tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8691467041241296940..comments2024-03-29T08:53:09.581-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Dutch city near Arnhem / SUN 1-20-13 / Dead Sea Scrolls preservers / Bygone Saudi king / Lounging robes / President who was electrician by profession / Firearm company for nearly five centuries / Dennis Quaid remake of 1950 film noirRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69272096713638173332013-01-28T09:32:01.495-05:002013-01-28T09:32:01.495-05:00@ Bill,
Green as in John Deere Green.@ Bill,<br /><br />Green as in John Deere Green.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88123412937861269702013-01-27T21:32:20.812-05:002013-01-27T21:32:20.812-05:00I can't imagine pronouncing Whale, wheel and w...I can't imagine pronouncing Whale, wheel and whey without the wh sound. I had never noticed it in others speech. I'm sure it mud tlead to unneccessary confusion for th listener at times.<br />So first several theme answers were less than satisfying (loved I told you sole) and the Its a regional thing link left me a bit depressed.Sharon AKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54661512750405838302013-01-27T20:50:04.531-05:002013-01-27T20:50:04.531-05:00Just a thank you to Mr. Bendavid for an enjoyable ...Just a thank you to Mr. Bendavid for an enjoyable puzzle. I haven't been doing the Sundays because of the time involved but I started today's offering and found it easy. I did have 2 mistakes but so what. It was fun and funny.<br />Ron Diego 1/27/13 Sunny Calif.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15486482416101579792013-01-27T19:40:02.469-05:002013-01-27T19:40:02.469-05:00Figured it out pretty quick but still didn't c...Figured it out pretty quick but still didn't care for it much. Kept trying to spell "ALL" somewhere in the answers for awhile. Took me most of the morning but did eventually finish it all by my lonesome.Eastsacgir.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53695014036215889842013-01-27T17:43:13.868-05:002013-01-27T17:43:13.868-05:00PP and I worked through all of the clues with very...PP and I worked through all of the clues with very little success until we got to the bottom of the grid, where we had enough crosses to see DONOTPASSGOAL and catch on to the theme. We crawled back up the puzzle slowly, learning along the way that Woodrow WiLson was not an electrician by profession, TEPIDITY is a word and HGWELLS created Dr. Moreau, all good things to know.<br /><br />As has been pointed out, STOLI is exported by Russia and imported by the US - to call it a "Russian import" requires a very USA-centric world view. (Apparently Blogger agrees - captcha is "unrussi")<br /><br />Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29397130523816316732013-01-27T16:30:20.483-05:002013-01-27T16:30:20.483-05:00I couldn't get into the NE other than LOTSWIFE...I couldn't get into the NE other than LOTSWIFE and SNAPLESS, and was bound at the bottom by MOUSER (had no idea what an area of Manhatten was). I never got it because all I had was __CKERS. As some above noted, you don't bail green hay, so the clue made no sense.<br /><br />Never got into the NW either; ICE CUBE and "bread crumb" don't seem connected. Knew Ivory meant soap but couldn't think of another soap. I have no idea what THE ROYAL WE is or means. New term to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91968498486285695362013-01-27T11:42:09.954-05:002013-01-27T11:42:09.954-05:00@Rube: the "crutchy" part of ESSENES is ...@Rube: the "crutchy" part of ESSENES is not the people so described; it's the commonness of the letters therein. On the bottom or right edge of a grid, it's much easier to make crosses that end in S and E, hence the crutch aspect.<br /><br />This one gave me some problems here and there. I had one writeover: I went even further back than FAISAL to FArouk! I still remember the American girl he married who became the beautiful, exotic Queen Noor. OK, so I'm old.<br /><br />Headscratchers: OLEATES, TEPIDITY, LITTORAL. I mean, really: tepidity? Who says that?<br /><br />NE was the hardest, till I at last remembered HGWELLS. What a mind! Glad I didn't approach the Olympic site at 50a from the east with __NO or I probably would've put in NAGANO. Did I mention how terrible I am at timelines?