tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7285015645372132913..comments2024-03-28T04:22:09.431-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Suspense novelist Hoag / WED 8-17-11 / Yalta locale / Stooge surname / L'eggs wares / Big Apple mayor before Koch / Former Ford minivanRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20614794940044720882021-03-26T11:11:01.207-04:002021-03-26T11:11:01.207-04:00I heartily second the comments from "Anonymou...I heartily second the comments from "Anonymous". Not only did the egregious fill entries outnumber appropriate words, there were far too many in my "who cares?" bin. "Bid adieu" is good, but when it serves as the foundation for a stack of non-words ... as Rex has said so recently, "Just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean that you *should*." Throw out those execrable corners.<br /><br />My beef with the first theme answer is even more specific: not only are MALLET and CLAW not parallel (MALLET vs CLAW hammer in common use), a CLAW (without "hammer") *is* a tool, and it is *not* a hammer. For me, this disqualifies the structure of the that answer.<br /><br />I recall Stanley Newmann's over-arching comments on crossword construction, including his dismissal of the complaint "too many three-letter words", and the summary, "was it fun to solve?" I hadn't made it to the first theme answer when I was already thinking "too many threes". By the time I breached the middle, I had given up on having fun: this one was an unpleasant grind.<br /><br />I'll happily excuse the MALLET/CLAW hammer and LIMA bean/LENTIL usage if the puzzle is otherwise enjoyable. This one wasn't.<br />Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27378464558158750622011-09-21T18:21:46.136-04:002011-09-21T18:21:46.136-04:00From syndiland, Nearly Naticked in the Northwest b...From syndiland, Nearly Naticked in the Northwest but managed to figure things out.<br /><br />Sad to see the "looting is a capital crime" crowd spewing their venom here.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46951217349601597492011-09-21T16:36:46.582-04:002011-09-21T16:36:46.582-04:00Out of 76 entries in this grid, we have 16 proper ...Out of 76 entries in this grid, we have 16 proper names, 9 foreign expressions, 4 acronyms, 7 of words run together (NOT counting the three theme answers) and 4 abbreviations. Not mentioned are three that are just plain ugly: the way-overused ANA, the possessive ELSE(')S and the totally horrid QAS. That's 43, which means there are only 33 actual single English WORDS. Now I know we need to use some fill from those categories, but to outnumber the real words? That has to be poor. This grid was OK, I guess, but I feel constructors can do better.<br /> One minor writeover: wanted ADIOS when I had the first three letters. I couldn't BELIEVE 24a, that someone actually had the nerve to do that. Q AS in queen? AW, MAN!<br /><br />muderi: Japanese wine from grape stompers who forgot to wash their feet first?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73240205753239106652011-09-21T12:00:16.438-04:002011-09-21T12:00:16.438-04:00"Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Uk..."Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting duck. A road apple, Newman. The Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's time to put the hurt on the Ukraine."<br /><br />After getting MALLET OR CLAW and LIMA OR LENTIL I loked at 39a...all I had at that point was just the RS at the end, and my first thought was STRAWBERRY OR MRS. <br /><br />Note that MC Hammer and Billy BEANe both spent time on baseball Fields.<br /><br />BAD twice on the same puzzle? Oops, MY BAD. (clever wink, if you ask me)<br /><br />@George NYC 12:38 AM & CoolPapaD<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy5ESRj2G0o&feature=related" rel="nofollow">This is the one I always think of</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15722866653359239272011-08-18T08:42:57.531-04:002011-08-18T08:42:57.531-04:00@Texas Momma - glad you liked the pix. Ukraine is ...@Texas Momma - glad you liked the pix. Ukraine is an interesting and worthwhile destination, but not the easiest travel. See the link from my photos to my description of the trip.thursdaysdhttp://mytimetotravel.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19028015152419036062011-08-18T00:25:35.713-04:002011-08-18T00:25:35.713-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.<br /><br />All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 7:28, 6:51, 1.09, 82%, Challenging<br />Tue 7:25, 8:54, 0.83, 7%, Easy (8th fastest median solve time of 113 Tuesdays)<br />Wed 11:31, 11:51, 0.97, 47%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:57, 3:40, 1.08, 85%, Challenging<br />Tue 4:01, 4:35, 0.88, 11%, Easy<br />Wed 5:37, 5:51, 0.96, 44%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89509602396783775252011-08-17T23:19:37.565-04:002011-08-17T23:19:37.565-04:00After they became an independent act, the Three St...After they became an independent act, the Three Stooges were always billed as "The Three Stooges" (except in Ireland) not by their names. Placards would commonly picture the three men and their names, though. <br /><br />They started out as Shemp, then also Moe, then also Larry as stooges to one Ted Healy. Healy was an all-round jackass, though, so Shemp quit, Curly took his place (accounts differ, but Wikipedia on T3S is currently incorrect, while on Curly it is more correct). Eventually Healy and the Stooges split up, but it was ugly.