tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post3130096769879979571..comments2024-01-25T10:14:06.567-08:00Comments on L.A. Crossword Confidential: THURSDAY, September 17, 2009Dan NaddorOrangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-87199450563251652292009-09-17T22:35:17.961-07:002009-09-17T22:35:17.961-07:00Overly ambitious with lousy fill. If you want to c...Overly ambitious with lousy fill. If you want to construct a puzzle such as this, then it needs less crosswordese/plurals, etc. Disappointing for a Naddor puzzle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-62231940116740029562009-09-17T22:08:47.038-07:002009-09-17T22:08:47.038-07:00I agree Orange. I didn't solve this puzzle be...I agree Orange. I didn't solve this puzzle because I got home late, but I know a certain mentor who would have flamed me if I submitted a grid like this because it's not in any way defensive.<br />It's ambitious, and it works nicely, and I wish I had taken the time to solve it instead of just peeking here to see what was up.GLowenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-82476474993259700532009-09-17T20:35:35.819-07:002009-09-17T20:35:35.819-07:00@Bored Solver: We may be screwed. The group that s...@Bored Solver: We may be screwed. The group that syndicates the L.A. Times puzzle needs to keep its subscribers happy, and its subscribers include newspapers whose readers miss the arid, non-clever puzzles they used to have. Those papers get complaints from their readers and pass the complaints up the chain. The trick is to identify the cities where people are complaining about this crossword, and swamp the newspaper with letters praising the puzzle in general but begging for tougher puzzles. I don't know how to go about that, unfortunately.<br /><br />@Charles Bogle: He didn't phone it in. The theme is structured such that the fill had a lot to work around. See how the top and bottom pairs of theme answers are stacked together? And how the middle pair are sandwiched around SOLITAIRE in an open stretch of white squares? And how TABLE is stacked under that bottom pair of theme entries? That's incredibly challenging to pull off. The trick is to look for reasons that fill is less than stellar. Is it laziness or an ambitious theme structure? If it's laziness, I make no allowances. But Dan Naddor made the puzzle harder to build by including so much thematic material and stacking it that way.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-46827225233826636172009-09-17T18:53:45.147-07:002009-09-17T18:53:45.147-07:00@Sfingi
I can't get the NYT puzzle on line and...@Sfingi<br />I can't get the NYT puzzle on line and I don't subscribe. So...I'm hoping to see some end-of-week puzzles that are just a little more difficult in the LAT.Bored Solvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-79241422525762961922009-09-17T18:08:56.446-07:002009-09-17T18:08:56.446-07:00I got the feeling the fine constructor Dan Naddor ...I got the feeling the fine constructor Dan Naddor just phoned this one. Lots of tired old fill, eg ELIE, OTTO, OTTS (I knew it would be disaPpointing when that one was 1A. Liked: COMESON, MEDEA, WYSS. Poor old ARNE Johnson appears same day as Henry Gibson's obit; how ironic. Did get a kick out of SYSCO--amazing how often when we think we go "out" to a restaurant we are just getting SYSCO. Ask the server: is that fruit/veggie/fish really fresh, or warmed-over SyscoCharles Boglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667976595355657752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-20761142852832212152009-09-17T18:03:48.179-07:002009-09-17T18:03:48.179-07:00I got the feeling the fine constructor Dan Naddor ...I got the feeling the fine constructor Dan Naddor just phoned this one. Lots of tired old fill, eg ELIE, OTTO, OTTS (I knew it would be disaPpointing when that one was 1A. Liked: COMESON, MEDEA, WYSS. Poor old ARNE Johnson appears same day as Henry Gibson's obit; how ironic. Did get a kick out of SYSCO--amazing how often when we think we go "out" to a restaurant we are just getting SYSCO. Ask the server: is that fruit/veggie/fish really fresh, or warmed-over SyscoCharles Boglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667976595355657752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-8666202363651844322009-09-17T17:18:00.648-07:002009-09-17T17:18:00.648-07:00@If you want a difficult Thursday puzzle, try toda...@If you want a difficult Thursday puzzle, try today's NYT.Sfinginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-69044727542928129832009-09-17T15:08:40.033-07:002009-09-17T15:08:40.033-07:00@Orange: Who ARE the powers that be? I'd like ...@Orange: Who ARE the powers that be? I'd like to write a letter about this puzzle difficulty issue. I don't get the puzzle from a newspaper but instead go to the LA Times crossword website and print it out daily. There has to be a happy medium here somewhere.<br /><br />OK, now on to healthcare reform.Bored Solvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-87571533529622946632009-09-17T14:44:33.116-07:002009-09-17T14:44:33.116-07:00Please, please, let me never see WYSSES.Please, please, let me never see WYSSES.SethGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13753036404140901368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-48103563790759268212009-09-17T13:42:39.223-07:002009-09-17T13:42:39.223-07:00Your write-up beat the puzzle today, PG! Just taki...Your write-up beat the puzzle today, PG! Just taking a wild guess, but is that handsome young man with the medal a wrestler??