tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8588515161969281383..comments2024-03-28T18:52:07.432-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: El Al hub city / WED 2-13-13 / Pittsburgh radio station since 1920 said to be world's first / Zimbabwean strongman Robert / CNN's Barnett / Broadway title character who sings tea for two / Leftorium owner on Simpsons / Lineage-based women's orgRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72775529146311162722013-07-01T00:19:41.674-04:002013-07-01T00:19:41.674-04:00I'm far from advanced in my ability to solve t...I'm far from advanced in my ability to solve these puzzles, but I usually enjoy them. I'm a NYT crossword elitist because I like the rules and order. This puzzle made me cranky, so I ventured online to see if I was alone. Thank you, Rex, for echoing my sentiments. Brought a smile to my face!Sunamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08069013046942063906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12686462653676545342013-03-23T07:50:04.734-04:002013-03-23T07:50:04.734-04:00I guess I'm the only one who confused saluki w...I guess I'm the only one who confused saluki with salumi? Just shows how little I know about either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84280670390162281712013-03-21T20:18:15.466-04:002013-03-21T20:18:15.466-04:00Thanks for the welcome. I'm much more at home ...Thanks for the welcome. I'm much more at home with the English cryptics so learning to solve these puzzles often seems like an Americana quiz to me. I'm enjoying the learning experience.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8609569677626704102013-03-21T06:11:39.248-04:002013-03-21T06:11:39.248-04:00Which stars do you need to know to be a solver? L...Which stars do you need to know to be a solver? Let's see... <br />1. Deneb (supposed to be Arabic for "tail," and yes, it is in the hindquarters of Cygnus)<br />2. Rigel. Because "Betelgeuse" and "Bellatrix" are just too long.<br />3. Sirius, of course. <br />Hold it! (or should I say, OHOHOH!) They're all blue-white stars! Racial bias in the NYT! No wonder RACEWAR made the cut.<br /><br />I am not making this up, as Dave Barry would say. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11073508911929333372013-03-20T20:44:06.192-04:002013-03-20T20:44:06.192-04:00@SiS - I too find myself skipping over the prime t...@SiS - I too find myself skipping over the prime time comments (especially when they number more than 100) to get to the Syndi-comments, but I read enough of them today to assure you that RACEWAR/MUGABE did not go unnoticed.<br /><br />It seems another Seattle-ite has joined the SynCity community - welcome @strayling, it's good to have you with us.<br /><br />@Waxy - The foot of new snow that fell here last night had melted down to only a few inches by this afternoon. I love Spring!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5723214703364857752013-03-20T19:51:36.897-04:002013-03-20T19:51:36.897-04:00Deneb is a pretty star which doesn't deserve t...Deneb is a pretty star which doesn't deserve to be in such an ugly puzzle.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48825969764158760672013-03-20T18:01:39.554-04:002013-03-20T18:01:39.554-04:00Agree with @Rex that this puzzle lacked pop. The G...Agree with @Rex that this puzzle lacked pop. The GED theme was blah. I didn't read the real timer's comments but wonder if anyone mentioned the RACEWAR/MUGABE cross. I did like the shout-out to ERIN Burnett - such a sweetheart. Still miss her with Mark Haines on CNBC. @DMG, I might have become a amateur astronomer if I didn't live in Seattle.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30050890539934449912013-03-20T17:07:40.206-04:002013-03-20T17:07:40.206-04:00KDKA no problem as I too listened to Pirate games ...KDKA no problem as I too listened to Pirate games on it - during the 50's and especially 1960, the year of their totally unexpected World Series win over the Yankees. Also familiar with KDKA because local (now defunct) radio station CFCF also claimed to be the world's first.<br /><br />Until today, had never heard of S'MORES so was naticked at its cross with DSL and only also managed to solve SALUKI via its crosses. <br /><br />Actually thought the theme was quite clever for a Wednesday. However, not so fond of much of the fill as others have previously mentioned.