<br /><br />I noted and enjoyed the mini-themes of the cheeses (perfect with 14d!) and the double-entendre clues for 34a and 44a.<br /><br />There's some good stuff here: ACROBAT, LOTSWIFE et al. But aren't there more than six areas in Risk? NA, SA, AFRICA, W.Eur., E.Eur., Asia, Middle East and that little one with Indonesia and Australia that everybody tries to grab? That's eight.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56138798845009488902013-01-22T11:46:27.105-05:002013-01-22T11:46:27.105-05:00What am I missing with Green Bale Packers? I don&#...What am I missing with Green Bale Packers? I don't understand why green is there, other than for the theme.<br /><br />I am so glad that the constructor used the W as opposed to the bizarre HW pronunciation of WHEEL. That'd be a horrible limitation to put on wordplay.Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12810433343883272312013-01-22T01:48:54.765-05:002013-01-22T01:48:54.765-05:00No one's mentioned "vapidity" which ...No one's mentioned "vapidity" which is what I had until the very end when "tepidity" finally hit me on the head and enabled me to finish the puzzle, having "tote" as the down (which I just couldn't come up with before, as toting doesn't seem like hauling at all - to me it's an easy thing to tote something around).<br /><br />Thanks for a very enjoyable puzzle, YBD!nurturinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02035395856164817422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75386032142966531292013-01-21T00:43:45.775-05:002013-01-21T00:43:45.775-05:00I liked it a lot, though I got stuck in several pl...I liked it a lot, though I got stuck in several places with wrong initial guesses. But, to me, that's a *good* thing. I want it doable but not easy, else what's the point? For doable and easy I already have tictactoe. :)<br /><br />Regarding "rules" for the theme, can people please just accept that English has all kinds of interesting variations and that total consistency in creating theme answers is not the goal. BTW, I got stuck for quite a while on 23A because I had the middle first and I was trying to think of phrases with ...ROY which could then be changed to ...ROYAL. However, that didn't make me dislike the puzzle.paulsfohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07721639286466422944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46017765151204027162013-01-21T00:17:14.951-05:002013-01-21T00:17:14.951-05:00For name on pencils-Mrs. Number 2 did not fit.For name on pencils-Mrs. Number 2 did not fit.WAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57334967662086852562013-01-21T00:08:59.913-05:002013-01-21T00:08:59.913-05:00Enjoyed this relatively easy puzzle, but would qui...Enjoyed this relatively easy puzzle, but would quibble with STOLI being called a Russian import rather than a Russian export (it's an American import from Russia), and would argue that the Talmud is more Aramaic than HebraicAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34231763354560487092013-01-20T23:15:00.682-05:002013-01-20T23:15:00.682-05:00@Janet - No. I knew CAFTANS. Got it without a cros...@Janet - No. I knew CAFTANS. Got it without a cross.<br /><br />Unthrilled by the theme. Enjoyed the fill. But ES SU? Come ON! E-LIST, LAICAL, and HEBRAIC almost worth a cavil.<br /><br />GYMNAST @ 102A and AMPHORA @ 109A (My bad - plural should be AMPHORAE) slowed the SW down a bit.<br /><br />Usually I am about midway between SanFranMan59's Top 100 and his All Solvers number. Today I was almost down to the Top 100 so I guess it was easy.<br /><br />Thanks, Mr. Bendavid.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50470826054013761252013-01-20T21:37:25.502-05:002013-01-20T21:37:25.502-05:00I really liked this puzzle! I thought some areas w...I really liked this puzzle! I thought some areas were hard to unlock (NW) but they fell eventually (without Googling) and the theme answers were funny and clever. Overall a fun and consistent puzzle. Thanks, Mr. Bendavid!Lorinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51221846041435215752013-01-20T20:46:18.898-05:002013-01-20T20:46:18.898-05:00The NW, as usual, was my hang-up. I could not get ...The NW, as usual, was my hang-up. I could not get any of the down clues.<br /><br />Caftans is probably unknown to male solvers.Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02691062653367238092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9024499425538061582013-01-20T20:32:08.365-05:002013-01-20T20:32:08.365-05:00My question is not "Does anyone pronounce ...My question is not "Does anyone pronounce 'whey' and 'way' the same?", but "Does anyone ever utter the word 'whey'?"<br /><br />Though a mere tike, I was alive when CAFTANs were in fashion.<br /><br />Most of the way through this theme was major "meh". It really picked up at ITOLDYOUSOLE. Fabulous.<br />THEROYALWHEEL is fun, as we use that term often round here. It was the last one I got, because I had ILiAC till the end.<br /><br />Our MOUSERs have been pretty lax this winter.<br /><br />Really like the clue for PINK (It can be shocking).<br /><br /><br />Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21093684503204226172013-01-20T19:49:10.029-05:002013-01-20T19:49:10.029-05:00Ick. Too many "IC"s for my taste: HEBR...Ick. Too many "IC"s for my taste: HEBRAIC, LAIC(AL), ILEIC, HEMATIC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71961721925088751572013-01-20T18:57:14.279-05:002013-01-20T18:57:14.279-05:00@PK - She has been having problems with spammers, ...@PK - She has been having problems with spammers, so Blogger shut her down temporarily. You can find her at http://gingerroots.blogspot.com/<br /><br />Last time, a couple of days ago, she was only down for a day and a half.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91033068873410689352013-01-20T18:18:51.544-05:002013-01-20T18:18:51.544-05:00Oh ... I forgot ... GO NINERS!Oh ... I forgot ... GO NINERS!sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32638442230436181152013-01-20T18:18:21.540-05:002013-01-20T18:18:21.540-05:00This 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 5:58, 6:12, 0.96, 30%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 8:20, 8:37, 0.97, 39%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 9:58, 11:52, 0.84, 13%, Easy<br />Thu 25:11, 17:05, 1.47, 95%, Challenging (9th highest ratio of 160 Thursdays)<br />Fri 31:24, 20:49, 1.51, 99%, Challenging (2nd highest ratio of 160 Fridays)<br />Sat 29:24, 24:18, 1.21, 90%, Challenging<br />Sun 28:59, 29:32, 0.98, 51%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:35, 3:39, 0.98, 34%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 4:54, 4:57, 0.99, 47%, Medium<br />Wed 5:39, 6:34, 0.86, 12%, Easy<br />Thu 15:52, 9:37, 1.65, 96%, Challenging (7th highest ratio of 160 Thursdays)<br />Fri 21:18, 11:47, 1.81, 100%, Challenging (highest ratio of 160 Fridays)<br />Sat 18:39, 14:21, 1.30, 92%, Challenging<br />Sun 18:05, 19:31, 0.93, 31%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35574217587892686172013-01-20T18:09:20.198-05:002013-01-20T18:09:20.198-05:00We need a tribute puzzle for Stan the ManWe need a tribute puzzle for Stan the Manchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83830796624354094272013-01-20T18:09:00.438-05:002013-01-20T18:09:00.438-05:00I went through boxes and boxes of Faber color penc...I went through boxes and boxes of Faber color pencils over the years!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16481720563308337472013-01-20T18:06:11.203-05:002013-01-20T18:06:11.203-05:00Easy but worthy Sunday. All those cheeses! To me t...Easy but worthy Sunday. All those cheeses! To me the Edam would be medium-soft, the Gouda hard. Or as Ulrich likes it, so hard it crumbles!<br /><br />Nice to see hematic just above plasma, and very odd to see Oleole in the grid a couple of hours after I finished it.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4342412031620938722013-01-20T18:01:27.623-05:002013-01-20T18:01:27.623-05:00Excuse me while I borrow chef wen, what is wrong w...Excuse me while I borrow chef wen, what is wrong with C.C.'s crossword corner? Thankspknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13834674645282511662013-01-20T17:23:38.150-05:002013-01-20T17:23:38.150-05:00@Rex nailed it. Too much work, not enough joy. I...@Rex nailed it. Too much work, not enough joy. I've got better things to do, so just putting aside, not finishing.<br /><br />Tonight, "Fifty Shades Of Earl Grey", on PBS near you. Just sayin'<br /><br />Here's hoping for a nice tribute tomorrow.John Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557037910799243636noreply@blogger.com