tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8836448590916950993..comments2024-03-28T10:16:38.830-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Fritz the Cat's creator / TUE 4-12-11 / 1956 Fats Domino hit / Highest peak Northwest Territories / Seamen slangily / 1956 Fats Domino hitRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40188098259950597902011-05-17T17:04:47.932-04:002011-05-17T17:04:47.932-04:00Syndi-late solver.
Hand up for LSD and Fritz the ...Syndi-late solver.<br /><br />Hand up for LSD and Fritz the Cat in the early 70's.<br /><br />Only in crosswordland could a "theme" be considered exhaustively covered by three names or words or phrases, with anything more along the lines of the same theme being then thought to be plagiaristic. Seriously, folks . . . . Howsabout instead we have an entire week devoted to the same theme? I think someone mentioned that it was election week (where? NY?) when this Tuespuz came out. As the week progressed, each new day's puzzle could take on an increasingly in-depth approach to the "elections and politics" theme, moving from three or four to as many as ten or even twelve! theme answer words or phrases. It would be cathartic, purging the subliminal political toxins, and cover the base forever and ever to everyone's satisfaction. You could even have the additional requirement that the constructor use [Lyin' sack of ____ ] for one of his theme clues, with the politician who best helps the constructor clear his sinuses be the answer.<br /><br />On another, but connected, note, I was struck by the parallel placements of PLUTARCH and BURLIVES (BUR LIVES?). Ives emphasizes the social consciousness in his work, the lowest common denominator ("C'mon, let's crawl/ to the ugly bug ball/ Oh how happy we'll be/ one and all/ at the ugly bug ball!"). PLUTARCH's "Lives" is an investigation into the qualities of character that raise men above the basest level, what ennobles them. I enjoyed thinking about the inherent tension thus implied, between the absolutely democratic principles of IVES and the more republican leanings of PLUTARCH. Charles IVES, the revolutionary American "classical" composer, would have had something to say, I think, about how many notes or bars of music constitute plagiarism, or when originality begins and when it leaves off and becomes pure theft. Or not.NotalwaysrightBillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62573798954714799612011-05-17T14:55:55.419-04:002011-05-17T14:55:55.419-04:00Puzzle appeared on May 17 in syndication, the day ...Puzzle appeared on May 17 in syndication, the day we learned of the passing of another baseball hall of famer from the '60' era, Harmon Killebrew.<br /><br />@dk mentioned the '60s theme woven throughout the grid, and a couple of young anonymice complained about it, but there are more examples of it than he cited: Jack Kerouac, Fats Domino, XKEs, LSD, James Bond, the Kingston Trio and Burl Ives, Stan Musial, Merv Griffin, Barbara Eden and some PBR to wash it all down! Damn, that's a '60s retrospective all by itself - no wonder some of the youngsters hated it! Oh, and Fannie Mae could have as easily been Mae West and Robert Crumb belongs even though he's not familiar to me.<br /><br />Thanks for the memories, Barry C. Silk!Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89752340729502356102011-04-13T11:11:13.336-04:002011-04-13T11:11:13.336-04:00Stinky and full of the stuff that those who fancy ...Stinky and full of the stuff that those who fancy themselves crossword elite love.<br />ehhhxyzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08287781952915413013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1092248289707910962011-04-13T09:35:56.978-04:002011-04-13T09:35:56.978-04:00Not only does Heinz make *hamburger relish*, it...Not only does Heinz make *hamburger relish*, it's Kosher.Not Nobodynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50068202607962811692011-04-13T03:17:51.914-04:002011-04-13T03:17:51.914-04:00Oh, and no one puts relish on a hamburger. Relish ...Oh, and no one puts relish on a hamburger. Relish goes on hot dogs. Could have given "hot tog topper" for that clue, especially on Tuesday "/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80577850202196416912011-04-13T03:15:48.717-04:002011-04-13T03:15:48.717-04:00For a 22 year-old, so many important clues with 60...For a 22 year-old, so many important clues with 60s-70s references is a little annoying. I'm against googling answers - takes the fun out - so this wasn't my favorite crossword ever. <br /><br />I'm usually a Wednesday-Thursday level NYT solver, but there were too many obscure clues in here for me. <br /><br />Ah well. Tomorrow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85297121536963020882011-04-13T01:39:07.568-04:002011-04-13T01:39:07.568-04:00This 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 5:29, 6:53, 0.80, 1%, Easy (fastest median solve time of 94 Mondays)<br />Tue 8:37, 8:57, 0.96, 46%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 2:52, 3:41, 0.78, 1%, Easy (fastest median solve time of 94 Mondays)<br />Tue 4:17, 4:35, 0.93, 33%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79409373990187003452011-04-13T01:38:21.521-04:002011-04-13T01:38:21.521-04:00william e emba to the rescue!
