tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post973201254946610561..comments2024-03-28T11:17:22.917-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Garbage boats / MON 6-9-14 / South Dakota's capital / "The Naked Maja" artist / Beetle's boss, in the comics / Serb or Pole / Condescend (to)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34465465157830563882014-07-14T21:39:57.436-04:002014-07-14T21:39:57.436-04:00Lovely puzzle. On the subject of undergarments, I&...Lovely puzzle. On the subject of undergarments, I'm sure "Basque Seperatist" could have been worked in somewhere.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47915103362487170232014-07-14T16:24:02.801-04:002014-07-14T16:24:02.801-04:00At what time is a possible no-hitter recognized so...At what time is a possible no-hitter recognized so that no one mentions the possibility? Back when the Boston Braves were playing it was the seventh-inning stretch.William Heymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02865367764472218962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77087757153885882292014-07-14T16:00:36.243-04:002014-07-14T16:00:36.243-04:00One time through the clues and done - that can onl...One time through the clues and done - that can only happen on an easy Monday. Outdated/OLDSTYLE repaired by the crossword. Totally missed the spacing of the clues so the kerning aspect was lost on me (everything I know about kerning I learned from a link provided by anony 1:11pm - apparently inserting extra space is actually "tracking",the opposite of "kerning". Where else can you learn stuff like that?<br /><br />According to the weatherman there's a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/07/10/poor-mans-polar-vortex-to-make-shocking-summer-return-in-eastern-u-s-next-week/" rel="nofollow">"Poor man's POLAR Vortex</a> coming this week.<br /><br />4087 gives nme the same total as @DMGDirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82429485090398928892014-07-14T13:50:00.548-04:002014-07-14T13:50:00.548-04:00Sort of sailed through this fun puzzle. Only chang...Sort of sailed through this fun puzzle. Only change was Eve to EEN. Never saw anything unusual about the print clues, so now I'm off to look up kerning. A word my spell check wants to reject,<br /><br />3259. Looks good until you add it up!DMGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86193470707106801182014-07-14T11:09:57.680-04:002014-07-14T11:09:57.680-04:00SPLENDID Monpuz! Scrabbliness: check. Theme: (1)cl...SPLENDID Monpuz! Scrabbliness: check. Theme: (1)cleverness: check; (2) execution: check. Fill CRUD held to a minimum: check. I grade it an A-. (Well, there is EEL/EEN, and the ever-present ARIA. Yikes, this POOR diva has got to be getting hoarse by now!)<br /><br />Also, I guess TOAT is less than lovable, but these few are not enough to take it down to a B. A promising week is STRETCHEDOUT before me!<br /><br />1169 comes out to 8, the POOR man's natural.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88089402216113815412014-06-10T09:59:00.869-04:002014-06-10T09:59:00.869-04:00@#Alias Z: Pierre Monteux introduced more than one...@#Alias Z: Pierre Monteux introduced more than one great work; he was the conductor of the San Francisco Symphony in the '30's & '40's (left us in 1952) He always ended each season with the Ninth, now everyone does. @Leap: coot came up last week, too. Fred Romagnolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11994837736408182418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7529492686088796692014-06-09T22:33:44.091-04:002014-06-09T22:33:44.091-04:00A real honour today, to have Lord Baden-Baden Powe...A real honour today, to have Lord Baden-Baden Powell DEIGN to visit us.<br /><br />@Z -- i like what you did with my 'synchrogridcommsincity', but you know I'm not going to remember it!<br /><br />BTW, Ah've bin DYNE to go to the STOA awl day, how 'bout yew?<br /><br />@MelodiousF, I wisht I could have raised my hand, but I've no more than heard of Blossom Dearie. My loss, I'm sure, in need of correction.