tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post7708516097936154576..comments2024-03-29T08:38:19.158-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Old TV news partner of David / SAT 5-31-14 / Sect in ancient Judea / Discreet music musician / 1978 Broadway revue that opens with Hot August Night / Lead role in film known in France as L'Or de la vie / Woolly bear becomes one Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48287604392168499322014-07-05T21:27:18.112-04:002014-07-05T21:27:18.112-04:00Stymied in the northwest with BULLMOOSER before RO...Stymied in the northwest with BULLMOOSER before ROUGHRIDER and PICASSOS before ELGRECOS plus drawing a complete blank on both 1A and 15A. Otherwise a competent but rather dull exercise - not to be compared with the exciting Holland - Costa Rica game just concluded.<br /><br />Hmmm...119 yields 2. Like Costa Rica, I don't win. Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69286629490867186562014-07-05T18:37:57.895-04:002014-07-05T18:37:57.895-04:00Lol!!! : )Lol!!! : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44070478126457354342014-07-05T16:52:54.278-04:002014-07-05T16:52:54.278-04:00Today's puzzle completes a Thu/Fri/Sat run of ...Today's puzzle completes a Thu/Fri/Sat run of good, solvable stuff. The NW went down quickly, but the NE was much more opaque for me, so I went to the South and worked up from there. I thought that whole Southern area to be really well clued, even memorable. Writeovers were PATEnted and Der (I always thought it was Der Niebelung), and STJOE and NEBO came from the crosses. Rare that Saturday is easier than Friday.<br /><br />3132=9 Split pot, @Spacey? Or does three cards beat four?rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11803652806635751972014-07-05T13:41:17.855-04:002014-07-05T13:41:17.855-04:00Started off (over) confidently with streetrepAIR,...Started off (over) confidently with streetrepAIR, crossed at 1D with ripat. Then total confusion in the NW. Really wanted Goya in some form. Finally switched from thinking FDR to TR. Saved by a horse! Elsewhere things went more smoothly, and tiny bits of known trivia, NEBO, MIES, SONES, DAS, provided enough mind jogging to get me past JERSEYITE, SNOWGLOBE and the like, and I was done! On a Saturday,<br /><br />241 yields 7. Probably not good enough,DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45679769946839045692014-07-05T13:40:01.185-04:002014-07-05T13:40:01.185-04:00Nailed this puppy, starting with gimme CHET (Huntl...Nailed this puppy, starting with gimme CHET (Huntley) and ETTA (yetta-gain!) which led to SMARTALEC, and off to da races.<br /><br />Couple of snags, like when I REpOtTED my shrub, which would REROOT it anyway (?), and when my hymn leader was my gentile pAsTOR instead of Jolson's CANTOR. That was a last-minute one, as I don't know from Jordanian Mounts SEBO, NEBO, or freakin' Gazebo, and though POGS looked OK--weren't they some kind of bottle-top that got turned into a tiddly-winks-type game?--it didn't jive with the clue. But COGS sure did, so it had to be CANTOR, and so done.<br /><br />I'm not saying this doesn't belong in a Saturday slot; maybe I'm finally developing a TRAINEDEYE. But it did seem to go down very smoothly. For a Saturday. Always incredibly hard to build such an open grid, but I didn't find much to grab me. LOVENEST is getting to be old hat, and there were lots of crutchy S's and E's (ESSENES, GEESE). Still, a git'er done Saturday, and so thumbs up.<br /><br />Has my luck finally turned? 333=9! Peruse them and grow lachrymose!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24360165296626444252014-07-05T13:35:01.628-04:002014-07-05T13:35:01.628-04:00All aspects of the puzzle have been covered, so I&...All aspects of the puzzle have been covered, so I'm not going to add anything. Not one word, not even a thought or an idea or a personal story. Nothing! Nada! Zip! My lips are sealed. That's it, take it or leave it.<br /><br />Ron DiegoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29913188496631891922014-07-05T08:47:58.101-04:002014-07-05T08:47:58.101-04:00Howard K. Smith, yes, and Frank Reynolds, I think,...Howard K. Smith, yes, and Frank Reynolds, I think, on ABC.art mugalianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13959336249873654598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80254171806501133522014-06-01T22:29:48.930-04:002014-06-01T22:29:48.930-04:00Easy ( 25 minutes).Only help was from my non-puzzl...Easy ( 25 minutes).Only help was from my non-puzzle doing wife who gave me sentiments for the Hallmark clue in one second. I did not like inane as answer for cuckoo. Foolish or empty would be more in line.Nutty was perfect for cuckoo. Harder than yesterday but enjoyable.Charles Flasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16588962898277593533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79928006781770602522014-06-01T14:51:58.240-04:002014-06-01T14:51:58.240-04:00I might quit puzzles entirely after what the Times...I might quit puzzles entirely after what the Times did and I'm sure I'm not alone. It's not fun any more knowing the company holds us in such contempt. To throw of years of work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14106903273589611672014-06-01T12:47:22.370-04:002014-06-01T12:47:22.370-04:00@Corgy Haha, wow! No kidding, I absolutely thought...