tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7208925024300480135..comments2024-03-28T07:54:35.055-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: FRIDAY, Nov. 28, 2008 - Joe Krozel (Judah's house, in a Lew Wallace title / Commandant's outfit: Abbr. / It makes pot potent: Abbr.)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25735493051304852992009-01-02T18:11:00.000-05:002009-01-02T18:11:00.000-05:00From syndicationland:@anonymous 11:47. Rex transpo...From syndicationland:<BR/><BR/>@anonymous 11:47. Rex transposed the letters in the clue. If you check <B>1d</B> you'll see it's actualy O.H.M.S. (and not OMHS as Rex wrote). <BR/><BR/>So, "On Her Majesty's Service" works for me.embienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01991001167394653649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54024045962461179352009-01-02T17:43:00.000-05:002009-01-02T17:43:00.000-05:00@anon 11:47 am -Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Sec...@anon 11:47 am -<BR/><BR/>Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (OHMSS) was an imaginative expansion of the original On Her/His Majesty's Service used among other things to avoid having to put stamps on letters sent to / received from British government offices.<BR/><BR/>Goa was extremely well known in the early 1960's when the Indian Army marched in and unilaterally "liberated" it from Portugal. There was something quite hypocritical about the champion of pacifism Nehru invading a peaceful enclave.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1417716739086907092008-12-01T11:47:00.000-05:002008-12-01T11:47:00.000-05:00Hey, wait a minute, why is everyone accepting "O.M...Hey, wait a minute, why is everyone accepting "O.M.H.S." for a James Bond Title? The correct abbreviation is O.H.M.S.S. = On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Google each one and see whether the movie comes up. Even if we accept the awful idea that the "O" can stand for "On Her", it would still be OMSS not OMHS. Sorry, but OMHS is Oak Mountain High School or Old Milwaukee High School or who knows what but it ain't the abbreviation for a James Bond title.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12682013454619831602008-11-28T22:32:00.000-05:002008-11-28T22:32:00.000-05:00@andrea carla michaelsTENO really annoyed me as we...@andrea carla michaels<BR/>TENO really annoyed me as well. Such a forced fill! As everyone seems to agree today, just part of a bevy of lame short answers.<BR/><BR/>Didn't get to this until quite late (family get-together delayed a day since many of them attended the parade in NYC), but felt it was quite easy for a Friday. I plan of my weekly helping of humility tomorrow.Chip Hiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944056030047563287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31461979402923790892008-11-28T21:50:00.000-05:002008-11-28T21:50:00.000-05:00The problem with "emag" isn't just that, as Rex no...The problem with "emag" isn't just that, as Rex notes, simply having something to do with the Internet no longer qualifies something as "high tech". The problem is that "emag" isn't a word! I don't mean that in the "it wasn't a word when I was growing up" sense, I mean nobody in the "high tech" world uses it. E-zine, sure, e-mail, of course, but e-mag? I've been in this business for decades and I've never heard it. <BR/><BR/>Check Wikipedia's <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMag" REL="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMag</A> article. Note that "e-mag" or "emag" doesn't actually show up anywhere except the URL.<BR/><BR/>Pah!Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04551377895790633529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80874697956517573152008-11-28T21:40:00.000-05:002008-11-28T21:40:00.000-05:00I wasn't thrilled with GOA and SOANE, either. I h...I wasn't thrilled with GOA and SOANE, either. I had an R at that cross. Will have to add these words to the list of those I need to remember. <BR/><BR/>Lots of fun, interesting fill. Also not thrilled about the A SEC/PSEC crossing.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/lab/7432/shivering.html" REL="nofollow">Best coaster name EVER!</A> (It's crossword-related, I swear!)Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14359181130200312372008-11-28T21:19:00.000-05:002008-11-28T21:19:00.000-05:00Mac, so you remember Eugene T. Maleska? I cut my ...Mac, so you remember Eugene T. Maleska? I cut my x-word teeth when he edited the NYT puzzle. You never forget your first. No gimmicks, wonderful themes, wonderfully loose associations. Sigh.Hungry Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08101748048713015724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72020898019139736652008-11-28T20:38:00.000-05:002008-11-28T20:38:00.000-05:00Mac -- that's a most eloquent statement of dispara...Mac -- that's a most eloquent statement of disparate tastes.<BR/><BR/>Acme -- I wonder if Rudolf Steiner channeled the Rosicrucians, what with the esoteric appeal and all?fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88518107756678951302008-11-28T20:26:00.000-05:002008-11-28T20:26:00.000-05:00I enjoyed the long answers a lot but have to agree...I enjoyed the long answers a lot but have to agree with Rex about the fill. Asec crossing with psec (never heard of this) was especially bad. Still, for me the good outweighed the bad here, which does not seem to be the consensus here.