<br /><br />I like my puzzles (much) harder as well, especially late in the week, but do appreciate the high number of theme answers. <br /><br />@Johnsneverhome: LOL!!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-31644468202040409332009-09-17T13:32:04.156-07:002009-09-17T13:32:04.156-07:00Thanks for your write up Puzzle Girl. I really li...Thanks for your write up Puzzle Girl. I really like this blog and find it very enlightening. I also am concerned that the LA Times puzzles are getting dumbed down. I have only been solving for about a year. The Thursday puzzles used to take me forever and now I'm down to about 8 or 9 minutes. I know this blog has helped a lot, but I don't think I've made all that much progress. However, it does give me a boost of confidence until I try a late week NYT puzzle and get totally humilated. Thanks again for the blog. I also think of DAMP MOP as a verb.That may possibly be a gender issue.CrazyCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00245025301434920905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-53664924238861373232009-09-17T13:17:17.831-07:002009-09-17T13:17:17.831-07:0011D: Spindry? Is that really a setting on a wash...11D: Spindry? Is that really a setting on a washer? I know washers have a spin cycle, but I've never heard of "spin dry" as a setting. I guess I have a cheap washing machine!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391276764304844511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-49355732900568549782009-09-17T13:12:43.550-07:002009-09-17T13:12:43.550-07:00Call me a brown-nose, but...
I like it!
Agree th...Call me a brown-nose, but...<br /><br />I like it!<br /><br />Agree that OTTS and STEELES were a little contrived, but there was a fair amount of 7-letter fill, and not too many "cheats" (abbrevs and acronyms). Pretty easy fill for a Thursday though.<br /><br />And of course, SEVEN theme answers! Thanks, Dan!jazzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02967093995893913338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-53517452562991429262009-09-17T12:23:29.389-07:002009-09-17T12:23:29.389-07:0013D Any name is someone's family name, so a re...13D Any name is someone's family name, so a reunion constitutes plurals. Other well-known Steeles are Michael and Shelby - and a tiny branch of my family. I'll bet there's even more than one Esai, or certainly will be soon.<br /><br />17@ lire is a plural of lira (Italian feminine); denaro would be a singular in either Italian or Spanish (denari and denaros respectively).<br /><br />37D Dampmop no problem. It has a different use from wet mop; but,I'd like to see mophead. Entered ring first for 8D - tree growth. <br /><br />I also love Iowa City, and can't understand why a sister of mine lives in Fairfield, IA. I'll have to try Polly Pagliai's Pizza, since most of IA doesn't know what pizza is. I'm so spoiled since Upstate NY has great pizzerias on every block. Towns have Italian specialty festivals. Binghamton - speedie festival, Utica - riggie festival. Also tomato pie, which has no cheese. Pagliai are haystacks. We'll call forth Monet from crosswordese heaven for a picture.<br /><br />@John'sneverhome - I also think dovecote. And, yes, I am an old nanny goat. Remember, goats have personalities, sheep don't. That's why plural and singular of sheep are the same.Sfinginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-29697409744540916092009-09-17T12:12:10.262-07:002009-09-17T12:12:10.262-07:00Another puzzle where the write-up is far better th...Another puzzle where the write-up is far better than the solving. I loved Puzzle Girl's comment about "Otts." Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one complaining about how easy these have gotten. I may have to *table* doing Thursday puzzles from now on. Fri and Sat. are still at least a wee bit challenging. <br /><br />I didn't know "damp mop" was part of the language at all. I've always heard "wet mop."Quentincnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-80280619200125048012009-09-17T12:02:29.707-07:002009-09-17T12:02:29.707-07:00For me this was an extremely simple puzzle. Rarely...For me this was an extremely simple puzzle. Rarely do I finish before my breakfast is eaten, but today I was finished before the waitress came with my food. Wow, are the Naddor puzzles getting simpler or is my hanging around this blog making me more CW astute?<br />Now I'm not complaining... don't want to be tagged with "nasty geezer" or worse yet OLD GOAT. Getting an easy puzzle just gives me more time to spend out in my garden on such a lovely day.<br />I started off this puzzle doing 1a, 5a, and 10a (OTTS, AXELS, And ESTS) and thought, oh no, another cheesy puzzle loaded with the same old crosswordese stuff... then I went on hoping it wasn't true. But, OMG, this puzzle was loaded with trite words and it didn't get any better as I went on. How many times have I seen ESTS, EDEN, ELIE, ESAI, and ESTEE? Are there no other short fill words that start with E? Okay John, enough of your whinning!<br />I did learn a new-word-of-the-day: Johann WYSS of Swiss Family...and yes, Puzzlegirl, I too get that mixed up with Dan Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.<br />I seem to always think that COTE has only to do with doves, seldom do I associate that word with sheep. Moreso the word FOLD comes to mind.<br />Not sure I like the adding of et al to any word just to "force" pluralization.<br />Oh, and I never saw the theme until I came here... Tables...hmmm!<br /><br />My mouth should be nicknamed "Oro y plata" — "Gold and silver".JOHNSNEVERHOMEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447455788629988277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-13207299376833924872009-09-17T10:54:47.059-07:002009-09-17T10:54:47.059-07:00AdditionTable:
