tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post1165456185034853316..comments2024-01-25T10:14:06.567-08:00Comments on L.A. Crossword Confidential: WEDNESDAY, September 2, 2009—Jerome GundersonOrangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-70934038372026107922009-09-03T15:44:05.021-07:002009-09-03T15:44:05.021-07:00@Jan, my kids are HUGE Simpson fans. They "ME...@Jan, my kids are HUGE Simpson fans. They "MEH,MEH" me all the time when asked they don't care to answer. Guess that's how I knew the word.ddbmcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-49571884421774518232009-09-03T07:05:54.602-07:002009-09-03T07:05:54.602-07:00Enjoyed the puzzle a lot except for the too-easy f...Enjoyed the puzzle a lot except for the too-easy fill and "meh" which kept me up last night trying to see where I had gone wrong. I've never watched the Simpsons (horrors!) but dictionary.com says "meh" came from just one episode ("After Marge weaves 'Hi Bart' on a loom to try to pique his interest in weaving, he says, "Meh.") Just one episode? Then how do all of you know this word? Even a Simpsons fan may have missed that one show. I'm PUZZLED.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03149073433734971620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-22270250615265028992009-09-02T22:10:15.042-07:002009-09-02T22:10:15.042-07:00A weak theme (Monday at best) saved by some pretty...A weak theme (Monday at best) saved by some pretty good fill. The last theme answer was a giveaway without even knowing it, so yea that's weak. But since Jerome popped in to take credit as he has a tough skin and all for putting his name out there, but at the same time saying he takes all the negative with a grain of salt...except for his own amusement. Sorry I won't be taking any lessons in humility or puzzle making from you. With a better theme, this had great potential...just another generic Wednesday LAT otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-48979621829363672342009-09-02T22:02:34.660-07:002009-09-02T22:02:34.660-07:00@Orange;
I'm always happy to converse with an ...@Orange;<br />I'm always happy to converse with an intelligent [if not slightly redundant] person.<br /><br />@Jerome 4:01 - If you never find solver's comments insightful, then why come here? Of course they're insightful.<br /><br />Customers speak, suppliers listen -hard stop.<br /><br /><br />(I'll try and post this only once )GLowenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-88361531297057508292009-09-02T21:02:22.684-07:002009-09-02T21:02:22.684-07:00This was a lulu of a day for comments! I attempted...This was a lulu of a day for comments! I attempted to construct a puzzle for an Auntie, as a birthday card, using all our family names-cluing them with their various foibles or hilarious family events. It wasn't easy and my fill was slim pickins. That being said, I prefer to leave the puzzle making to the expert "Word Nerds," of whom I have the greatest respect! With all of you, I learn something new every day and I always get to laugh out loud! The thought of Crosscan experiencing Star Trek in 3D on his way home from Lollapuzzoolaing, after his wife had melted the credit card with her NYC shopping experience; The Adventures of Puzzle Girl and the Stuck Bedroom Door with Rex to the Eventual, if not sleepy Seth Rogenesque rescue--you can't make this stuff up--well you could AND it might make a great puzzle!... Thanks, Jerome, for sharing your love of puzzles with the rest of us! We dub the constructors the plenipotentiary of the CW world! (Hint: Bart's role,but not Taggert's in Blazing Saddles?)ddbmcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-45020516772355182472009-09-02T18:37:37.032-07:002009-09-02T18:37:37.032-07:00JOHNSNEVERHOME- I like any well made puzzle but I&...JOHNSNEVERHOME- I like any well made puzzle but I'll have to admit Saturday puzzles are my favorite because they really ramp up the difficulty level. However, you're missing a ton of good stuff by ignoring early week puzzles. I'm constantly amazed by the clever, fun, off the wall themes those constructors come up with. Sure, you can solve them pretty quick, but the joy from the craftsmanship lingers for a while.Jeromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06174332800591939009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-21045091719655050052009-09-02T18:18:39.299-07:002009-09-02T18:18:39.299-07:00@Doug P. -
Thanks for the info on Galco's Soda...@Doug P. -<br />Thanks for the info on Galco's Soda Pop Stop. I'm up in NoCal but periodically visit the Southland. I LOL'd while browsing the website at all the crazy soda names, e.g., Rhubarb Dry Soda, Black Lemonade, Blenheim's HOT HOT Ginger Ale as well as Blenheim's Not as Hot Ginger Ale, Fukola Cola and of course I found Moxie Original Elixir. It would be fun to get some friends together, buy a bunch of these oddballs and have a tasting! BTW, Doug, hope you are not in any danger from the fires or having to breathe smokey air. The footage on TV is just scary.shrub5https://www.blogger.com/profile/09466867716773759568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-6879476636198421032009-09-02T17:52:51.593-07:002009-09-02T17:52:51.593-07:00@CharlesBogle An Englishman does American Crosswor...@CharlesBogle An Englishman does American Crosswords <br />crosswordmanblog.com gives a detailed explanation of Comet - the cleanser. If you put shush instead of chant for "sound from a monastery," you might have been slowed down, as I was.