tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7319076903293161398..comments2024-03-28T18:01:16.957-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Mae (government lender) / MON 11-9-15 / Campus in Troy, N.Y. / Band aide / Disgorges / Chaney of chillersRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8934605841960913512015-12-14T14:08:43.923-05:002015-12-14T14:08:43.923-05:00How many of us drove CAMAROS in our YOUTH? Lotsa h...How many of us drove CAMAROS in our YOUTH? Lotsa hands up I’ll bet.<br /><br />Will TIGER ever again be clued as a golfer? Lotsa head-shaking I imagine.<br /><br />I sense a new ICINESS in this OASIS. So today’s verse goes like this GORGONZOLA the GIANTSQUID caused terrors because QUANTUMTHEORY CONFUSED the inventor. A little QUICKTHINKING had caused some ERRORS, and he had NOT spent QUALITYTIME with a mentor. IQ’S STIGMA by EBENEEZER SEQUOIA. I TRUSS that it will make the cut this time.<br /><br />I wasn’t in AWE, and this puzzle’s not GOLD, but it was one of the CUTIES.<br />BS2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26439334410577283592015-12-14T11:37:31.113-05:002015-12-14T11:37:31.113-05:00A pleasant little CUTIE to kick off the week. Uber...A pleasant little CUTIE to kick off the week. Uber-easy, with only the WOE BOIS--which I noticed after filling in the acrosses. That and ADEE were the LIELOW points today. Oh, one inaccuracy: "Post-E.R. locale." There are several possible of those, including the street. But after the O.R. you WILL go to the ICU (unless, horrors, you died on the table).<br /><br />I fear I'm possibly migrating toward the "I-skip-M-W" camp. It was enjoyable enough; whenever we go out, I have to keep my eyes peeled for babies so wifey can fuss over them. "CBA," I say, our shorthand for "Cute Baby Alert!" (Was there ever an UN-cute baby?) Yeah, okay, she also alerts ME. But really, the clue set bends over backwards to be Monday-easy: did we really need to name TWO towns in the UTAHNS clue? B+.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32466166076951989762015-12-14T11:27:33.438-05:002015-12-14T11:27:33.438-05:00Nice easy Mon-puz except for the favorite write-ov...Nice easy Mon-puz except for the favorite write-over at faNNIE. Speaking of which, CUTIES and yeah babies NATALIE and KATE make an appearance. Throw in TRICIA and SUSIE and we have ladies’ names all over.<br /><br />Can’t see or hear AQUA LUNG together without thinking Jethro Tull.<br /><br />BOIS Forte is a MN tribe, Ojibwe I believe.<br /><br />An OLE today to go with yesterday’s SVEN.<br /><br />I can’t imagine that @spacey will give this puz ADEE.<br />rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70276136515904011752015-11-10T11:42:19.325-05:002015-11-10T11:42:19.325-05:00Doesn't seem that this was fully explained yet...Doesn't seem that this was fully explained yet: QUARTER TONE as in whole tone and semitone. Octave = 12 semitones: start counting at C=0, then C#=1, D=2, D#=3, etc. until B=11 and the next C=12. So if you divide an octave into 24 equal parts you get 24 halves of semitones, i.e. 24 quarter-tones. Quarter-tone music uses 24 notes to the octave, the 12 standard ones and a dozen further notes each halfway between two consecutive piano notes (C half-sharp between C and C#, then D half-flat between C# and D, etc.). Here "tone" is used as a measure of distance between two "note"s.Noam D. Elkiesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79343168395525465642015-11-10T09:06:02.012-05:002015-11-10T09:06:02.012-05:00Can you clue Frau with Mrs. Which indicates an abb...Can you clue Frau with Mrs. Which indicates an abbreviation ala Ser.? Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06237769422347289261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67742180424491639762015-11-09T23:06:07.423-05:002015-11-09T23:06:07.423-05:00Just got home from a trip to see the grandchildren...Just got home from a trip to see the grandchildren. The flight was delayed two hours. After unpacking, I was exhausted. But for all that, I had to do the Friday puzzle that was waiting for me. And I don't think I'll bother with the Monday one. Better to enjoy Annabel's review. We're all glad to see her back, and in fine form today.<br /><br />So I am going to respond to a Friday commenter, having just done the puzzle in a state of total exhaustion. I completed it, or think I did (the NE was a little tricky). And in my condition, completing it made it Easy. <br /><br />But -- and here's the point -- Easy for a Friday is tough for a Monday or Tuesday. Y'all have to understand that OFL's difficulty ratings are not absolute. Every rating is followed (you must understand) by "for a [name the day of the week]. If a Friday puzzle is "easy" it may well be medium or even hard for someone who can usually do a Monday or Tuesday puzzle with no problem but gets stymied and needs lots of help later in the week. It's in the FAQ, which I actually only read on my little vacation.