tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post4423506261081587706..comments2024-01-25T10:14:06.567-08:00Comments on L.A. Crossword Confidential: THURSDAY, March 25, 2010 — Jeff ChenOrangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-16767312779660545992010-03-25T18:57:44.367-07:002010-03-25T18:57:44.367-07:00@John - It's not too late! Will I have to go t...@John - It's not too late! Will I have to go to Chicago to get ya? I'm afraid I'm next!<br /><br />@Tinbeni - yeah - 40 degrees this week is considered great, if no wind or rain. People go around in T-shirts.<br />I once worked in a place where the jons steamed after use. The guy from CA noticed it.<br /><br />The thing about SKEET is I actually Googled for the 1968 Olympics and could only come up with men's relay. I guess everyone got it by crosses. <br /><br />@Jeff - I sneeze and it comes out of my eyes. And that OLDlady thing happens, too.<br /><br />@LitDoc - Now, why didn't I think of that. Oh, I'm a lady,<br />I have to go 4 Is (IIII) to read CWs, and now I need 40 Zs - I won't write them out.<br /><br />Hmmm - forty - Forty thieves, winks, niners, acres and a mule, foot rope, hour work week, holy martyrs, -ninth parallel, year-old virgin. I give this to anyone who's good at making cws, since I'm not. Skip the martyrs. That's a little too arcane. How about that French woman who saw 40 three times (as in, "I'll never see 40 again...or again, or again). I'm sure you can fit that in, too.Sfinginoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-22866049067920290152010-03-25T17:57:34.833-07:002010-03-25T17:57:34.833-07:00Fun puzzle and fun blog - sorry but I don't mi...Fun puzzle and fun blog - sorry but I don't miss JNH - I always think he should start his own site.<br />Took me longer than I'd care to admit..Burner10noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-61018241909281014102010-03-25T16:59:48.047-07:002010-03-25T16:59:48.047-07:00@Joon
I worked in Riga, Latvia a few years back.
T...@Joon<br />I worked in Riga, Latvia a few years back.<br />The people I met there hardly even acknowledge that they were formerly part of the USSR, separate since 1991.<br /><br />OREL I've seen before, almost always clued as the river.<br /><br />ORSK (and @Tuttle, URSK) I think those brain cells in this OLDMAN have been disconnected.<br />Checked the Trans-Siberian Route on google. They weren't listed as stops but Perm and Zima (2 more 4 letter Russian cities) were. I've added them to my grey area.<br /><br />@Lex<br />Thanks for the link to the Gaffney article.<br /><br />@Jeff<br />I live in Tampa Bay and the 40's are described here as downright freezing. As an age group, young.<br />I look forward to more of your offerings.Tinbenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14661395078047234853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-18617707882471756712010-03-25T15:31:32.341-07:002010-03-25T15:31:32.341-07:00@joon - Spit goes clink, very funny unless you are...@joon - Spit goes clink, very funny unless you are in weather like that, then NOT funny at all. <br /><br />Loved the puzzle, got a little hung up in the IDEST area, but not too seriously.<br /><br />I agree that it was a little easy for Thursday, bot fun nonetheless.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-74973104545985107762010-03-25T15:15:07.776-07:002010-03-25T15:15:07.776-07:00@CCL and @Orange: A beautiful tribute indeed. Tha...@CCL and @Orange: A beautiful tribute indeed. Thanks for pointing it out.<br /><br />@Jeff: Thanks for stopping by! Really enjoyed your insights. Thought the theme was very clever and the puzzle overall was fantastic.<br /><br />Re: theme possibly being done before:<br />This is purely a guess, (and I know a "crossword book" was originally claimed), but maybe FaultFinder was actually thinking of Ashish Vengsarkar's <a href="http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2009/07/thursday-jul-30-2009-jiltee-of-myth.html" rel="nofollow">Repeat Offenders</a> NYT puzzle? Not really the same thing, though basically the same idea in reverse, without the number included. In any case, Joon and Rex already did a great job explaining why similar or even identical themes do <b>not</b> mean plagiarism. (And <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2236024/pagenum/all/" rel="nofollow">here's the link</a> to the Matt Gaffney article Rex mentioned, in case anyone else is interested.)<br /><br />Thanks again for the puzzle, Jeff (keep 'em coming!)