<br /><br />Back to our puzzle, as I like to call it. <br />@Bohica @Johnsneverhome 15A toile, sort of a girly thing, isn't merely a decorative fabric with a specific pattern. It's French (gulp)and shows rococo pastoral scenes with very controlled color. I've used it on curtains and bedspreads, rather than sofas. Google "toile," and hit images. Tulle (French,again) is just a netting.<br /><br />Who can sing the 18A Schaefer (now owned by Pabst) jingle?Sfinginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-76547569425975673732009-09-02T17:44:01.653-07:002009-09-02T17:44:01.653-07:00I don't usually do the Mon.-Wed. puzzles becau...I don't usually do the Mon.-Wed. puzzles because they offer no challenge to me, but I thought what-the-heck, I think I'll just stimulate my big toe today. Pleasantly surprised at how entertaining Jerome Gunderson's puzzle was, but even moreso, how much fun Orange's writeup was... so both rated a 10 on my chuckle-o-meter.<br />I love the words MOXIE and PIDDLING. They both describe my activities with CWs. Most weekend puzzles intimidate me at first, but I have the MOXIE to dive in and have a go at them. Then I find out how piddling the clues are and how limited I am in the area of pop culture. "OH NO", I say, but somehow it ends up that I just WAFT through it.<br />For "Streaker with a tail" (37a), I had CIVET.<br />I always seem to get the fabrics TULLE and TOILE mixed up.<br />Well next week I think I'll include Wed. in my weekly puzzle repertoire.JOHNSNEVERHOMEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447455788629988277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-61708386930211193412009-09-02T16:50:06.929-07:002009-09-02T16:50:06.929-07:00My favorite words today were: waft and satyr. I u...My favorite words today were: waft and satyr. I use the word 'waft' a lot because I have a very strong sense of smell (comes in handy-although younger people don't always know what it means).Waynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16165259499917393643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-21509161373330011332009-09-02T16:38:19.769-07:002009-09-02T16:38:19.769-07:00@shrub5 - If you live in L.A., you can buy Moxie, ...@shrub5 - If you live in L.A., you can buy Moxie, along with every other kind of strange soda or beer you can imagine, at Galco's:<br /><br />http://www.sodapopstop.com/Doug Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04235359276440866774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-51243281318152947892009-09-02T16:26:19.191-07:002009-09-02T16:26:19.191-07:00@Jerome many thanks for coming and sharing and hat...@Jerome many thanks for coming and sharing and hat's off to you for such a skillful construction; clearly the many positives outweigh the few of us who may not have been thrilled by the theme so you ARE MOST welcome! Btw-could you please enlighten me-in today's NY Times puzzle, another excellent one, a lot of us were stumped by a clue that says, "Comet, for one". Your 37A produces COMET-streaker w a tail. Now, do you and Mr. Hyres at the NY Times conspire to drive someone like me extra batty--or is Comet twice in one day, quite different usages, totally coincidental?Charles Boglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667976595355657752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-51668334886105104262009-09-02T16:01:08.309-07:002009-09-02T16:01:08.309-07:00Glowe- I've posted here many times before and ...Glowe- I've posted here many times before and will again. I've had a minor skirmish with Orange once or twice, but no big deal. I've always appreciated her obvious affection for constructors and her love of puzzles.<br /><br />Negative comments from solvers are fine with me. If you're going to publicly display your work one had better have thick skin. I always find negative comments interesting, sometimes fascinating. However, I never find them at all insightful.Jeromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06174332800591939009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-50821605190930691912009-09-02T15:42:49.285-07:002009-09-02T15:42:49.285-07:00@Glowe: So you repeat yourself and talk to yoursel...@Glowe: So you repeat yourself <i>and</i> talk to yourself. You don't get bored hearing the same thing again?Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-72879014177057732432009-09-02T15:27:21.628-07:002009-09-02T15:27:21.628-07:00@ Glowe - You can say that again ....@ Glowe - You can say that again ....GLowenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-36136163408722314512009-09-02T15:26:46.324-07:002009-09-02T15:26:46.324-07:00@Jerome;
Thanks for sharing your constructor's...@Jerome;<br />Thanks for sharing your constructor's thoughts. The positive comments here hopefully mean you'll be coming back with another puzzle, and the negatives mean that it just might be that much better.GLowenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-52920341393502307832009-09-02T15:26:45.890-07:002009-09-02T15:26:45.890-07:00@Jerome;
Thanks for sharing your constructor's...@Jerome;<br />Thanks for sharing your constructor's thoughts. The positive comments here hopefully mean you'll be coming back with another puzzle, and the negatives mean that it just might be that much better.GLowenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-20784293268091343102009-09-02T15:18:35.974-07:002009-09-02T15:18:35.974-07:00Thanks, Jerome, it was a fun one.
