tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7632295616241672302..comments2024-03-28T20:49:13.267-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Architect Louis / THU 10-9-14 / Comic Cenac formerly of Daily Show / Subject of National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius / Mil mess personnel / Feature of Polyphemus from Odyssey / Bygone brand in shaving aisle / Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55596809726086297312014-11-13T21:20:29.611-05:002014-11-13T21:20:29.611-05:00Thank goodness South Sudan joined the UN!Thank goodness South Sudan joined the UN!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6608486654524749562014-11-13T20:22:46.816-05:002014-11-13T20:22:46.816-05:00He's from Texas by way of Nairobi ! He also ha...He's from Texas by way of Nairobi ! He also has money from a dead diplomat that he'd like to send you, after you send a $5,000 processing fee!Ghostbustershttp://yahoo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54846722265061660232014-11-13T19:56:39.618-05:002014-11-13T19:56:39.618-05:00You have now breached the no charlatan clause: ple...You have now breached the no charlatan clause: please remit $34,000.00 U.S.D. To<br />Dewey Cheatem and Howe Ltd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1519775537436544972014-11-13T19:51:48.173-05:002014-11-13T19:51:48.173-05:00Au contraire mon ami!
It wasn't until I had a ...Au contraire mon ami!<br />It wasn't until I had a legal dose of the herb that I sussed this one out! 5 states legal, 45 to go!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4530054249490968372014-11-13T19:35:52.597-05:002014-11-13T19:35:52.597-05:00@rain, I officially relinquish my position as clue...@rain, I officially relinquish my position as clue 58 to you. Congrats!Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71647105490475924622014-11-13T19:18:28.497-05:002014-11-13T19:18:28.497-05:00I couldn't post a comment for, like, hours eh?...I couldn't post a comment for, like, hours eh? Stupid computer. Anyway as you will see below I have the winning hand, though late like a 9 1/2 month pregnancy.<br /><br />I did like the different take on listing the clues although I kept looking lower left whenever a down answer was called for. <br /><br />Like @Diri I solved "wrongly" and so the NW gave up the game after AABA, HEMA, and OBAMACARE. Even solving using the wrong method, this went by pretty quickly, but that never bothers me. It WILL be tougher tomorrow and Saturday, so there's that.<br /><br />1116 Told ya.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17790199737896590272014-11-13T18:25:03.758-05:002014-11-13T18:25:03.758-05:00I skipped all of the prime-time comments because I...I skipped all of the prime-time comments because I didn't want the complaining about their on-line solving experience to drag me down. I loved this puzzle which was obviously created for us pen and paper solvers, especially those like me who solve "by the numbers" reading each clue in numerical order. I grokked to the gimmick right away when I figured the only clue for 1 had to apply to both the across and down words and the rest was too easy for a Thursday. Only write-over was ApAches/ARAPAHO, easily fixed by the crosswords. Today my "wrong" solving style (so pronounced by Rex a while back) was the right solving style!<br /><br />1923 - I bow to @Waxy's superior numerology.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76932511925351560922014-11-13T16:57:03.826-05:002014-11-13T16:57:03.826-05:00Not my favorite clue layout-got a headache from ch...Not my favorite clue layout-got a headache from chasing around after the clues. Other than that, an ok day. Didn't know KAHN,though I live near Scripp's, and I doubt I've ever heard a bird TWEEDLE, but my DNF was, once again the sports team. I send my packages thru the USPo, so my team was the unknown oPUR!! Shouldn't,t the real team be SPURs?<br /><br />1146 So @Waxy you do appear to be the 3 today.DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30537576857006730932014-11-13T13:26:03.555-05:002014-11-13T13:26:03.555-05:00Certainly didn't hate this one as much as OFL ...Certainly didn't hate this one as much as OFL and previously described "minions". And I feel no pity for the device-solvers who whine at the drop of a hat if something is the least bit unique; put down your electronic toys and pick up your pens - solve like real people. Have to admire the construction for finding that many corners in which to have an alliterative answer. My biggest problem was looking for clues in the wrong places. So some of the fill was not great, you gotta like any puz with SKINNYDIP in it (used to play NTN trivia with a gal with that moniker). I would RATE this one as OK.<br /><br />200 - YOLK's on merondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84816561654125727902014-11-13T13:24:01.819-05:002014-11-13T13:24:01.819-05:00@Jeffrey Dowling - Enough, already!
Not very chal...@Jeffrey Dowling - Enough, already!<br /><br />Not very challenging for a Thursday once the gimmick became apparent. Had problems in the NW with CASH/CROP and OBAMACARE and in the centre with the WYATT/TWEEDLE area. YOLK also took far too long mostly because I didn't grok the clue properly.<br /><br />3761 --> 8. Think it makes me the current clue for 3 or 58.<br /> Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36628265464572420082014-11-13T12:20:36.231-05:002014-11-13T12:20:36.231-05:00Loved this puzzle and thank you Joel F. I was stu...Loved this puzzle and thank you Joel F. I was stuck in the middle for awhile. I did most of the "downs" before sussing out the clever trick. Kahn was the architect who designed our local Salk Institute here in San Diego. Had to look up the spelling of etymon and that gave up yolk. I have crowned myself the 99,999th crossword King in So. Calif.<br /><br />Ron Diego (no numbers)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41880701580639383592014-11-13T11:11:00.523-05:002014-11-13T11:11:00.523-05:00Yeah, this gimmick looked disturbing at first, wha...Yeah, this gimmick looked disturbing at first, what with no clue axes. For #1 I thought maybe the "or" meant that the across referred to corn and the down cotton, or vice versa. But soon enough the answer was obvious, and it wasn't really an aha--it was more like "I knew that." JEAN JACKET did take a while, but CAPE COD and the rest were no probs.<br /><br />No, the difficulty lay mainly in the attempt to fog the clues--which seldom succeeded. Okay, "White's counterpart" had me wishing for five squares so I could put in SAJAK, but the down helped me. Not familiar with ETYMON, though I should be, I still knew etymology, hence the third letter there RATEd to be a Y. Hence YOLK.<br /><br />Not much else to snag the solver, though the very last letter I entered was the K of SKINNYDIP. Now there's a foggy clue! I make it "easy-for-a-Thursday." C.<br /><br />940; more mediocrity. spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-713070290615163322014-11-13T10:49:06.894-05:002014-11-13T10:49:06.894-05:00Oh, put a sock in it, Jeff, Or I'll divorce yo...Oh, put a sock in it, Jeff, Or I'll divorce you again--this time for good.the long-suffering Mrs. Jeffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50694264648814258052014-10-12T13:20:18.287-04:002014-10-12T13:20:18.287-04:00Posting very late (days late, in fact)...
