tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8945057577233346426..comments2024-03-28T14:57:33.856-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Longtime music collaborator with Royce da 5'9" / SAT 10-10-20 / Angry arenagoer in slang / Fast food order that had all the flavor one less layer / spider named for its presence around train tracks / Enterprise once known as California Perfume Company / Italian soccer club with three Champions League titles / Who just keeps rollin along in a classic show tune / Traveler with turbine / Global news concern of mid-2010s / Lufthansa supplier Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24694181880562822352020-11-14T14:58:46.065-05:002020-11-14T14:58:46.065-05:00After gliding through the WSW and thinking "p...After gliding through the WSW and thinking "pretty easy", the ENE showed me otherwise. Have to END ON that note.leftcoasternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84856805327907439602020-11-14T14:06:09.890-05:002020-11-14T14:06:09.890-05:00Too pisser loaded to be rated "easy". Pu...Too pisser loaded to be rated "easy". Put me in the club where "west Wing" is a menu choice at KFC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71236143388613097332020-11-14T11:50:30.983-05:002020-11-14T11:50:30.983-05:00The west--including the NW!--was a cakewalk for a ...The west--including the NW!--was a cakewalk for a change; the east not so much. OLMANRIVER rolled me right into the thick of it. In the SW, it took a while to get what "Babe" was going for, but after changing SPAMmer to SPAMBOT things cleared up. Finished up in the NE when I recalled the inimitable SEIJIOZAWA. Lot of Scrabble ***ing up there, but it actually helped.<br /><br />Michelle Philips and "Mama Cass" Elliott receive dual DODs today as the MAMAS. Difficulty rating medium leaning toward easy; fill solid. Well done: birdie, of which Tiger is going to need a lot more if he's to repeat as Masters champion. Guy to beat: Dustin Johnson.spacecrafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09125304293611865503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29239331318915022322020-11-14T11:43:08.554-05:002020-11-14T11:43:08.554-05:00As one who is "from" Philly, I know of B...As one who is "from" Philly, I know of BOOBIRDS. Yeah!<br /><br />Saw Mr. OZAWA conduct the Boston Orchestra IN PARIS on the Champs de Mars (the "lawn" of the Eiffel Tower) with a choir and fireworks - some time in 2000/2001. For free. Didn't know it was going to happen until we saw crowds heading that way and our neighbor at a cafe told us about the concert. Some guy named Andrea Bocelli sang, too. Whadda night. No BOOBIRDS there.<br /><br />Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for the fat lady to singDiana, LIWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65649871258099638752020-11-14T11:41:29.991-05:002020-11-14T11:41:29.991-05:00SEIJI had to come by crosses, but RENO, TITO and J...SEIJI had to come by crosses, but RENO, TITO and JED were gimmes for me, so not a big issue. My biggest issue, therefore inkfest, was scrambling out of the %0d/67a cross at first having my 'mass medium' as LiTer crossing the 'pointless' rOUnd. Yeah, I know liter is volume, bout round is *pointless*. Finally the MACJR and IMSUREOFIT straightened things out.<br /><br />FEWS what you get in the corners.<br /><br />All those other Jennifers get a yeah baby, so why not the accomplished Ms. EGAN?<br /><br />More Js than all week methinks. Let's all have MOJITOS and hope Sunday is not another slog.rondonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75901521834047332442020-11-14T11:28:18.690-05:002020-11-14T11:28:18.690-05:00PLANET RACY, GOBUST!
With MOJITOS and ALE (and I&...PLANET RACY, GOBUST!<br /><br />With MOJITOS and ALE (and I'MSUREOFIT),<br />IN THE JACUZZI is where yo MAMA sits,<br />I'M INIT, too, and I'MSURE I'M a HIT,<br />"IT'S NOUSE, MA'AM, I'M not SCAREd of WHET TITS."<br /><br />--- JOE OZAWABurma Shavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86742312012708962242020-11-14T10:45:12.069-05:002020-11-14T10:45:12.069-05:00I was doing fine until I hit the last square where...I was doing fine until I hit the last square where 11D crosses 22A. I knew nothing of either person. Was it Jed, Ned, Red or Ted Bartlet? Seiti Ozawa seemed plausible so I went with Ted. Wrong. And thus, my good feelings about this puzzle ENDON a sour note and I GOBUST. Count me among the HOBOs JOESCHMOs and BOOBIRDs who have NOUSE for puzzles with such Naticks in them. It’s ASiF the NYTXW has no editor at the helm...thefogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870509029973778266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62608318700998568722020-10-12T19:27:29.931-04:002020-10-12T19:27:29.931-04:00Flat out no. You cannot cross SEIJO with JED as cl...Flat out no. You cannot cross SEIJO with JED as clued. 95% of your audience has no chance at that cross.kitshefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10014225555838850414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84032235749614396182020-10-11T02:14:58.902-04:002020-10-11T02:14:58.902-04:00****SB Alert *****
make that -3 but one of the 3 ...****SB Alert *****<br /><br />make that -3 but one of the 3 I just “found” is pure eviljaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49124528154088520142020-10-11T01:05:30.278-04:002020-10-11T01:05:30.278-04:00****SB Alert*****
-6 and am iffy about getting an...****SB Alert*****<br /><br />-6 and am iffy about getting any closer.jaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40107771732602659862020-10-11T00:28:57.578-04:002020-10-11T00:28:57.578-04:00@Barbara S.