<br /><br />I fully agree with Rex's praise for the Friday puzzle. And since I may never do today's, it's on to Tuesday for me.<br /> old timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57608605254427592832015-11-09T21:23:47.502-05:002015-11-09T21:23:47.502-05:00@fuzzle, @Ellen S, and @ Casco Kid - How would one...@fuzzle, @Ellen S, and @ Casco Kid - How would one be an aunt or uncle without nieces or nephews? Clues are not necessarily in 1st person.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58536954443562762082015-11-09T19:22:22.322-05:002015-11-09T19:22:22.322-05:00Welcome back Anabel. Best writeup to-date!
I lik...Welcome back Anabel. Best writeup to-date!<br /><br />I liked this easy Monday, mostly becausee I love the constructor's name... (Hi @Gill)...)<br /><br />@quilter - nice to see you here, and glad to hear you're recovering.<br /><br />Puzzle conjured up tons of good stuff...<br /><br />TAG was one of our staples, along with Tetherball and Boxball. Our own version of tag was called Kryptonite - each kid was a superhero, and whoever was It was Kryptonite. Me and Timmy were the littlest kids on the bloack, so we usually wound up relegated to being Superdog, all the cool superheroes being called by the big kids.<br /><br />I bet our resident chefs wear APRONS. I get a kick out of "celebrity chefs" wearing oddles of jewelry and flowing sleeves when mixing ground meat with their hands - nary an APRON in sight. Gimme Jacques Pepin any day, with his dishcloth tucked into his APRONstrings.<br /><br />RAE/RYE crossing - yesterday, puzzspouse came home with Levey's Jewish RYE, and I watched Norma RAE on TV.<br /><br />Played hardish for a Monday, and the theme was ho-hummish, but the fill was great.<br /><br />My parents lived near the Bois de Boulogne during their stint in Paris, before they moved to Vesinet.<br /><br />Thanks Pawel Fludzinski!!!Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26706945268485812522015-11-09T18:50:31.710-05:002015-11-09T18:50:31.710-05:00I wish I could say that there is no "I" ...I wish I could say that there is no "I" in NIECE, but unfortunately that is not literally true.<br /><br />However, I wish all who have complained about the clue "Aunt and uncle's little girl" for the answer NIECE would figuratively take out the "I", that is, removed themselves from the picture. The clue is not saying that the child of YOUR aunt and uncle is YOUR niece. I believe it simply says that the girl who calls two people "aunt" and "uncle" is THEIR "niece."Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10543420808372352092015-11-09T18:27:35.506-05:002015-11-09T18:27:35.506-05:00Add me to the faNNIE before GINNIE list.Add me to the faNNIE before GINNIE list.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75901374960476039202015-11-09T16:54:20.822-05:002015-11-09T16:54:20.822-05:00One writeover: had to change 'Trisha' to ...One writeover: had to change 'Trisha' to TRICIA Nixon. Brain fart, I guess.<br /><br />Hand up for filling in NIECE w/o noticing the mis-clue. On auto pilot, I guess.<br /><br />Beautiful clues @Lewis cited, esp. 'for a Monday'.<br /><br />Annabel, about the Yorkie, let me speak from experience: these little doggies are as mighty and brave as any large breed. But you can scoop them up and run away with them when they overreach! Stubborn as mules, but they are tolerated because they are so damned CUTe! <br /><br />Thanks, PF and WS, for a QUality Monday.Ludyjynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-162861288131426312015-11-09T16:02:26.074-05:002015-11-09T16:02:26.074-05:00Any puzzle with SEQUOIA and GORGONZOLA, a write-up...Any puzzle with SEQUOIA and GORGONZOLA, a write-up by Annabelle, and a constructor named Pawel Fludzinski is COOLS by me. Loved the squid flick and a QuickTime view of Teri Garr, long-time heartthrob for the foxmeister.foxaronihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00085435659928443459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17707186156526405212015-11-09T15:56:24.048-05:002015-11-09T15:56:24.048-05:00Nice write up Annabel.