I solved...Posting very late (days late, in fact)...<br />I solved on AcrossLite. This one was right in my wheelhouse. I finished in 35 min, unheard of for a Thursday. I got the gimmick pretty quickly as I entered Crop in 1A and had to change it almost immediately.<br /><br />Clues I liked: YOLK, RAKE, HAIKU, USPS, HIKE<br /><br />@Anoa Bob - Thank y'all for the Redneck HAIKU. Brilliant!<br /><br />@gregg - Thank you for the Rockin' Robin ear worm. I haven't shaken it yet.<br /><br />I did like the puzzle very much. Thanks JF / WS!<br />LHS 888https://www.blogger.com/profile/15004450465176210237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13190446589819808072014-10-11T08:41:31.709-04:002014-10-11T08:41:31.709-04:00And one dimensional. Those who can do...etc, etcAnd one dimensional. Those who can do...etc, etcAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31985580586855333412014-10-10T01:19:58.335-04:002014-10-10T01:19:58.335-04:00@sanfranman (I just moved back to SF myself!) and ...@sanfranman (I just moved back to SF myself!) and others who missed the gimmick with AcrosLite, the Wordplay blog has had an alert about it for the past few days. So if you glance at it every Wednesday, you can see whether they're going to do something weird on Thursday. But I agree that maybe they should have the stickie note on *Wednesday* to warn you about Thursday!<br />Badirnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29969772483284223642014-10-09T22:12:22.142-04:002014-10-09T22:12:22.142-04:00@Tommy C, if I got your point, it's very likel...@Tommy C, if I got your point, it's very likely that others did also.<br /><br />As to why choose corn and cotton, possibly because those two are more likely to mislead the solvers' thinking, the same way 'wheat' did in 40A, and as 'rye' would have done, to different effect.Elephant's Childnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1907871007498496572014-10-09T22:02:28.831-04:002014-10-09T22:02:28.831-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. 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 5:51, 6:03, 0.97, 35%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 6:59, 7:50, 0.89, 18%, Easy<br />Wed 7:59, 9:30, 0.84, 13%, Easy<br />Thu 15:49, 17:32, 0.90, 31%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:53, 3:57, 0.98, 36%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:42, 5:21, 0.88, 10%, Easy<br />Wed 5:00, 6:12, 0.81, 4%, Easy (11th lowest ratio of 249 Wednesdays)<br />Thu 9:45, 11:06, 0.88, 22%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52399764856170577552014-10-09T21:45:34.278-04:002014-10-09T21:45:34.278-04:00Classic Rex on the rag. This was a fine puzzle IMO...Classic Rex on the rag. This was a fine puzzle IMO with many creative answers. Won't waste my time arguing with a putz.dogbreathnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71334896984063876722014-10-09T21:45:07.714-04:002014-10-09T21:45:07.714-04:00Classic Rex on the rag. This was a fine puzzle IMO...Classic Rex on the rag. This was a fine puzzle IMO with many creative answers. Won't waste my time arguing with a putz.dogbreathnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22951773619967291902014-10-09T20:37:02.591-04:002014-10-09T20:37:02.591-04:00Well, Barany's back, promoting his personal in...<br /><br />Well, Barany's back, promoting his personal interests on a blog of public interest.<br /><br />It's just a good thing that he's the only free-rider that does this.Rick Starrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67518648044121774022014-10-09T20:06:08.200-04:002014-10-09T20:06:08.200-04:00I usually agree with Rex, but I thought his puzzle...I usually agree with Rex, but I thought his puzzle was fun and a pleasant mix-up.Terry B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48929313089920018212014-10-09T19:57:23.976-04:002014-10-09T19:57:23.976-04:00The symmetry of the puzzle broke down in the South...The symmetry of the puzzle broke down in the SouthEast corner. Very disappointing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59799625104343884792014-10-09T19:42:28.326-04:002014-10-09T19:42:28.326-04:00I'm still running on a grandfathered Magmic NY...I'm still running on a grandfathered Magmic NYT subscription (which I believe was less than the direct NYT subscription at one point). Which, sadly, means no access to a PDF or official-site version. Wish I had the opportunity to do this one as intended.Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15336260911834780345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13844958263399242472014-10-09T18:27:47.119-04:002014-10-09T18:27:47.119-04:00This also struck me as pointless. It took very lit...This also struck me as pointless. It took very little time to figure out the gimmick, and then it was easier than the usual Thursday puzzle. Mainly I kept on having to redirect my focus since I was looking for across clues in the typical location (on the paper version of the puzzle). Not very exciting, eh?bswein99https://www.blogger.com/profile/17695650849084225055noreply@blogger.com