:)william e emba to the rescue!<br />:)anemia cradle membernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21213770245043396452011-04-12T21:50:07.190-04:002011-04-12T21:50:07.190-04:00"Dingoes Ate My Baby" was the name for a..."Dingoes Ate My Baby" was the name for a fictional band in the <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> series.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-270743759413003032011-04-12T21:10:18.473-04:002011-04-12T21:10:18.473-04:00@ Sfingi, See? I knew someone would remember Mr. N...@ Sfingi, See? I knew someone would remember Mr. Natural! (10:43 post)Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84865702146068018182011-04-12T20:51:02.143-04:002011-04-12T20:51:02.143-04:00@The Wheezer of Oz
When I was 13, I used to rat my...@The Wheezer of Oz<br />When I was 13, I used to rat my hair up to a least a foot. I also used hair spray at least 4 to 5 times a day. I slept with it this way since I didn't want to mess it up. Lo and behold, some tarantulas found a way inside my hair and had 5 babies.GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27609412830454955232011-04-12T18:36:53.500-04:002011-04-12T18:36:53.500-04:00How could I not enjoy this puzzle, with R. Crumb, ...How could I not enjoy this puzzle, with R. Crumb, Sal Paradise (who I first wanted to be Sal Moriarty), and Fats Domino? Plus some great crunchy fill, and still easy enough for a Tuesday.<br /><br />Looked up Burl Ives -- my parents had some of his 78s so I grew up on songs like "Foggy Foggy Dew." Among other factoids learned: "In 1964, he played the genie in the movie The Brass Bottle with Tony Randall and Barbara Eden." (Wikipedia)Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53715586572537747882011-04-12T18:33:24.625-04:002011-04-12T18:33:24.625-04:00@Foodie: too funny about Mecca Mall! And I very ...@Foodie: too funny about Mecca Mall! And I very much appreciate your thoughts about constructive criticism.archaeoprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956231727789223463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85640227409547248362011-04-12T18:15:30.694-04:002011-04-12T18:15:30.694-04:00@john V lol!!! that was great@john V lol!!! that was greatchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36839693790779682352011-04-12T17:05:41.305-04:002011-04-12T17:05:41.305-04:00And John V: thank you for that!And John V: thank you for that!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78870349246947151912011-04-12T17:02:11.811-04:002011-04-12T17:02:11.811-04:00Well, what can I say... It's a lot later here....Well, what can I say... It's a lot later here. I enjoyed the puzzle this morning, as I usually do Barry Silk's, and I don't see any erasor marks. I wanted Blueberry Hill as well (our property had a lot of scragly blueberry bushes being eaten by the deer when we purchased it), but the CROSSES! They solved everything for me. I don't know about this R.Crumb person, but he just appeared! I must have missed the LAT puzzle with the same theme, and the theme made certain things easier, like absolutely expecting Barbara Eden to show up, but Nirvana? I needed a few good downs there. And they were there. <br /><br />OK, the carers and XKEs weren't great, but, there again, the crosses saved the day. It's only Tuesday.<br /><br />Loved Midwest, sub-atomic, Plutarch and relish, although I would not put it on anything.<br /><br />@Gareth: you should be.<br /><br />@Barry Silk: thank you for showing up.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74019359160993625102011-04-12T17:00:14.854-04:002011-04-12T17:00:14.854-04:00I have faith in the endless supply of fresh ideas....I have faith in the endless supply of fresh ideas. Just when you think that all the puzzle themes have been done before, Liz Gorski thinks of a new one. She's cornered the themes-i've-never-seen-before market. Wunderbar.mike pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16781039562524070042011-04-12T16:52:54.179-04:002011-04-12T16:52:54.179-04:00@Tobias Duncan: I loved the R. Crumb movie! (By ...