:002018-03-30T18:42:34.824-04:00Walks (intentional or otherwise) use 4 pitches. Walks (intentional or otherwise) use 4 pitches. everettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16605761431690266442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87019589452229701922018-03-30T18:22:28.064-04:002018-03-30T18:22:28.064-04:00I thought this was a fine, workman-like puzzle. I ...I thought this was a fine, workman-like puzzle. I liked it a lot!Alpha-Datahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05822923752426475212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82105554611422495782018-03-30T17:51:43.046-04:002018-03-30T17:51:43.046-04:00@Z 10:08 (and everyone who commented on that post)...@Z 10:08 (and everyone who commented on that post). Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) used to call for the reinstatement of the draft as a deterrent to war. He wanted all families to "feel the burden" if we were going fight. I couldn't agree more.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52269397057216641662018-03-30T17:31:43.889-04:002018-03-30T17:31:43.889-04:00This 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 4:41 4:15 1.10 77.2% Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 6:22 5:31 1.15 77.9% Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 8:47 6:00 1.46 95.3% Very Challenging<br />Thu 9:32 10:01 0.95 42.6% Medium<br />Fri 13:23 12:22 1.08 62.2% Medium-Challenging<br /><br />A nice challenge with some nice stuff and some not-so-nice stuff.<br /><br />Nice:<br />- O SOLE MIO ... I always love thinking of that piece<br />- TURNIP ... I didn't know the cabbage part about rutabaga<br />- MOWS ... baseball clue!<br />- ALLOSAURUS ... who doesn't like dinosaurs?<br />- MOLASSES ... fun word ... I sometimes use the term "slow as molasses" and occasionally get confused looks when I do<br /><br />Not-so-nice:<br />- NO RUN ... horrible baseball clue/answer combo<br />- MAO ... only because I don't want to read the standard bitching about tyrants in the comments on the Rex blog<br />- A TROIS ... I guess non-English words/phrases are probably fair game for Fri and Sat, but I still don't like them ... especially when crossed by AMU<br />- RIMA ... see A TROIS<br />- ZIP ON ... is this a real thing?<br />- ZEROTH ... seriously? ... please<br /><br />OK, so it turns out that there's more naughty than nice. Maybe there were a few other clues I liked, but couldn't pick them out upon review of the grid.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71282855032767991732018-03-30T17:31:12.651-04:002018-03-30T17:31:12.651-04:00Great puzzle, way better than yesterday's. ZE...Great puzzle, way better than yesterday's. ZEROTH was no problem -- I'd have cited Bruckner's Symphony 00 had Anon not led off the commentary with a shout-out to it.<br /><br />I had a minor slowdown in the central area -- I kept wanting 35a to be THE STORY OF MY LIFE even though it was one box too short. But eventually it all jell-oed into place. Fun to be reminded of Tom Snyder again, and the Amu Darya (as opposed to Syr Darya) river. I miss my atlas-obsessed youth.Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.com