tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post9012165141086959029..comments2024-03-28T04:22:09.431-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: FRIDAY, Jun. 20, 2008 - Mike Nothnagel (OLD-TIME COMIC ED)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32742764893680278232018-04-29T15:43:13.112-04:002018-04-29T15:43:13.112-04:00Short item first: Ed Wynn is probably best known a...Short item first: Ed Wynn is probably best known as the laughing uncle in "Mary Poppins".<br /><br />As former head of an 80-member D&D club, I have no problem with the clue for DUNGEON MASTER as either technical or as a solver. A dungeon is traditionally underground; you can refer to the overall activity as a "movement", or give the DM credit as "leader" of the characters' progression through the dungeon.<br /><br />Before you marginalize the activity, please check the market penetration: look up the revenues for the fantasy role-playing market. Remember that D&D is the launching point; in fact, the world creator/moderator is often referred to as "dungeon master" even when there is no actual dungeon in the adventure. ("Game master" is the usual generic term.)<br /><br />However, like other posters, the clue for WARLOCK gives me some heartburn. The term literally means "oath-breaker", one reason that "warlock" wasn't used in D&D for many years, until we had used up the more appropriate terms. Until then, it was occasionally a technical epithet for an evil mage, but still rarely used in practice.<br /><br />Since you blithely accept niche-market references in many other places, such as curling terminology, local celebrities, 1940s inductees to a sports hall of fame, etc., I'm dismayed that your inexperience with FRP gaming prompts you to include a nicely clued long answer in your above-the-line complaints. I expect better of myself, and expect better of self-appointed experts (or, in your case, a certified expert who is a self-appointed columnist).Prunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224476641730508311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17397559224232968822008-07-26T20:33:00.000-04:002008-07-26T20:33:00.000-04:00If anyone is still reading - for complete accuracy...If anyone is still reading - for complete accuracy, AVA (Gardner, "Mogambo") did not lose to Audrey (Hepburn, "Roman Holiday") in the 1953 Oscars. The Oscar year was 1954, for films <B>released</B> in 1953!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13659928864538448602008-07-26T00:25:00.000-04:002008-07-26T00:25:00.000-04:00The list of alternatives to Ava left out Ida, Miss...The list of alternatives to Ava left out Ida, Miss Lupino -- here are her stellar performances in the relevant time frame:<BR/># On Dangerous Ground (1952)<BR/># Beware, My Lovely (1952)<BR/># The Bigamist (1953) (also directed)<BR/># Private Hell 36 (1954) (also co-wrote)<BR/># The Big Knife (1955)<BR/># While the City Sleeps (1956)<BR/><BR/>She was undeservedly neglected when it came to Oscar nominations.<BR/>-- <BR/>Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San DiegoUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10460020001727405893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20652028263392281182008-07-25T15:05:00.000-04:002008-07-25T15:05:00.000-04:00If those who knew what D&D was (is?) had troub...If those who knew what D&D was (is?) had trouble with the clue, think of those who never had any acquaintance with the game. Mine was a precomputer age family gone from home before the game came out. Thus I was vainly looking for someone who worked where? Maybe the sewers, the subway, the ??? Seems like this puzzle was too oriented to the 40ish crowd. And that includes the music clue-Suzanne who?<BR/>Guess I'm grumpy because the puzzle so clearly shut my age group (think OLD) out by too many generation specific clues. Oh, well, I"ll try again tomorrow, and I have this site to try and teach me to get with the times!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18316502695214463642008-07-25T09:40:00.000-04:002008-07-25T09:40:00.000-04:00AARGH! one (re)learns SO MUCH about one's life...AARGH! one (re)learns SO MUCH about one's life limitations from doing these infernal things. 