tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7128193631606043800..comments2024-03-29T08:25:40.304-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: One-named rapper with hyphen in his name / SUN 12-1-13 / European capital on Svisloch River / Eponym of Warsaw's airport / German Expressionist Otto / Three-time NBA All-star williams / Yuri's peaceRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49619910130307298102013-12-09T19:29:57.895-05:002013-12-09T19:29:57.895-05:00Helpful Harry...Thank you, thank you. I finally kn...Helpful Harry...Thank you, thank you. I finally know what the ñ represents...no clue. I have given up on lots of NYTs puzzles because I didn't know that. I owe you a beer!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75314196652529861642013-12-09T16:15:44.016-05:002013-12-09T16:15:44.016-05:00@SiS - I seem to recall that someone suggested tha...@SiS - I seem to recall that someone suggested that the "two halves" refers to the two sections of the grid that are completely separated by black squares, and the "in one" indicates the sections are rejoined by the theme answers that begin in one section and end in the other, joined by the missing BACK in the black squares. Makes sense to me.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46275955790844587952013-12-09T14:15:10.960-05:002013-12-09T14:15:10.960-05:00I still don't understand the puz title" &...I still don't understand the puz title" "Two halves in one." Did understand that "back" was omitted (or represented by a black square), which made for a fun solve and clean fill, Alan.<br /><br />NUTTED?<br /><br />I worked on my uncle's ranch one Summer and rounded up the cattle and got the calves ready for auction. That's the right clue.<br /><br />SiS lol award of the day to @Z for his T-PAIN lookalikes.<br /><br />Capcha: auhenre. Your old-maid aunt summoning her butler?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73673990447193793942013-12-09T10:40:20.278-05:002013-12-09T10:40:20.278-05:00With so many media and sources in play, it is some...With so many media and sources in play, it is sometimes difficult to know exactly what another solver is seeing, but in the puzzle as I can view it, the "clue" you are asking about is simply a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilde" rel="nofollow">tilde</a> (~), which signifies the absence of a clue because of the tricky nature of the puzzle. I cannot tell where you got the ñ from - is that how it appears in your puzzle?Helpful Harrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19986120506146814182013-12-09T10:11:23.275-05:002013-12-09T10:11:23.275-05:0041a,49c,78a,90a,45d,54d,82d,94d,
Thanks.41a,49c,78a,90a,45d,54d,82d,94d,<br /><br />Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89967326676176273002013-12-09T06:45:35.690-05:002013-12-09T06:45:35.690-05:00@Anonymous, 11:29 PM - It would help if you specif...@Anonymous, 11:29 PM - It would help if you specified what clue <b>number</b> you are talking about.Helpful Harrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28391454826093605482013-12-08T23:29:01.588-05:002013-12-08T23:29:01.588-05:00Would someone explain what the clue "ñ" ...Would someone explain what the clue "ñ" means? Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40391843881746862752013-12-08T17:20:49.818-05:002013-12-08T17:20:49.818-05:00It took too long for the significance of BACKINBLA...It took too long for the significance of BACKINBLACK to sink in but I eventually managed to get the grid done with my usual OWS, and we all know where that was. I didn't fully appreciate the elegance of both the theme and the construction until I arrived here to have it explained.<br /><br />Has anybody mentioned that there's another pretty good song title at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvlTJrNJ5lA" rel="nofollow">30d/54d?</a><br />Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50384017233862479102013-12-08T15:03:34.536-05:002013-12-08T15:03:34.536-05:00When you get a Sunday puzzle where the title accur...When you get a Sunday puzzle where the title accurately describes the theme (two halves in one: the two halves defined by the diagonal blacks) the theme answers are all good phrases which have the word *back* contained in the black squares of that diagonal, and are placed symmetrically, and the dual revealer, BACKINBLACK, and GREAT DIVIDE, are in opposite halves and also symmetrically located, *AND* the fill is very good, *THEN* you have a great Sunday puzzle.<br /><br />Of course there are those who will obsess about one or two entries that for some reason or other irks them, and ignore the brilliance in front of them.<br /><br />Someone complained about 96D, "Dickens villain". Bill SIKES was a bonafide villain in Oliver Twist. <br /><br />rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72586964731975319952013-12-08T12:30:53.441-05:002013-12-08T12:30:53.441-05:00As to the natick, my paper had the 8d clue as: &qu...As to the natick, my paper had the 8d clue as: "The Carolinas' ww______River," and since the ww made no sense to me I just tried the alphabet in the 8 square. From somewhere in my crazy memory came the sight of a poster on a telephone pole with the name T-PAIN on it. I remember thinking, this must be one of those rappers, and he wants us to feel his...whatever. I'll go on no further with that, you know where I'm at by now.<br /><br />I was working off one of my gimmes, MOTORPOOL, when I filled in BROKE, and grokked that the black square must be "back." But I thought the next part would BE "back," i.e. NIATNUOM. But that didn't fit so I had to make my MOUNTAIN stand up straight.<br /><br />I too got confused with the Los Bravos hit, thinking the revealer was BACKIsBLACK. But ELSINO was el no-no.