<br /><br />After 10 years, Curly had a debilitating series of strokes, Shemp came back and took his place. Shemp died suddenly, and very minor actor Joe Palma was faked as Shemp in four films for contract purposes. Then Joe Besser took his place. Joe's wife became sick, then Curly Joe DeRita filled in, and that was more or less it. (When Larry had his stroke, their long time costar Emil "the fourth stooge" Sitka was recruited to take his place, but nothing came of it.)<br /><br />Posting from Philadelphia, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Larry_jonbarandgrille.jpg" rel="nofollow">birthplace of Louis Feinberg</a>, the man who changed his name to Larry Fine.<br /><br />And for those who don't know the reference, "Calling Dr Howard, Dr Fine, Dr Howard" is a major catchline from <i>Men in Black</i>, as implied by the poster above. This line or some version of it has become something of a catchphrase tribute on its own: you're supposed to smile. Sheesh, children today.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63143195429969400152011-08-17T21:37:07.798-04:002011-08-17T21:37:07.798-04:00@anon1110 - and 11% of English is Greek. Greek is ...@anon1110 - and 11% of English is Greek. Greek is alive and well and living in - English!<br /><br />@Retchem - Doggy Downers and Puppy Uppers - and XanaX is a palindrome.<br /><br />@Ksquare - Was Mrs. Horwitz proud of her boys?<br /><br />Puzzle was easy, in that I had no Googling. It's a trick by the NYT to get me to buy the Thurs. <br /><br />Some sports head-scratching - I guess COORS is an arena. Thought "in queen" was another weird sports clue at first.<br /><br />@Shrub5 - great info.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62241527882328266522011-08-17T21:36:08.269-04:002011-08-17T21:36:08.269-04:00@thursdaysd Thanks for the link to Yalta pictures....@thursdaysd Thanks for the link to Yalta pictures. What a pretty place. Also liked seeing Odessa which I know only from crosswords. Will have to learn more and then visit.Texas Mommahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07601124453265527124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3102983199530337542011-08-17T19:52:54.838-04:002011-08-17T19:52:54.838-04:00For some reason I found this a bit quirky for a We...For some reason I found this a bit quirky for a Wednesday (and now that I think about it, the comments today seem a bit quirky as well...) My problem was that I thought the panic drug was XANAC, I actually had to google it to come up with WAX for the cross.<br /><br />I was so proud of myself to remember the (Dr.) Howard name for the Stooges from the skit. I thought Rex would comment on that. Thanks ksquare!skua76https://www.blogger.com/profile/15450051465313263422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55682875012230339842011-08-17T18:10:03.346-04:002011-08-17T18:10:03.346-04:002D, Stooge surname, HOWARD, was assumed by the HOR...2D, Stooge surname, HOWARD, was assumed by the HORWITZ brothers, Moses (Moe), Samuel (Shemp) and Jerome (Curly). When Shemp went out on his own he was replaced by Larry Fine, and they were then billed as Moe, Larry and Curly. After Curly became ill he was replaced by Curly Joe, whose surname I don't remember, in a few pictures.ksquarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06181873595483296089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23576417221391016932011-08-17T17:50:53.214-04:002011-08-17T17:50:53.214-04:00Couldn't get to the puzzle till later but real...Couldn't get to the puzzle till later but really got a kick out of the theme, which is clever, if inconsistent. I resisted MALLET because it didn't seem right until I was forced to concede. I was sure it was something like Mike Hammer.<br /><br />Cluing for JETSAM, PSHAW, and AWMAN was terrific.<br /><br />I echo questioning FEELBAD and MYBAD in the same grid. It's weird. It really jumped out at me so I wonder why Mr. Black or Mr. Shortz didn't seize on it and fix it<br /><br />Long answers (YARDARMS, PERIODIC, SPACEMEN) were great.<br /><br />I didn't like SRTA in the middle like that and I really disliked ETALII.<br /><br />Is it cheating if I texted my son to ask the last name of the "Big Brother" hostess?<br /><br />Nice work, Mr. Black. It's a theme I'll remember.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01267963957074212521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89400387533662641962011-08-17T17:03:43.062-04:002011-08-17T17:03:43.062-04:00@Masked and Anonymous, thanks for that image of @R...@Masked and Anonymous, thanks for that image of @Rex in Hell. The only thing missing is a groaner of a pun; let's make it a Sunday with a punny title!<br /><br />@quilter1, love your latest quilt. A very peaceful palette.<br /><br />I did not find the grid that hard, but I would have without the reinforcement here for entries in previous grids: BEAME, ERI tu, ET ALII, TAMI, OONA. Terms in the clues I learned from solving and discussions here: Mendeleev and sac fly.<br /><br />I was lucky I did not have a DNF. I finished the grid fairly easily with one blank where ROTA crosses NASL. Got it on the first guess. So today I will try to retain Nino Rota. Thanks for the clip, Rex.<br /><br />Clue for my Captcha: Fa, Sol (MIDSCALE)CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79855411160431546922011-08-17T16:49:16.229-04:002011-08-17T16:49:16.229-04:00ERI tu is Italian, not Latin. I'm a little su...ERI tu is Italian, not Latin. I'm a little surprised Rex didn't do one of his trademark punny links to Mocedades singing "Eres Tu". Surely he thinks of that song first every time "Eri tu" is in the puzzle!