Is there actually a stigma associated with the check function? Since I started solving daily again this year after an eight year layoff I have used it when needed and tried not to be uptight about it.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 12:13 (two years ago) link
Of course I also have been trying to do a better job of checking visually before hitting that button, and a lot of times that works but I don’t want to agonize over it.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 12:14 (two years ago) link
Yeah same. I think of it as a counterfoil to the inevitable typos caused by using a screen keyboard without autocorrect available. But sometimes I will use it a few times mid puzzle to consolidate and that feels a little cheat-y.
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 3 April 2022 18:25 (two years ago) link
Think the A final may be on now or just finished and their might be a brand new champ.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 18:44 (two years ago) link
There even
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 18:45 (two years ago) link
No, he finished third.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA8htPG0oHE
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 21:25 (two years ago) link
Really tough Friday today -- could've been a Saturday puzzle -- though I think it's reasonably solvable and fair.
― Pomelo Anthony (Leee), Friday, 8 April 2022 17:17 (two years ago) link
I liked it, and I think I liked this constructor's previous puzzle as well.
― Mr. Uncut Risin’ (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 8 April 2022 17:23 (two years ago) link
Yes, she co-wrote a Saturday puzzle on January 29th with Andrew Ries and then another Saturday back on October 16th with Erik Agard.
― Mr. Uncut Risin’ (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 8 April 2022 18:03 (two years ago) link
today's nyt crossword was clever, with 4 answers relying on understanding that, in the clues, "m" often replaces "rn" for those of us visually impaired
― Dan S, Thursday, 14 April 2022 23:40 (two years ago) link
I just did before reading that. Yeah, very well done.
― Anita Quatloos (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 15 April 2022 00:06 (two years ago) link
Quite; my vision sucks so much that I solved most of the puzzle correctly, before realizing that I was missing the joke.
― Fifty Centaur (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 15 April 2022 01:12 (two years ago) link
I cleaned my glasses before solving but did have to blink a few times, so same.
― Anita Quatloos (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 15 April 2022 01:25 (two years ago) link
Okay, Friday’s puzzle is ace.
― Ramones Leave the Capitol (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 15 April 2022 03:08 (two years ago) link
And this week’s as well.
― Wile E. Kinbote (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 22 April 2022 11:29 (two years ago) link
Tomorrow’s good too.
― Granny Takes a Tripos (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 23 April 2022 02:16 (two years ago) link
Sunday on the other hand…
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 23 April 2022 22:30 (two years ago) link
By our favorite guy from the other thread.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 23 April 2022 22:37 (two years ago) link
fckn terrible
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:04 (two years ago) link
Friend described it as underwhelming.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:11 (two years ago) link
kind of stunned by the ‘popular st. patrick’s day cocktail’
― mookieproof, Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:26 (two years ago) link
Yeah, me too!
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:37 (two years ago) link
really bad
this, on the other hand, is nuts:
last time tweeting about a crossword solving time i promise pic.twitter.com/ucJaPWu78B— pa(ol/sc)o (@gpaolopasco) April 24, 2022
― Roz, Monday, 25 April 2022 00:29 (two years ago) link
Yet another reason for me to have given up speed solving.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 00:36 (two years ago) link
I don't even know how you can type that fast while reading/processing the clues?
my time today was 5:45 on my phone (might have been faster on desktop idk) and i thought that was good enough
― Roz, Monday, 25 April 2022 00:53 (two years ago) link
I don’t how people can physically do it either, some kind of freakish wiring.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:05 (two years ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/10/nyregion/how-to-be-the-fastest-puzzler-in-town.html
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:07 (two years ago) link
Or exact same thing here: https://www.crosswordtournament.com/articles/shortz0302.htm
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:11 (two years ago) link
But best version is in this interview with Peter Gordon: https://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/ring/
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:13 (two years ago) link
i consider myself a fairly fast solver (avg monday solving time is about 3-3:30 minutes, almost never over 4), and 53 seconds is unthinkable to me!also is anyone else a stickler for doing the puzzle on the day of instead of the night before?
― donna rouge, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:03 (two years ago) link
I'm new to the NYT crossword and am not sure what was so bad about today's puzzle
― Dan S, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:06 (two years ago) link
are you all so good that this was a trifle?
― Dan S, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:08 (two years ago) link
Wasn’t that it was too easy, although it wasn’t really that hard, just that the theme seemed kind of tired.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:10 (two years ago) link
Obviously no stickler here. When I used to read the blogs many of them just wrote about them soon after they dropped so I started solving then as well. I remember years ago when people were talking about two minute puzzles, which a lot of top solvers could already do but they didn’t want to submit in the contest like that without checking, so not really surprised now at one minute.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:13 (two years ago) link
http://dandoesnotblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/acpt-2013-it-takes-me-four-ever-to.html?m=1
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:19 (two years ago) link
http://dandoesnotblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/acpt-2015-eke.html?m=1
He also points out that Puzzle 1 is a Tuesday, not a Monday.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:20 (two years ago) link
https://www.brendanemmettquigley.com/2018/03/crossword-1040-themeless-monday-2018-acpt-recap.html
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:21 (two years ago) link
So a Monday less than one minute solve at home is still pretty crazy and impressive but also not quite unthinkable for someone whose fast twitch muscles are in overdrive.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:23 (two years ago) link
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, April 24, 2022
I'm pretty sure it was hard for most people attempting it
The themes are all over the place. I guess unless you've done a shitload of these you wouldn't think this was more tired than any other
― Dan S, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:27 (two years ago) link
Sunday is not supposed to be particularly hard, just tedious.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:31 (two years ago) link
xposts it's always on the day of for me, living in Asia :)
re sunday's puzzle: aside from the theme which was very meh, there were some incredibly bad clues/fill that not sure anyone would be able to get without crosses e.g. who calls a "Program after undergrad" a POSTBAC? is NULLVALUE really a commonly known term for N/A? and as alluded to upthread, CARBOMB for "Popular St. Patrick’s day cocktail" is just awful and tasteless.
i had PREWWW instead of PREWEB early on, and honestly wish that had been the answer, as it would at least have been slightly more creative
― Roz, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:33 (two years ago) link
ah damn it - not sure what went wrong, that last sentence was also supposed to be behind spoiler tags
― Roz, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:34 (two years ago) link
apologies if I spoiled it for anyone
― Roz, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:36 (two years ago) link
It is behind spoiler tags, don’t worry.On the other topic, looking at Crossword Friend I see that Stella typical solves the LAT Monday in just under two minutes, so I guess that is still kind of where a typical fast solver would be.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:37 (two years ago) link
I had problems with the exact same answers as you did.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:38 (two years ago) link
Jeff Chen gave it a good review though.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:41 (two years ago) link
Guy is a senior in college, sold his first puzzle to the NYT at age 15 and has sold 22 so far, so yeah, he is next generation hella fast. https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/2/2022
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:49 (two years ago) link
Also not trying to make light of the time it takes to build up stamina to complete the Sunday puzzle on one’s own without fainting.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:51 (two years ago) link