14A in my mind starting life as TINPAN, with 5D clearly being TAT, never resolved completely. I got as far as ONEPAN and thought WTF - I will just have to see what ONEPAN is when I check in with Rex. So the life lesson is to go back and check everything (TAT -> TIT) you weren't totally certain of. Per Descartes, "It is only that which I perceive clearly and distinctly that has the power to convince me, for knowledge is not won in any other way." OK, it's 50 years since I read Descartes as a freshman, and I still recall it. Just not always, :-(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88096695389145426192008-06-21T14:39:00.000-04:002008-06-21T14:39:00.000-04:00Hated REUNED, got TINE, but due to fact reune was ...Hated REUNED, got TINE, but due to fact reune was not any of my dictionaries did not want to put the "N" in... Also had OARS instead of TARS, so had to visit Rex to get the final letters - WARLOCK gave me DUNGEONMASTER, but missed the meaning - figured "underground" meant basement and went with TRIP and TIEDYE... sighThe Cat's Meowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13946120939307420969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13700296941925796862008-06-21T12:16:00.000-04:002008-06-21T12:16:00.000-04:00Rex,Are you, in fact, insufferable on long car tri...Rex,<BR/><BR/>Are you, in fact, insufferable on long car trips? <BR/><BR/>I feel this is something your fans have a right to know.Kimbopolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05702789278570839179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82229930783807033882008-06-21T08:51:00.000-04:002008-06-21T08:51:00.000-04:00The last time I watched professional soccer was wh...The last time I watched professional soccer was when Pele & Chinaglia & Messing played for the Cosmos. The laast time I watched amateur soccer was when my kids played as little kids. Of course if I was born anywhere other than the US I would probably appreciate Soccer more!alanrichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06395356843823270129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36316992208604846422008-06-21T08:43:00.000-04:002008-06-21T08:43:00.000-04:00This was the most!!!! difficult puzzle for me all ...This was the most!!!! difficult puzzle for me all year.. I guess if you put in enough incorrect answers that you can contexturally support it gets virtually impossible. I had spurts for flurries and tit and snowsin to indicate I was correct. I had deegrade for 1.0 and dungeonmaster to confirm that. I had yenta and wynn so I figured I was going throught this pretty quickly - I was wrong! I had Ness for the film role and assess for put side by side. I got up early this morning (6/21) and just started over. I took about 45 minutes and i only put in dungeon master and warlock and built off of those answers. This reminds me of when i used to do the times puzzles that my mother-in-law started; if you have enough wrong answers - it makes it very difficult.alanrichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06395356843823270129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26669833423647065162008-06-21T07:45:00.000-04:002008-06-21T07:45:00.000-04:00@j-dub "tar" is slang for a sailor. Remember thi...@j-dub "tar" is slang for a sailor. Remember this one, you'll see it again, guaranteed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23555534440277549882008-06-21T03:17:00.000-04:002008-06-21T03:17:00.000-04:00Can someone explain TARS to me? As Rex might say, ...Can someone explain TARS to me? As Rex might say, I don't understand it At All. I'm probably missing something simple.J-Dubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02807506407559479077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45658816334999095512008-06-21T00:42:00.000-04:002008-06-21T00:42:00.000-04:00I agree with the comments already made---the puzzl...I agree with the comments already made---the puzzle did feel like it had a lot of question marks, some of them seeming unnecessary. And I think a few of them suffered because they still had non-? connections.<BR/><BR/>SMELT was probably one of the better ones, using an idiom as the clue, and with an answer that matches a literal interpretation of that idiom. It works because the there's such a sharp contrast between the two meanings. It's clever.<BR/><BR/>But ALL ALONE and its clue can't pull that off. It seems to have a question mark because the clue means "without assistance" rather than a more traditional "futilely." But the contrast here isn't as sharp. "Helpless" and "all alone" do seem to have something in common, at least. They're far enough apart to not work as a regular clue, but close enough to make you second guess the ?, and too close to be a strong pun. I think that's why the clue felt imprecise, rather than clever.<BR/><BR/>Also, I have some pretty strong nerd credentials, including a few brief attempts at D&D. But I had the same problem with the clue for DUNGEON MASTER. (Or DM, as the cool kids say.) It doesn't bode well that, even after figuring out the answer, and even after placing it in context, we're still not sure what the clue meant.