tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7601230810609027286..comments2024-03-28T20:49:13.267-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Florida city on Gulf / MON 10-10-11 / Midwest city whose name is poker variety / Stogie holder / Footwear may be worn with PJsRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66919927707120440552011-11-15T08:25:47.859-05:002011-11-15T08:25:47.859-05:00Another late solver (doubly so since it's now ...Another late solver (doubly so since it's now early on a Tuesday morning).<br /><br />I did this one last night but didn't post about it. It was enjoyable, but not striking.<br /><br />I had A BIT of trouble in the NW corner, because MAR was clued somewhat strangely, though for me it worked when I had figured it out. It's one of those Friday or Saturday-style definitions where the word fits, but only in a certain sense. If I scratch a sculpture, painting, or a cabinet, that can mar it and reduce its value.<br /><br />MAR came when I figured out RIGOLETTO. I was trying to think of Verdi operas famous enough for a Monday puzzle that were nine letters in length, and the only other candidate was <i>Don Carlos</i>, which was ruled out by OBI-Wan Kenobi.<br /><br />Speaking of which, if it's your word of the day, why no clips from <i>Rigoletto</i>? I'm sure I'm not the only opera fan among your readers who would have liked that.Nullifidianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207390447020990907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35759395070947134702011-11-14T22:38:05.421-05:002011-11-14T22:38:05.421-05:00@DJ Stone: I started doing this around the 5th an...@DJ Stone: I started doing this around the 5th anniversary of the blog in "real time" so "RPDTNYTCP on this date 5 years ago" didn't exist yet in "syndicated time".<br /><br />But I still celebrate "Columbus Day" too, so don't rely on me for historical accuracy.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79072503871092627892011-11-14T20:27:42.469-05:002011-11-14T20:27:42.469-05:00@Dirigonzo: Why are you quoting Rex from today'...@Dirigonzo: Why are you quoting Rex from today's actual date, rather than 5 years from the date of the puzzle you're posting about?<br /><br />Regarding certain governments replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day, what exactly would you celebrate about people staying in (relatively) one place? If that was the history of the world, Africa would be really, really crowded right now. Though apartments in Manhattan would be a whole lot cheaper.DJ Stonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64837553008611401022011-11-14T17:24:04.212-05:002011-11-14T17:24:04.212-05:00From the land of the late, briefly had RIGOLETTa b...From the land of the late, briefly had RIGOLETTa but I was pretty sure CRaPCIRCLE was wrong (but plausible, I think), so I changed it.<br /><br />And in 2006 a younger Rex Parker had this to day about the 11/14 puz:<br />- "Solving time: 7:48 (Across Lite)"<br />- "Today's theme is rather pedestrian, but it helps start the healing process after yesterday's affront to my puzzle sensibilities."<br />- "It's a little strange to see MUFFS in the grid because despite its many everyday meanings, it always looks like a dirty word to me."<br />- "I guess ABC's must signify basic reading education in general, not just the fact that you know three letters of the alphabet, or even all 26. "Abecedarian" is a very great adjective, relating to rudimentary education - and it seems very crossword-friendly, as 11-letter words go... ooh, it can be a noun or an adjective. Please find a child (or any kind of Beginner) to refer to as an ABECEDARIAN today."<br />- "I'm not liking that 3rd definition. A WHORL is something that WHIRLS - well then what's a WHIRL? Maybe WHORL is bothering because of how it sounds (I'm literally saying it aloud here at my desk, over and over) or because it is very close to WHORE."<br />- @Orange, 1 or 3 commenters, said "I like WHORLs. They're in fiddlehead ferns, nautilus shells, and other things."Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77418592216015950172011-10-11T09:52:30.404-04:002011-10-11T09:52:30.404-04:00@Comrade_B: Yes, Russian -- I just cut and pasted ...@Comrade_B: Yes, Russian -- I just cut and pasted it. 'Tovarisch' pretty much means 'comrade'.<br /><br />Andrea: Good work. CHUMP CHANGE is great!!Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75483958264184894332011-10-11T02:13:53.283-04:002011-10-11T02:13:53.283-04:00@Stan
OK, found it, 1998 Tuesday:
Puzzle Info
ID ...@Stan<br />OK, found it, 1998 Tuesday:<br />Puzzle Info<br />ID 583<br />Constructor Janet R. Bender<br />Publisher code nyt<br />Date Tue, Aug 04, 1998<br />Size 15 x 15 <br />Word Count 78<br />Blocks 38<br />Mean Word Length 4.79<br /><br />Theme Info<br />Theme Type: Alliterations<br />Theme Comment: C alliterations<br />Entry L Clue<br />CHEVYCHASE 10 Washington suburb<br />CHUMPCHANGE 11 A few coins, in slang<br />CHINESECHECKERS 15 You can't enjoy this if you've lost your marbles<br />CHARLIECHAN 11 Detective with a large family<br />CHOKECHAIN 10 Dog restraint<br /> <br />Theme letter count: 57andrea chacha michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64912290986810617302011-10-11T00:46:57.141-04:002011-10-11T00:46:57.141-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 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 6:17, 6:51, 0.92, 19%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:25, 3:40, 0.93, 23%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50741914355017058282011-10-11T00:00:03.422-04:002011-10-11T00:00:03.422-04:00Thanks for all the answers, guys.
