tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8048071729444644777..comments2024-03-28T05:42:22.644-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Pax's Greek counterpart / WED 12-11-13 / Bygone Japanese camera brand / Red light locale / Did some woolgathering / Classic Fender guitar for shortRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78374668433742508072014-01-15T21:36:18.148-05:002014-01-15T21:36:18.148-05:00Other than SUIT before SUER(?) thought this was mu...Other than SUIT before SUER(?) thought this was much easier than Monday & Tuesday; quite surprised by its C-rating. Loved MUFTI & SGTMAJ - reminiscent of British films (all of them) set in the empah. <br /><br />Had never heard this Albert Einstein quotation before though it certainly sounds like something he'd say. My fav is Spooky Action at a Distance, his description for quantum entanglement, a phenomenon which he clearly found ABSURD.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26644679246358953462014-01-15T17:09:33.364-05:002014-01-15T17:09:33.364-05:00I did the puzzle right after finishing a novel by ...I did the puzzle right after finishing a novel by a Dutch writer ('The Dinner' by Herman Koch), which has nothing whatsoever to do with the puzzle and I mention it only because of all the discussion of Amsterdam in the earlier comments. I like quote puzzles and I thought this was a fine example. As to the nattering nabobs of negativism, I just skip over them.<br /><br />@DMG - you should have stayed in the game. Your boat beats my two pair.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32574836514655813532014-01-15T16:31:51.625-05:002014-01-15T16:31:51.625-05:00Thank you, thank you, thank you, Acme. No one coul...Thank you, thank you, thank you, Acme. No one could have said it better. Over time I've noticed when Rex rants over minutia there ensues similar growling from the first set of commenters. Could it be the lambs influenced by that big old bad shepherd? Me thinks so.<br /><br />It might be an age thing, as already mentioned, but I found this puzzle very easy and definitely interesting. Quotes are OK by me, especially when uttered by worthwhile people.<br /><br />I sometimes wonder if Mr. Sharp's attitude and remarks would improve if they were made in the morning after a good night's rest.<br /><br />Ron Diego (A little older than Pope Leo I) 1:30 PM 1/15/14Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20645650976479434682014-01-15T16:23:16.077-05:002014-01-15T16:23:16.077-05:00Guess it's true that "one man's meat...Guess it's true that "one man's meat is another man's poison". Breezed through this one, and fully expected it to be rated something like "ABSURDly easy". My only hesitation was JOHN, wondering what could possibly end in J. But of course good old SGTMAJ did. I fear that the ease of this has set me up for the late week disasters II seem to be experiencing lately.<br /><br />Enjoyed what little I comprehended of the "physics talk". I"m one of those who listens raptly to the likes of Brian Green, thinking I get that, only to find I really didn't. But I keep trying.<br /><br />Captcha: Another full house three 5's, two 6's. Think I'll fold.DNGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26808996092672584672014-01-15T16:05:05.439-05:002014-01-15T16:05:05.439-05:00I suppose that if Einstein believed that the idea ...I suppose that if Einstein believed that the idea of a dice-playing god is absurd, then it has merit. I liked the quote, and in general I like quote puzzles. <br /><br />This played medium for me. I noticed all the three-letter stuff, which is impossible to avoid, unless you are Joe Krozel, but I kind of like finding which 3-letter word is embedded.rain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75782123193672903962014-01-15T15:52:44.272-05:002014-01-15T15:52:44.272-05:00@gail Welcome to Syndiland Your comments and opin...@gail Welcome to Syndiland Your comments and opinions are welcome here.<br /><br />Surprised at the rating, I couldn't write fast enough. Yesterday's puz just chewed me up and spit me out, but today's solved like an easy Monday. <br /><br />@Acme YES It's the glue!<br /><br />There are a lot of clues referencing other clues which makes for a tougher solve on line. IMO this is why there is such a huge difference in difficulty ratings and @sanfranman's ratings are all driven by on line solvers.<br /><br />@DMG The conditions at the Aussie Open are brutal, but a lot of the tennis has been spectacular. <br /><br />@SIS Go Hawks, but I think Sunday's game is gonna be a tough one. Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88710454030907229022014-01-15T14:28:58.695-05:002014-01-15T14:28:58.695-05:00Hi Rex,