<BR/><BR/>For a clever clue on that one, I would have enjoyed something like "Every party needs one". It opens with a bunch of possibilities, but once you have the answer, I think it's a precise and natural fit. Then again, people who aren't familiar with D&D at all might still dislike the obscurity of that clue. (Maybe I'm just bitter that HARRIET TUBMAN wasn't the answer for 15D.)<BR/><BR/>Then, on WARLOCKS, I love the word/answer. In any other puzzle it'd made me happy. But once it was tied to the DM answer, I started nitpicking. There are all sorts of terms these game have for magical people---WARLOCKS is not a term that I normally associated with D&D. Wizard, mage, cleric, but not really warlock. It looks like there most recent edition does have a class with that name, but because it's not traditional, it compounded the weirdness of the clue/answer pair for me.<BR/><BR/>Last gripes, is a one-liner really something that gets created? Quipped, coined, came up with...but created? Doesn't really work for me. Same with MOW down meaning overwhelm, I can see where it came from, and I see that it matches a dictionary definition, but I stubbornly don't think it means that. To me, MOW down is something more like "slaguther." My understanding of the phrase _includes_ overwhelm, but isn't interchangeable.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13631743840776360363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43814176137162390382008-06-20T23:00:00.000-04:002008-06-20T23:00:00.000-04:00Usually, I do Nothnagel puzzles quickly. Not this ...Usually, I do Nothnagel puzzles quickly. Not this one, though. I was really stumped for a while, got interrupted by a long phone call, and when I got back was able to finish quickly.<BR/><BR/>Except for the anp/pansy cross of course. anp was nonsensical, but if I had gotten "ant" I would just have stared at "tansy" in bewilderment.Michael Chibnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7595338845375414492008-06-20T22:12:00.000-04:002008-06-20T22:12:00.000-04:00I liked this puzzle, of course any time I can do a...I liked this puzzle, of course any time I can do a Friday puzzle in a reasonable amount of time without a mistake is a good way to start my day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52027591760689365582008-06-20T21:52:00.000-04:002008-06-20T21:52:00.000-04:00Hey folks.For what it's worth, I thought my clue f...Hey folks.<BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, I thought my clue for DUNGEON MASTER was one of the best ones I've ever come up with. Oh well.<BR/><BR/>Thanks, as usual. See you next time.<BR/><BR/>MNAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30365867157860113682008-06-20T21:31:00.000-04:002008-06-20T21:31:00.000-04:00On the comment you posted about yesterday's puzzle...On the comment you posted about yesterday's puzzle, I have to agree with the complainer. (That the puzzle was not the best of the year, not that you are deranged or an idiot.) Any puzzle so reliant on abbreviations (nine!), acronyms (three), and prefixes/suffixes (two) really can't be considered masterfully crafted. <BR/><BR/>I've never created a puzzle, but I'm guessing the challenge is diminished when you don't have to use actual words!Joseph Brickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11530316240817680978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54754040729293541322008-06-20T21:24:00.000-04:002008-06-20T21:24:00.000-04:00I didn't need to have yesterday's incorrect clues ...I didn't need to have yesterday's incorrect clues be plausible as things people would lie about; I just accepted that they were lies. I don't really get the resistance. But I love it when people end a barrage of insults on a sweet note.<BR/><BR/>Unless it was all a joke. Eh.<BR/><BR/>I enjoyed the possibility that the age limit--job provision pairing was a subtle reference to a certain seasoned presidential nominee. From the website Things Younger Than John McCain, we have: duct tape, penicillin, the Lincoln Tunnel, and zip codes, to name only a few. <BR/><BR/>No offense to any similarly seasoned friends here. I'm sure you all taste delicious.green mantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823785147354157816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26243950504951321012008-06-20T20:31:00.000-04:002008-06-20T20:31:00.000-04:00Could someone please substantiate the validity of ...Could someone please substantiate the validity of the word "reuned" (3-down) in the Friday puzzle? I cannot find a definition in my Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary or online.