tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post5175780314314272419..comments2024-01-25T10:14:06.567-08:00Comments on L.A. Crossword Confidential: FRIDAY, April 24, 2009 — Robert H. WolfeOrangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-54107817054555689632009-04-25T00:49:00.000-07:002009-04-25T00:49:00.000-07:00I'm not as enthusiastic about the "clever" (a.k.a....I'm not as enthusiastic about the "clever" (a.k.a. obscure) clues that so many puzzlemakers use. I don't have a home computer and I can't spend all day chasing clues around in Google at work. (I do puzzles on break.) Some of Dan's clues are so obscure that they make no sense until after I find the word. <br /><br />To me, a crossword should be a test of vocabulary, not music or sports trivia or some obscure geographic area no one has heard of. I do wish that the puzzlemakers would throw those of us without easy access to Google a bone and include more sensible clues that at least fill in some of the spaces in the obscure ones. A fighting chance, IOW.housemousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13137171147080803261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-86008273930350852542009-04-24T20:32:00.000-07:002009-04-24T20:32:00.000-07:00Not a very enjoyable exercise early this morning, ...Not a very enjoyable exercise early this morning, for lack of my dead tree NYT (I'm in NY, beautiful day, women giving birth on 5th avenue). This UNLV and No Air section was unfair. I was happy to meet Poe in the puzzle after reading the article George in NY recommended. <br />Sad, the Yankees lost.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-82736361336765371782009-04-24T16:51:00.000-07:002009-04-24T16:51:00.000-07:00Tell me more about "one."
:)
rp
PS I had this ...Tell me more about "one." <br /><br />:)<br /><br />rp<br /><br />PS I had this dream where the Saturday LAT write-up was already up ... weird.Rex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-5287183097481688482009-04-24T15:43:00.000-07:002009-04-24T15:43:00.000-07:00P.S. Of course, "one" doesn't just refer to a pers...P.S. Of course, "one" doesn't just refer to a personal pronoun. It's also a pronoun that can apply to objects. "I have a car. Do you have one?"Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-40389702629413924892009-04-24T15:42:00.000-07:002009-04-24T15:42:00.000-07:00@Wayne, I love that Ohrwurm! I'm switching to the ...@Wayne, I love that Ohrwurm! I'm switching to the German from here on out.<br /><br />The type of clues you list are examples of exceptions to the "clues and answers will always be the same part of speech" rule. One's a sentence and one's a word! In the NYT, I think such clues usually start with "it" rather than "one." I could be making this up. Anyone else know if the LAT usually uses "it" or if the NYT also uses the "one" version?Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-13473278924502776692009-04-24T15:27:00.000-07:002009-04-24T15:27:00.000-07:00I did not enjoy the puzzle until I figured out the...I did not enjoy the puzzle until I figured out the abbreviated clues. I kept thinking that "Walking on thin ice" was by the Eurythmics but then I did some googling and realized that "Walking on Broken Glass" was what I was thinking of. And, of course, it became an "Ohrwurm" which is German for "ear worm", something that gets stuck in your head and you keep singing, humming, thinking about it, etc.<br /><br />I may be nitpicking but i've noticed a grammatical usage in today's and yesterday's puzzles which is irritating me. Today's clue, "one might be run before bedtime" (a bath) and yesterday's "one leaving a wake" (a hearse). Usually when "one" is used as an indefinite pronoun, it refers to a person (as in, "one never knows what will happen next"). A better way to clue these might be, "it might be run before bedtime". Am I wrong, or does anything go in cluing crosswords?Waynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16165259499917393643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-80128265740912815032009-04-24T14:48:00.000-07:002009-04-24T14:48:00.000-07:00Ugh. The only thing worse than doing this puzzle ...Ugh. The only thing worse than doing this puzzle was making an error (ENO for ONO) and then having to go through all the clues once more to uncover the mistake.