tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6880888062911256805..comments2024-03-29T07:38:33.064-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2008 - Sheldon Bernardo (Historical 1976 miniseries / Classic 1947 detective novel / Sinbad's avian attacker)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46229876881996707612008-10-02T22:02:00.000-04:002008-10-02T22:02:00.000-04:00What's with 23 across? I couldn't even read it!Ma...What's with 23 across? I couldn't even read it!<BR/>Mary AnnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91631634019780690292008-10-02T15:00:00.000-04:002008-10-02T15:00:00.000-04:00Blackjack players "Stay" or "Stand"Poker players "...Blackjack players "Stay" or "Stand"<BR/>Poker players "call," "see,"or check.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49293873031354623812008-10-02T11:51:00.000-04:002008-10-02T11:51:00.000-04:00@Rex, or anyone else still out there that may be r...@Rex, or anyone else still out there that may be reading this:<BR/><BR/>(5 weeks later.........)<BR/><BR/>I really liked your comment regarding SPONGEBOB because it made me think that in typical 15x15 grid, you CAN fit his whole name in the grid, as long as you use a black square (as in: SPONGEBOB [black square] PANTS).<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure of the definitions, but would using the black squares as part of the answers be considered a rebus? Has this been done before?<BR/><BR/>Just curious!Mike the Winohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06130415184285936710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27337915885073956672008-08-29T01:14:00.000-04:002008-08-29T01:14:00.000-04:00acm,why trouble with all these restrictions, when ...acm,<BR/><BR/>why trouble with all these restrictions, when your voice<BR/>is more attuned to poetry?<BR/><BR/>fffergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29368464716433780072008-08-28T23:57:00.000-04:002008-08-28T23:57:00.000-04:00I was going to actually see if I could go a day wi...I was going to actually see if I could go a day without writing on this blog...<BR/>I guess not!<BR/><BR/>And, not surprisingly, once again with meingleichgesinnter Ulrich, holding back, seeing if others covered what I wanted to say anyway...<BR/>and yes, everyone covered most of what I felt...(I totally agree with Jane!)<BR/><BR/>@ Rex<BR/>TOTALLY appreciate you pointing out ANIGH the only punny thing about the theme...<BR/><BR/>BUT so many problems with this puzzle!<BR/><BR/>No one's mentioned the two (of like 30) I had the most problems with.<BR/><BR/>SANO is the same as SANA, no? Just different gender? To me it's like using the answer in the clue. <BR/><BR/>SPONGEBOB is great but I totally would have tried for a different word than SANO esp if you have to define it by itself...(what about SONO and CORDS?)<BR/>ESPECIALLY in a puzzle that had OLEIN and OLEO...ick.<BR/><BR/>and not only was POE a bleed over (LOVED the quote) but this is the THIRD time this week, (Mon, Tues and Thurs) that NEAL is in the grid, so I am officially non-delusional. "Womens sana in corpore..."<BR/><BR/>Totally thrilled that Mac had a MALAPOP putting AWOL in for 2D (AWAY)!<BR/><BR/>On a positive note, the LAPEL clue ("It's sometimes grabbed") was very colorful and visual.<BR/><BR/>And this is not political, per se, (bec it's linguistic and about the puzzle), but it was weird for me to see "Sclerosis" in the puzzle today bec Michelle Obama who is otherwise one of the smoothest, most confident speaker I've seen, pronounced it TWICE Tues night without the L...<BR/><BR/>I had taped it and played it back three or four times bec I couldn't believe it...<BR/>She's by far no George W, but she kept saying "Multiple Scerosis"!<BR/><BR/>Btw, I'm surprised that OSTEO wasn't clued as 39D "Prefix with -porosis"<BR/>(which I misspelled with an "a" just now, "parosis" and it gets a million hits anyway, even tho they asked if I meant POROSIS)<BR/>that would have made more sense.<BR/><BR/>It's funny I put in KLEIG without thinking twice, it was the only spelling I know and actually wondered what a variation of it could even be!<BR/><BR/>I tried to play it recently in Scrabble and it was challenged off. At the time I thought it must be capitalized or something, I didn't understand why it was no good (nor are KLEAG, or KLIEG, btw)<BR/><BR/>@puzzlegirl <BR/>Ah, my Shiksa bubbeleh, the "hot" is referring to the danger/contentiousness (sp?) of the Gaza Strip...so, no, DEFINITELY not like bacon!