tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post9203426026024048163..comments2024-03-29T11:24:03.304-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Adrien of cosmetics / FRI 2-14-14 / Fate personified in mythology / 1970s NBC courtroom drama / Skateboarding trick used to leap over obstacles / Fictional island with small population / Valuable chess piece to Juan Carlos / Yamaguchi's 1992 Olympics rival / Phrase from Virgil appropriate for Valentine's DayRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48177503667723580482014-03-21T20:28:35.261-04:002014-03-21T20:28:35.261-04:00Love any puzzle I can actually finish on a Friday....Love any puzzle I can actually finish on a Friday. It took a while, but I persevered. Particularly like the clues for LILLIPUT, PUPPETRY, and ONPATROL.<br /><br />EASTON was a gimme, father-in-law graduated from Lafayette, an esteemed institution (or so I was told every football Saturday!) Like others, had many false starts. Much I didn't know, never heard of Lupin but checked him out with a post solve google.<br /><br />2 small pair, looks like @Diri has the goods.Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156872089175084024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64693655901933833112014-03-21T15:41:17.136-04:002014-03-21T15:41:17.136-04:00Having ironS for URGES had me staring ENDLESSLY at...Having ironS for URGES had me staring ENDLESSLY at the NE until... well, you know.<br /><br />@SiS - It's not a plural, it's possessive, <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lady's-finger" rel="nofollow">LADY'S finger</a>.<br /><br />Boat, 555/99.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2330465140410595692014-03-21T14:29:28.217-04:002014-03-21T14:29:28.217-04:00This belated Valentine was a bit hard to love, but...This belated Valentine was a bit hard to love, but eventually it won me over. Like others I played with the pRess/URGES and NUTty/NUTSO conundrums, but it was finally giving up nom for CRI that would have given me the Happy Pencil, if there were one for pen on paper solving. At any rate, first Friday I've conquered In a long time, so I, belated as it is, thanks for the Valentine!<br /><br />Three 9's.DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44649224192670199832014-03-21T14:14:02.530-04:002014-03-21T14:14:02.530-04:00Bruce Haight gave me a very enjoyable coffee break...Bruce Haight gave me a very enjoyable coffee break. So many clever clues, like 9A&D. Liked NUTSO and FATSO.<br /><br />Only nit with me is the plural on LADYS finger. Any help out there?<br /><br />Gotta run. Two pair again. Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64518507765230898372014-03-21T12:45:44.623-04:002014-03-21T12:45:44.623-04:00This one offered some resistance, but not enough f...This one offered some resistance, but not enough for a Friday. I had a couple roadblocks: goodIDEA instead of NEAT, the EllA/ETTA hand-up, and EternalLY almost DNFed me in the NE before I found ENDLESSLY, and remembered that UTTER can mean total. Plus, I assumed La Fayette's town was boSTON, not EASTON. Still, despite the NE difficulties, this seemed to go down fairly quickly. For a Friday. So I will concur with the easy-medium rating.<br /><br />I echo what many, including OFL, have said about the fill. It is...uneven. Long stuff is good; we go ONPATROL at the ARMYCAMP, and we KEEPITUP ENDLESSLY. Loved both clue and answer for 56a. The short stuff? Not so much. Price to pay. YET I give it a thumbs-up.<br /><br />Omnes vincit amor.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86032613931902225622014-02-16T05:29:48.327-05:002014-02-16T05:29:48.327-05:00A shout-out from the part of the world (Asia) wher...A shout-out from the part of the world (Asia) where we actually do call them ladies' fingers and not okra – I suppose that makes a single one a lady's finger though I've never seen it written that way. DNF because I could not make any headway with NE at all, but the rest was OK!Jack Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00505570161478589463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31728654676464250522014-02-15T14:48:09.121-05:002014-02-15T14:48:09.121-05:00Oops -- too early in the morning for the brain to ...Oops -- too early in the morning for the brain to be fully engaged. Of course the like horses clue refers to MANED, not MANEY, and maned actually makes sense as a clue. So my indignation on that point was pointless.