@Tobias Duncan: I loved the R. Crumb movie! (By the way, the title is just <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109508/" rel="nofollow">Crumb </a> )<br /><br />I have Better Than Ezra on my iPod - here they are playing their hit song "Good" on Letterman: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m4XiXLpXDs&feature=related" rel="nofollow"> Better Than Ezra </a>JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6318685248968045632011-04-12T16:50:18.774-04:002011-04-12T16:50:18.774-04:00So, maybe its late enough in the day to rhapsodize...So, maybe its late enough in the day to rhapsodize on 45D, Pabst, with something that has stuck in my head since forever:<br /><br />"There once was a lass named Anheuser<br />Who swore that no man could surprise her.<br />But Pabst took a chance<br />Found Schlitz in her pants<br />And now she is sadder<br />Budweiser"<br /><br />Just sayin.John Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557037910799243636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1150164708761101002011-04-12T16:44:25.437-04:002011-04-12T16:44:25.437-04:00Oops! Sorry, I type too slow!Oops! Sorry, I type too slow!Late Nightnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82517805310341029112011-04-12T16:43:17.999-04:002011-04-12T16:43:17.999-04:00@sanfranman59 -- Here we go again!
I just saw y...@sanfranman59 -- Here we go again!<br /><br />I just saw your statistics delivered to my email inbox, and noticed that you had revived the hot link to your original explanation of the figures, something you seem to have dropped for quite a while. I thought, he must have decided that it was safe to do that again. But no, Blogger will have its way -- your post has disappeared from the comments! Care to try again without the link, just so we can see what happens?Late Nightnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72021495244769543322011-04-12T16:39:55.434-04:002011-04-12T16:39:55.434-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Tue 8:33, 8:57, 0.96, 45%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Tue 4:24, 4:35, 0.96, 44%, Medium<br /><br />Reposting ... my first attempt mysteriously disappearedsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48168889873140734502011-04-12T16:38:47.829-04:002011-04-12T16:38:47.829-04:00@DK - Sure they weren't troll dolls? I have a ...@DK - Sure they weren't troll dolls? I have a few of those. A train ride is good for them.<br /><br />For once I had little trouble with a Barry Silk puzzle. I had begun to think he was like that Watson computer. This time, he hit my interests - except LUTZ crosses EZRA (sports and young rock). I didn't notice the theme. <br /><br />@Chefwen - you've got to check out Robert Crumb, really. Do you remember, "Keep on truckin'"? That was Mr. Natural. Then, Cheap Thrills was sort of based on Janice Joplin. He lives in France, now. <br /><br />@Wheezer - I remember that well. "A dingo stole my baby," spoken in a monotone. The unemotionality (word?) of the woman is what convicted her. Was not fair. <br /><br />GOB = tar = salt. In the crossword world. Like ape = parrot.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-35352729933967863022011-04-12T16:27:05.155-04:002011-04-12T16:27:05.155-04:00@ChefWen, keep in mind that the movie Fritz the Ca...@ChefWen, keep in mind that the movie <i>Fritz the Cat</i> is X-rated. Apparently it is available on NetFlix.Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46334709013824633892011-04-12T15:28:41.413-04:002011-04-12T15:28:41.413-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> for an explanation of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Tue 8:33, 8:57, 0.96, 45%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Tue 4:24, 4:35, 0.96, 44%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.com