Have to say I just LOVE your blog and read...Hi Rex,<br />Have to say I just LOVE your blog and reading all the posts. I'm a syndicated solver so I (along with the help of my husband) just (almost) completed the Wed Dec 13th puzzle today. Got stumped on one small thing :( but I laughed out loud when I read your comments. Solving a puzzle is definitely only half the fun :).<br />Gail gailnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62385551372515907862014-01-15T13:59:31.989-05:002014-01-15T13:59:31.989-05:00Don't usually like quote xwpuzs, but as @Tita ...Don't usually like quote xwpuzs, but as @Tita mentioned, the comments evoked by this puzzle have been great. Steve Savoy, thank you for your Wedpuz and for showing up on the blog. Also for the clue shoutout to the actress, Dame Judi Quench.<br /><br />My shenanigan was a prank before becoming an ANTIC.<br /><br />@Spacy, thanks for sharing the comic. Lol. And for not throwing a flag on Steve for his fill. Check out Andrea's comments about fill as the glue holding the good stuff together.<br /><br />There once was a BORDELLO in Amsterdam... (there's gotta be a limerick here somewhere.)<br /><br />out of the game today, just a scrambled word for my capcha.<br /><br />Go Hawks!Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15185202626013447712014-01-15T12:56:46.755-05:002014-01-15T12:56:46.755-05:00Wow, lots of kvetching. Started out impossible fo...Wow, lots of kvetching. Started out impossible for me, but slowly the light began to dawn and I became delighted with the view. Got Albert Einstein early, but last word to see was 'absurd'. <br />To say this quote is insipid is absurd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33236481987336453272014-01-15T11:26:18.851-05:002014-01-15T11:26:18.851-05:00Just had to come back and share this psychedelic m...Just had to come back and share this psychedelic moment: in today's comics the following exchange appeared:<br /><br />Frank: I'd quit MARAUDing if it weren't for my kid's college fund.<br /><br />Ernest: It takes a pillage to raise a child!spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71282049215002102672014-01-15T10:49:43.221-05:002014-01-15T10:49:43.221-05:00OFL calls it faceplant; I call it "control yo...OFL calls it faceplant; I call it "control your cat." As if. He goes on to list a fairly long queue of no-nos, yet is persuaded to say that, for the density, the fill isn't THAT bad. Dude, the fill is--as per two clues--"inedible." Yes, the quote is catchy, though meaningful only to those who think on a much higher plane than most of us, such as the speaker. And yes, the inclusion of the full name--intersecting--is a huge achievement. But the price is exORBitant. Not a constructor, I don't know how much of the dreck could possibly be cleaned up, but surely SOME of it.<br /><br />As to the difficulty, I found it no more than medium. Dare I HOPE for improvement as the week plods on? Or is that IDEA ABSURD?<br /><br />Three 8's is the best I can do today.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21317748515083162802013-12-13T22:34:21.667-05:002013-12-13T22:34:21.667-05:00Source matters. Describing the Einstein quote as ...Source matters. Describing the Einstein quote as "insipid" lacks INSIGHT.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35408708925763419242013-12-12T12:23:09.498-05:002013-12-12T12:23:09.498-05:00Today's puzzle was NOT fun.Today's puzzle was NOT fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72823861321294262812013-12-12T10:14:40.922-05:002013-12-12T10:14:40.922-05:00Challenging, but all done since I know knee jerk ...Challenging, but all done since I know knee jerk rote and lots of dross. If this was a great puzzle, that's really a shame. The fill was just awful.xyzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08287781952915413013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67784401438182441342013-12-12T00:28:45.401-05:002013-12-12T00:28:45.401-05:00Thanks for the closing remarks Tita. Agreed- eclec...Thanks for the closing remarks Tita. Agreed- eclectic comments and a wide dynamic range on the solvability meters today. I enjoyed reading them all, even anonymous ones with punitive measures! Loved the face-plant, Rex. I think that's the way all six-letter entries ending in J are made.<br />See you soon, but no sooner than my 30 day time-out!<br /><br />Steve Steve Savoynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41534175326682182082013-12-11T22:42:25.816-05:002013-12-11T22:42:25.816-05:00SLAKE is a great word to say.