@Corgy Haha, wow! No kidding, I absolutely thought it was SONYS. It was the last thing I had to fill in and I only have a lap cat :) I knew I was right to dislike it! <br /><br />@Leapfinger indeed there is, and I can't wait to see/put CECROPIA in a puzzle! Lenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14548500595436542032014-06-01T10:36:36.675-04:002014-06-01T10:36:36.675-04:00I'll just throw this out there, and then you c...I'll just throw this out there, and then you can yell at me: There is no such word as JERSEYITE. People from my home state are called JERSEYANS. Yes. We are.Jeff C.http://www.jeffcohenbooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85482292874014380842014-06-01T06:17:18.923-04:002014-06-01T06:17:18.923-04:00@Lena - Keep at it and we look forward to your fir...@Lena - Keep at it and we look forward to your first published puzzle - or maybe you will start down the *runtpuzz* road.<br /><br />Since I can't be sure if it is only a typo or if you are messing with our heads, I must ask about your comment, "Disliked PEKYS quite a bit, though." The actual answer is PEKES, but since at 35 A, Acoustic units, SONYS makes a fair amount of sense though not the correct answer (SONES) - kidding or not? Corgy the Corginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6548674889531960922014-06-01T04:03:44.779-04:002014-06-01T04:03:44.779-04:00I'm delighted to learn that there is such a th...I'm delighted to learn that there is such a thing as a Moth Nerd. <br /><br />Also, to recently have discovered a couple of personal additions in @sanfranguy's communiques. Have only been reading this blog a short while, but had been thinking that @sanfran's were perhaps a robofeature of the blog. Was reading them anyway for interest, but now am also on the lookout for the extr dibbit.<br /><br />@mathguy, sorry that all doesn't speak to you. You may already have seen this, but in case not, pull up this one-hour outstanding BBC tribute to Paul Erdos. Hope you find it as fascinating as I did:<br />"N is a Number"<br /><br />I do XWPs as a PASTIME, a beloved addiction, so I view the blog also as entertainment. Love the mix of different voices, how many different things are elicited, how many different ways people do or don't get to POG.<br /><br />Don't often get into a serious vein, but I did let @MrKid's remark goad me intuit last week. Thought it pretty hilarious to have resulted in @Evil's disgusted reaction and a spate of "Take 2 and call [someone]"s.<br /><br />Happy blogging, in all veins.Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14891258216164358462014-06-01T02:26:17.907-04:002014-06-01T02:26:17.907-04:00er, satisfying Saturday, although I technically fi...er, satisfying Saturday, although I technically finished on Sunday. Today. Lenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46385518601227945872014-06-01T02:22:53.805-04:002014-06-01T02:22:53.805-04:00I, like mathguy, have been lurking for a while now...I, like mathguy, have been lurking for a while now and thought I might join the chorus tonight. I recently started constructing and I'll admit that I find myself working extra hard to avoid fragments, dull esotery, etc., because I can hear Rex panning the fill in my head. Ultimately, a good thing. I learn the most from cranky people ;)<br /><br />I required a 5 hour beer-and-sunshine break to complete this puzzle, and I had to look up ESSENES. I brazenly slapped down UNFETTERED as my first answer in place of EMANCIPATE, but got rid of it pretty quickly after getting GEESE, GOSSIPED, and PASTIME. I also instantly thought "FUN NOODLE!" but was sad to find that not only did it not fit, but that Chinese food surely does not belong in a pool...<br /><br />Also put in MATERNAL instead of PATERNAL. Well played. Disliked PEKYS quite a bit, though. <br /><br />Happy to use my Moth Nerd superpowers on TIGERMOTH. <br /><br />A satisfying Sunday overall and I just love those wide open spaces.<br />Lenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74413414797945646952014-05-31T22:19:34.748-04:002014-05-31T22:19:34.748-04:00@ mathguy - thanks for the compliment.@ mathguy - thanks for the compliment.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58149422371287315912014-05-31T19:40:18.023-04:002014-05-31T19:40:18.023-04:00@Paladin - I've gone from needing google to on...@Paladin - I've gone from needing google to only fail miserably to getting Saturdays done almost always. Now I'm working on always getting them done in under 45 minutes. It is a learned skill like any other. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33750868242519487002014-05-31T19:36:46.666-04:002014-05-31T19:36:46.666-04:00I'm a happy camper finishing a Saturday puzzle...I'm a happy camper finishing a Saturday puzzle with just a few Googles. I liked the answers - made sense and weren't weird or too cute or forced. I also like snow globes! :-)Arlenehttp://www.listeningclosely.