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75047709428773501302008-11-28T20:06:00.000-05:002008-11-28T20:06:00.000-05:00@SCOTUS AddictRexacrucians! How cool!I didn't exa...@SCOTUS Addict<BR/>Rexacrucians! How cool!<BR/>I didn't exactly know what a Rosicrucian was so I looked it up and this would fit beautifully!<BR/>There is even a sort of nod to Ulrich!<BR/><BR/>Rosicrucianism<BR/>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<BR/> (Redirected from Rosicrucian)<BR/><BR/>The term Rosicrucian (symbol: the Rose Cross) describes a secret society of mystics, allegedly formed in late mediaeval Germany, holding a doctrine "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm. " [1]<BR/><BR/>We could call ourselves Rexacrucians and where a little rose to identify ourselves (or two crossing ones!!)<BR/>(as opposed to the green-and-yellow ones that the Friends of Oscar Wilde wore...<BR/>this is getting more gay by the minute...not that there's anything wrong with that!)<BR/><BR/>I'm all (FOR) Rexacrucian!<BR/><BR/>@stevel<BR/>They prob have HOVs here in "Cali" (isn't that near Bogota?), I thought they were just called car pool lanes, but then again, I don't own a car...(just doing my part!)<BR/>:) <BR/>I looked at HOV and was guessing High Octane Vehicles and was hoping I couldn't be right!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88544839008934135592008-11-28T19:50:00.000-05:002008-11-28T19:50:00.000-05:00I think we've learned this week that a gimmick- an...I think we've learned this week that a gimmick- and theme-free puzzle with fantastic medium size words (fill sounds negative to me) is what most of us enjoy. Some like unusual, fresh clues, others quirky letter combinations, others again like anagrams, puns, quotes or rebuses, but I don't think the non-constructors are really fond of the long, long answers just for the sake of that. I'm always happy to see a clue or an answer that I haven't seen before, whether it's 5 or 11 letters long. But..... in the end we all admire the feats of these constructors, because we know it would take us an awfully long time to do something similar, if ever (and it wouldn't be paid very well).machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40842636674260358782008-11-28T19:33:00.000-05:002008-11-28T19:33:00.000-05:00I must have glanced by the reference to the 9/19/0...I must have glanced by the reference to the 9/19/08 puzzle in the write-up; and there was SHIVER ME TIMBERS cascading down, in a better context, as Rex implied.<BR/><BR/>All criticism aside though, Joe K., I did find this puzzle entertaining to solve, for two reasons. First, I felt like I was right on your trail by nailing all the long answers with just a few letters in place -- it's kinda fun to reverse engineer the puzzle when you're on the wavelength. And second, the plethora of abbrevs. and shorthand, by its excess became entertaining, in the way that a bad joke, repeated too many times, finally brings you around to good laugh.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7910762507017283842008-11-28T19:16:00.000-05:002008-11-28T19:16:00.000-05:00Goa & Saone. Hmmm.... isn't that like your...Goa & Saone. Hmmm.... isn't that like your Natick principle. Only I had no problem with Natick because I've been there. Unfortunately I never learned anything from French Nuns, especially in Hebrew School but I did learn of Yom Tov. When the puzzle gives you enough cross reference clues or goes into your fields of knowlege, then its a piece of cake - and today was a very easy Friday.<BR/>Maybe someday the old quiz shows will come back and Dr. Joyce Brothers can answer questions on boxing. I'm just waiting for a Marx Brothers theme on a Friday.alanrichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06395356843823270129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8562363267662764452008-11-28T19:03:00.000-05:002008-11-28T19:03:00.000-05:00Rex-a-crucians! Kings of the Cross!You got my vote...Rex-a-crucians! Kings of the Cross!<BR/>You got my vote.<BR/>GREAT!fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48207465193361396902008-11-28T18:51:00.000-05:002008-11-28T18:51:00.000-05:00You know, TEN also makes pot potent, and I did con...You know, TEN also makes pot potent, and I did consider it when I had the T in place.<BR/><BR/>I agree with what everyone's said about everything. IGN.=UGH.<BR/><BR/>Off to recarve our turkey, and <BR/>There's no I in<BR/>SethGSethGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13753036404140901368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11062913103851993862008-11-28T18:50:00.000-05:002008-11-28T18:50:00.000-05:00Rex-a-crucians! Kings of the Cross!I had a Joey N...Rex-a-crucians! Kings of the Cross!<BR/><BR/>I had a Joey Nickles-esque uncle (Woody Allen's nickle-from-behind-your-ear-pulling uncle) who loved to greet us on Pesach by saying, "Gut yontiff, Pontiff!" Whadda guy. He was also an inveterate cheek pincher.<BR/><BR/>A vote from a forensic psychiatrist for the lockdown clue. By the way, at least in the federal and state prisons I've worked in, lockdown is prison-speak for when the entire population is locked in their cells for purposes of institutional security (ie, following a riot.) Lockup is what happens to somewhere between roughly one to five inmates behaving badly and may involve Ad Seg (Administrative Segregation aka "The Hole.")Hungry Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08101748048713015724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69158394436613396732008-11-28T18:41:00.000-05:002008-11-28T18:41:00.000-05:00Well, y'all pretty much said it all.Saone was easy...Well, y'all pretty much said it all.