I am so not a fan o...SLAKE is a great word to say.<br /><br />I am so not a fan of quote puzzles. But, there were lots of fun words/clues... And, it was EINSTEIN...<br /><br />I love shepard's pie - my mom makes 2 varieties - one with MASHED taters, another with rice!!<br />And thanks to her, and her love of card games & solitaires, I knew what the kings hold.<br /><br />Remember a recent squabble here over Battleship - yes, I agree with OFL that HTEN is an abomination, but, the game, played with only a pencil and graph paper in the car during roadtrips, evokes fabulous memories as wee tykes in the back of the Ford Tempest station wagon on the way to everywhere.<br /><br />@chefwen - lol re your red shoes in the red light district!!<br /><br />@lms - RPI (a very xwordy school) has a Hall Hall. My brother, who went there, figured some guy named Hall made it his life's ambition to donate enough moolah to have a dorm named after him.<br />The RA would answer the phone there as "Hall Hall...who in the Hall do you want?"<br /><br />Welcome, Old New Yorker!<br /><br />Mr. Savoy - thanks for the puzzle. I rulel it a wild success, as it has inspired one of hte most eclectic and diverse set of comments I ever done 'sperienced here in Rexville!<br /><br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80765936740612069582013-12-11T22:40:58.387-05:002013-12-11T22:40:58.387-05:00Way back when, "Pipe Dreams" was "T...Way back when, "Pipe Dreams" was "The Colonial News," and I was one of the editors for a time. As students, we were expected to use English correctly, and our weekly (yes weekly, in every required course) themes were often downgraded for any writing errors. <br /><br />Judging by Rex's comments on the NYTimes puzzles, the standards are still high at Binghamton. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67498110268629819992013-12-11T22:25:26.696-05:002013-12-11T22:25:26.696-05:00Weird split oncomments. Easy for me too and. I am ...Weird split oncomments. Easy for me too and. I am not too good either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-814312187163708552013-12-11T22:11:09.787-05:002013-12-11T22:11:09.787-05:00You guys made my day. I'm a Monday. Tuesday so...You guys made my day. I'm a Monday. Tuesday solver. Wednesday maybe. I sailed through this one and you guys say its a tough one. Guess I just had a good day. ThanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37837639217567943232013-12-11T22:09:52.322-05:002013-12-11T22:09:52.322-05:00This 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 7:35, 6:07, 1.24, 98%, Challenging (5th highest ratio of 207 Mondays)<br />Tue 9:34, 8:12, 1.17, 87%, Challenging<br />Wed 11:19, 9:55, 1.14, 82%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:41, 3:46, 1.24, 99%, Challenging (3rd highest ratio of 207 Mondays)<br />Tue 5:24, 5:09, 1.05, 63%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 6:45, 5:55, 1.14, 85%, Challenging<br /><br />I, too, am surprised by the Challenging rating on this one. I completed it in my 30th percentile Wednesday time (7:25). So it was a dead-center Easy-Medium for me. I guess I was just in sync with Mr. Savoy's style.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34965377665643355062013-12-11T22:01:27.535-05:002013-12-11T22:01:27.535-05:00@Anon 5:24: First off, we have no idea which clues...