Yep
― Mein Skampf (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:27 (three years ago) link
(To the tune of "Take a Letter, Maria")Last night I was ONKPAcross from the APOI was EYED up by a dog named OTTOWho report to the NCO
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:29 (three years ago) link
reports
ENE ESE SSE SSW WSW WNW NNW
What's the big deal? Just travel to one of those cities, find a high vantage point, get out your lensatic compass, and point it at a known landmark in the target city. Easy peasy.
Take your dog ASTA with you.
― Blursday the Vagueteenth of Whenember (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:31 (three years ago) link
(some story about receiving a Dear John letter I haven't flesh out yet. Then...)
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:32 (three years ago) link
IBEX
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:38 (three years ago) link
So take a letter, a rebusWith pen or pencil you can writeTo solve it electronicallyYou'd better find Across Lite
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:38 (three years ago) link
(Which is the chorus, which will repeat, with the last chorus changing to)So take a letter, Merl ReagleAddress it to Will ShortzSit on a potato panI put soot on warts
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:42 (three years ago) link
There's just a weird lot of common / borderline crosswordese stuff. Seems like with a theme this (relatively) light, the fill wouldn't be so IRR AROD RIIS ESTA TELEX ORES ORSO ACTI ANTE AXLE etc. The worst of the short fill, though, was the GPO / EEOC crossing. Truly awful, if only because their crossing *initialisms*, which means if you don't know what the letters ... stand for ... you have no hope.
from rex parker's blog entry today. when i used to do the NYT crossword more often i enjoyed reading his takes and particularly his low tolerance for lazy crosswordese, when applicable
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:42 (three years ago) link
I think reviewing the crossword every day for however many years has driven him to madness, like Andy Daly in Review
― Wayne Grotski (symsymsym), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:46 (three years ago) link
I know it drove me a little mad, just doing them every day. Duolingo is a moderately better addiction.
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:49 (three years ago) link
ISSA RAE
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:49 (three years ago) link
ooh one i hate is EAPOE. have seen it in at least three xwords
― donna rouge, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:55 (three years ago) link
oy and all those french rivers!
RHINERHONESEINELOIREOISEYSER
― donna rouge, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 18:57 (three years ago) link
ODER
― Mein Skampf (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 19:00 (three years ago) link
(side note: I am probably way more forgiving of these than most, because my delight in solving is rooted in good cluing, interesting and/or tricky themes, interesting long answers - not, primarily, in avoiding crosswordese.
It's great when a constructor avoids EKE or ALOU, sure; but I don't construct puzzles so I don't know how easy or hard it is to do consistently interesting themed puzzles without ever resorting to ANTE or YSER or whatever. Definitely seeing some 20th-century stuff just age out of common use. ERNE and SST still pop up but are waning, in my experience.)
― the word "restaurateur" doesn't have an n in it (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 19:00 (three years ago) link
EIRE really grinds my gears
Sure, but it is at least Irish for Ireland - Erin and Erse can get to fuck, though.
― Andrew Farrell, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 19:22 (three years ago) link
sure could use a MRPIBB
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 20:31 (three years ago) link
what gets me are the ones that are slightly out of date, e.g.
EMAGPDA for a deviceHIRES for a monitor instead of HIDEF
― wasdnous (abanana), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 20:40 (three years ago) link
equally annoying are the ones that are just a tad too current, like1 Across: "It's ____!"and the answer is POPPIN
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 20:42 (three years ago) link
Yeah the "archaism" is part of what makes me itchy about the clueing for Eire
― Mein Skampf (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 20:43 (three years ago) link
always exciting to see if it'll be KEA or LOA
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 20:49 (three years ago) link
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, July 15, 2020 3:42 PM (thirteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
better clue would be "my lip gloss is _____"
― mozzy star (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 20:58 (three years ago) link
okay, maybe not TOO current
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 20:59 (three years ago) link
The phrase TINKERS to EVERS to CHANCE just popped into my head, which used to be a crossword staple when I was coming up, seems to linger on and pop up every once in a while nowadays. https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2009/04/tuesday-apr-21-2009-rj-nj-byron-1946.html?m=1
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:09 (three years ago) link
https://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/gonfalon/
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:10 (three years ago) link
yeah this is like the cargo shorts of crossword clues. try harder
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:10 (three years ago) link
https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=7/3/1949
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:11 (three years ago) link
Yeah, when I see MAUNA __ and already have the final A, I wanna throw my UKE up in the air in frustration.
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:13 (three years ago) link
that 1949 puzzle is hardcore
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:15 (three years ago) link
In defense of crosswordese, sometimes it is the only way to crack into a difficult Saturday grid. Also sometimes it's fun to know all the different ways to clue, say,the hero of the thread title: Joseph Wiseman role, Crab Key denizen, etc. Or that famous fellow from the OP played by Bamboo Harvester.