<br /><br />And welcome to spring, fellow citizens of SynCity. (We were greeted up here with 33 cm.(13") of new snow!)Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48462708514004896872013-03-20T17:06:10.285-04:002013-03-20T17:06:10.285-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-672981620119913452013-03-20T17:00:03.938-04:002013-03-20T17:00:03.938-04:00I took a couple of days of from puzzle solving and...I took a couple of days of from puzzle solving and let PP tackle the M-T puzzles on her own, so maybe I am just rusty but I struggled with this. However, I know nothing about "The Turner Diaries" or the conflict involved so I avoided the whole RACEWAR unpleasantness by entering RosEWAR which I apparently obtained from some incomplete recollection of the War of the Roses. The puzzle didn't seem like standard Wednesday fare, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.<br /><br />@DMG - Thanks for thinking of me at the astronomical entry in the grid. I'll think of you as I toast the full moon next Wednesday.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74397949464566715902013-03-20T14:20:07.618-04:002013-03-20T14:20:07.618-04:00Struggled a bit until I got the GED connection whi...Struggled a bit until I got the GED connection which really helped with the strange theme answers. Alas, I also missed the (in)famous D, when I shouldn't have. My Dad grew up in Pittsburgh and used to tell boyhood stories (pre WWI) of listening on a crystal "set" with something he called a cat's whisker. Remember the story, knew I had heard of the station many times, but could I dredge it up when needed? Sadly no. Thought of @Diri when I plugged in DENEB.DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11624363116136495452013-03-20T11:10:41.822-04:002013-03-20T11:10:41.822-04:00OFL threw out a baby or two with the bathwater (ad...OFL threw out a baby or two with the bathwater (admittedly, that water was gross!). But a little forgiveness for a few really fine entries: SMORES (yum!), SALUKI, NOTALLTHERE. And trust me. No way this is THAT Judith Martin.<br /><br />Back to the drawing board, guys.<br /><br />And here we go with more illegible captchas (sigh). Only six this time.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88887481228325875352013-03-20T11:04:55.767-04:002013-03-20T11:04:55.767-04:00My local paper had the syndicated puzzle with the ...My local paper had the syndicated puzzle with the wrong clues or the wrong grid.I had to solve this as a diagramless.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11441241221931517048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26644683254282081002013-02-13T23:00:23.270-05:002013-02-13T23:00:23.270-05:00"Where do you draw the line? You don't&qu..."Where do you draw the line? You don't"<br /><br />Of course you do. We do it all the time. We cuss like drunken sailors in bars, we speak genteely in church (should we go there). We dress appropriately at work, we wear 30 year old t-shirts around the house that we picked up the summer we followed the Dead tour .<br /><br />If your view of puzzles is that it's a place where we can cuss like sailors and wear our Dead t-shirts, fine. Others don't view the NYT XWord puzzle the same way. All that's fine, just don't say we don't draw lines.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86795482841692244112013-02-13T22:22:22.665-05:002013-02-13T22:22:22.665-05:00This 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 6:43, 6:08, 1.10, 86%, Challenging<br />Tue 7:07, 8:28, 0.84, 8%, Easy<br />Wed 13:03, 11:52, 1.10, 73%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:59, 3:40, 1.09, 84%, Challenging<br />Tue 4:25, 4:54, 0.90, 13%, Easy<br />Wed 7:27, 6:34, 1.13, 83%, Challenging<br /><br />Only 3 other Wednesdays have had fewer online solvers than today's puzzle (of the 175 in my spreadsheet). So the All Solvers rating is probably an underestimate of the difficulty.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25047867548955391052013-02-13T21:44:02.011-05:002013-02-13T21:44:02.011-05:00One letter left at lod/kdrk. Pisser! bad Will Shor...One letter left at lod/kdrk. Pisser! bad Will Shortz! Bad man!seannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-345202454217145802013-02-13T20:43:14.500-05:002013-02-13T20:43:14.500-05:00Maybe @Rex was ironically mirroring the vitriol in...Maybe @Rex was ironically mirroring the vitriol in the book.<br /><br />Liked what everyone liked, hated what everyone hated.<br /><br />No chance on LO_ and that radio station.<br />Wondered if it was a dog theme for a moment, in honor of the Westminster show, with SALUKI and that awkward BADGEDDOG. <br /><br />Guess I'm lucky that SALUKI and DENEB were gimmes or woulda been a worse DNF.<br /><br />@Evan - good point re: IDIAMIN...<br /><br />@M&A - priceless!<br /><br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3683721067254274402013-02-13T20:13:33.362-05:002013-02-13T20:13:33.362-05:00@M&A - #14 - Non-numeral Random Romans.