Holy s**t, can...Thanks for all the answers, guys. <br /><br />Holy s**t, can't believe people solve this thing in less than two minutes. Pretty impressive.<br /><br />@Stan: Is that Russian? I don't understand it.Comrade_Bazarovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15780981633695863136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18385390312968196812011-10-10T23:08:20.887-04:002011-10-10T23:08:20.887-04:00@Comrade_Bazarov, for online solvers, the MEDIAN t...@Comrade_Bazarov, for online solvers, the MEDIAN time on a Monday is ~7minutes. For the top 100 it's less than 4 minutes. But note that this is a small and highly self-selected group. Also, these are medians. There are people who take wayyyy longer. If you did the means, they would be much higher. <br /><br />SanFranMan has the more accurate data. Look at his posts (including today) and you will see exactly how you stack up...<br /><br />The Feyer is a good unit, albeit hard on the ego...foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71236819081055676512011-10-10T21:04:27.694-04:002011-10-10T21:04:27.694-04:00"We've been thrown off course just a TAD...."We've been thrown off course just a TAD."<br /><br />"Miss, what exactly is a TAD?"<br /><br />"In space terms, that's about half a million miles."<br /><br />...we're also out of coffee."firewaternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51563055067296470412011-10-10T20:50:21.823-04:002011-10-10T20:50:21.823-04:00@Comrade_Bazarov:
I propose a unit of time called ...@Comrade_Bazarov:<br />I propose a unit of time called the feyer. A feyer for a puzzle is how long it took Dan Feyer to solve it (see http://dandoesnotblog.blogspot.com/)<br /><br />To convert your time to fayers simply divide it by his time for the same puzzle. So your 6 minutes is 6*60/(60 + 34) = 3.8 feyers which isn't bad.r.alphbunkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35954302378774220012011-10-10T20:47:07.595-04:002011-10-10T20:47:07.595-04:00Si si Senor! Nice puzzle.
I had Cork before CLAY ...Si si Senor! Nice puzzle.<br /><br />I had Cork before CLAY and Corn before CROP, though. <br /><br />@Stan, et al - thanx, so I didn't have to. <br /><br />@Mac - what about people who say Jammies? Bunnies?Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4820739659455854392011-10-10T20:43:28.078-04:002011-10-10T20:43:28.078-04:00@Comrade_Bazarov: Welcome Това́рищ.@Comrade_Bazarov: Welcome Това́рищ.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9424817148056274922011-10-10T20:17:06.478-04:002011-10-10T20:17:06.478-04:00I have a question (sorry if it is stupid or has be...I have a question (sorry if it is stupid or has been answered already): I have been solving crosswords for about five years now and have been timing myself (especially on Monday ones) or the last three. <br />What is considered a "good" time? I usually average around 8 min but today I got 6 min on this NYT one. <br /><br />Thanks. Great blog, BTW. Can't believe I never bothered to look for crossword-related blogs all these years. I will be a regular reader!Comrade_Bazarovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15780981633695863136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17393320982689648222011-10-10T19:59:00.498-04:002011-10-10T19:59:00.498-04:00Jeopardy is over!!! will discuss it tomorrowJeopardy is over!!! will discuss it tomorrowchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34186847853389633522011-10-10T18:38:01.435-04:002011-10-10T18:38:01.435-04:00Calico Cat
Curtain Call
Crossword Clues
Chinese Ch...Calico Cat<br />Curtain Call<br />Crossword Clues<br />Chinese Checkers<br />Checker Cab<br />Cab Calloway<br />Calvin Coolidge<br />Coolidge Corner<br />Charlie Chan<br />Cotton Candy<br />Candy Clark<br />Clark Clifford<br /><br />But for bcc, I've got nothing...Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4594066007936149202011-10-10T18:36:52.125-04:002011-10-10T18:36:52.125-04:00How could we forget carbon copy!!