Hope school is everything y...Nice write up Annabel.<br />Hope school is everything you expected and more.<br />Liked the QT theme.<br />One nit is that a FINAL FOUR game can be the championship so not necessarily a SEMI.<br />Thanks PF.Charles Flasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16588962898277593533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58069732303125852732015-11-09T15:36:42.971-05:002015-11-09T15:36:42.971-05:00I love doing these crosswords, and can usually do ...I love doing these crosswords, and can usually do Monday's without feeling too dense. So today I was creeping happily along, and then I came to a clue whose answer had to be "niece," because of the letters already in the grid. But the definition was "aunt and uncle's little girl." Now my aunt and uncle's little girl is my cousin. To them she is their daughter. A niece is my brother or sister's little girl. Now I bet we all got this item, because the terms 'aunt,' 'uncle,' 'niece,' and 'nephew' go together. But really, a rather shabby definition it seemed to me.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381872404054459617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86782654239132815182015-11-09T15:27:01.491-05:002015-11-09T15:27:01.491-05:00I enjoyed this one. I'll admit, just on the Q...I enjoyed this one. I'll admit, just on the QT, that I don't get how a quartertone is 1/24 of an octave, but then I had QUARTERTIME and QUARTERNOTE first, so there's plenty I don't know. Fannie before Ginnie as well, not to mention IRONLUNG. But it all eventually fell into place once ICINESS dawned on me.thfennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12184305198435406844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14114068446609912972015-11-09T14:45:25.527-05:002015-11-09T14:45:25.527-05:00@fuzzle, @ellen, I'm with you. When cousin did...@fuzzle, @ellen, I'm with you. When cousin didn't fit, I reminded myself: the New York Times Crossword Puzzle editors think E=MC is an equation Einstein would have approved of, three-peats happen twice, Arizonans call themselves Arizonian, and so a major disconnect from cousin to niece is to be expected. Or perhaps I am just a brittle denotator and fail to appreciate the plasticity of a living language. Sigh.<br /><br />Total wipe-out DNF Monday. faNNIE Mae led the way. Jean fEN_ _ had me guessing fENET (sounds French enough, doesn't it) but ___ de Boulogne (Parisian park) smacks of Franco-Italian (Bologna), so . . . BO_ _ could be BOsc ???, giving me EGEcTS (which sounded like it might be close, but EjEcTS would have had more integrity there.) Facing the theme revealer CUTsE_, I went with CUTsEy, as the theme and babies are in fact, cutsey, or maybe cutsie, but then again, nieces-cousins-whatever-goes. Ultimately, that landed me with the nonsensical ICaNeYS, for extremely aloof demeanor. OK. Icahn-yes? He is extremely aloof. Especially on Mondays. @jae is right. This is Friday-Saturday hard. But it only took 14 minutes to hit the dissolute French wall in the SE.<br /><br />I looked up GENET to see if I should have known him. He was friends with Picasso, Cocteau, David Bowie. ??? But his real claim to fame is that he helped today's constructor finish this puzzle. I get it.<br /><br />So why we didn't get more Polish words? Did you know that [Kabaty ___ (Marie Skłodowska's place to ponder before Bois de Boulogne)] is a LAS? Yes, LAS means BOIS! And don't we need new clues for LAS?! C'mon, Pawel, feel free to go all Polish on us next time. As Marie Skłodowska may well have quipped to Einstein: Jestem prostym Polaka w kompleks samolot. (Go ahead, Francophiles, google-translate it.) Now that's what I call *good* content for a constructor's database.<br /><br /><br /> <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17377484037063276502015-11-09T13:47:51.311-05:002015-11-09T13:47:51.311-05:00Nice puzzle and thanks for the great write up, Ann...Nice puzzle and thanks for the great write up, Annabel.<br /><br />I DNFed at the obvious spot - couldn't think of GINNIE but I knew ICaNESS was not a word. GENET was a WOE, stupidly put in QUARTER TimE and never changed it so there is a park in Paris called BiIS de Boulogne? Ach. I spelled Nixon's daughter TRIshA first but as CONFUSED as I may seem, that one I fixed. <br /><br />I liked seeing the monstrous cheese GORGON ZOLA and QUANTUM THEORY is great. Waves, particles, and now strings maybe.<br /><br />Thanks, Mr. Fludzinski, this was COOLS.Teedmnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832353448839187816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86868293933708574652015-11-09T13:33:52.100-05:002015-11-09T13:33:52.100-05:00DNF, due to never having heard of GINNIE MAE or Je...DNF, due to never having heard of GINNIE MAE or Jean GENET. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74768971687134727922015-11-09T13:13:35.495-05:002015-11-09T13:13:35.495-05:00Really good write-up, @Blu'bel. Primo bullets...Really good write-up, @Blu'bel. Primo bullets, which invariably add interest.<br /><br />Really good MonPuz, actually. I mean, sure -- there's yer usual coupla vowel EGESTionS, i.e.: IRAE, ADEE. And then there's the dreaded French QUARTER (t??e), down in the South. Excellent protection for the CUTIE revealer, what with the two mystery French answers crossin it at 51- and 56-Down: GENET BOIS. But otherwise, excellent grid.