<br />And of course, thanks for the writeup, PuzzleGirl!Lexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-80958870822321321102010-03-25T14:53:33.704-07:002010-03-25T14:53:33.704-07:00Figuring out the theme took me longer than I'd...Figuring out the theme took me longer than I'd admit to, but I enjoyed the AHA that went with it. Nice clean fill, and helpful crosses made it solving unknowns like SKEET possible. PG: you really made me think today & were clear/entertaining to boot!<br /><br />@Jeff C.: nice work! Hope to see more.<br /><br />@Joon & @ Amy &@Rex: thanks for answering the "charges" against the puzzle. Even if your comments don't convince an unrepetant anon. coward, it's good for ALL of us to be reminded of how the xwords come together and how each constructor/editor deals with the balance between "fresh" vs "banal" vs "obscure".split infinitivenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-63855114421941437792010-03-25T14:27:21.127-07:002010-03-25T14:27:21.127-07:00I liked this puzzle a lot! Didn't figure out t...I liked this puzzle a lot! Didn't figure out the theme until halfway throughm, but I did it mostly down anyway. Thanks for the comment, Jeff, the 4 Is had me laughing!<br /><br />It seems to me we had the Tartar discussion once before. <br /><br />@Orange, I agree, that was amazing about the 225 chairs. By the way, I can get the LAT puzzle again from my toolbar.<br /><br />@Joon: that is a perfect magazine or site for you!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-62450875387076877712010-03-25T14:19:17.055-07:002010-03-25T14:19:17.055-07:00PuzzleGirl I wasn't tricked by the Espana clue...PuzzleGirl I wasn't tricked by the Espana clue. TY!Crockett1947https://www.blogger.com/profile/06404431645533093707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-31443740794637985652010-03-25T14:04:29.437-07:002010-03-25T14:04:29.437-07:00I live in Northern CA and for me the 40's are ...I live in Northern CA and for me the 40's are chilly. Is it unsportsmanlike to say "neener, neener, neener"? (Sp?)<br /><br />Once I figured out 4 A's, 4 C's and 4 T's, this was fun. Took me much too long to figure it out though. Some mornings not even coffee helps.bluebellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07112978237190389791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-87318568074394325002010-03-25T13:56:54.772-07:002010-03-25T13:56:54.772-07:00OMSK was a gimmie since I had the KOREAN and the o...<i>OMSK was a gimmie since I had the KOREAN and the only other 4 letter former USSR city I know is Kiev, which is now in Ukraine.</i><br /><br />Ursk and Orsk. Four letters, end in a K and on the trans-siberian.Tuttlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-53635403133543125502010-03-25T13:00:16.582-07:002010-03-25T13:00:16.582-07:00@Jeff,
I just did this, speeding through, not rea...@Jeff,<br /><br />I just did this, speeding through, not really paying attention (typical), and halfway through I thought "hey ... I've done this puzzle ... I've *tested* this puzzle ..." Congrats. I know you worked hard to make the theme make sense (and I remember the 40s/"Chilly" issue very well — I live in NY, so I was like "???").<br /><br />"Plagiarism," jeez. Stupidest comment I've ever read from someone who appears to do a lot of xwords. <br /><br />Must have missed the article by Gaffney wherein he details writing an original puzzle only to discover that someone else had made almost the identical puzzle — same theme answers, in same positions, with very similar grids. It happens. Fact is that most grids have next-to-no original (i.e. never-been-used-in-xwords) words in them outside the theme answers. Non-theme fill here isn't scintillating, but it's very, very smooth, and anyone who does a ton of xwords can see this. <br /><br />Again, good job, Jeff.<br /><br />RPRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-71890646930031134562010-03-25T12:55:26.222-07:002010-03-25T12:55:26.222-07:00Here's the link CrazyCatLady mentioned, to the...Here's the link CrazyCatLady mentioned, to the <a href="http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/dan-naddor/" rel="nofollow">Wordplay remembrance</a>. The highlight: Learning that Dan's wife arranged the chairs like a crossword grid at his memorial service. 15x15, with 36 black squares in a symmetrical pattern among the white chairs.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-12021969805122230492010-03-25T12:40:29.171-07:002010-03-25T12:40:29.171-07:00One more thing. For those of you who are Dan Naddo...One more thing. For those of you who are Dan Naddor fans, there is a lovely tribute to him today on Wordplay @ the NYT. I would include a link if I knew how.CrazyCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00245025301434920905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-55941661686310641872010-03-25T11:49:10.082-07:002010-03-25T11:49:10.082-07:00@Rube Ok I put the L back in CCL. I just thought ...