Heh, in that same Rex Parker post I linked to earlier, there was this comment from Joon Pahk about ALER:
one of my earliest puzzles included ALER with the clue [Brewer before 1997, e.g.]. everybody who solved it said 1) ugh, ALER; and 2) what's the 1997 doing in there? they thought i was using ALER to mean one who makes ale.
― Lusty Mo Frazier (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 20:50 (fourteen years ago) link
except for that Sunday's was pretty satisfying
― Mr. Que, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 20:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Ha, jaymc, did anyone mention ALEGAR in that link which I can't see right now?
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:05 (fourteen years ago) link
Anyway, I'm finally used to ALER, but I too hated ENISLE.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:11 (fourteen years ago) link
i haven't been following this thread but i have a complaint to crossword creators everywhere:
EMAG and EZINE aren't real words. not even salon editors use them. please stop putting them in your puzzles. thanks
― abanana, Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:17 (fourteen years ago) link
I agree with you about EMAG. However: EZINE is in Webster's.
― Lusty Mo Frazier (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:27 (fourteen years ago) link
loved this week's inkwell, esp. "song they played over and over at this jamaican resort my wife and i went to" and "improve the taste of, generally"
― rinse the lemonade (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:32 (fourteen years ago) link
Haven't done it yet, but ha: he just got married in November. Must've been on their honeymoon.
― Lusty Mo Frazier (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:35 (fourteen years ago) link
You know something I don't even do Tausig's puzzles that often so I don't know what I'm talking about, maybe I'll sign up for that group and have them emailed.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 23 February 2010 22:25 (fourteen years ago) link
Here's a blog post I wrote about last weekend (purposely not hyperlinked):www.britannica.com/blogs/2010/02/dispatch-from-the-american-crossword-puzzle-tournament
― dylan's craggy larynx (jaymc), Thursday, 25 February 2010 16:46 (fourteen years ago) link
― rinse the lemonade (Jordan), Tuesday, February 23, 2010 3:32 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
I enjoyed this puzzle too.
I'm trying to get back into doing crosswords regularly. When I worked at the office, I'd do the NYT puzzle (usually with coworkers) most days. I've been lazy about it since working at home, plus no access to the NYT.
― congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 25 February 2010 16:48 (fourteen years ago) link
I finally did the puzzle and enjoyed it as well. Although I had a few errors in the top center: I had CAT for "Swinger?" and misspelled the Chinese guys name with a 'Z' so the arcade game came out NCAZAM. (I thought it might be some kind of Snoop Dogg expression). Maybe if I had actually read the clue more carefully and seen the word "basketball" I would have figured it out.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 25 February 2010 19:40 (fourteen years ago) link
Ha, already forgot about "Flower's Bud."
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 25 February 2010 19:42 (fourteen years ago) link
Friday Times seems to be not too hard after pre-puzzle craziness.
jaymc, I read your blog post again when I saw it linked to, along with your friend's blog, at the official tournament site. Very nice.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 26 February 2010 14:19 (fourteen years ago) link
i've lost the ability to do cryptics again. just when i thought i was getting the hang of it.
― thomp, Friday, 26 February 2010 14:38 (fourteen years ago) link
What cryptics are you doing exactly? There are some easy ones in the Fraser Simpson New Yorker books or, surprisingly perhaps, in the Mensa cryptic books by Cox and Rathvon, puzzles which were originally in a Canadian newspaper.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 February 2010 02:52 (fourteen years ago) link
jaymc, I just looked at the scoreboard again and noticed that you finished exactly eight places behind Ben Tausig.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 28 February 2010 02:48 (fourteen years ago) link
Hi Jaymc, (don't know KL's alias), et al.
I wrote a lengthy recap of last weekend's Brooklyn tournament that you can check out here.
The link is: http://benbassandbeyond.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-american-crossword-puzzle.html
That is all.
― beyond, Sunday, 28 February 2010 19:19 (fourteen years ago) link
Already read the that when I saw it linked on the official tournament page but thanks, b.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 28 February 2010 19:36 (fourteen years ago) link
Take back what I said about winning the D. Even to win that you've got to do really well, considering that the first and second place finishers in D were 56th and 66th overall. If he had been in D instead of C, new poster beyond, who did quite well, would barely have taken third place. Competition is stiff.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 1 March 2010 16:09 (fourteen years ago) link
Apropos of which is Ryan Hecht's blog post for today http://bemoresmarter.squarespace.com/blog/2010/3/2/ryan-solves-the-nyt-tue-3-2-10.html
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 15:44 (fourteen years ago) link
Hmm, looks like I dropped a single place.
― dylan's craggy larynx (jaymc), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 16:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Me too. Man, I really enjoyed going to that contest. Can't believe we have to wait a whole year. Guess I'm gonna have to try to go to this year's Lollapuzzoola.