Sitting here wa...How could we forget carbon copy!!<br /><br />Sitting here waiting for Jeopardy to start with Joon on his 6th day. We may be a little late for dinner.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58773194564035528782011-10-10T18:36:34.372-04:002011-10-10T18:36:34.372-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20336069973491648732011-10-10T18:00:21.065-04:002011-10-10T18:00:21.065-04:00Rex, I liked your comments. You even showed some ...Rex, I liked your comments. You even showed some self-deprecating humor at the end. That's a good thing. ARF.<br /><br />PS. Apparently this sets a new record for Cs, the old being 16.<br /><br />PPS. Mac, you forgot CARBON COPY, which, after all, is what CC stands for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83236292898424415732011-10-10T17:56:43.391-04:002011-10-10T17:56:43.391-04:00I always feel pretty good when I finish even on a ...I always feel pretty good when I finish even on a Monday, and especially when for me the puzzle was super easy and Rex says medium. So I'm having a good day. A fine puzzle, and I'm impressed with ten theme answers.<br /><br />I also loved today's musical choices, especially "I'm not in love."<br /><br />@mac--So sorry to have misread your post from two days ago! When I read the one yesterday I went back and tried again. I see now what it is that was wrong and that you read! (I thought you meant . . . oh, never mind.)<br /><br />Someone last week mentioned being a good friend of Adam on Amazing Race. I can't remember who, but you must be even prouder of your friendship today! I'd be proud to call that guy a friend!600https://www.blogger.com/profile/14501483791122854785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7388166704167857212011-10-10T17:37:20.342-04:002011-10-10T17:37:20.342-04:00@sanfranman59: thanks again for your statistics. ...@sanfranman59: thanks again for your statistics. <br /><br />I look forward to your post each day. <br /><br />Between Rex and you and @Foodie's QDI, we get a very good assessment of each puzzle's difficulty.archaeoprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956231727789223463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67930822254448473632011-10-10T17:02:13.661-04:002011-10-10T17:02:13.661-04:00Fun puzzle! 'Not too much crosswordese, and so...Fun puzzle! 'Not too much crosswordese, and some fun words. Also, perhaps because I knew it, CLAYCOURT seemed like a great clue. It's always fun to learn a bit of trivia or realize that the odd thing you happen to know is actually useful-ish. <br /><br />I agree that Coco Chanel would have been nice. The clue could be something like "French fashion icon who briefly served as a Nazi intelligence agent".Lisa Feather Arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05075385469105020499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67510456578324109642011-10-10T16:19:30.218-04:002011-10-10T16:19:30.218-04:00Midday 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):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 6:13, 6:51, 0.91, 17%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:29, 3:40, 0.95, 31%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91627865137673542922011-10-10T16:17:30.925-04:002011-10-10T16:17:30.925-04:00@31: MAR and MOCS clues not so bad. I recently wor...@31: MAR and MOCS clues not so bad. I recently worked a puz where the clue was "CAB-, PAP- or M- ending".<br /><br />@ACME, Darlin': Yep now you need 11 theme answers, just to get yer foot in the door. All thanx to Ian C.<br /><br />Really good puz. I thought it put up a heck of a fight, for a Monday. Lots of C's, which are like another infrequently-used letter on its side...<br /><br />Almost forgot. Answer to the clue up near the top is OOSE. Har. Desperate cruciverbalists are a hoot.Masked and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22916424414578165642011-10-10T15:57:48.997-04:002011-10-10T15:57:48.997-04:00My bank was closed due to observance of Columbus D...My bank was closed due to observance of Columbus Day, but it also said in Spanish Dia de la Raza, which isn't quite the same. (Not sure which heritage, or just in general, is implied?) Not surprisingly we have IPD here in Santa Cruz, too.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.com