<br /><br />Me no like.Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10412634072650228847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-10213457406462481502009-04-24T12:22:00.001-07:002009-04-24T12:22:00.001-07:00And now for something completely different...........And now for something completely different.........the......Larch...Old Girl from Pgh.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02862514755173597625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-64558709554315894782009-04-24T12:22:00.000-07:002009-04-24T12:22:00.000-07:00I Did Not spell Neeson correctly, and thus couldn'...I Did Not spell Neeson correctly, and thus couldn't find a road starting with B to complete "B... Up Third." Sigh. <br />I had no idea people used larch for anything. Mmm, look at my new larch floors. Contemplated Beech for too long, because I don't know college sports to save my life.Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03503942337165432288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-50678354699145516712009-04-24T11:08:00.000-07:002009-04-24T11:08:00.000-07:00There are some advantages to age, as Ben Casey, w...There are some advantages to age, as <I> Ben Casey,</I> was a fun memory, especially SAM JAFFE as Dr. Zorba, who with the drawing of the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard,intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." at the beginning of every episode. It was also great that the show premiered the same time as <I> Dr. Kildare</I>. Richard Chamberlain and Vince Edwards were the Dr. McDreamies of their era.Lemonade714https://www.blogger.com/profile/13642909374639570868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-39836709164351670192009-04-24T09:39:00.000-07:002009-04-24T09:39:00.000-07:00The puzzle was all over the place for me, at least...The puzzle was all over the place for me, at least thats the way I solved it.<br /><br />The Larch. Sounds like something in a Monty Python Sketch, "Oh Shut UP! This is a Hold UP, Not a Botany Lesson!"Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-39154146803211713342009-04-24T09:36:00.000-07:002009-04-24T09:36:00.000-07:00I liked the theme in theory, I just (really) disli...I liked the theme in theory, I just (really) disliked the implementation. Without the abbreviations the theme answers overall would be underwhelming. With them: same thing. Maybe if the abbreviations brought another meaning, like if ON THE PRAIRIE OWL becomes ON THE PROWL or something?<br /><br />I used to kick it root down, but I've switched to like Tae Bo.SethGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13753036404140901368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-74819512338558033412009-04-24T09:30:00.000-07:002009-04-24T09:30:00.000-07:00I agree. Painful while doing it, no better afterwa...I agree. Painful while doing it, no better afterward.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-47454749735664213572009-04-24T09:11:00.000-07:002009-04-24T09:11:00.000-07:00I live in California. Do we even grow LARCH here? ...I live in California. Do we even grow LARCH here? I liked 21Down: FORGO, because of the FOREGOES discussion a few days ago. This helped cement the differences for me. I also am old enough to remember Richard Chamberlin and Vince Edwards duking it out for the doctor show ratings in the 60's. To expand on Anonymous' and Denise's comments above, Chamberlin's Kildare was the clean-cut blond good-boy doctor and Edwards' Ben Casey was the dark-haired rebel. I remember that one visual clue to Casey's rebel status was his white hospital coat, with a few dark chest hairs curling from the slightly opened neck. Kildare, in contrast was, literally, buttoned up. It's impossible now to convey how controversial those half-dozen curling hairs were at the time.<br />I liked the theme, found it tricky but , eventually doable.gjelizabethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-29678756255648073912009-04-24T09:06:00.000-07:002009-04-24T09:06:00.000-07:00And now...
No. 1....