<br /><br />BullETTEs:<br /><br />* GIANTSQUID. Cool schlock flick … Did U know that there was a silent movie version of 20K Under the Sea? M&A has it on DVD. <br />* GORGONZOLA. This also sounds like a potential schlock flick creature name. Attack of the Giant Cheesehead, Gorgonzilla.<br />* SEQUOIA. Neat neat trees. They deserve a name with a U in it. Nice nest of em, at Yosemite Park. Biggest of em all = General Sherman, at Sequoia Natl. Park.<br />* EBENEZER. Outstandin name. Has yer Hebrew derivation. Can U guess what it (roughly) means in Hebrew? Multiple choices:<br />a) Smooth flow.<br />b) Masked devil.<br />c) Rock of divine assistance.<br />d) Underwear reuser.<br />e) Utahn.<br />(Answer* way down at the bottom.)<br />* fave moo-cow Monday Eazy-E clue: <br />{Game in which to cry "You're it!"}. And right at 1-Across. <br />* Eleven U's. Possible I Fink U Freaky Award contender. (yo, @Lewis. Good job, on the tricky count.)<br />* Weeject stacks, in the NW and SE. fave one: RPI. Better clue: {Headstone malfunction??}.<br />* Like @Blu'bel says, neat theme for a MonPuz. Nothin deep, but look at those juicy theme answers. Well, actually QUANTUM THEORY is kinda deep, in a way. It annoyed the snot out of Einstein, who didn't like the idea of the Universe being run like a dice game.<br />* Desperate moment of the day: ETTE/BOIS/GENET. That's what U get, when U stack themers.<br /><br />M&A<br /><br />**gruntz**<br /><br /><br />* Multiple choice answer: C.<br />Masked and Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16027736429645378004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64118928547136026202015-11-09T12:57:50.763-05:002015-11-09T12:57:50.763-05:00my only erasure was IRON LUNG before AQUA LUNG. o...my only erasure was IRON LUNG before AQUA LUNG. otherwise easy. chaskluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06544882246726372209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17698090578980483752015-11-09T12:45:28.475-05:002015-11-09T12:45:28.475-05:00Oh, just did the mini as a dessert and it's go...Oh, just did the mini as a dessert and it's got some extra zip today! Clever boy.Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8375607402604961522015-11-09T12:41:35.283-05:002015-11-09T12:41:35.283-05:00I was talking about Tricia Nixon yesterday at lunc...I was talking about Tricia Nixon yesterday at lunch, thinking I might be the only one outside of her family and friends doing so, and voila! Here she is! Kinda gives me the heebee jeebees. <br /><br />Really a fine Monday puzzle with lots of theme density and a CUTIE pie reveal. If I was new to crosswords and this was my first Monday experience, I'd be saying, "Bring it on, Tuesday!"<br /><br />I had to think a bit to come up with Sequoia because I wanted that "and sometimes, Y", but I only have one complaint already mentioned. The wrongness of the NIECE clue is painful, although I popped it right in. Who needs dem clues anyway?Hartley70https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557118655188472450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37057640480977777022015-11-09T12:14:58.364-05:002015-11-09T12:14:58.364-05:00A Monday puzzle with a little bite and replete wit...A Monday puzzle with a little bite and replete with grid treats (SEQUOIA, GORGONZOLA, GIANT SQUID + AQUA LUNG, STIGMA, ICINESS x COOLS...). Definitely QUALITY TIME spent with this one.<br /><br />I liked the "THINKING" mini-theme - IQS, ACED, CONFUSED, ERRORS.<br /><br />Also a treat to have you back, Annabel. Thanks for that amazing squid video.Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4859577762376445612015-11-09T11:42:10.268-05:002015-11-09T11:42:10.268-05:00Quentin Terantino. Brilliant!Quentin Terantino. Brilliant!aging sopranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01085649464857246925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13177031658434482902015-11-09T11:39:10.493-05:002015-11-09T11:39:10.493-05:00Annabel, a guarter tone is 1/24 of an octave and i...Annabel, a guarter tone is 1/24 of an octave and indicates pitch. A quarter note is a written symbol which represents a unit of time, a rhythmic value: one quarter of a whole note. Quarter note cannot be the answer to 57a. A very easy puzzle for me. I circled a few things that I thought I might need to Google, but never had to resort to that. It all just fell into place in a very Mondayn way. <br />@Lewis of course there were lots of U's, to go with all those Q's. <br />RPI not too far from Dies Irae made me conjure up RIP.<br />Thanks Annabel, for the writeup and photos. Enjoyed.aging sopranohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01085649464857246925noreply@blogger.com