tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8161041797333366677..comments2024-03-28T16:30:10.753-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Alladin's kleptomaniac sidekick / SUN 5-16-10 / Medieval chest / Carpenter's standard / Photographer Richard / 3,281 ft.Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13927063631546194612010-05-25T00:00:45.759-04:002010-05-25T00:00:45.759-04:00The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms says &q...The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms says "<a href="http://www.yourdictionary.com/idioms/fit-to-kill" rel="nofollow">fit to kill</a>" is an expression of the mid-1800s. I'm fairly confident that's the last time it was used with any regularity. Why not clue it with the equally obscure but infinitely more fun B-movie, <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106922/" rel="nofollow">Fit to Kill</a></i>?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26639951454092869262010-05-23T21:34:28.386-04:002010-05-23T21:34:28.386-04:00...from syndication land...
While toluene is a sin......from syndication land...<br />While toluene is a singular compound, there are methyl-, dimethyl-, nitro-, chloro-, and who knows what other types of toluene that could all be potential additives...<br /><br />Better living through chemistry?!?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4962549501976544402010-05-23T21:24:04.551-04:002010-05-23T21:24:04.551-04:00oops disregard the aboveoops disregard the aboveUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706184175397609958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85848658548632195852010-05-23T21:22:43.698-04:002010-05-23T21:22:43.698-04:00I got conversion convention, not contrition conten...I got conversion convention, not contrition contention!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706184175397609958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16666611316516469212010-05-18T16:52:58.610-04:002010-05-18T16:52:58.610-04:00"Split Decisions" is one of my favorite ..."Split Decisions" is one of my favorite alternative puzzles, but for some reason this one didn't do it for me. I figured out the drill pretty quickly, but the theme answers were kind of boring, so I didn't bother to finish. A cool experiment, just didn't work for me.timjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11439701303127557361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70623548325724506202010-05-17T20:28:57.634-04:002010-05-17T20:28:57.634-04:00The only thing more addicting than doing the puzzl...The only thing more addicting than doing the puzzle is reading Rex's commentary afterwards. <br /><br />I like to gues what clue inspired a puzzle - would like to believe that "Time Warner Time Waster" was the inspiration behind this one.donkosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76600552979170275472010-05-17T08:19:51.153-04:002010-05-17T08:19:51.153-04:00Who, me? I just thought you were dressed strikingl...Who, me? I just thought you were dressed strikingly...SethGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13753036404140901368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4791799141732752772010-05-17T05:19:03.489-04:002010-05-17T05:19:03.489-04:00@sethg
hysterical...tho I don't know whether t...@sethg<br />hysterical...tho I don't know whether to kiss you or kill you!<br /><br />@chaos1<br />um...thank you, 35 years later! That pic is circa 1975, I was all of 15. Woody was 40+.<br />Please feel free to do the math.<br /><br />Suffice to say, I am writing this @2am from my rent-controlled apt in my beloved San Francisco, not from a penthouse on the Upper East Side. <br />(and all pics of me are clothed!)<br /><br />Bravo, Matt. You're a genius!andrea carla mia-chaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37651059063749448462010-05-17T04:36:13.177-04:002010-05-17T04:36:13.177-04:00ohmygod, just decided to check in @1:30am while I ...ohmygod, just decided to check in @1:30am while I play back the 3 hour "Survivor" finale!<br /><br />@Sethg<br />Shall I kiss you or kill you?<br />That pic, @chaos1 et al, you will be disappointed to learn is from 1975 when I was 15 years old...<br />It's a looooooong story and unfortunately, one that i will never live down (at least not on this blog or any time NAMEDROPS is in the puzzle!).<br /><br />I am now 50...FIFTY! Which makes Woody, um... almost 80? It's been a long interesting ride. Let me just say that I'm not writing this from a penthouse on the Upper East Side.<br /><br />Bravo, Matt!andrea carla mia-chaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37833996903723774782010-05-17T00:07:35.501-04:002010-05-17T00:07:35.501-04:00Well, I had fun with it/wrestled with it/swore at ...Well, I had fun with it/wrestled with it/swore at it and finished it. And the fact that I had to download the PDF allowed me to end my day doing a crossword puzzle soaking in the tub.<br /> (I never take my laptop near water.)<br />So, thank you, Matt, for a most pleasant end to my day. Dare I ruin such goodness with a perusal of the squabbling at Wordplay? I think not.fikinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06324570637549775751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19674678819783536892010-05-16T23:56:19.397-04:002010-05-16T23:56:19.397-04:00Matt Ginsberg, "you dirty rotten, double cros...Matt Ginsberg, "you dirty rotten, double crossing, rat fink!" Words to the effect Jimmy Cagney, no doubt would've used to describe your Sunday "Boat Rocker"...once again, HIS, not mine! :-)CaseAceFosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87035585534010569702010-05-16T21:53:11.547-04:002010-05-16T21:53:11.547-04:00Hard - had several errors / errata.