I see it as being judged by the word i...@Barbara S.<br />I see it as being judged by the word in the grid. The complaint about POC rests in the cheating on the length of words, making the puzzle less interesting word-wise. I feel it does when there are too many of them, especially with too many crossing esses. Somehow feels like it is a replacement for an excess of black squares. It is a grid complaint some make. It is not a clue complaint. Covering up this grid complaint by finding a clue that is a PPP that is already plural is no real change in the grid plus it's an extra PPP. That is why I added my joke clue at the bottom. Half of a half of a 60s group = MAMA not being an SOC even though it would be by the cluing. Also CASS could be an answer.<br /><br />PPP count: I tend to feel area of PPP answers might be more important than the number of PPP answers. In today's puzzle how do five 10 letter PPP answers compare to eleven 4 letter plus two three letter PPP answers, or to five 5 letter answers?<br /><br />Of course, PPP is determined by cluing, not by looks in the grid. I learned that by looking at the grid the next morning and seeing very little PPP I commented on the lack of PPP. Z, the stat man, jumped on me because it had so much. A lot of answers may be clued as PPP or as words. MAMAS, e.g.. I also think not all PPP is created equal. If it's something 90% would be expected to know or recognize once seen give it a pass. Yeah I do know the problems with that. Is JOESHCMO PPP or a word you do not know? Is 44 for OBAMA PPP? Maybe it all averages out. Z does have a range where it starts to cause complaints.<br /><br />And anyone who believes that managers do not matter is ... someone I disagree with. Who plays, who pitches, who motivates, who makes players better, who puts them in positions to succeed: not matter? It's like football coaches. What other coach would have the success with NE Pats to match Belechik. Not too many. I am sure that a coach or manager can screw up a team. GMs and owners matter too.albatross shellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04076278220407657633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68256862082063944422020-10-11T00:05:11.974-04:002020-10-11T00:05:11.974-04:00@Nancy 10:36 PM
I love Robeson; any time I want t...@Nancy 10:36 PM<br /><br />I love Robeson; any time I want to listen to something from days of yore, he's my go-to guy. Always enjoy your anecdotes, as well. Gives the blog more of a familial atmosphere. :)<br /><br /><br /><br />**** <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee" rel="nofollow">SB</a> <a href="https://nytbee.com/" rel="nofollow">ALERT</a> ****<br /><br />@TTrimble<br /><br />Congrats on your -3; that's impressive! 👍<br /><br />Now at -11 and ready to pack it in :(<br /><br /><br />---[Acrostic Alert]---<br /><br />Where does one find the "acrostic" you refer to?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_DxNpW1kHQ" rel="nofollow">Peace</a> 平和 Pace Pax Frieden 🕊 bocamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02524629632075020985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64804809869560146232020-10-10T23:58:18.899-04:002020-10-10T23:58:18.899-04:00It’s only the most popular sport in the world, Rex...It’s only the most popular sport in the world, Rex 🙄 Anyone my age (29) or younger will know Inter Milan from the abundance of Champions League soccer on TV these days and the FIFA video game series. Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972412427600796550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21249418217634939932020-10-10T22:36:13.105-04:002020-10-10T22:36:13.105-04:00@jberg and @bocamp -- It makes me really happy tha...@jberg and @bocamp -- It makes me really happy that other people love this song, and Robeson's incandescent performance of it, as much as I do.<br /><br />I'm not someone who cries easily, but I cry every single time I watch that clip. I consider OL' MAN RIVER the greatest song ever written for the musical theater. Because of the sheer gorgeousness of both the lyrics and the melody. Because of its raw emotional power -- though subtle by today's standards because it <i>isn't</i> an over-the-top "11 o-clock number". And because of its vital importance to the show. Take away that song and "Show Boat" loses all, or at least most of its resonance.<br /><br />FWIW, it was the first song I played on the piano. I was being taught popular music in a way that allowed me to enjoy playing pieces I asked the teacher for. He bought the sheet music and wrote down all the notes and all the chords for me. I learned very little about music or how to read it, but I had a very good time. I'm pretty sure that OL MAN RIVER was in the key of C Major, which was unusual, because very few songs I played were in that key. But it was a good song to start off with. Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16737377749030219974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90268848474437457722020-10-10T22:07:01.848-04:002020-10-10T22:07:01.848-04:00---[SB Alert]---
