tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8702642703480920369..comments2024-03-29T11:24:03.304-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Ruminant's third stomach / WED 6-22-11 / YM or Us output / Yount had 1406 of them / Online option since 1998 / Moo makers / Unit for chairmakerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35911587518395246782011-07-28T14:11:55.082-04:002011-07-28T14:11:55.082-04:00@CoffeeLvr 3:56 PM
Before today, I thought the who...@CoffeeLvr 3:56 PM<br /><i>Before today, I thought the whole point of a theme was to help with the solve. This one didn't. </i><br />Really? It certainly helped <i>me</i> with the solve. I had THE FI_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / O_ _ _ _ _ / _ L _ _ _ _ / (L)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _and was able to reason FIRST LETTERS OF EACH CLUE. A quick glance at the first letters of each clue instantly helped me fill in the rest of the "description". That's 35 squares directly stemming from the theme.<br /><br />I also now had a hint that some of the clues were going to be clunkier than they'd need to be.<br /><br />The plural of RBI (run batted in) is RBI (runs batted in). Yastrzemski had 1844 of them. In fact "Yaz" would have been a nice hint for the acronym (making RUNS and HITS less likely).<br /><br />@long suffering mets fan 5:44 PM<br />Thanks for Carlos Beltran (RBI have been in short supply for the Giants this year)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42798121265898352292011-07-27T20:17:37.659-04:002011-07-27T20:17:37.659-04:00Ooooh yuck! Had a terrible time and even when thin...Ooooh yuck! Had a terrible time and even when things starting falling into place didn't get much pleasure from it. A tad harder than Wednesday usually is.Eastsacgirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32693984844135200942011-07-27T17:51:45.920-04:002011-07-27T17:51:45.920-04:00I noticed the alphabet gimmick pretty early on, so...I noticed the alphabet gimmick pretty early on, so that helped me figure out the theme answers and that helped a lot with the rest of the puzzle. There was lots I did not know (ERTE?) and I checked a couple of times to be sure it was really a Wednesday puzzle. Nice to see "From A to Z..." in the grid instead of as a weak clue. I actually thought the mandates of the alphabet gimmick resulted in some prety clever cluing, e.g., Verse oneself in = LEARN took some time to figure out even after I had it from the crosses.<br /><br />Put me in the "like" column.<br /><br />Looking forward to tomorrow with trepidation.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65835587579580181362011-07-27T15:24:11.187-04:002011-07-27T15:24:11.187-04:00From syndyland. Did not enjoy this puzzle and as ...From syndyland. Did not enjoy this puzzle and as others have said, found little satisfaction in the solving of it. I'm sure the construction was "brilliant" as someone said, but to me the solve must be FUN and this one wasn't. I did like OSSO and VERTEBRAE, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7081599086173657222011-07-27T12:58:37.161-04:002011-07-27T12:58:37.161-04:00ABs, Hs, Rs, Es, RBIs, Ks, SBs, DPs: all seem &qu...ABs, Hs, Rs, Es, RBIs, Ks, SBs, DPs: all seem "plural-able" by adding the s.<br /><br />Artois stopped me, since I know it (too well) as a Belgian beer. Had no idea that its adjectival form is artesian, and that the eponymous wells were dug there by Carthusian monks. Well, also did not know there even WERE Carthusian monks.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16421403572509284371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31528024853919440632011-07-27T12:38:06.438-04:002011-07-27T12:38:06.438-04:00Greetings from syndi-land. I thought this was fun...Greetings from syndi-land. I thought this was fun, though extremely challenging for a Wednesday. (Nice to see my impression confirmed by sanfranman59--I was worried that I was rusty from having been on holidays!) Ashamed to admit that I didn't get the theme until quite far along. <br /><br /> I'm not a constructor, but I think it's pretty cool to be able to pull off such a trick. Well done, Tim Croce.Red Valerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04638265039015470938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-92183665844962692462011-07-27T12:09:04.947-04:002011-07-27T12:09:04.947-04:00This was my least favorite Wednesday in recent mem...This was my least favorite Wednesday in recent memory. What gives it the right to be 16 x 15?Ben "The Best" Tuthillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17108355898864845572011-06-23T22:20:31.935-04:002011-06-23T22:20:31.935-04:00Great fun! A brilliant puzzle.Great fun! A brilliant puzzle.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10679390247854141025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54176919431706276972011-06-23T09:48:14.860-04:002011-06-23T09:48:14.860-04:00@oldbizmark
Can go either way. Per MLB rule (10.0...@oldbizmark<br /><br />Can go either way. Per MLB rule (10.04) offical scoring is 1 "Run Batted In" (RBI) for every run that scores.<br /><br />Per the plural in the clue, Yount was credited 1406 of "them".<br /><br />Dictionaries differ, but most indicate "them" woud be RBIs.LookUpGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66669385838853983912011-06-22T23:22:54.878-04:002011-06-22T23:22:54.878-04:00RBIs is incorrect. Just need to point that out (e...RBIs is incorrect. Just need to point that out (even though I got it right off the bat, being a HUGE Robin Yount fan - got his jersey). RBI stands for "RUNS (hence plural) Batted In." RBIs is Runs Batted Ins? or Runses Battedes Ins? It just doesn't make any sense. Any baseball fan knows that.oldbizmarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79045684696926860712011-06-22T22:20:54.972-04:002011-06-22T22:20:54.972-04:00Thanks, Bob, that was the answer I was looking for...Thanks, Bob, that was the answer I was looking for.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27920921318500567372011-06-22T22:04:52.262-04:002011-06-22T22:04:52.262-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation. 