Great...@M&A - #14 - Non-numeral Random Romans.<br /><br />Great comments, today. And I do think Rex was speaking about the choice to publish this puzzle in the NYT more than about the constructor. Why do I think this? Because, "Given those circumstances, it's not a bad first effort. It's not an NYT-quality first effort, though, which is the problem."Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70037436344185454772013-02-13T20:07:54.118-05:002013-02-13T20:07:54.118-05:00Mark me down as another "dislike" for th...Mark me down as another "dislike" for this puzzle.<br /><br />As far as the RACE WAR clue goes, using <i>The Turner Diaries</i> as part of the clue means treating that book as a piece of legitimate trivia. Whereas I'd say that the fewer people who know of it, the better.<br /><br />The KDKA/SALUKI area was a definite Natick. KDKA and SALUKI are both pretty darn specialized bits of knowledge, and are far too rare to qualify as crosswordese. So if you're a solver who doesn't follow dogs or have Pgh connections in your life, and you're sitting on KD?A and SALU?I, you're basically SOL.<br /><br />Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15336260911834780345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9896026507301463252013-02-13T19:49:20.411-05:002013-02-13T19:49:20.411-05:00@ Evil Doug, Thanks (sort of) for the lyrics, if y...@ Evil Doug, Thanks (sort of) for the lyrics, if you can call it that. Just reconfirms my hatred of rap "music".<br />@ Evan, Great post. Where do you draw the line? You don't. History cannot be rewritten at one's convenience or cringe factor.Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54326258399589849312013-02-13T19:40:53.666-05:002013-02-13T19:40:53.666-05:00ST. PETE vs. ST. BEDE, PAHT vs. BAHT and TAR vs. D...ST. PETE vs. ST. BEDE, PAHT vs. BAHT and TAR vs. DAR are three very, very cruel crossings for a Wednesday.<br /><br />More crud in a cruddy puzzle.Namelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67654231499143649922013-02-13T19:29:28.640-05:002013-02-13T19:29:28.640-05:00BADGED DOG is wretched, pure and simple, and it...BADGED DOG is wretched, pure and simple, and it's a B SIDE, not a SIDE B. The Turner Diaries clue just added to the unpleasantness.<br /><br />I was sure the other dog was a BORZOI.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06485410374923842372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49681374411566565122013-02-13T17:51:59.736-05:002013-02-13T17:51:59.736-05:00I didn't hate this puzzle, and still don't...I didn't hate this puzzle, and still don't get the vitriol after reading the comments. Maybe it's because I knew "KDKA Pittsburgh"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70558808417587128182013-02-13T17:43:03.484-05:002013-02-13T17:43:03.484-05:00When I do a NYT puzzle I don't like, I'm a...When I do a NYT puzzle I don't like, I'm always afraid Res will praise it and say it was easy. <br /><br />Things I never heard of: KDKA, SALUKI, The Turner Diaries, 2 CNN anchors with similar names: ERROL Barnett and ERIN Burnett, and that BEDE was a saint. <br /><br />Does anyone know why Pope Leo XIII canonized BEDE? Writing cramps?<br /><br />Was almost KaKA. Except SMORES and JACKIE CHAN GED.<br /><br />Did know GED since I spent 17 years teaching to it.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40258943910965571862013-02-13T17:30:30.439-05:002013-02-13T17:30:30.439-05:00Of course I noticed at KDKA and saluki. But the on...Of course I noticed at KDKA and saluki. But the one that really got me was "let die." Once I visited a friend in the hospital and upon entry to the ward was told, "He just expired." Really? like a parking meter? Cruelest thing I've ever heard. Lots of dark stuff in this puzzle....John in Phillynoreply@blogger.com