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:16 (three years ago) link
45D Man's name. : ISIDOR
foh
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:17 (three years ago) link
ETAIL and EZINE always make me lol
― donna rouge, Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:30 (three years ago) link
Pearl Buck heroine
― the word "restaurateur" doesn't have an n in it (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:31 (three years ago) link
Oh man, I still have problems spelling that one.
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:39 (three years ago) link
ESAI
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 00:06 (three years ago) link
which led me this this old related thread somebody started long ago
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 00:11 (three years ago) link
When MRT studies to the NTH degree, he gets a PHD and is henceforth called DRT.
― AxoLOLtl (Leee), Thursday, 16 July 2020 01:03 (three years ago) link
LORI and TONI drank an ORANGE NEHI in front of the ELHI.
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 12:00 (three years ago) link
OUIOUI, SISIADIEUX, MES AMIS
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 12:02 (three years ago) link
LIEU EKE
We gotta go
― the word "restaurateur" doesn't have an n in it (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 16 July 2020 12:21 (three years ago) link
I saidUIE UEYUAE UZIMe gotta goYEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:25 (three years ago) link
🎵 UEY UDAYthou little tiny childWIFI UEY UDAY 🎵
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:56 (three years ago) link
WII OREO now
I said
WII OLEO
― the word "restaurateur" doesn't have an n in it (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:02 (three years ago) link
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 18:01 (three years ago) link
I’m with YMP, don’t actually know why, actually I think I do know why, people complain about crosswordese so much, it’s kind of the DNA or building blocks of XWORDS. It’s like people complaining about cliched chord progressions or cliches in general: they can be problematic but they can also be used creatively, it depends.
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 18:59 (three years ago) link
I only started noticing the gluey fill when I was exposed to xword blogs (RP, xwordinfo), but they've never really been a huge impediment to my enjoyment, ESPECIALLY if a grid has interesting and/or long entries or wide open spaces.
I do like Jeff Chen's puzzles a lot though, and he's pretty dedicated to avoiding glue.
― AxoLOLtl (Leee), Thursday, 16 July 2020 19:05 (three years ago) link
And he is the keeper of xwordinfo too I guess.
― Isolde mein Herz zum Junker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 July 2020 19:42 (three years ago) link
when you're filling up so much of the grid with letters it's unavoidable that you're gonna need these repeating mini-words, so i understand
but like, mel OTT has been dead for 60 years. bobby ORR has been out of hockey for 40. we're gonna be seeing USB long after that protocol has been deprecated. i have never actually seen ESAI morales in anything. so many of the acronyms are awkward reaches . . . i just wish the NYT were a little bit more ambitious with the possibilities, and i have to think that having the same editor for decades at a time doesn't help
― mookieproof, Thursday, 16 July 2020 20:05 (three years ago) link
I think people very much in the center of the scene avoid pointing out that Shortz is something of a tired drip but people slightly outside it don’t hesitate to say so
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Thursday, 16 July 2020 20:11 (three years ago) link
I remember being able to do early week puzzles and even a leisurely Sunday puzzle solve back in those days, although I never attempted to speed solve and barely even tried Friday and Saturday.
― Tapioca Tumbril (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 6 February 2022 20:19 (two years ago) link
Interesting to see how the cluing of EGAN has evolved.
― Tapioca Tumbril (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 6 February 2022 20:54 (two years ago) link
Check it out: EGAN was in three puzzles in a row, Sun through Tuesday, starting the week of Jan 9, 1994.
― Tapioca Tumbril (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 6 February 2022 21:02 (two years ago) link
Prefer this clue for one of today's answers from 1994: Hagar the Horrible's honey.
― Tapioca Tumbril (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 7 February 2022 15:35 (two years ago) link
bobdole/clinton entry in the NYT sunday puzzle apparently
― adam t. (abanana), Monday, 7 February 2022 15:50 (two years ago) link
Monday's puzzle chock-a-block with classic crosswordese.
― Solaris Ocean Blue (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 21 February 2022 00:24 (two years ago) link
crossword constructors breathe sigh of relief as ESAI morales is cast in the new mission impossible movie
― orifex, Monday, 23 May 2022 16:28 (one year ago) link
Lol!
― Apollo and the Aqueducts (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 23 May 2022 16:29 (one year ago) link
Was just reminded on Novelists No One Reads Anymore of SOBIG, which I recall seeing a lot although doesn't seem to be that often in Shortz Era NYT.
― Capital Radio Sweetheart (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 28 October 2022 14:31 (one year ago) link
Have to ask - is there anyone who calls a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a PBJ irl? PB and J to be sure, or even PBNJ, but PBJ? this has recently risen to the top of my bugaboo list
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Sunday, 10 March 2024 23:12 (one month ago) link
i am okay with that one
less so with TAX BITE, which appeared the other day
― mookieproof, Monday, 11 March 2024 01:08 (one month ago) link
Agreed, I remember that puzzle seemed to have a few answers that were questionable
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Monday, 11 March 2024 12:29 (one month ago) link