<br /><br />I've heard today that in Kansas, Missouri and Misery are pronounced the same. Sort of a PRO-MO idea for Stephen King, maybe<br /><br />A SPLENDID Monday, puzzle and blog. High JINX or Low to have REX in the grid?Leapfingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14243620614139990887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52264713838665074632014-06-09T21:48:28.188-04:002014-06-09T21:48:28.188-04:00Post Puzzle Puzzle (PPP™) answer -- and I'm so...Post Puzzle Puzzle (PPP™) answer -- and I'm sorry I'm so late with this. Starting with the H at 27 and going down diagonally, you get the word HARE. The famous stadium is JORDAN HARE stadium at Auburn.Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34108272844641014922014-06-09T20:37:13.085-04:002014-06-09T20:37:13.085-04:00What the hell are you guys talking about? Is this ...What the hell are you guys talking about? Is this some sort of secret club?Confused Guynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5955305749427869992014-06-09T20:16:06.839-04:002014-06-09T20:16:06.839-04:00M&A - Really liked your block parties!M&A - Really liked your block parties!Carolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971759975067250908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1315805841161749632014-06-09T18:37:17.674-04:002014-06-09T18:37:17.674-04:00@Bob - I figure that clue was a first for that wor...@Bob - I figure that clue was a first for that word.<br /><br />@M&A - a NIB is a "point." I was just copying you.<br /><br />What a great concept for your runt today!! I think it's my favorite so far. I'll never be in your league.<br /><br />But. . . you can have grids that aren't symmetrical but I can't have huge embarrassing black corners? Actually, if I knew how to manipulate CC to keep it from making the &^%$grid symmetrical, I would have already gone there. I tried to add two floaters today in each corner, but they were a 3 and a 4, and I just couldn't figure out how to do it.<br /><br />I'll keep playing around with these until you all make mean, hateful rules about, ahem, grid size, number of black squares, length of clues. . . .Loren Muse Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05308030011870397977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14292146845712895972014-06-09T18:29:13.183-04:002014-06-09T18:29:13.183-04:00I agree with anonymous 5:24. I usually hate Monday...I agree with anonymous 5:24. I usually hate Mondays because they are too easy but at least this easy puzzle had a clever theme. Wish the NYT would step it up a notch and make Mondays like this the norm! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58728954046201745822014-06-09T18:10:36.884-04:002014-06-09T18:10:36.884-04:00@Z, you're probably quite right there. Still, ...@Z, you're probably quite right there. Still, it boggles my mind to think that Chip is the third generation in a row to announce baseball. I listened to Braves broadcasts when his dad was announcing too. I've only heard Chip to a take-off on his grandfather's voice.Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34436839927679082562014-06-09T17:28:28.863-04:002014-06-09T17:28:28.863-04:00@Numinous - I have no proof, but given how old bas...@Numinous - I have no proof, but given how old baseball traditions tend to be I would not be at all surprised if it was cliché when Harry used it. Still, quoting Harry Caray ain't a bad thing to do.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74285763328790956512014-06-09T17:27:58.741-04:002014-06-09T17:27:58.741-04:00@casco kid: very cool. You might never be able t...@casco kid: very cool. You might never be able to solve a NYT in less than 2 minutes, but I will never be able to figure out a file format and be able to write a converter for that format. I think your talent is more valuable.<br />@m&a and @lms: didn't have a chance to do the runt puzzles yet, but will report to both of you on them tomorrow!Benkonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23982617688397952882014-06-09T17:26:15.440-04:002014-06-09T17:26:15.440-04:00@Numinous