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21414494915271918242008-08-28T23:48:00.000-04:002008-08-28T23:48:00.000-04:00miriam b: I love Tom Lehrer! Tom's intro to his so...miriam b: I love Tom Lehrer! Tom's intro to his song, Alma, wherein he describes her marriage to Mahler, "the composer of Das Lied von der Erde and other light classics" is exactly how I learned to keep the i/e combination straight in high school German!fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84162089029597844352008-08-28T23:23:00.000-04:002008-08-28T23:23:00.000-04:00A deck of cards I might deal, but we're going to p...A deck of cards I might deal, but we're going to play whist, or bridge.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59061273214378054562008-08-28T23:17:00.000-04:002008-08-28T23:17:00.000-04:00No staying in poker. Calling, folding, raising. ...No staying in poker. Calling, folding, raising. That is all.green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66004021084015288402008-08-28T22:05:00.000-04:002008-08-28T22:05:00.000-04:00@puzzlegirl: The Gaza Strip is "hot" because of al...@puzzlegirl: The Gaza Strip is "hot" because of all the current violence.abnormahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08203985530569154521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3264090779043220762008-08-28T21:43:00.000-04:002008-08-28T21:43:00.000-04:00Song by Tom Lehrer from That Was the Year That Wa...Song by Tom Lehrer from That Was the Year That Was. Note the thrd verse! <BR/> <BR/>Whatever became of Hubert?<BR/>Has anyone heard a thing?<BR/>Once he shone on his own,<BR/>Now he sits home alone,<BR/>And waits for the phone to ring.<BR/><BR/>Once a fiery liberal spirit,<BR/>Ah, but now when he speaks he must clear it.<BR/>Second fiddle's a hard part, I know,<BR/>When they don't even give you a bow.<BR/><BR/>"We must protest his treatment," Hubert,<BR/>Says each newspaper reader.<BR/>As someone remarked to Schubert,<BR/>"Take us to your Lieder."<BR/><BR/>(Sorry about that)<BR/><BR/>Whatever became of Hubert?<BR/>We miss you, so tell us please.<BR/>Are you sad? Are you cross? Are you gathering moss<BR/>While you wait for the boss to sneeze?<BR/><BR/>Does Lyndon, recalling when he was VP,<BR/>Say, "I'll do unto you like they did unto me?"<BR/>Do you dream about staging a coup?<BR/>Hubert, what happened to you?miriam bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506593846362044050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79651780732821453562008-08-28T21:34:00.000-04:002008-08-28T21:34:00.000-04:00I didn't love this puzzle. I don't understand the ...I didn't love this puzzle. I don't understand the clue "Hot strip?" for GAZA. In a clue like this, isn't the phrase generally an idiom but the question mark indicates that the words should be taken literally? What does the phrase "hot strip" mean? Like a stripper? Like bacon? What?<BR/><BR/>I'm pretty sure STAY isn't a poker term. I know it's a blackjack term and I can't think of how it would be used in poker. In poker, you either check or call. Addie Loggins? You out there?<BR/><BR/>The KLEIG/OLEIN cross was totally unfair and made me mad.<BR/><BR/>An after-lunch bite is an OREO? Bah!<BR/><BR/>Can someone give me an example of the words "biographies" and LIVES used interchangeably? <BR/><BR/>"It's sometimes grabbed" stinks as a clue for LAPEL.<BR/><BR/>Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today.PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06835502266781516627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73376589541495522422008-08-28T21:29:00.000-04:002008-08-28T21:29:00.000-04:00@mac and fergus: I'm over limit, but I have to add...@mac and fergus: I'm over limit, but I have to add that "leider" in German is an adverb meaning "unfortunately".Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73781495035417210182008-08-28T20:45:00.000-04:002008-08-28T20:45:00.000-04:00@fergus: that is funny, songs in German are Lieder...@fergus: that is funny, songs in German are Lieder, here we go again with the switching of ei/ie. Pronounced like leader. <BR/><BR/>@foodie: I am completely with fikink, I always love your comments and the beautiful way you compose them. Funny about your daughter's comment! My son said some doozies (sp.), var.?, thankfully in Dutch.<BR/><BR/>I have to admit I have never heard of leet speak. Is there any reason I should learn that language? I'm not going to do games, feel ashamed about the odd sudoku already.<BR/><BR/>@Orange: the fact that your solving time has stayed more or less the same, even when you're learning every day, may prove that the puzzle is getting harder, don't you think?machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25533236632179376162008-08-28T20:05:00.000-04:002008-08-28T20:05:00.000-04:00So 'Lay' is from the Old High German, and is essen...So 'Lay' is from the Old High German, and is essentially a song. Leider, Lyrics -- are all these connected to a common ancestor? Glad it had nothing to do with the Frito bandito, though admittedly he did have a rather catchy tune.