<BR/><BR/>Until then, I do not like this answer "one bit".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45955603624186833772008-06-20T18:59:00.000-04:002008-06-20T18:59:00.000-04:00With respect to the complaint by Brad Arington pos...With respect to the complaint by Brad Arington posted on the main page: The composer! HE lied about ALL of those things! So there!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80494519477725644782008-06-20T18:55:00.000-04:002008-06-20T18:55:00.000-04:00Not my favorite, but okay. Had to stare down DUNGE...Not my favorite, but okay. Had to stare down DUNGEON MASTER (DUNG EON MASTER?)and dig in the memory bank for what it meant. Then applied the "Do/should I care?" test. It failed, and it's the centerpiece. The most interesting thing about Suzanne Vega is the Z in her name. <BR/><BR/>A bunch of other, more fun stuff, including the clues for SMELT, STYX, and LIMB, saved the day.<BR/><BR/>I think it's finally summer. Yeah!Pythiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06121774603671545699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67499780352066071972008-06-20T17:55:00.000-04:002008-06-20T17:55:00.000-04:00Yes, soccer at the International level is like thi...Yes, soccer at the International level is like this...poor Croatia, but Turkey have heart. A yellow card is a warning and a red card gets you put out of the game and your team has to play without replacing you. It varies from tournament to tournament these days, but two yellow cards in a span of games also means you can't play,, but you can be replaced. We make up these rules to confuse people, but have you noted the changes in football from year to year?<BR/><BR/>The next two matches will be exciting too. I follow the game and could not have predicted the out come of the last two games. So far the two second place finishers have won and Italy could make it three. I still hope the Dutch are crowned the champions. Go Orange (the Dutch, not a certain vacationing crossword specialist).PhillySolverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896753042626337920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84135852647800333082008-06-20T17:53:00.000-04:002008-06-20T17:53:00.000-04:00Rex: Your enthusiasm almost -- ALMOST -- makes me ...Rex: Your enthusiasm almost -- ALMOST -- makes me want to go watch soccer.PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06835502266781516627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89037085956582758512008-06-20T17:42:00.000-04:002008-06-20T17:42:00.000-04:00I misread the Woody Allen clue and kept trying to ...I misread the Woody Allen clue and kept trying to figure out a title role HE played. If Zelig had been the right number of letters, I would have been in big trouble (even though I was pretty sure it was not from 1986, I tried really hard to make it work). Not that I was in great shape otherwise--my google factor was very high today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-213058718166367242008-06-20T17:24:00.000-04:002008-06-20T17:24:00.000-04:00Requesting permission to go off topic ...Permissio...Requesting permission to go off topic ...<BR/><BR/>Permission granted.<BR/><BR/>Great: is anyone watching the soccer match? Is soccer always like this? I just find myself saying "No WAY" over and over and over ... Croatia and Turkey go 120 minutes (!?!?!?!) without scoring a single goal, and then, when everyone is visibly bone tired, they *trade* goals inside of 90 *seconds* of stoppage time!?!? It all seems Impossible.<BR/><BR/>Also, what is the deal with yellow cards. I'm being told that huge swaths of the Turkish team won't be available to play if they make it through because of yellow cards ... <BR/><BR/>Gotta go watch the penalty kicks.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65078156472977345572008-06-20T17:05:00.000-04:002008-06-20T17:05:00.000-04:00No way out beloved Rexie is an idiot. He knocks th...No way out beloved Rexie is an idiot. He knocks these things off in the time it takes me to find my pen (ok, pencil). I respect him and while I think he'd be insufferable on a long car ride, I think he would be a dream lifeline on "Who Want's To Be a Millionaire."<BR/><BR/>Having said that...yesterday's "Lies" puzzle was more silly than smart. When I was reading the clues aloud my wife hit the nail on the head "These are not things people lie about." <BR/><BR/>She's right you know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com