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26671702012013571092014-05-31T18:39:58.723-04:002014-05-31T18:39:58.723-04:00I was feeling discouraged that I only got a few an...I was feeling discouraged that I only got a few answers. Here are all these bloggers having little or no trouble,when I came upon Anonymous' comment that (s)he couldn't do anything two years ago, and now is much better.<br />Thanks for the encouragement, and the motivation to continue !Paladinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37635659031758109162014-05-31T18:19:51.267-04:002014-05-31T18:19:51.267-04:00This 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 no data<br />Tue 7:37, 8:46, 0.87, 13%, Easy<br />Wed 8:17, 9:54, 0.84, 12%, Easy<br />Thu 19:50, 18:08, 1.09, 66%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 16:55, 21:06, 0.80, 16%, Easy<br />Sat 18:55, 26:13, 0.72, 6%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon no data<br />Tue 4:57, 5:21, 0.93, 22%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 5:07, 6:11, 0.83, 7%, Easy<br />Thu 11:55, 10:44, 1.11, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 11:24, 12:39, 0.90, 27%, Easy-Medium<br />Sat 12:20, 16:26, 0.75, 8%, Easy<br /><br />Thanks for the shout-out, @Mathguy. It's always good to hear when someone finds these numbers of interest.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10174357775595319982014-05-31T16:39:06.158-04:002014-05-31T16:39:06.158-04:00I'm at home today watching The French Open and...I'm at home today watching The French Open and the Giants playing the Cardinals (currently in rain delay in St. Louis). I've been meaning to give my thoughts about the blog for a while and today seems to be a good time to do it.<br /><br />I've been reading the blog and the comments for a year or so and enjoy both very much. I usually read all the comments, visiting the site two or three times a day. I make a comment two or three times a week.<br /><br />These are my thoughts about the blog. I like Rex's writing style and his wit. I'm not a constructor so I find his comments about structure quite illuminating. I'm not put off by his critical comments: They may be acidic but they are consistently fair. I don't care whether Rex finds a puzzle easy or challenging but I like his telling us which entries he didn't know. I like Word of the Day. I almost never play the video -- I want to get to the comments.<br /><br />These are my thoughts about the comments. I enjoy reading most of the ones I understand. Some that I don't understand seem to be about other crosswords -- I only do the NYT. I seldom get a laugh out of the paragraphs made up of entries from that day's puzzle. I like Sanfranman's (?) assessment of the difficulty of a puzzle based on the average solve times of online solvers. I almost always like the comments by Steve J and retired_chemist, good information and eminently sensible.<br /><br />For what it's worth.<br /><br />mathguynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60144065383926195922014-05-31T16:00:21.006-04:002014-05-31T16:00:21.006-04:00Thank you Alias Z for some smiles!
Of the 12 long...Thank you Alias Z for some smiles!<br /><br />Of the 12 long answers, 9 were two words, which seems to make the puzzle more interesting. Like Rex, the NW was toughest for me, and the puzzle overall was medium-hard. Also, I've always heard them called just noodles rather than POOLNOODLES. That's all we ever called them.<br /><br />I enjoyed the workout, and despite what some people have said, there was cleverness in some clues, such as for STREEFAIR, TREATED, ONELINERS, and SNOWGLOBE. Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62305332253572976182014-05-31T15:52:46.616-04:002014-05-31T15:52:46.616-04:00I found this one really tough going to start and I...I found this one really tough going to start and I had to google Lois to get a toehold. My other google was Nebo. I hate it when that happens. From there I worked those corners out and finished up in the northwest. It took me 50 minutes. It just wasn't my day.Hartley70noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14353279739763530382014-05-31T13:34:00.933-04:002014-05-31T13:34:00.933-04:00@jae: While I don't think I could picks him ou...@jae: While I don't think I could picks him out of a lineup, this Gen Xer had no problem filling him in as Brinkley's partner. <br /><br />@Nancy: Good advice until the answer is ONO instead of ENO. <br /><br />Overall impression of this one was pretty much like Rex's. Competent, nothing to dislike, but nothing stood out. Definitely could have used some cleverness and verve. Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7390595762628837002014-05-31T12:51:09.310-04:002014-05-31T12:51:09.310-04:00@Z--Of course! Now I don't know why I couldn&...@Z--Of course! Now I don't know why I couldn't see that. Thank you, thank you, thank you.<br />600https://www.blogger.com/profile/14501483791122854785noreply@blogger.com