tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7201285175771230639..comments2024-03-29T11:11:22.167-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Stuff in a muffin / TUE 1-28-14 / It's just one thing after another / Farm soundRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17982598174451814232014-06-20T03:21:31.160-04:002014-06-20T03:21:31.160-04:00While many learned professors have abandoned hope ...While many learned professors have abandoned hope of ever discovering the truth behind <a href="phoenixadultsoccerleague.com" rel="nofollow">small goal soccer</a>, I for one feel that it is still a worthy cause for examination. I really, really like small goal soccer. Indispensable to homosapians today, it is impossible to overestimate its impact on modern thought.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05544667705323993181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56860557030860797172014-03-05T18:11:07.284-05:002014-03-05T18:11:07.284-05:00@dmast - thanks for joining in the conversation in...@dmast - thanks for joining in the conversation in syndi-land. Your opinion is just a valid any anyone's - I'm sure you noticed there is a wide range of opinions expressed about every puzzle and there's no need to be shy about voicing yours. Come back soon!Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86933556896399860612014-03-05T16:14:00.547-05:002014-03-05T16:14:00.547-05:00Hello from syndicated land. Just received this puz...Hello from syndicated land. Just received this puzzle, and is definitely not a favorite! First, not a fault of the puzzle creator, this was NOT an easy puzzle for me and I assume other non-Friday and non-Saturday type solvers. <br /><br />As to puzzle content, two thumbs down. I have been doing MYT puzzles for a couple of years now, and must have missed the memo that said that substituting homophones for actual words was acceptable. It would seem to me that if the NYT puzzles are not rigorously accurate, what is the point? For me it is to be reminded of an learn new topics such as arts and history, as well as interesting (accurately spelled) words. So, soccermambo needs to be soccer mombo, twisttaebo needs to be twisttiebo, etc., neither of which works of course. <br /><br />Finally, the worst clue in the puzzle, for me was "urger". Only in a crossword puzzle would you find "urger" and to me it does not represent the clue "prompter" anyway. Prompters don't urge, they prompt, remind, suggest.<br /><br />Just my opinion of course.dmasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16432868990877614442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17010544238669256462014-03-04T21:33:02.290-05:002014-03-04T21:33:02.290-05:00"Synchronauts" has a great ring to it.
..."Synchronauts" has a great ring to it. <br /><br />Although @Dirigonzo's suggestion just to all drink some bourbon has tremendous appeal. Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-235407677305816622014-03-04T21:04:46.806-05:002014-03-04T21:04:46.806-05:00Found this one pretty tough. Plunked in hihat at ...Found this one pretty tough. Plunked in hihat at 37-A, and fouled up any chance for a quick solve. Finally got er done, in spite of my self imposed ink blot mess.<br /><br />@Spacey thanks for the chuckle<br /><br />@Diri and any 'regulars' that are here. IMHO Love your input, and waiting for your answers to Diri's list.<br /><br />8' over 3'sGingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28048219175583109962014-03-04T20:07:38.252-05:002014-03-04T20:07:38.252-05:00Ooooh - I like the spaciness of @strayling's o...Ooooh - I like the spaciness of @strayling's offering. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1728069948609540642014-03-04T20:06:25.938-05:002014-03-04T20:06:25.938-05:00@Strayling - Hah! Thanks for reading and getting t...@Strayling - Hah! Thanks for reading and getting the pun. "Synchronauts" definitely has possibilities!<br />As to the "add BO" theme, I have only this to add: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk4voiBjlZc" rel="nofollow">BO</a><br />Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25678680536178351922014-03-04T19:36:57.784-05:002014-03-04T19:36:57.784-05:00I hate to say it, but this puzzle was not one of m...I hate to say it, but this puzzle was not one of my favourites, even though I liked the idea. A fun theme messed up by inconsistent execution.<br /><br />Soccer mAm? No. <br /><br />Phone bilBO? Ok, so now you're dropping the last letter and replacing it with BO. Appropriate, if not in a flattering way.<br /><br />Twist-tae-BO. So now it's pronunciation hm?<br /><br />Struck dumBO. Well at least that one works.<br /><br />Reveal: Something which stinks (2)straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77675661414790237422014-03-04T19:11:32.551-05:002014-03-04T19:11:32.551-05:00Nice pop pun.