@Rube Ok I put the L back in CCL. I just thought it was shorter. No identity crisis or anything.<br />@Lit.doc Love coulrophobia - Fear of BOZOS. <br />@Jeff Thanks for a fun puzzle.CrazyCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00245025301434920905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-13121261002816777872010-03-25T11:34:21.150-07:002010-03-25T11:34:21.150-07:00Clever theme; puzzle seemed a bit easy for a Thurs...Clever theme; puzzle seemed a bit easy for a Thursday. I had one writeover: INFANTRY ATTACKS before MILITARY ATTACKS. I was moving across the grid from R to L so had ------RYATTACKS and infantry popped into mind. <br /><br />Wolf pack member: UBOAT was unknown to me. Looked it up after finishing. Also CARTEL for monopoly was a new slant to my understanding of that word.<br /><br />An odorant such as t-butyl mercaptan is added to odorless natural gas so leaks can be detected before an explosion occurs. It has a rotting cabbage-like smell.<br /><br />I'm still having trouble with cruciverb.com. I can get onto the site but when I click on LAT, I get gobbledygook. Is anyone else having this problem?shrub5https://www.blogger.com/profile/09466867716773759568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-49056449602011240352010-03-25T11:26:06.752-07:002010-03-25T11:26:06.752-07:00Ha! Orange gave Jeff a nose-job. For the uninform...Ha! Orange gave Jeff a nose-job. For the uninformed, a nose-job is exactly as Jeff described it, a comment which makes someone else egest liquid from their nose.Darrylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-30580818974868275642010-03-25T11:19:22.891-07:002010-03-25T11:19:22.891-07:00@Orange: hee hee hee hee! A little coffee went ou...@Orange: hee hee hee hee! A little coffee went out my nose when I read your response to FF. I think I will try constructing a puzzle using completely original words, around a BLORKFRAUDEING theme. I'm reasonably sure that has never been done before.<br /><br />@Joon: Excellent comment, it gets to the heart of an issue Rich and I went back on forth on. I sent this puzzle to Rex (thanks for the encouragement Rex!) several months ago, and your comment was right with his. Rich and I figured that this being the LA Times, the 40's would be chilly enough. I originally had BIGBEERBOTTLES but he thought it wasn't well known enough. True, it's been a long time since I've had a Mickey's Big Mouth (thankfully). <br /><br />Incidentally, I originally also had a fourth theme answer IIII, with PLAYGROUNDTAUNT as the answer, but Rich thought it was inconsistent, and being an insult wasn't desirable. <br /><br />Thanks for the comments, glad most people enjoyed it! FF, sorry you didn't. I certainly didn't plagarize it. I would be very interested to hear what kind of puzzles you would like to see in the future. Constructing is really fun, maybe you should give it a shot! I'd be happy to lend a hand if you would like. It's a bit of a steep learning curve.<br /><br />Jeff<br />jeffchen1972@gmail.comJeff Chenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09513769920700232986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-82802396460991427232010-03-25T10:45:12.264-07:002010-03-25T10:45:12.264-07:00hey fault finder: if you don't like the puzzle...hey fault finder: if you don't like the puzzle, that's your right. and if you think the fill is stale, well, you're certainly entitled to that opinion too. but accusing the constructor of blatant plagiarism is a serious charge, and one that you've made anonymously, like a true coward. there's no place for that here, or anywhere.<br /><br />there are hundreds of thousands of previous crosswords. the vast majority of themes have been "done before." but this theme was clever, and even though i have done a <i>lot</i> of crossword puzzles, i haven't seen it. so don't you try to tell me it wasn't a fresh, entertaining theme. if it really turns out that both the theme and the grid are lifted from an existing puzzle, then yes, that's likely to be plagiarism. but chances are it's just two people independently coming up with the same clever theme. i don't know what the word for that is, but "plagiarism" sure as hell ain't it.