It's not cool to drink so much ...AdditionTable:<br />It's not cool to drink so much before posting. Showing up all out of sequence like that is embarassing to the whole family. Apologize to the guests and the host and sober up, now. Love, Grandpa Fibonaccisplit infinitivenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-62623201095132722182009-09-17T10:32:43.171-07:002009-09-17T10:32:43.171-07:00I'm a newbie and I finished in record time. G...I'm a newbie and I finished in record time. Got a few chuckles along the way so that made it better. I tried bowlers for 12D (thought that was a pretty good choice!) but learned very soon that it was tomcats. I did not like NYS for 43D--bad job with abbreviation. <br />@*David*--I also wanted park for<br />37A.<br />Thanks for the write up, Puzzle Girl. I love Iowa City!!! Very great place to live or visit. Next time I'm there, I want some Polly's Pizza:-)!florida grandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-63638679707944387812009-09-17T10:24:46.723-07:002009-09-17T10:24:46.723-07:00In terms of difficulty, this was like a Mon/Tues N...In terms of difficulty, this was like a Mon/Tues NYT. They really have dumbed down the LAT puzzles, haven't they? And this one is just sort of ho-hum anyway, difficulty aside. Personally, I'd like a little more resistance in a Thursday puzzle.obertbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05939425154392230224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-663129597696235522009-09-17T09:54:42.911-07:002009-09-17T09:54:42.911-07:000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7..
0 0 1 2 3 ...0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7..<br />0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7<br />1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9<br />2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9<br />3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10<br />.<br />.<br />.AdditionTablenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-72402829466976893872009-09-17T09:27:16.955-07:002009-09-17T09:27:16.955-07:00I saw Dan Naddor's name in the byline and thou...I saw Dan Naddor's name in the byline and thought Oh Boy! finally a challenge - only to have my bubble burst.<br /><br />Nice theme, but nothing else to write home about. I'm with doc moreau and gjelizabeth, ADDITIONTABLE?!Bohicanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-83105774588890187822009-09-17T08:30:44.345-07:002009-09-17T08:30:44.345-07:00I didn't count but there were a heck of lot of...I didn't count but there were a heck of lot of plurals in there besides all the extended family.<br /><br />Last week was my easiest DN but this week was a bit eaisier then that. Two erases by WYSS(never spell it right) and PARK instead of DECK.*David*noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-69720028021354709282009-09-17T08:20:59.823-07:002009-09-17T08:20:59.823-07:00Think OF/Tired OF and OTTS...annoyed me right off ...Think OF/Tired OF and OTTS...annoyed me right off the bat, so needless to say I wasn't a fan of this very easy for a Thursday puzzle. Far too much crosswordese as well. Might be the worst Naddor I have ever solved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-43234028864976532712009-09-17T08:06:14.068-07:002009-09-17T08:06:14.068-07:00Thanks for posting those times, Orange. I do still...Thanks for posting those times, Orange. I do still feel like Fridays are incrementally harder than the M-Th puzzles, but they definitely don't have any of the kick they used to have. Curse you, powers that be!The Corgi of Mysteryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12094737503793280830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-56912340364007625332009-09-17T07:51:31.469-07:002009-09-17T07:51:31.469-07:00@doc moreau: The L.A. Times crossword used to foll...@doc moreau: The L.A. Times crossword used to follow an NYT-like increase in difficulty. From a couple weeks in February, before any changes were requested by the powers that be, here are my solving times:<br /><br />Mon 2:47, 2:34 (avg 2:41)<br />Tues 3:03, 2:48 (avg 2:55)<br />Wed 3:36, 3:12 (avg 3:24)<br />Thurs 2:48, 4:07 (avg 3:27)<br />Fri 6:20, 5:22 (avg 5:51)<br />Sat 5:16, 4:59 (avg 5:08)<br /><br />Compare to my times in recent weeks:<br />Mon 2:51, 2:35 (avg 2:43)<br />Tues 3:07, 3:03 (avg 3:05)<br />Wed 3:21, 2:30 (avg 2:55)<br />Thurs 3:01, 3:07 (avg 3:04)<br />Fri 3:49, 3:38 (avg 3:44)<br />Sat 3:00, 3:34 (avg 3:17!)<br /><br />Fridays and Saturdays have been flattened out most weeks and are often only as difficult as Wednesdays used to be. I miss the more challenging Fridays and Saturdays. :-(Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.com