I'm at -4 for today. I imag...---[SB Alert]--- <br /><br />I'm at -4 for today. I imagine one of the words I found will occasion some protest. (But it is indeed playable in Scrabble.) <br /><br />I may try some more before packing it in. <br /><br />---[Acrostic Alert]--- <br /><br />Did anybody do the Sunday acrostic? I found it rather more challenging than the usual acrostic fare. (That Welsh festival -- oy. And I entered in something wrong for clue I. which took a looong time to sort out.) TTrimblenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20860149327295413192020-10-10T21:11:40.686-04:002020-10-10T21:11:40.686-04:00**** SB ALERT ****
-12 w.b. (g. or wanna-bee)
...**** <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee" rel="nofollow">SB</a> <a href="https://nytbee.com/" rel="nofollow">ALERT</a> ****<br /><br />-12 w.b. (g. or wanna-bee)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_DxNpW1kHQ" rel="nofollow">Peace</a> 平和 Pace Pax Frieden 🕊bocamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02524629632075020985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25660308031106492142020-10-10T20:45:30.325-04:002020-10-10T20:45:30.325-04:00Chuck D,
Huh? Is Aaron’s Boone, the manager, respo...Chuck D,<br />Huh? Is Aaron’s Boone, the manager, responsible for the Yankees loss? Or was it some cabal of Ivy League nogoodniks? You see the problem, right? Either the manager is the person responsible for the teams performance, or as you suggest, he’s only some part of the reason for the teams performance. <br />Z.<br />Way to cherry pick the data. As you know, the tigers excelled in Leylands first year. But fell off the next. And the next. And then rebounded....<br />Point is Leyland was the same dude. His players changed. And with them the teams resultsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28352282883239358792020-10-10T19:51:29.346-04:002020-10-10T19:51:29.346-04:00@albatross shell (6:19)
I'm interested in your...@albatross shell (6:19)<br />I'm interested in your take on MAMAS as a POC. I thought it wasn't, because the singular MAMA isn't half of a 1960s pop group. It simply can't be used as the answer to that clue. Whereas a clue about MAMAS as the name young children call their mothers could ask for either the singular or the plural depending on the needs of the constructor in that particular area of the grid. But maybe I've got it wrong and *ALL* plural nouns in crossword puzzles are POCs?? Help!Barbara S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67735343346614856762020-10-10T19:43:39.879-04:002020-10-10T19:43:39.879-04:00Cheating: if you can do it at a tournament, it'...Cheating: if you can do it at a tournament, it's not cheating. Do you think no one ever mentally runs the alphabet at a tournament so as to complete the puzzle at hand? If you do, I still have a bridge for sale, cheap. Joe Dipintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922691457886440325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13284133761756426462020-10-10T18:47:15.486-04:002020-10-10T18:47:15.486-04:00"Fela Kuti"
"food desert"
@ ...<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti" rel="nofollow">"Fela Kuti"</a><br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert" rel="nofollow">"food desert"</a><br /><br />@ Nancy 9:07 AM<br /><br />Thank you for the Robeson vid; I was set to include it until I read your post. :)<br /><br />@jberg 12:38 PM - It's the thought that counts! :)<br />____<br /><br />@Conrad 9:14 AM<br /><br />Well said!<br /><br />I would be cheating myself if I were to reference any outside source, or play "whack-a-letter" on the keyboard; anything I can conjure mentally is fair game, tho. Others' mileage may vary. :)<br />____<br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fidelity" rel="nofollow">"hifi"</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />**** <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee" rel="nofollow">SB</a> <a href="https://nytbee.com/" rel="nofollow">ALERT</a> ****<br /><br />@RooMonster 12:07 PM<br /><br />Congrats on the -2; that's pretty darn skookum! 🐝<br /><br />@ Pamela - I'm still at -7; may give it one more shot later. Just starting on today's; looks like a challenge. 🤞<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_DxNpW1kHQ" rel="nofollow">Peace</a> 平和 Pace Pax Frieden 🕊<br />bocamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02524629632075020985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78238616246565265682020-10-10T18:19:42.672-04:002020-10-10T18:19:42.672-04:00I tried blunt for pointless. So clever it had to b...I tried blunt for pointless. So clever it had to be right. Wrong. I did hear a wee voice: Wouldn't that be "Pointless?" or "Point-less"?.<br /><br />Had to look up OZAWA's first name and the soccer team. A lot of longs went in with few or no crosses: FOODDESERT FATSDOMINO SPACEPROBE OLMANRIVER (tried OLe before OL). The rest took a reasonable number of crosses. <br /><br />Getting ILSA without knowing any romantic languages made me feel pretty nifty.