<br /><br />the only thing i didn't like about the theme, by the way, was the "clue" (actually answer) to TTTT. not only is it somewhat inelegant to use "fore" in the answer, but nothing about "chilly forecast" really suggests the 40s. i mean, the 50s are chilly too. (and the 60s, in my opinion, but i'm a cold wimp and i know it.) as are the 30s, and anything below. i suppose once you get down into the teens and colder, it goes from "chilly" to "really freaking cold" to "<a href="http://xkcd.com/526/" rel="nofollow">spit goes clink</a>."<br /><br />i can't think of a good alternate clue, though. VERY LARGE BEERS? MIDDLE AGE YEARS? there should be some way of cluing the 1940s, but i can't do it in 14 letters.<br /><br />CW 101 addendum: ALAR is sometimes clued as the trade name of daminozide. i've seen that one a few times, though only in very tough puzzles.<br /><br />and tinbeni, there are a few more 4-letter ex-USSR cities that pop up in puzzles: ORSK, OREL, and RIGA come immediately to mind.Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-43851470832799156202010-03-25T10:36:58.898-07:002010-03-25T10:36:58.898-07:00Found this puzzle more Tuesdayish than Thursday. ...Found this puzzle more Tuesdayish than Thursday. Omsk always makes me think of one of the territories in the board game Risk. Used to have a PC version of Risk. Played it all the time, sort of like Spider Solitaire today. <br /><br />Had a hard time with the clue about Bird. Kept thinking of the polar explorer. There's a connection here. Larry Bird was called "the hick from French Lick", making him a "yokel" or RUBE. Thanks @Tinbeni for the cigar. Too bad I don't smoke anymore, and if I did it wouldn't be cigars. Here's Mud in your eye, @CC, thanks for noticing too.<br /><br />By the way @CC. Why have you dropped "Lady" from your moniker? Or is there something here you would rather not talk about?<br /><br />Didn't we have SKEET here or in the NYT, clued almost identically, sometime within the last few weeks?Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773241241484881566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-91363257542100773702010-03-25T10:19:07.109-07:002010-03-25T10:19:07.109-07:00David-
Barry Silk, Byron Walden and Pat Merrill, ...David- <br />Barry Silk, Byron Walden and Pat Merrill, and I think BEQ, have used "stalactites" in their puzzles. But i'll grant you that it's not very common. So we have one good word. I'm giddy with excitement.FAULT FINDERnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-58112142906075558122010-03-25T09:49:31.625-07:002010-03-25T09:49:31.625-07:00@Orange - You mean the puzzle I just finished base...@Orange - You mean the puzzle I just finished based on this comments section won't pass muster? All the anwer/clue pairs are the captchas we've cited, clued by our comments about them, over the past month or so. Gotta tell you, totally awsome!Darrylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-41097721814833676102010-03-25T09:49:28.802-07:002010-03-25T09:49:28.802-07:00FF, what was the last puzzle you did that had STAL...FF, what was the last puzzle you did that had STALACTITE? When was the last time you did a puzzle that had more then three original words in it? When was the last time anyone cared if a word has been used and how often?*David*noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-55009294952911549662010-03-25T09:48:59.464-07:002010-03-25T09:48:59.464-07:00@John - It's noon. Where R U?
John probably w...@John - It's noon. Where R U?<br /><br />John probably won't be back, since Rex slammed him for too long comments yesterday. Too bad, because I enjoy his witty remarks.<br /><br />Mary in OregonMaryORnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-84882195753368576532010-03-25T09:46:19.852-07:002010-03-25T09:46:19.852-07:00@Puzzle Girl, one word. Coulrophobia. And no—for...@Puzzle Girl, one word. Coulrophobia. And no—for probably the first time eeever, I wasn’t tricked by the eñe. But thank you for asking.<br /><br />From the moment I saw what was going on, my inner child hoped that the theme-reveal would be a clue/answer reversal like “Some solvers’ responses to letter-repetition themes” (QQQQ). As it turned out, though, the puzzle was perfectly fine IMHO, if a bit easy for Thursday.lit.dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729199575329286046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-85930834566727189982010-03-25T09:42:17.345-07:002010-03-25T09:42:17.345-07:00orange, you know damned well what I mean.
I know t...orange, you know damned well what I mean.<br />I know the rules about made-up words.<br />I'm talking about words that haven't been used in every crossword puzzle.<br />Tell me one that's in this puzzle.FAULT FINDERnoreply@blogger.com