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 6:25, 6:52, 0.93, 25%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 9:31, 8:56, 1.07, 69%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 18:36, 11:52, 1.57, 100%, Challenging (highest median solve time of 103 Wednesday puzzles)<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:37, 3:40, 0.99, 47%, Medium<br />Tue 4:53, 4:35, 1.07, 72%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 9:48, 5:51, 1.67, 100%, Challenging (highest median solve time of 103 Wednesday puzzles)sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80725076213236868782011-06-22T21:53:19.372-04:002011-06-22T21:53:19.372-04:00@mac - I believe we are actually in agreement. Yo...@mac - I believe we are actually in agreement. Your original question was, "Isn't it enough to say Omaha for the tribe member from Nebraska?" Yes, it is. We might refer to "Omahan culture," but an individual of that tribe may be called an Omaha. However, as I pointed out, the clue makes no reference to a tribe, only a "Native Nebraskan," which by the rules of crosswordese can be read to mean "a native of some certain Nebraska city." As in many clues, it does not preclude natives or residents of any other Nebraska location. So you can be an Omahan without having been born in Omaha, or you could be a native Nebraskan without ever having set foot in Omaha, neither of which invalidates the clue/answer set. And when googling the Indian tribe, they are referred to as the Omaha people, not Omahans.Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89900920540938534952011-06-22T20:46:01.887-04:002011-06-22T20:46:01.887-04:00@Bob Kerfuffle: I don't think that is right. I...@Bob Kerfuffle: I don't think that is right. I can be an Omahan without being a native Nebraskan. An American Indian from Nebraska is an Omaha? Or Omahan? That was really my question.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3052790672181711082011-06-22T20:34:09.488-04:002011-06-22T20:34:09.488-04:00I really liked this puzzle and didn't find par...I really liked this puzzle and didn't find particularly hard (for a Wednesday). Puts me in the minority, I guess...michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56856072098007697242011-06-22T19:42:41.827-04:002011-06-22T19:42:41.827-04:00Hung on to soda and doting far too long. Also wan...Hung on to soda and doting far too long. Also wanted shugared for FLURRIED. I can't spell some words with sh sounds. There was a sugar shaker on Antiques Roadshow Monday. The theme came slowly; first had LUE then ORDER. Eventualy I csught on. Natick at ES-NS- cross. Passed the time in a waiting room.Sparkynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7920272413247895712011-06-22T19:26:50.903-04:002011-06-22T19:26:50.903-04:00@jackj: constructor here, did not like it, and the...@jackj: constructor here, did not like it, and there's no union here.XWDernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66029283238946292402011-06-22T18:58:25.600-04:002011-06-22T18:58:25.600-04:00Did anyone else have REF or UMP for 65D, "Zeb...Did anyone else have REF or UMP for 65D, "Zebra relative?"retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5491244957729162092011-06-22T18:52:25.379-04:002011-06-22T18:52:25.379-04:00Difficult for me.
In 1964, The OrlonS also had a ...Difficult for me.<br /><br />In 1964, The OrlonS also had a hit by the name of No Love but Your Love. This was one of the many hold-ups for me.<br /><br />I always thought of SCREED as a written device - or that thing that scrapes and even off cement. <br /><br />And - how does he expect us to know where all of McCain's 8 homes are? He doesn't even know.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40281390357285044362011-06-22T18:42:47.649-04:002011-06-22T18:42:47.649-04:00Can anyone explain "I guess there might be so...Can anyone explain "I guess there might be some joy in breaking the code (... DRINK MORE OVALTINE ...), but that part wasn't terribly difficult, or terribly revelatory ... or rather it *was* revelatory, just of something I didn't care about ("huh ... OK ... back to filling in this mediocre grid, then ...")."?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30243026642907467292011-06-22T18:30:31.976-04:002011-06-22T18:30:31.976-04:00dnf, too challenging for a wednesday methinks. did...dnf, too challenging for a wednesday methinks. did't get the directions until i came here. not on the right brain wave today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26032424992448629662011-06-22T17:54:13.923-04:002011-06-22T17:54:13.923-04:00I suspect many constructors will rave about this p...I suspect many constructors will rave about this puzzle but, not being part of that union I agree with those who have strongly declared "meh".<br /><br />A bad gimmick made worse because not only are the answers strained, the clues have been equally bastardized by the alphabetic force-feed.<br /><br />Some puzzles give no pleasure whatsoever on completion and this one is Exhibit A in my book.jackjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26237682840576756982011-06-22T17:44:19.538-04:002011-06-22T17:44:19.538-04:00AWESOME PUZZLE !!!! first time poster, reading thi...AWESOME PUZZLE !!!! first time poster, reading this blog for about a year -- not a speed solver. like a previous poster, I do crosswords for enjoyment, its not a job. to me, a puzzle should do 3 things: entertain, challenge your brain, and teach you new things -- this one did all 3!!!! more Thurs/Fri than Weds, but thats greatlong suffering mets fannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14247179641811394492011-06-22T17:40:48.735-04:002011-06-22T17:40:48.735-04:00@Anon 4:17p
Also, it's probably the only time...@Anon 4:17p<br /><br />Also, it's probably the only time you'll see 1,406 in a clue where the answer isn't MCDVI.<br /><br />.../GlitchGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33711576786039500962011-06-22T17:18:14.776-04:002011-06-22T17:18:14.776-04:00When you flip the puzzle over and know the theme i...When you flip the puzzle over and know the theme immediately because you notice the WXYZ run in the early down clues, it kinda takes away all the potential for pizzazz :(Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217196005119951384noreply@blogger.com