<br /><br />The actual Latin is usually hidden inside the abbreviation "et al". When written out, ET ALII is masculine plural (and is the more common). "Et alia" is neuter plural. "Et aliae" is the feminine plural. Long lists of authors are usually human, so unless they are all women (after the first author) it would usually get an "et alii". The full name of lawsuits can involve one party or the other being a list of corporations or government entities, so these would get an "et alia".<br /><br />I don't get the point of the clue "Big Apple mayor before Koch". Why not "New York"? I was expecting a cutesy nickname sort of answer, like "the Big Beamer" or whatnot.<br /><br />I find the treatment NYT gives to religious belief rather inconsistent. It seems skittish at times to the point of distraction. Yesterday the clue about the fate of the pious was qualified as according to some, but today, the cause of damnation is completely unqualified. I would prefer the clues to be streamlined, and so long as they stay away from Bald Claims about Deities Themselves, that it just be understood that "according to common Western traditional religious beliefs" always applies to the lesser beliefs. Surely the classic "First person?" clue for Adam can't be beat. (And no, the eroteme does not mean there is implicit theological w(r)iggle room here: the ? only means the usual meaning of "first person" doesn't apply, hahaha.)william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50840011090884035272011-08-17T16:39:27.612-04:002011-08-17T16:39:27.612-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Wed 11:37, 11:51, 0.98, 50%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Wed 5:46, 5:51, 0.99, 51%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83460505745950754332011-08-17T15:41:40.233-04:002011-08-17T15:41:40.233-04:00When my son had to write a mother's day book a...When my son had to write a mother's day book about me, he listed under favorite song:<br />Fordi Conoline. Thanks for the memories, Rex!<br /><br />That A in ROTA, NASL was my last letter in, and was just a guess, other than that, this was smooth sailing.<br /><br />Hard to come up with any other possible theme answers. Anyone?<br /><br />Captcha: hamation - bad pigs!nanpillahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05548473809500612699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69268661922259880642011-08-17T15:32:29.666-04:002011-08-17T15:32:29.666-04:00@santafefran. Head bang...Thanks.@santafefran. Head bang...Thanks.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51036880867038983762011-08-17T15:24:08.448-04:002011-08-17T15:24:08.448-04:00@Wade - You know what we in Oklahoma called guys w...@Wade - You know what we in Oklahoma called guys who REALLY REALLY REALLY liked the Beatles?<br /><br />TexansOklahoma Jacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56800359329094912342011-08-17T14:41:49.523-04:002011-08-17T14:41:49.523-04:00@maskedand anonymous -- how about a subtheme where...@maskedand anonymous -- how about a subtheme where ll the answers are spelling variations of the colloquial term for "u-turn"?Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71736234517269408002011-08-17T14:39:00.892-04:002011-08-17T14:39:00.892-04:00Dan Seals, from west Texas, was called "Engla...Dan Seals, from west Texas, was called "England" Dan because he liked the Beatles. I know what you're thinking: "A lot of people liked the Beatles!" You don't understand: He REALLY REALLY REALLY liked the Beatles.Wadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79721163208653793752011-08-17T14:26:54.028-04:002011-08-17T14:26:54.028-04:00@CoolPapaD: thanks for the info on MC Hammer. Cool...@CoolPapaD: thanks for the info on MC Hammer. Cool!shrub5https://www.blogger.com/profile/09466867716773759568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42664490554910790432011-08-17T13:14:24.210-04:002011-08-17T13:14:24.210-04:00NW corner got me, as the opera cross with ETALII w...NW corner got me, as the opera cross with ETALII was just too much. Otherwise, muddled through what I thought was a challenging Wednesday.<br /><br />Thanks for the Nanci Griffith clip, Rex. I've loved her since the first time I saw her. She was the opening act for the Everly Brothers and the lads were late arriving, so Nanci got some extra stage time and won my heart.Chip Hiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944056030047563287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71758356077578923792011-08-17T13:12:52.741-04:002011-08-17T13:12:52.741-04:00Don't know about most of you, but for me solvi...Don't know about most of you, but for me solving is mostly a nonverbal affair (though I do admit to my lips moving and some aspirating when I run through the alphabet). Finished today in the SW 69A and laughed at myself when I said out loud, "Aw! Man!" I guess that makes this a fun and funny puzzle. Thank you Mike Black.rjbrunnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10670741390272397728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80290097578071755972011-08-17T13:01:10.551-04:002011-08-17T13:01:10.551-04:00@ret_chem
Joho is having some computer issues so p...@ret_chem<br />Joho is having some computer issues so pls get in touch with her off line<br />(tho her test seemed to work)and/or carla michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41590077232169977752011-08-17T12:58:08.595-04:002011-08-17T12:58:08.595-04:00@quilter1 beautiful quilt!!!@quilter1 beautiful quilt!!!chefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.com