<br />I still have a beef with SPECS as building materials.Natnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38843789292321022762014-02-15T09:19:08.235-05:002014-02-15T09:19:08.235-05:00The SW corner got me, mainly because I went for NO...The SW corner got me, mainly because I went for NOM instead of CRI. Also, for "Pig leader?," I kept thinking in terms of a prefix (i.e Stuck) instead an actual physical feature. I don't drink or drive, so VSO and USONE never came to mind. And this is the first time I've run across "All the same..." = YET.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13012722354990475822014-02-15T08:48:19.122-05:002014-02-15T08:48:19.122-05:00What's with SPECS as building materials? Spec...What's with SPECS as building materials? Specifications establish standards -- you can't build with them. The whole NW was frustrating -- MANEY? Has this word ever been used anywhere, ever? Even in other crossword puzzles? (I agree that TEC shows up nowhere except in crossword puzzles, but it shows up often enough that I'm inured (to use another word that shows up mostly in puzzles).<br />I'm IRED.Natnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76257932546113529672014-02-14T22:04:13.407-05:002014-02-14T22:04:13.407-05:00This 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 6:00, 6:20, 0.95, 24%, Easy-Medium<br />Tue 8:01, 8:15, 0.97, 40%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 9:40, 10:26, 0.93, 33%, Easy-Medium<br />Thu 17:57, 18:35, 0.97, 39%, Easy-Medium<br />Fri 21:07, 20:15, 1.04, 63%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:44, 3:59, 0.94, 17%, Easy<br />Tue 4:47, 5:12, 0.92, 18%, Easy<br />Wed 6:13, 6:15, 0.99, 47%, Medium<br />Thu 11:32, 10:36, 1.09, 64%, Medium-Challenging<br />Fri 13:03, 11:46, 1.11, 71%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47886386525454995002014-02-14T20:23:00.586-05:002014-02-14T20:23:00.586-05:00For some reason, this was easy as Monday for me! T...For some reason, this was easy as Monday for me! Then I got to the NE. But came back later and finished!Elle54noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85470798384860820582014-02-14T20:16:06.932-05:002014-02-14T20:16:06.932-05:00"...
Now neither Hamadryads, no, nor songs
De..."...<br />Now neither Hamadryads, no, nor songs<br />Delight me more: ye woods, away with you!<br />No pangs of ours can change him; not though we<br />In the mid-frost should drink of Hebrus' stream,<br />And in wet winters face Sithonian snows,<br />Or, when the bark of the tall elm-tree bole<br />Of drought is dying, should, under Cancer's Sign,<br />In Aethiopian deserts drive our flocks.<br /><b>Love conquers all</b> things; yield we too to love!"<br /><br />from <i>Eclogue X</i> by Publius Vergilius Maro , or Virgil (70-19 BCE).AliasZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477396362209386037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5816579116894469652014-02-14T18:38:29.507-05:002014-02-14T18:38:29.507-05:00Seemed ok for a themed Friday.
The LSD answer remi...Seemed ok for a themed Friday.<br />The LSD answer reminded me of one of the all-time great lines from a rock 'n' roll song: <br />"Things ain't what they used to be Cary Grant's on LSD" <br />from the Godfathers' "If I Only Had Time."RnRGhost57https://www.blogger.com/profile/05350085528594221641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7515537633038742772014-02-14T18:23:01.166-05:002014-02-14T18:23:01.166-05:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Fri 21:06, 20:15, 1.04, 63%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Fri 13:28, 11:46, 1.14, 75%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90613158689140212932014-02-14T16:58:15.464-05:002014-02-14T16:58:15.464-05:00Trouble in the NW due to brain deadness re clues f...Trouble in the NW due to brain deadness re clues for UTTER and URGES plus not being familiar with THEDA as a n old courtroom drama. So even with TAUNT, RAH, ENDLESSLY AND STAYCOOL in the fillI whiffed on GUESTSTAR. Not a shameful performance for a Friday. but still. . .a DNF. Always pleased not to feel like a complete idiot despite having to use Google to check spelling of ARSENE and getting a list of the Dr. Seuss books.LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91328657764978898512014-02-14T15:27:56.425-05:002014-02-14T15:27:56.425-05:00Ooops, just took another look at the 20-year-old p...Ooops, just took another look at the 20-year-old puzzle - I hadn't noticed the POPSTHEQUESTION cross, just the LOVECONQUERSALL 15 (gotta stop speed reading if I'm going to comment). I now see @Rex's point.Mohair Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502840715719161565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60507704213195800072014-02-14T15:06:14.349-05:002014-02-14T15:06:14.349-05:00@magnificent outlaw beast Z: har.