@Anon 5:24: First off, we have no idea which clues originated with the constructor and which originated with the editor. <br /><br />As far as the specifics: If all of the Braves play in Atlanta, then any single one does. The question mark indicates the clue is not to be taken literally. <br /><br />Putting "Bambi" in quotes indicates it's referring to the movie, not the character. And Ena is indeed in that movie. <br /><br />I had no problem with the clue for GPS. Not the most elegant, but far from terrible. <br /><br />SUER is the answer, not the clue. And no argument here that it's one of those words that's pretty much never used outside a puzzle context. <br /><br />@Acme: I get what you're saying about glue, but what do you do when the glue seeps out from between the parts and mars the finish (thus describing every single model I built as a kid)? <br /><br />Personally, I didn't mind ABA or AMA. If that was it, no problem. But there was a lot more than that, and the glue kind of oozed out everywhere. Everyone's tolerance for how visible the glue should be will vary, and even an individual's tolerance will vary based on how good they perceive the whole model to be. But there will definitely be times it will be too much. I think being too forgiving of that is just as much a mistake as getting overly fixated on stray bad bits. <br /><br />That said, I've seen far more egregious glue abuse than was present here. Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56347123697898784612013-12-11T20:52:56.335-05:002013-12-11T20:52:56.335-05:00Guessed on a couple of letters and finally got and...Guessed on a couple of letters and finally got and F!<br /><br />I don't particularly like quote puzzles but I enjoyed this one start to finish.<br /><br />The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.gifcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12612467417938884430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65369792978670051322013-12-11T20:26:40.629-05:002013-12-11T20:26:40.629-05:00@lms
Love the DDEY/DAY story... that's the kin...@lms<br />Love the DDEY/DAY story... that's the kind of thing I live for! Tricky!!!<br />Also, I live for chocolate-covered graham crackers, which puts an end to the isitacookieornot debate!<br /><br />OK, ABA, AMA haters: <br />Since I am not quite blue in the face I will say one more time, that there is NO three letter word this crowd would approve of:<br />ABA, ACA, ADA, AGA, AHA, AJA, ALA, AMA, ANA, ARA, AVA<br />it's the glue!!! It's the glue!!! It's the glue!!!<br />Focus on the pretty thing the glue is holding together.<br />:)<br /><br />As for dissing editing, we have no idea what condition the puzzle arrived in and how much was done... Sometimes Will does say "get rid of X, Y and Z word and I can run this on a Monday" and off we go for a rewrite.<br /><br />Generally, he can live with one or two outliers, thank god...<br />obviously if there was a way around them, short of the short-sighted scoff to trash the puzzle or not submit it altogether, the constructor probably tried it. <br /><br />@okanger, @benko, @Z et al,<br />I also like when the discussion here is elevated to a level that I have no idea what people are discussing! It's like having a bonus puzzle to solve!acmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22768259297418647762013-12-11T18:47:36.300-05:002013-12-11T18:47:36.300-05:00Nice to have DREAMT and INSIGHT in an EINSTEIN puz...Nice to have DREAMT and INSIGHT in an EINSTEIN puzz...<br /><br />The PIEDMONTESE number for today's puzz = +62...very similar to yesterday's +65. <br /><br />The number = good stuff (PIEDMONT) minus not so good stuff (ESE)...more on how the number is created <a href="http://www.valuecompetition.typepad.com/metarex/2013/12/piedmontese-12-11-13.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> <br />MetaRexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01697113550216241303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35555467700541099132013-12-11T18:32:37.526-05:002013-12-11T18:32:37.526-05:00Does no one pay attention to anything any more? A...Does no one pay attention to anything any more? A student newspaper named "Pipe Dreams"? Is the administration supporting drug usage? - Hey kids, go smoke some opium, or crack or meth if you're a go-fast guy, then write whatever you think of in the student newspaper.<br /><br />Great idea.Petenoreply@blogger.com