<br /><br />Overall, I liked the puzzle--theme, revealer and fill. NUTTED and U-NO-HOO excepted. PEEDEE? Wow. Washington crossing the...nah.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4370020250013670772013-12-03T20:23:04.612-05:002013-12-03T20:23:04.612-05:00having spent much of my recreational life on a gol...having spent much of my recreational life on a golf course, "nutted" often refers to a very well struck golf ball. Fun puzzle but took me longer than I expected to finish the last ten percent.winderspartannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1422653106801892692013-12-02T10:02:25.080-05:002013-12-02T10:02:25.080-05:00late to the party but have to say that Deron Willi...late to the party but have to say that Deron William's name is pronounced DERR-on, not DARR-on like you incorrectly point out in your post. Maybe that is an upstate thing (like the lack of difference in pronunciation between Erin and Aaron), but since it is his name, he can tell you that there is a difference.oldbizmarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50550092045999997532013-12-02T09:36:03.846-05:002013-12-02T09:36:03.846-05:00Surely everyone has heard of the navy landing ship...Surely everyone has heard of the navy landing ship USS Pee Dee River LSM(R)-517, launched 1945 and struck 1960.<br /><br />Great puzzle!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5309388460921265532013-12-01T22:46:26.619-05:002013-12-01T22:46:26.619-05:00Oh, and does a "picker" "pick"...Oh, and does a "picker" "pick" ore??? What in hell is that? I might think of a million clues for the word "ore" (itself a paradigmatic exemplar of lazy crosswordpuzzle-ese in the fill if there ever was one) but "picking" and "pick" would not be involved in any of them. Unless it has something to do with a pickaxe, ostensibly a common piece of gear for old-fashioned gold- and silverminers, but that IS a stretch. Stupid puzzle on the whole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21727484618291220532013-12-01T22:42:03.770-05:002013-12-01T22:42:03.770-05:00I figured out the "back" theme but didn&...I figured out the "back" theme but didn't think it was particularly well-executed. I've heard of T-Pain but never followed him as I am not a hiphop fan. There is a use of TASS (amateur astronomical society) which made getting "mass" and "mind" rather than "TASS" and "tend" difficult; finally got it by giving in on "fine" as a coin classification term (talk about far-fetched!) because there is no word "fene." As for "nutted," the only references I have seen for that term is as the past tense for a slang vulgarism associated with sexual acts, as also pointed out by previous commenters here. When I solved the "great divide" clue, I thought it had something to do with the puzzle theme, but this was not the case- it was irrelevant to the theme. Got "Back In Black" because I'm somewhat familiar with ACDC. A lot of what I consider shoddy crosswordpuzzle-ese as well. Didn't think it was particularly easy; not impossible, but not easy. And not at all satisfying. How "back in black" theme relates to the puzzle title is a complete mystery to me. The title is generic ("two halves") whereas the missing "back" located evidently in the black squares is not related to a "divided halves" theme except extremely tangentially. Not a fan of this puzzle in the least.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37971579006910558742013-12-01T22:35:20.838-05:002013-12-01T22:35:20.838-05:00Only complaint is I have no idea how the clue at 4...Only complaint is I have no idea how the clue at 46A (Fins) goes with the answer of ABES. Googling it, I guess both both describe five dollar bills, but I've never heard "fins" used that way. Crossing the unfamiliar DENTALCARIES (?) and SES, those vowels could have been anything.Mr. Bensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12507031178939980974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32797014502789762352013-12-01T21:39:23.471-05:002013-12-01T21:39:23.471-05:00Found this impossible and still don't really g...Found this impossible and still don't really get the theme. Barely filled in half the grid after having finished every Sunday puzzle for many weeks. Came here expecting to see the puzzle denominated as "extra challenging" and was gobsmacked to see the word "easy" associated with it. I guess sometimes my mind and the constructor's are just on different planets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16556008020404061462013-12-01T19:42:57.568-05:002013-12-01T19:42:57.568-05:00"This comment has been removed by a blog admi..."This comment has been removed by a blog administrator."<br /><br />as opposed to<br /><br />"This comment has been removed by the author."<br /><br />Curious.<br /><br />I don't recall seeing PEE DEE before today, but given the crossword friendly letters I can see how it would be a fairly common CrossRiver.<br /><br />Most games have unique balls, LACROSSE BALLs, basketballs, baseballs, racquet balls, squash balls, and, my personal favorite, Ultimate's flat balls (AKA flying discs). Nevertheless, there is a certain green paint feeling to LACROSSE BALL.<br /><br />T-BAIN - Romney Rapper<br />T-CAIN - Garden of Eden Rapper<br />T-DAIN - Snobby Rapper<br />T-EAIN - Scottish Rapper<br />T-FAIN - Italian World Cup Rapper<br />T-GAIN - Johnny Football Rapper<br />T-JAIN - Non-violent Rapper<br />T-KA-IN - Egyptian Rapper with soul<br />T-LAIN - T-LIE's brother<br />T-MAIN - Street Rapper<br />T-RAIN - Tyco Rapper<br />T-SAIN - Just Sayin'<br />T-STAIN - Sloppy British Rapper<br />T-VAIN - Carly Simon Rapper<br />T-WAIN - Conestoga Rapper<br />T-X-AIN - RRN Rapper<br />T-Z-AIN - Madcap Rapper from MichiganZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77039038449637721582013-12-01T19:11:30.772-05:002013-12-01T19:11:30.772-05:00@Sir Hilary - just read your Brian Johnson story t...