M&A's R...@magnificent outlaw beast Z: har.<br />M&A's Razor: "Even if it sucks, you can still clean house with it." (Wiki-Sewerpoet)<br /><br />I always thought that the Occam dude liked the theory that required the fewest assumptions...<br /><br />Lifted idea theory: Constructioneer was ambitious enough to look up a cool set of Valentines 15-ers from an old fave puz. 300 bucks is 300 bucks.<br /><br />Innocent duplication theory: Constructioneer was too lazy to check on the 15-ers he dreamed up. 300 bucks is 300 bucks.<br /><br />Possible tie-breaker assumption: Constructioneer submitted the puz over 20 years ago.<br /><br />M&AM and Alsonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53572205262398256812014-02-14T15:04:18.641-05:002014-02-14T15:04:18.641-05:00I checked the constructor's comment at xword i...I checked the constructor's comment at xword info and Bruce Haight did indeed say that he's been inspired by Manny Nosowsky. Whether that includes the LOVE CONQUERS ALL quotation, I can only guess but since he did acknowledge the inspiration I'm guessing it was a borrow and a tribute especially since he mentioned there were similarities between Manny and himself. Who beside @Rex is going to remember a twenty year old puzzle anyway?<br /><br />I wanted makeCAMP thinking bivouac a verb. PUPPETRY was the first to fall for me. No googles but DNF on a typo at LEIS. I toyed with the notion that odor was a gift from flowers but not for very long. I liked the cluing over all. I really hate TEC though.<br /><br />Good wishes for Bruce in the hope that he can follow in the footsteps of his inspiration.Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4105020622273974152014-02-14T14:57:27.802-05:002014-02-14T14:57:27.802-05:00@Jackie. I always scribble guesses even of the wr...@Jackie. I always scribble guesses even of the wrong length next to clues (3 solvers in the house means we have to scan the paper, thus I get a nice clean printed copy with margins) I wrote "go play outside" "get a job" "go play in the traffic" and finally "read a book" I grew up pretty urban, in Cambridge next to Boston, but book reading never worked as a threat, only exercise! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17724347228863853622014-02-14T14:47:09.456-05:002014-02-14T14:47:09.456-05:00anyone notice all the letter Ls? kinda cute like ...anyone notice all the letter Ls? kinda cute like the pinwheel. i think Lilliput was on Jeopardy last week. I had no issue with ladys fingers. not happy about the plagerizing. posting so I can see the Captcha thing.ClaireAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79740312924317995742014-02-14T14:33:41.500-05:002014-02-14T14:33:41.500-05:00To quote that repository of all human knowledge, &...To quote that repository of all human knowledge, "The razor states that one should proceed to simpler theories until simplicity can be traded for greater explanatory power. The simplest available theory need not be most accurate. Philosophers also point out that the exact meaning of simplest may be nuanced." It seems to me that the hypothesis that two crossword puzzle constructors separated by 20 years would coincidently come up with the central pair is far simpler than someone having a copy of the 20 year old puzzle and deciding to "rip-off" the central pair. <br /><br />Well, that's four so I'm sending myself to the penalty box. It's time for Finland to score again. Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54590511600834799112014-02-14T14:19:12.083-05:002014-02-14T14:19:12.083-05:00@Z, is a Null Hypothesis considered an example of...@Z, is a Null Hypothesis considered an example of Occam's Razor? I say sure, since it satisfies the basic idea in the trivial limit, viz., the simplest model to explain the phenomenon is no model at all. Rex says, %#!$&@ you! But he is better at crosswords than I am, so take your pick.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89594508604934834682014-02-14T14:00:35.067-05:002014-02-14T14:00:35.067-05:00Ugh ugh ugh. Betrayed my own Midwestern, non-urban...Ugh ugh ugh. Betrayed my own Midwestern, non-urban origins by putting GOOUTSIDE for 14A, instead of READABOOK. Oops! Then, having gotten RAH right away, I confidently put IRONS at 9A. Oops again. <br /><br />Having VAT at 55D also kind of screwed up that SW corner for a while, but it was easier to get out of. <br /><br />I am proud to have gotten OLLIE and the Virgil line quickly, less proud that the first thing I filled in was Carly RAE Jepsen. Jackiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00061062649010323549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85384551553558709372014-02-14T13:36:04.741-05:002014-02-14T13:36:04.741-05:00The last answer to fall for me was TEENS for "...The last answer to fall for me was TEENS for "cold forecast". Because, see, the last few days here have brought record warmth: temperatures in the mid teens. (That's warm for Canada, and teens in Celsius).<br /><br /><i>Reminder to self: think in Fahrenheit when doing NYT puzzle!!</i>okanaganerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03082227619755246335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10431760985121167782014-02-14T13:25:19.077-05:002014-02-14T13:25:19.077-05:00Let's see . . .
- Vague clues
- Obscure clues
...Let's see . . .<br />- Vague clues<br />- Obscure clues<br />- Not enough crap in my brain<br /><br />D-N-F<br /><br />Anyway,<br /><br />Happy Valentine's Day<br /><br />@chefbea - I couldn't read the the captcha so I refreshed and got Valentine and heartsBirdnoreply@blogger.com