How about we call them "Synchr...Nice pop pun.<br /><br />How about we call them "Synchronauts"?straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41461973516411655292014-03-04T18:33:34.343-05:002014-03-04T18:33:34.343-05:00It seems to me that "regular" commenters...It seems to me that "regular" commenters who are gracious (or perhaps bored?) enough to read the syndi-comments and add their thoughts to keep the conversation going provide an important link to unify the two elements of the community - I suppose likening them to the mushers who inspired the Iditarod Trail Race would be overly melodramatic, but you get the idea. Anyway, my point is these occasional contributors to our space should have a special name to give recognition to the role they play in linking our remote outpost to the community at large. After only a little thought (and perhaps a little bourbon) I came up with these possibilities:<br />Psuedo-syndie - I like the alliteration but it has a negative connotation that doesn't apply.<br />Syndie-loper - my favorite from a purely punny perspective (did you get the pop-culture reference?) but it suggests an "unwanted" presence, which is certainly not the case here!<br />Syndi-thizer - OK this is not too bad, I think. It could be a contender.<br />Supra-syndie - The high-brow favorite because it's based on the Latin (Rexvillians seems to love Latin)for "above", and their comments do in fact appear above ours. The term may apply on another level, too, but I'll leave that for the reader to decide.<br />So what say you @Bob Kerfuffle, @Z, @Tita, and @Gill I.P. (for example), how would you like to be known around these parts?<br />Or maybe we should just turn the entire matter over to @ACME who is, after all, a professional namer.<br />Or maybe I should just have another drink and forget the whole thing.<br />Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7940442049796437252014-03-04T17:13:49.589-05:002014-03-04T17:13:49.589-05:00In brief, I believe that the Supreme Court ruled t...In brief, I believe that the Supreme Court ruled that for purposes of commerce the tomato is a vegetable, even though botanically it is a fruit. I don't think the Court has ruled on tacos.<br /><br />Of course, it would have been better if Tom had asked his question "sandwichly."Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21074309349887419312014-03-04T16:36:49.719-05:002014-03-04T16:36:49.719-05:00@Bob Kerfuffle - it's brave of you to occupy t...@Bob Kerfuffle - it's brave of you to occupy the space that used to be the haunting grounds of spellcasters. Did Tom get an answer to his question, I wonder?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6409205804103338672014-03-04T15:02:05.075-05:002014-03-04T15:02:05.075-05:00Felt like COLumBO trying to solve for the TWISTs i...Felt like COLumBO trying to solve for the TWISTs involved in today's theme-spelling. <br /><br />Wondering if Fellini ever contemplated making the EPIC La Dolce Taco? And would a placebo for certain toys be a DOLCEBO? Maybe sold in TACOBO, WA.<br /><br />I'm OTTO here.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86433983677979428822014-03-04T12:54:16.920-05:002014-03-04T12:54:16.920-05:00@William Heyman - So COL is below MAJ?@William Heyman - So COL is below MAJ?Just Askin'noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63261803984189835862014-03-04T12:32:03.580-05:002014-03-04T12:32:03.580-05:00Rank above MAJ is LTC not COL.Rank above MAJ is LTC not COL.William Heymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02865367764472218962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84975090628876336332014-03-04T12:26:23.768-05:002014-03-04T12:26:23.768-05:00Looks like Gaffney is not going to acknowledge the...Looks like Gaffney is not going to acknowledge the gaff of missing the actual 'deal' of the puzzle, MADCAP as it was, the homonym bits first brought up by the near LA guy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23711646116394024052014-03-04T11:15:33.355-05:002014-03-04T11:15:33.355-05:00One of my favorite games is guessing what nit you ...One of my favorite games is guessing what nit you guys are gonna work to death in here. I am NOT good at this game. Is a TACO a sandwich? Who the hell cares? I don't like 'em anyway.<br /><br />Hand up for getting off on the wrong SHOE with PROW. Once disabused of that, I sailed through this pretty quickly. As the few who read here after I've posted know by now, I am a "musty" old fart, and if that means I enjoy grids that feature SAPPERs instead of rappers, so be it.