Am I the onl...Hard - had several errors / errata. <br />Am I the only one who thought 8D referred to the group with Karen and Richard? I had TRUE LOVER, which totally messed me up!<br /><br />Fun, entertaining, and I vastly loved not having to use magnification to see the squares!CoolPapaDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11542059534657415505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76048966746598963192010-05-16T21:50:03.459-04:002010-05-16T21:50:03.459-04:00Ulrich, I think it was Judas, double-crossed with ...Ulrich, I think it was Judas, double-crossed with Jesus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30649849405960173782010-05-16T21:44:05.821-04:002010-05-16T21:44:05.821-04:00The phrase is actually "dressed fit to kill&q...The phrase is actually "dressed fit to kill" which has been around at least as long as I have. Google it.olderbutnosmarterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10747763692197136080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69699960955498802002010-05-16T21:38:26.389-04:002010-05-16T21:38:26.389-04:00...on second thought, the foreshortened prophet in......on second thought, the foreshortened prophet in question may not be Daniel--e-mail me if you want to know--I'll look him up...Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79151517397284027562010-05-16T21:35:25.802-04:002010-05-16T21:35:25.802-04:00To me, putting a label on something and then argue...To me, putting a label on something and then argue from the label--its negative or positive connotation--is no substitute for a real argument. This is addressed to all who think this puzzle involved some "gimmick"--if the feat of construction needed to pull this one off is a "gimmick", give me a gimmick every day of the week. A gimmick, to me, is some gratuitous add-on needed to give interest to something that doesn't deserve it otherwise. The "split decision" concept underlying this puzzle is far from being a gimmick in that sense--it's what makes the puzzle what it is--IT DEFINES IT. You may not like it, that's OK, but don't try to avoid an argument by throwing labels around.<br /><br />I'm convinced that when Michelangelo painted the last prophet in the Sistine chapel, where he abandoned the conventional straight-on look known for centuries and substitued a "look from below", as if Daniel were really sitting on the edge high up and had to be viewed with the forshortening this created, other painters, especially painters who didn't have the skill to replicate the feat, considered this a "gimmick". Well, all of Baroque ceiling painting derives from this "gimmick".<br /><br />Now, I'm not saying that constructing an xword puzzle is as demanding as painting Biblical stories on a ceiling in Rome--of course not. But what I'm saying is that (a) constructing an xword puzzle is an art, if a "minor" one; and (b) any art form survives by innovation. Some innovations may be gimmicks, but some are not, and the latter ones are the ones that make following a particular form worth the effort--if I get the same old same old every day, I lose interest pretty soon.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39881665042148405962010-05-16T20:09:33.288-04:002010-05-16T20:09:33.288-04:00@Matt...it was a great puzzle...if the computer pe...@Matt...it was a great puzzle...if the computer people haven't figured out how to do puzzles on computers yet, that's their problem...the computer geeks need to improve their computers...the intelligent puzzle creators-like you-do not need to dumb down their puzzles just to make it fit on someone's computer...maybe someday, but not yet...the Times is still primarily a newspaper, not a website...great puzzle...PIXnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29648689097672334062010-05-16T19:58:09.614-04:002010-05-16T19:58:09.614-04:00I truly disliked this one. Ruined my Sunday eveni...I truly disliked this one. Ruined my Sunday evening.babslesleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23007110848849478182010-05-16T19:29:36.941-04:002010-05-16T19:29:36.941-04:00Thanks, @Martin. I can live with citing an authori...Thanks, @Martin. I can live with citing an authoritative source. Still find it odd that there appear to be no examples out there other than inclusion in the dictionary; it's a pity that they don't publish citations leading to the word's inclusion (or do they? I don't have a copy of the RHUD), because I'd be surprised if it's been in actual usage in American English over the last hundred-some years.Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18488827427358190012010-05-16T18:47:22.386-04:002010-05-16T18:47:22.386-04:00Why does the Random House Dictionary use alphabeti...Why does the Random House Dictionary use alphabetical order?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19854962872049858822010-05-16T18:40:17.729-04:002010-05-16T18:40:17.729-04:00The last time this was discussed it was noted that...<a href="http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2008/01/saturday-jan-5-2008-paula-gamache.html" rel="nofollow">The last time this was discussed</a> it was noted that "kil" is an older abbreviation for kilometer. In fact, I recall seeing it on old road markers in France. The RHUD is WS's primary dictionary authority, so being in it pretty much seals the deal if an entry is needed in a pinch.<br /><br />I don't have any special "say" about clues unless I catch a clear factual error (very rare because the pros do such a good job), but there are some clues that I won't bother griping about, and "in the RHUD" is one class of such clues.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55286370480556279422010-05-16T18:38:44.951-04:002010-05-16T18:38:44.951-04:00The negligent also really admire rhubarb.The negligent also really admire rhubarb.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14635273457329066472010-05-16T18:30:44.830-04:002010-05-16T18:30:44.830-04:00Antony and Cleopatra > Act III, scene VII
CLEO...Antony and Cleopatra > Act III, scene VII<br /><br />CLEOPATRA:<b> Celerity</b> is never more admired <br />Than by the negligent.<br /><br />MARK ANTONY: A good rebuke,<br /> Which might have well becomed the best of men,<br /> To taunt at slackness. Canidius, we<br /> Will fight with him by sea.The Bardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8327779088191029102010-05-16T18:08:31.626-04:002010-05-16T18:08:31.626-04:00How wonderful to see a discussion that seems to fo...How wonderful to see a discussion that seems to focus mostly on the puzzle (for better or worse, although I'm obviously pleased that this one seems to be mostly better) as opposed to the fury I encountered on Wordplay! I'm glad people mostly seem to have liked this one; as far as KIL goes, I was stuck. It appears to be legitimate (dictionary.com cites Random House), but I agree that it's ugly on a good day.<br /><br />As always, thanks for the feedback!Matt Ginsberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08454783267139515845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68654898471138005412010-05-16T18:02:30.269-04:002010-05-16T18:02:30.269-04:00Holy crap. Just looked at Wordplay. I was mildly i...Holy crap. Just looked at Wordplay. I was mildly irked by having to go to the PDF, too (I vastly prefer solving on computer), and I shared the irritation of the fellow iPhone solver, since that subscription didn't allow access to the PDF on NYT. So I had to pay for a new monthly subscription. Been considering switching over to solving on my laptop rather than my phone anyway, so it worked out.<br /><br />And the puzzle itself did, too. I'm often not a fan of gimmick puzzles, but I liked this, even with a DNF. It was an interesting concept, executed well most of the way through. I wouldn't want to do puzzles like this all the time, but I liked this as a diversion. <br /><br />@Martin, since you typical have some background or explanation on particular clues/answers and the test/verification process, I'm curious about how KIL made it through. The only abbreviation for kilometer I've ever seen is km, and some minutes of searching online seems to confirm that that's the only abbreviation anyone's ever seen. I couldn't find a single example of that being an abbreviation for kilometer (which would make sense, as every unit of measure in metric has a kilo-something, and KIL would be horribly ambiguous as a result).Steve Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185067739452052656noreply@blogger.com