Welcome back! Runtpuzzes in .puz format...@Numinous<br /><br />Welcome back! Runtpuzzes in .puz format will be available soon. <br /><br />Perhaps M & A will share with us design guidelines for creating a runtpuz.<br /><br />@Anonymous 1:11<br />Whether kerning or tracking, no blanks (ASCII 0x20) are used to achieve the spacing. Blanks<b>were</b> used in today's puzzle (I looked at the binary representation of the puzzle).r.alphbunkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00657275501845781384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52254700726533294752014-06-09T17:24:32.258-04:002014-06-09T17:24:32.258-04:00Best Monday puzzle i've seen in a while.Best Monday puzzle i've seen in a while.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27331238672573238192014-06-09T17:21:41.435-04:002014-06-09T17:21:41.435-04:00Never heard of CRUD for phooey. Must be a youngste...Never heard of CRUD for phooey. Must be a youngster thing.<br /><br />Didn't notice theme. Wouldn't have helped CRUD.<br /><br />@AliasZ - cute; one can be in one's own world.<br /><br />ARIA and DYNE are not exactly Crosswordese, but they are frequent-use for crosswords, as is xAS IN.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31529964273072142382014-06-09T17:12:24.666-04:002014-06-09T17:12:24.666-04:00Midday 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 (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 5:47, 6:04, 0.95, 29%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:50, 3:55, 0.98, 35%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69824945382290253612014-06-09T16:54:29.354-04:002014-06-09T16:54:29.354-04:00@David
When you do the new iphone app (I do the ip...@David<br />When you do the new iphone app (I do the ipad app 99.9% of the time) - the new format is so goofy it never jumped out at me that there was anything unusual with spacing. I just solved the puzzle as it came along. I never looked at the clues in contrast because the new app only shows one clue at a time - you can't see the entire puzzle. Monday puzzles are generally easy enough that I don't need to take the time to parse the theme. That's my excuse - and I'm sticking with it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86049579540562719272014-06-09T16:06:55.281-04:002014-06-09T16:06:55.281-04:00@Casco: U are on the right thoroughfare, themer-wi...@Casco: U are on the right thoroughfare, themer-wise. <br />Nice hmmmmmmm's. Typical runtpuz reaction, btw.<br />@muse: 4:33 on museruntpuz4, fyi. Got the P a p a l e one, but not the N i b one. Perhaps another cocktail...<br /><br />M&A<br /><br /><br /><br />Outlaw M and A but mostly just to be polite and answer folksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63411022007320009952014-06-09T16:02:52.752-04:002014-06-09T16:02:52.752-04:00@wreck OK, this time I have to ask: How on earth c...@wreck OK, this time I have to ask: How on earth could you do this puzzle and not see the theme? Was there some form where the spacing out of the letters got lost? (It was the 1st thing I noticed on the printed acrossLite version.)<br /><br />@Andrew Heinegg - What have you got against ARIA and DYNE? They are both reasonably common words, certainly not "crosswordese" in the sense of words found only in crosswords. Certainly they occur quite often, but they both have seemingly infinite choices in clues that can be chosen for the appropriate difficulty level. Could you redo the SW to not use DYNE and be better than the current corner? I sure couldn't!<br /><br />Great puzzle I thought; definitely cruntchy for me for a Monday.David IN CAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18196825422781342322014-06-09T15:45:49.029-04:002014-06-09T15:45:49.029-04:00@M&A I tried your runtpuz #132, encouraged by ...@M&A I tried your runtpuz #132, encouraged by the Kiddie Pool title, and promptly drowned in the shallow end. Could it be that AVE, ST, CT and RD are themes? They are kind of clued, I guess. Hmm. VEX is not. Hmmmmmm. ADJ is not. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Toughie. <br /><br />Would it be interesting for me to make a .puz of this? Or is that a been-there-done-that-get-out-of-my-face for runtpuz aficionados?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107804787389636647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2088804702202205382014-06-09T15:42:06.711-04:002014-06-09T15:42:06.711-04:00I believe I recall Chip Caray prefixing that with,...I believe I recall Chip Caray prefixing that with, "As my grandfather used to say . . . "Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72233637826909789362014-06-09T15:38:40.300-04:002014-06-09T15:38:40.300-04:00@Z, onliest problem with that is that "there ...@Z, onliest problem with that is that "there goes the no hitter" became a cliche 30 seconds after, I believe it was, Harry Caray said it in Chicago all those years ago.Numinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01263999193499725814noreply@blogger.com