― The Great Rick Roll Swindle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 17:42 (fourteen years ago) link
wait a whole year for the next one.
Latest Inkwell 43-Down made me think of ilx.
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 12 March 2010 03:38 (fourteen years ago) link
jaymc, I have an idea for you: next March 15, you should write a puzzle with the word "IDES" hidden in it all over the place.
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 16 March 2010 20:10 (fourteen years ago) link
or just IDE
― max, Tuesday, 16 March 2010 23:37 (fourteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, what max said.
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 17 March 2010 00:20 (fourteen years ago) link
Has anyone figured out how to submit today's NYT puzzle when using the ap? Completing it leaves a blank space(?), so 'submit' does not accept the puzzle.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:10 (fourteen years ago) link
Ah, did it on paper so did not have this problem. Actually I remember them saying something about the blank space, but don't remember having one. Let me check the blogs.
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:21 (fourteen years ago) link
Um, where is the blank space?
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:24 (fourteen years ago) link
Dead center, unless it requires a 7-letter rebus fill-in.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:36 (fourteen years ago) link
I don't know what you have there, but this guy, for example, has the solution: http://www.crosswordmanblog.com/
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:41 (fourteen years ago) link
I swear I tried it with an 'H'. Hmm. Maybe something else is screwy. Tnx!
― Mr. Hal Jam, Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:45 (fourteen years ago) link
Yep. D'oh!
― Mr. Hal Jam, Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:46 (fourteen years ago) link
Overcoming Dictionary Resistance
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 21 March 2010 01:41 (fourteen years ago) link
Merl Reagle's clue "Morlock menu mainstays" made me chuckle this weekend.
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 23 March 2010 17:08 (fourteen years ago) link
Maybe even better than the classic Sun Crossword clue "Barbecue buttinskis."
― Ole Rastaquouère (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 23 March 2010 17:47 (fourteen years ago) link
i got my ACPT refund check in the mail earlier this week, endorsed by mr. shortz himself! they enclosed the puzzles as well - i aced the first three so far...
― all-beef patty hearst (donna rouge), Monday, 29 March 2010 05:40 (fourteen years ago) link
Wow, did he deduct anything for sending you the puzzles?
― King Creole Love Call (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 29 March 2010 23:30 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, it was a partial refund
― all-beef patty hearst (donna rouge), Monday, 29 March 2010 23:49 (fourteen years ago) link
NY Times this Sunday had a clue reading simply "muff". People in the cafe LOL'd. Not actually doing the puzzle myself, I never found out what that was all about.
― smothered in country gravy (Whitey on the Moon), Monday, 29 March 2010 23:58 (fourteen years ago) link
Did that puzzle, don't remember what that answer was.
jaymc is never coming back to thread now that he is Jeopardy superstar.
― King Creole Love Call (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 1 April 2010 14:59 (fourteen years ago) link
I'm here! I just haven't been doing very many puzzles lately. Mostly just the Tausig ones, because they're in free newspapers that I pick up for my commute.
― jam master (jaymc), Thursday, 1 April 2010 15:05 (fourteen years ago) link
Muff probably = ERR, right?
― jam master (jaymc), Thursday, 1 April 2010 15:06 (fourteen years ago) link
Ha, that's what I thought it must be without bothering to look it up.
― King Creole Love Call (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 1 April 2010 15:52 (fourteen years ago) link
This morning I did the crossword in the Red Eye (Chicago Tribune's tabloid for commuters). Ye gods.
One clue was "African nation." The fill was ZAIRE. Which means they're either using 15-year-old puzzles or indiscriminately selecting clues from an old database. These are unsigned puzzles, so for all I know they're created entirely by a software program.
Also, the solution for Saturday's puzzle was shown, and I noted that the grid contained EIGHT cheater squares, which is pretty inexcusable for a themeless puzzle.
― jam master (jaymc), Monday, 5 April 2010 16:06 (fourteen years ago) link
offer them your services!
― max, Monday, 5 April 2010 16:07 (fourteen years ago) link
I try to stay away from stuff like that. I figure if Amy R doesn't blog it, I don't have to do it. What does Jon Stewart say in Worldplay, something like "I will, on occasion, in a hotel do a USA Today puzzle, but I won't feel good about myself"
― King Creole Love Call (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 5 April 2010 16:24 (fourteen years ago) link
word.
btw, i don't know if they're syndicated widely, but i have a special hate for the puzzles that show up in milwaukee's free weekly. they're sunday-size and really hard, but also with a lot of (imo) terrible cluing and occasional mistakes. even when i finish them i don't feel especially happy about it.
― rinse the lemonade (Jordan), Monday, 5 April 2010 16:27 (fourteen years ago) link