<br /><br />Despite the Babe and Fats and OZAWA my favorite today was JOESCHMO.<br /><br />RIM is an edge or border of a circular object. A corona fills the bill as the sun appears as a disc from earth. But it does seem a bit off. I do not think it is.<br /><br />A planet moves in circles the same way a beltway is a circle around a city or the same way I went in circles around the arena looking for a place to park. OK, irregular circles. Common language does not need to bow to mathematical or astronomical precision. Criticize Shortz for real stuff, not nitpicking nonsense.<br /><br />@Nancy.<br />Some DJs turn the turntable with their hand using the record as a musical instrument. I thought that might have been intended in the clue. Who knows is not talking here.<br /><br />MAMAS is still a plural of convenience. All POC are not bad. And I would not call the answer to the clue; Half of a half of a 60s pop group <br /><br /><br />a singular of convenience.albatross shellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04076278220407657633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20005228112026950482020-10-10T18:16:42.616-04:002020-10-10T18:16:42.616-04:00@Rique Beleza & @paulfahn – I’m no astronomer ...@Rique Beleza & @paulfahn – I’m no astronomer but I think the PLANET clue is close enough for crosswords. The Earth rotates around its own axis every 24 hours and revolves (elliptically) around the sun every year.<br /><br />***SB Alert***<br /><br />I haven’t seen many posts about today’s offering. I’m stuck at 52 words and 201 points and have given up. I wish other SBers the best of luck with this one.<br />Bill L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08886581691063755810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32717008699901167802020-10-10T17:27:14.734-04:002020-10-10T17:27:14.734-04:00Redemption from 2:02 PM
I finally decided to plun...Redemption from 2:02 PM<br /><br />I finally decided to plunk "the bambino" into 62A and see what came of it. First "spammer" had to go; ah, "spambot", doh! The whole SE quadrant fell into place within a couple of minutes, although 36D wasn't cooperating. Finally, "makes up" flipped the "coins" switch on, and it was off to the NE.<br /><br />The only thing I was somewhat sure of in the NE was "Tito". Getting "Afrobeat" gave me the "t" in "mojitos" and "boobird" which lead to "biz" and "biome" which left upper New England for the finish. And, it took forever to suss out. In the end, I just couldn't grok "reno" as having anything to do with a "911" call; there again the quotes surrounding 911 were the key. It must be some kind of procedural to do with the city, and Bob was my uncle.<br /><br />I didn't know "food desert", "Inter Milan", (wanted AC Milan) or "Seijo" and was having trouble with 10D and 10A. Finally conceded that "food desert" and "Inter Milan" worked and then "art" and "as if" made sense. And, when I grokked how "Reno" fit in, that left me with a mental "whack-a-vowel" for "Sei-o", and the golden ring. The candidates were: Jed, Ned, Red and Ted. "J" and "T" moved into the finals. Not having watched "The West Wing", I had no idea about the character in question, but "Jed" seemed more Hollywood trendy than the somewhat overworked "Ted". Also the "j" resonated better than the "t" for the Japanese name. Bottom line: I got lucky. :)<br /><br />Finally on the subject (in my prior post of 2:02 PM) of overconfidence, I really should know better. I'm working on it, but some "smirches" are hard to dissolve. I always tried to hammer home the point about confidence vs overconfidence to my Little League teams. Confidence is knowing you can succeed if you keep your focus on the task at hand. Overconfidence leads to losing focus by jumping to conclusions (often false). I'm a work in progress! :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_DxNpW1kHQ" rel="nofollow">Peace</a> 平和 Pace Pax Frieden 🕊<br />bocamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02524629632075020985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19997441786068269292020-10-10T16:49:30.202-04:002020-10-10T16:49:30.202-04:00@Anon 3:04 - tell that to Aaron Boone. The GM and...@Anon 3:04 - tell that to Aaron Boone. The GM and all his Ivies made game time decisions in Game 2 and shit the bed - numbers are numbers - they do not cover everything - these things are not deterministic. ChuckDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07378630990725599354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63253412765341315332020-10-10T16:27:55.508-04:002020-10-10T16:27:55.508-04:00@Nancy, Reno 911 was TV show that followed th humo...@Nancy, Reno 911 was TV show that followed th humorous antics of inept and dim-witted officers in "The Biggest Little City in the World."bertorayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07968285190093714300noreply@blogger.com