<br /><br />I don't think anyone else noticed this, but there's a connection between the symmetrical entries at 4d (clue) and 51d (answer). It's to be found in the original (God! Please! The remake was AWFUL; save me from remakes and covers!) "The Manchurian Candidate." Raymond says:<br /><br />"There I was, looking like GAUCHO Marx...Ben, I just made a joke. Write that down. Today, Raymond Shaw made a joke."<br /><br />I also liked the SITUP/SPLITUP comBO. Hmm...He started exercising, and she got suspicious...<br /><br />But much earlier, when he got down on one knee and offered the ring, was he a "merger URGER?" No, that was probably Mom, who kept asking when she was going to become a grandma. And if they both worked in the world's tallest building, it could be a (wait fir it) Burjer merger URGER! In any event, we must struggle to justify that word.<br /><br />Also unlucky is the appearance of both ALOT and ALLOT, and a few crossword crutches: IOU, TNT, NTH and the especially bad PSST.<br /><br />The rest of the fill is fine. The four scrabble biggies aren't there, but there are K's, U's, V's and W's and so forth, and it's crunchy enough.<br /><br />This makes me appreciate dense themes EVER more. It is sometimes astounding that a sensible grid can still be made with nearly twice the theme letters as today's. I don't think that makes this one BAD; rather the denser ones are "extra primo good, sir!" spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60585247204599925332014-01-29T14:54:20.217-05:002014-01-29T14:54:20.217-05:00"Is the tomato a vegetable?" Tom Swift a..."Is the tomato a vegetable?" Tom Swift asked as he sandwiched in a comment between the regulars and the syndies.Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47882137343703619352014-01-28T21:41:35.154-05:002014-01-28T21:41:35.154-05:00@Rob C: "are soft-shell tacos really even tac...@Rob C: "are soft-shell tacos really even tacos?" Sacrilege! Hard shells are actually the interlopers, being largely an American, early/mid-20th century creation. Soft shells - i.e., tortillas - for centuries before that, and how Mexicans themselves have them. <br /><br />Actually, in terms of how they're eaten - filling is put on top of small tortilla or two, then you fold it and eat it - they more closely resemble eating a slice of New York pizza (assuming you fold) than a sandwich. (I'm waiting for a pizza-related answer in the puzzle to start off the next sectarian battle). Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30985182296872526232014-01-28T21:15:44.013-05:002014-01-28T21:15:44.013-05:00It should be noted that the "sandwich decisio...It should be noted that the "sandwich decision" arises from a dispute in Shrewsbury, MA, a mere 20 miles west of Natick. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63574380483138329712014-01-28T20:32:47.048-05:002014-01-28T20:32:47.048-05:00The jury is still out. That Boston judge's dec...The jury is still out. That Boston judge's decision has been appealed and will be heard by the Supreme Court in April. The 1st I think Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73394630653859606912014-01-28T20:07:37.002-05:002014-01-28T20:07:37.002-05:00@anon 9:07 Was it the CJ who dramatized 'No?&#...@anon 9:07 Was it the CJ who dramatized 'No?' or was it Alito? I seem to recall it was the naughty/haughty Alito, who has not the fortitude to attend the SOTU's after he embarrassed himself.<br /> <br />@ Z: Speaking of stare decisis, here's where the Chief Justice comes in: His whole confirmation hearing emphasized his respect for stare decisis. You knew it was a joke then, as it has proved to be.(Voting Rights anyone?) <br /> victorianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38410409707880491272014-01-28T19:11:56.666-05:002014-01-28T19:11:56.666-05:00@ludyjynn - Just watched that Jeopardy segment, h...@ludyjynn - Just watched that Jeopardy segment, had it recorded, pretty funny, Rind Soap.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66897040869254309512014-01-28T17:11:18.699-05:002014-01-28T17:11:18.699-05:00Midday 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 and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Tue 9:32, 8:15, 1.16, 85%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Tue 5:52, 5:12, 1.13, 82%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23645015530152148892014-01-28T15:49:36.040-05:002014-01-28T15:49:36.040-05:00Foxaroni wins again!
I just finished a lunch of...Foxaroni wins again! <br /><br />I just finished a lunch of open-faced sandwiches of cheese on thick single slices of Questinia Bread. Really good, but I suppose some court will rule that I have just downed a bunch of TACOs.Ellen Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00473445503706985149noreply@blogger.com