The Larch
(I give the puzz...And now...<br /><br />No. 1....<br /><br />The Larch<br /><br />(I give the puzzle a "meh" - not very satisfying for me.)jeff in chicagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10492964479021891094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-50977178002490773832009-04-24T08:46:00.000-07:002009-04-24T08:46:00.000-07:00I thought it was a clever theme/gimmick and got it...I thought it was a clever theme/gimmick and got it quickly from HWY ROBBERY... Also, I finished in good time for me, remembering VINCE, etc. <br /><br />I liked the trickiness of NO U-turn, but resisted LARCH for a bit -- it's not one I'd have considered a "durable" wood. Will have to look it up.ArtLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869528391374878601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-91793911614168993762009-04-24T08:28:00.000-07:002009-04-24T08:28:00.000-07:00Crockett, see my 4/19 post for a fuller ELO crossw...Crockett, see <A HREF="http://latcrossword.blogspot.com/2009/04/sunday-april-19-2009-syndicated-puzzle.html" REL="nofollow">my 4/19 post</A> for a fuller ELO crosswordese discussion. I suspect Rex didn't want the blog to repeat itself and so glossed over ELO today.<br /><br />Hey! You people are supposed to be reading every post and studying your Crosswordese 101 lessons. There may be pop quizzes, after all.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-22830557902549186312009-04-24T08:22:00.000-07:002009-04-24T08:22:00.000-07:00Vince Edwards was George Clooney good-looking in a...Vince Edwards was George Clooney good-looking in a darker, more brooding way with VERY dark, heavy eyebrows and a gruff, but very sexy manner. <br /><br />As soon as I did one abbreviation, I got the theme and the puzzle seemed easy.Denisenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-83097631911007757782009-04-24T08:10:00.000-07:002009-04-24T08:10:00.000-07:00Rex, in your Crosswordese 101 you mention ELO at t...Rex, in your Crosswordese 101 you mention ELO at the beginning and then had no discussion. Can you add some more comments to tie it together? Thanks.Crockett1947https://www.blogger.com/profile/06404431645533093707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-50352533889106893092009-04-24T07:40:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:40:00.000-07:00I liked the puzzle. Vince Edwards as Dr. Ben Case...I liked the puzzle. Vince Edwards as Dr. Ben Casey was the answer to Richard Chamberlain's Dr. Kildare. You liked one or the other. Depending upon if you liked brown vs. blue eyes. <br /><br />Must agree with LARCH. Didn't know it was used for anything. But the bunches of needles are really cute when they emerge in the spring. It is a deciduous conifer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-29858170013722335342009-04-24T07:31:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:31:00.000-07:00I thought the theme was clever and I wasn't bother...I thought the theme was clever and I wasn't bothered by any of the things that irked Rex. I was actually surprised by his comments. But that's what makes horse racing...Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14376277682993763836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-34829734523022097532009-04-24T07:30:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:30:00.000-07:00Being waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay older than the rest of yo...Being waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay older than the rest of you....I actually knew Vince Edwards..a gimme! I don't agree with Rex about this one. I was able to finish in a tad over 20 min. (good for me) and enjoyed the "theme". Saw you all in Brooklyn in Feb. Hope to see you again next year!Old Girl from Pgh.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02862514755173597625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-62270585587198515272009-04-24T07:25:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:25:00.000-07:00I'm with Rex on this one... Not my favourite LA Ti...I'm with Rex on this one... Not my favourite LA Times by a long shot either. So-so theme, little really exciting long fill. And quite easy for a Friday. Exception as Rex said the N-central area. NOAIR, NOU (crossing NO's... not ideal but not criminal) were gimmes actually, LARCH not so bad. But VINCE, UNLV, and CCED got me bad with the parsing of 18A. The CCED was actually for the right reason though - went through CBED and CUED first...<br /> On the plus-side the two 4X6's were very neat, and that's not as easy to pull off as it looks. Actually ONO was an easy for me (but I agree Rex, it's easy super-cryptic or a gimmee) but only because I remembered "Walking on thin ice" from a discussion on cruciverb<br /><br />GarethGareth Bainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17770425154034935768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-80699749380579205602009-04-24T07:20:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:20:00.000-07:00Joon, I don't usually get too exercised about smal...Joon, I don't usually get too exercised about small duplications (unless I'm in a mood). I thought SOEVER was terrible until I looked it up in the dictionary and learned that it's one of those archaic or poetic/literary words, and the clue captures the meaning just fine.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-29892366941802036872009-04-24T07:15:00.000-07:002009-04-24T07:15:00.000-07:00ha! i tried both BEECH and BIRCH. not to mention m...ha! i tried both BEECH <I>and</I> BIRCH. not to mention my first thought, EBONY, back when i had UTEP instead of UNLV. really tough section, especially with the mystery VINCE crossing the mystery duet. and hey, why wasn't RUES abbreviated? :p<br /><br />on the other hand, i did kind of like the theme. couldn't crack it until i got all the way down to HW___, but after that it was kind of fun.<br /><br />but i'm a little shocked that you didn't have anything (negative) to say about SOEVER. i did not like SOEVER, moreSO in such close proximity to SOSO.Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.com