@Sir Hilary - just read your Brian Johnson story to my husband - he loved it, but oh so jealous you had a beer with him! <br /><br />And actually, we did have a dog named Angus for a brief time. :)Milfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04923019988243284636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6493407814310330742013-12-01T17:46:03.947-05:002013-12-01T17:46:03.947-05:00I have been so busy with family, cleaning up, cook...I have been so busy with family, cleaning up, cooking, airport runs, that I haven't had time to post yesterday or today. I think yesterday's Walden/Wilbur collaboration was excellent. When I got the email from the NY Times about the week's puzzles and saw their names for Saturday, I messaged Brad that I would just pull the covers over my head and sleep in on Saturday. So I was really, really happy that, though it put up a fight, I managed it!<br /><br />The aha moment for today was so so satisfying. I adore themes like this. This will be one I'll remember for a long time.<br /><br />I agree with @Evan that LACROSSE BALL is more of a "thing" than "lacrosse goal." Heck – if you lower the standards, we'd start having stuff like "lacrosse jersey" or "behind the back lacrosse goal," which my son can do and I just said that to brag about him.<br /><br />I've canoed on the PEE DEE river, so that was easy.<br /><br />Loved, loved, loved the clue for WATER VOLE. I didn't even know there was such a creature. Man. They must be pretty intrepid - even more intrepid than the lesser-known Water Pewits.<br /><br />17D – "What a picker may pick." Wow. Where do I even start with that one. When my son was in fourth grade, I took him to the doctor's office for some illness. When the doctor got out that light thingy and said he needed to look into his nose, I said, "Dr. Meisel, I can assure you that you will find absolutely nothing in either nostril."<br /><br />Alan – really, really great puzzle. Thanks.Loren Muse Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05308030011870397977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77216763035854707952013-12-01T16:57:24.070-05:002013-12-01T16:57:24.070-05:00I found the puzzle's theme kind of dull and un...I found the puzzle's theme kind of dull and unmotivated, but that was because I solved all the theme answers before I even saw that there was a revealer—so I was like, okay, some black squares have BACK in them, but the puzzle doesn't make any attempt to hide which black squares do that, so couldn't they just be white squares and this would be a pretty pedestrian rebus-square puzzle and a little more challenging? And I never noticed the great divide at all. <br /><br />So I dunno, the moral might be that if you're going to have an explanation for your theme at the bottom of the grid, the theme shouldn't be so easy to solve <i>without</i> that explanation that people get through the whole puzzle wondering what the point of the theme was.AJDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7734418049313596102013-12-01T16:14:25.217-05:002013-12-01T16:14:25.217-05:00Chillax over folks who complain about rappers. It...Chillax over folks who complain about rappers. It's just like a complaint about woodworking vocab or biochem vocab or an old celeb. <br /><br />Remember - more than many other wordy-realm, rap's NUTTED spellings mean they can't be inferred. THAT'S why they rile so many of us. I bet that not all of the *bulk* are claiming it doesn't belong in the Gray Lady's grids. (For those that do, pls see everyone else's coments here.)<br /><br />Puzzle? I sure liked it. A lot. Even with the dnf at TPAIN and BamA for BIGA.<br />Clever, clever, clever stunt, great revealer.<br />I semi-copped on to it at THEREAND AGAIN, thinking much like @Joe the J, but that got resolved right quicks-like.<br /><br />Thank you Mr. DerKazarian for a wonderful tricky Sunday!!Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82329951661404932932013-12-01T15:18:49.699-05:002013-12-01T15:18:49.699-05:00Evan, "The Clock" is the name of a mid-1...Evan, "The Clock" is the name of a mid-1940's Vincente Minnelli film starring Judy Garland. A bit obscure, maybe, but still works as a stand-alone. "There And" remains the one non-stand alone. <br /><br /> I also contemplated CRASH for 89A and also thought "but it won - why would it be clued as a nominee?" (And I agree that BbM should've taken the prize.)JDipintonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55899399742185575742013-12-01T15:10:13.823-05:002013-12-01T15:10:13.823-05:00Hey, I love solving the puzzle and often read the ...Hey, I love solving the puzzle and often read the comments. Just wanted to throw in 2 cents about the PeeDee river - a rock from this river's region was once used as the standard for stable carbon isotope analysis - and values could be reported as some difference from the PDB (PeeDee belemnite) value. Just an oddball geology fact to help that name stick in your head (in case you're NOT from around there)!Golden1020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41642680991292660102013-12-01T14:58:54.160-05:002013-12-01T14:58:54.160-05:00I recall passing through the Don SHULA toll barrie...I recall passing through the Don SHULA toll barrier in southern Florida a few times ago and wondered what his claim to fame was. Now I know. I always enjoy learning somethin new from the puzzles. ksquarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06181873595483296089noreply@blogger.com