@chefbea: this ...Thanks, Jerome, it was a fun one.<br /><br />@chefbea: this sounds awful, but I can just see you as PeeWee Herman!<br /><br />Never heard of or seen Moxie (in a can or bottle).machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-15378457833325441052009-09-02T15:10:16.696-07:002009-09-02T15:10:16.696-07:00Thanks Jerome for coming by and chatting with usThanks Jerome for coming by and chatting with uschefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-32804484510020449472009-09-02T15:03:03.887-07:002009-09-02T15:03:03.887-07:00Creating a puzzle is a lot of fun. But the most fu...Creating a puzzle is a lot of fun. But the most fun is being able to share it with solvers. I'm glad that many of you enjoyed it. It completes the circle from me to you,and back to me with a "thumbs up". Thanks. For those who found it less than thrilling... maybe I can pull you in next time.Jeromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06174332800591939009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-12619597047898554622009-09-02T14:18:01.890-07:002009-09-02T14:18:01.890-07:00ten thumbs up for MEH. two thumbs up for the theme...ten thumbs up for MEH. two thumbs up for the theme. maybe three and a half for MOXIE. (i'm an easy grader, although the soft drink is pretty nasty.)Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-66450534720119220692009-09-02T14:13:47.434-07:002009-09-02T14:13:47.434-07:00Didn't care for the theme, but the rest of the...Didn't care for the theme, but the rest of the fill was pretty varied and entertaining.<br /><br />Vespa seems to be popping up quite a bit lately, and Efrem might just qualify as crosswordese though I haven't seen it clued in a while.Puzzlednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-46062916309664813122009-09-02T13:51:44.608-07:002009-09-02T13:51:44.608-07:00Left in MIDDLING for Trivial; didn't check Cro...Left in MIDDLING for Trivial; didn't check Cross for PINT. This is the stuff that will kill you at a tournament. So, a good lesson to remember for the upcoming Alameda tourney. Absent-mindedly left a square blank yesterday ... . Accuracy trumps speed, especially if you're never even going to approach the warp of true speed-solvers.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-17280634876807542282009-09-02T12:57:23.700-07:002009-09-02T12:57:23.700-07:00Heck -- I liked the theme! Something this dimwit ...Heck -- I liked the theme! Something this dimwit could actually catch on to, for once.<br /><br />And "meh" makes me laugh every time I hear or see it. No idea why.<br /><br />@john farmer: Thanks for that link!choirwriternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-82603289328323396482009-09-02T12:53:20.620-07:002009-09-02T12:53:20.620-07:00Thanks @tuttle for that very interesting backgroun...Thanks @tuttle for that very interesting background on Slim Pickens, and thanks @orange for a super write-up...personally I say "no thanks" to both MEH and PEENS...I guess I respectfully diverge from everybody today..I found this both hard for Wed and thought the theme too silly but that's ok! Loved PIDDLING, MOXIE, ILIAD, ALKALINE...drew complete blank on LULU and had to resort to "extrinsic sources" for that as well as for VESPA...w roots in NY also liked OFFED<br /><br />@shrub5..THANK YOU for MOXIE!Charles Boglenoreply@blogger.com