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77651102975892493892008-08-28T19:50:00.000-04:002008-08-28T19:50:00.000-04:00An eye - anigh. That's punny I withdraw my stupidd...An eye - anigh. That's punny I withdraw my stupidder remark.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43136846878102089092008-08-28T19:30:00.000-04:002008-08-28T19:30:00.000-04:00I found this to be (for me) of average Thursday di...I found this to be (for me) of average Thursday difficulty. I was going to complain about the anigh/gpo crossing, but then I saw the comment about "anigh" and "an eye" and appreciated the answer.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20131941287612148922008-08-28T19:07:00.001-04:002008-08-28T19:07:00.001-04:00"Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which statemen..."Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, and is not meant to be taken literally."evil doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593231055589228837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57570832467133442762008-08-28T19:07:00.000-04:002008-08-28T19:07:00.000-04:00One trouble zone arose from choosing CALLED for 48...One trouble zone arose from choosing CALLED for 48A when STAYED was the right answer. Both poker terms, and mine seemed more exact, though I guess they really mean the same thing. Haven't played poker for a long time -- since with a group of Economics grad students, which led to a generally terrible game since everyone was calculating the odds in theoretical lockstep.<BR/><BR/>Time to look into the 'Lay' form of poetry -- new to me. Bad first guess was that it was some form of Lament, like from that Enron guy, then dying before being sentenced for your crimes. But then, that might also be a Milosevic ???fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-92060887564449427892008-08-28T18:45:00.000-04:002008-08-28T18:45:00.000-04:00@foodie thanks. I think i tried to understand lit...@foodie thanks. I think i tried to understand litespeak several months ago and failed. I'll stick to cookingchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29694106915981404412008-08-28T18:36:00.000-04:002008-08-28T18:36:00.000-04:00I'm Mr. Fikink and I approved this message.I'm Mr. Fikink and I approved this message.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60193107670459170702008-08-28T18:31:00.000-04:002008-08-28T18:31:00.000-04:00@foodie, I think your use of assay is perfectly ac...@foodie, I think your use of assay is perfectly acceptable despite the French claim that you "colonized" Rex and Orange by your use of the word. It is the way disparate subsets of people talk and a great treat to discover new meanings. I would not know "of" leetspeak if my nephews weren't accomplished gamers, and while I appreciate its intricacies, I have no desire to learn it or to see it on puzzles. I think "Bad Data" is funny and intend to use it on Mr. Fikink asap!<BR/>(Okay, three and I'm out!)fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-92089037842701778222008-08-28T18:24:00.000-04:002008-08-28T18:24:00.000-04:00@t3h 1337 pwn3r: In other words, "anta" is easy to...@t3h 1337 pwn3r: In other words, "anta" is easy to get b/c "temple in antis" is fairly common (many churches in New England that I drive by belong to that type)?Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67041011842828352352008-08-28T18:16:00.000-04:002008-08-28T18:16:00.000-04:00Talk about your variants - the ~ t3h? A typo ensh...Talk about your variants - the ~ t3h? A typo enshrined as a variant, followed by the always humorous substitution of a number for a letter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49127621110018881272008-08-28T17:58:00.000-04:002008-08-28T17:58:00.000-04:00@fiknik, many thanks for the comment. You were ver...@fiknik, many thanks for the comment. You were very gracious, but it made me realize that I used "scientese" in saying that Rex and Orange represent a good "assay" of difficulty, which I realize is not typically used to speak of people! <BR/><BR/>@Orange and Rex, my apologies. The terminology seems to creep up on me. I realized how bad it was one day when my kids were little--they were fighting and I heard my daughter sputtering at her older brother: "You know what you are? You are BAD DATA!".<BR/><BR/>@chef Bea, it's because it's in leetspeak...Check out the terms "Leet" or "1337". I hope it doesn't start showing up in puzzles.foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60671257882382943572008-08-28T17:52:00.000-04:002008-08-28T17:52:00.000-04:00does anyone understand t3h 1337 etc???? or am I ju...does anyone understand t3h 1337 etc???? or am I just stupid and havent caught up on my readingchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.com