<BR/><BR/>Saone was easy for me, since it's the major tributary to the Rhone and I think they meet in Lyons. I had French geography pounded into me by the French nuns. I can draw the map of France with my eyes closed, put in the rivers, mountains and major cities. So far, it has gotten me zilch. So, today felt like a highly overdue, albeit tiny, reward...<BR/><BR/>Interestingly, Saone is also a castle in Syria-- It is very ancient, and verrry cool, it and has had many names, including Saladin's Castle. So, if someone wants to be really mean on a Saturday... <BR/><BR/><BR/>Rex or others, I have a question: Is there a place where the rules of NYTimes crossword construction can be found-- e.g. the answer word cannot appear in the clue, or no answer less than 3 letters? I literally thought that ASEC/PSEC would be illegal and it totally slowed me down. Was this an actual or is it just pushing the envelope of what's allowed?<BR/><BR/>Bill from New Jersey, how wonderful to hear from you. Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you and yours!foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66139150065164299312008-11-28T17:52:00.000-05:002008-11-28T17:52:00.000-05:00They had a special on Parker House Rolls today at ...They had a special on Parker House Rolls today at my local bakery. Never heard of them until a puzzle a few months ago. Anyway, Rex was using PHR for something, but now I don't see the reference on the home page.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7472432106610092362008-11-28T17:37:00.000-05:002008-11-28T17:37:00.000-05:00@Andrea: HOV is High Occupancy Vehicles, the ones ...@Andrea: HOV is High Occupancy Vehicles, the ones with the inflatable dolls in the back.<BR/><BR/>FOR looks good. Let's design a great logo!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46935942141284470292008-11-28T17:32:00.000-05:002008-11-28T17:32:00.000-05:00@andrea--High Occupancy Vehicle; that is to say, t...@andrea--High Occupancy Vehicle; that is to say, the carpool lane. Don't they have those out in Cali?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73003536313998826062008-11-28T17:29:00.000-05:002008-11-28T17:29:00.000-05:00@andrea: Rexites, Rexperts, Rechristians [long tim...@andrea: Rexites, Rexperts, Rechristians [long timers will remember this reference], Parkerville, Natickians, Dorks, Subjects of CrossWorld<BR/><BR/>Naming is hard. I hope you are paid well for doing this.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53063293979430495692008-11-28T16:44:00.000-05:002008-11-28T16:44:00.000-05:00@RexI'm thinking of working on a name for FORs...(...@Rex<BR/>I'm thinking of working on a name for FORs...<BR/>(Friends Of Rex), which we can use to secretly identify ourselves at the next (to-be-renamed) ACPT "outing"!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16933467933924979562008-11-28T16:41:00.000-05:002008-11-28T16:41:00.000-05:00Once again feat of construction trumping all notio...Once again feat of construction trumping all notions of good fill. :(<BR/>Happened last Friday, too, if I recall.<BR/>Give 'em Hell, Rex!<BR/><BR/>To the 20+ abbrevs that were awful, I would add TENO! <BR/><BR/>TENO anyone?<BR/><BR/>While I'm at it, what is HOV?<BR/><BR/>And UNROBE left me totally DIS-DRESSED<BR/><BR/>@adam, nde<BR/>The puzzle was made worthwhile today (for me) by Rex's wit and your YOM TOV/YONTIF explanation! <BR/><BR/>May I speak purely AS A SOLVER, not as a constructor??? <BR/> <BR/>Shocked on top of everything else (the whole ASEC, PSEC, SECY disaster, plus MEM, IGN, VISC, HOV, MCV, IER, ATIVE, HES, seriously, to me unforgivable) that there would be a Hebrew fill-in- the-blank, barely known/used by Jews even.<BR/> <BR/>How would anyone non-Jewish/non-NY get "Yom ___?"! I feel like this is another example of not having the feel of what is used/not used and how.<BR/><BR/>At least I had a malapop: When I saw 14A "Judah's house..." (Three letters starting with an H) and not first understanding the reference, I put in HUT only to have that be the 7D answer crossing it at the U.<BR/><BR/>@rex<BR/>thanks for the FOD link.<BR/>Interesting that it might be an earlier ref to Dorothy Parker.<BR/>Arched my eyebrow at the Wikipedia's writer's coy phrase that it was probably "potentially spreading the phrase through oral history"!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3876652226985015522008-11-28T16:35:00.000-05:002008-11-28T16:35:00.000-05:00Goa was a Portuguese part of India - and the home ...Goa was a Portuguese part of India - and the home state of Pork Vindaloo. It's also where Bourne was hiding out in the second Bourne movie. "T-Top" is getting pretty stale - I can't think of a single car that comes with T-Tops any more.misterarthurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05697612334770463535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80714779332240819152008-11-28T16:25:00.000-05:002008-11-28T16:25:00.000-05:00Even the ordering of Rex's points was exactly the ...Even the ordering of Rex's points was exactly the same critical (what's the opposite of acclaim?) that I was ready to throw at this one. <BR/><BR/>The long answers seem to make a puzzle easier if they're spread apart instead of being stacked, where you get more possibilities dancing around. <BR/><BR/>Was SHIVER ME TIMBERS part of the Pirate Day puzzle? Maybe as a Clue?fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.com