Ryan solves the NYT, Fri 7-30-10

"Our dog poisoner isn't a dog poisoner. He's a meth lab exploder man."  Has anybody been watching the show from which this line comes?  It's kind of ridiculous but I'm really enjoying it.

Today's puzzle is by Kevin G. Der - "Hyphen" - Youkilis, Creator of the Saddest Cartoon of All Time.  It's a fun Friday puzzle with 2 sets of 15-letter triple stacks but I got all kinds of stuck in the bottom left and eventually had to turn to the big G.

52A. It was put on decades ago (VINTAGE CLOTHING).  I don't know why I couldn't figure this out but I sure couldn't.  All I could think of was JAZZ AGE CLOTHING which sorta makes sense but not really.

55A. Elaborate (ENTER INTO DETAIL).  Is this a phrase?  The phrase I'm familiar with is GO INTO DETAIL.  I had INTO DETAIL but couldn't get the rest.

56A. Tip over, say (LOSE ONES BALANCE).  This happens to me a lot so I was able to get the answer pretty easily.

Then there were some musical clues I didn't know.  PIANINO.  (Isn't that an Italian sandwich?)  ENFANTS.  Wow, French and music, not a good combo for me.  The combos I like are the pretzels with the nacho cheese inside.  I also didn't know HINNY or RAFE and couldn't think of SPEARS so this whole corner was a big bowl of mystery.

I did get the top triple stack.  STOCKING STUFFER was a Christmas trifle.  MACHINE READABLE is a quality of bar codes.  AUTO ACCESSORIES I got with barely any crosses.  And I don't even own a car.  Although there is a Mazda out there on the side of the Mass Turnpike that spends its days mocking me.

Other highlights:

32A. Quahogs (HARD CLAMS).  I like this phrase and I plan on using it a great deal.

2D. Bullish (TAURINE).  Isn't this what's in energy drinks.  They don't put bull extract in them, do they?

14D. "Have mercy," in a Mass (ELEISON).  Are we talking about in the commonwealth of Massachusetts or in church on Sunday?

38D. One of the seven hills of Rome (CAELIAN).  I think I might have missed this one when we were there.  I saw the other six though.

49D. Italian sweet? (CARO).  I 100% do not understand this.

50D. Sage exiled on the planet Dagobah (YODA).  I think this puzzle is hard enough as it is.  Perhaps an easier clue would have been "In 482 BBY, this member of a mysterious species traveled to Kushibah in search of a new Padawan. There among the diminutive Kushiban, this member of a mysterious species discovered young Ikrit, who proved strong in the Force, and took him to be trained as a Jedi. By around 400 BBY, when Beldorion left the Jedi Order, this member of a mysterious species could be considered one of the greatest Masters in Jedi history, comparable with Nomi Sunrider or Thon, both of whom had lived more than 3,500 years earlier".

53D. Sports supporter (TEE).  Ok, who among you didn't immediately enter in BRA?

Workbook questions:

1. How old does clothing have to be before it makes the transition from just old to vintage?
2. Possible theme answer PIANINO PANINI.  What is the clue?
3. Please get me started.  Use HARD CLAMS in a sentence.
   

Next stop, Saturday.

Ryan solves the NYT, Thu 7-29-10

I watched the first episode of Masterchef yesterday.  Terrible, terrible show.  So stagey and predictable.  Gordon Ramsey is becoming a cheesy caricature of his charming self.  And yet, I can't wait for the next episode.  What's wrong with me?

Today's puzzle is by Rob Reiner's Pilates Friend, Peter A. Collins and features a MIDDLE SCHOOL theme.  The theme answers all have a school name hidden somewhere in the middle.

18A. Golf groundskeepers' tools (SAND RAKES).  DRAKE.

22A. Broncos' home, once (MILE HIGH STADIUM).  LEHIGH.

47A. Place for an N.H.L. logo (CENTER ICE CIRCLE).  RICE.

53A. "Keep your eyes open!" (STAY ALERT).  YALE.

It's a fine theme but, honestly, I'm used to a little more cleverness from Peter.  That's what you get when you set the bar so high.  It is a good, solid Thursday puzzle though.

Other highlights:

16A. "Be-Bop-___" (ALULA).  The first L was the last letter I put in the grid.  I certainly didn't know OLAND either.

17A. Enchanted world in "Return of the Jedi" (ENDOR).  Second day in a row with ENDOR in the grid.  Although for a today an easier clue might have been "Enchanted home of a number of semisentient species including the winged Wisties, the predatory Grass Trekkers, the Gorax, and the plant-like beings known as Dandelion warriors".

4D. "The pot's all yours" (I LOSE).  I wanted this to be either IM OUT or I FOLD.

31D. Titter in a tweet (LOL).  IEAQOTOAH!

39D. Fourth of 12 (APRIL).  This one took me way too long.

43D. Airplane heading (VECTOR).  What's your vector, Victor?

Workbook questions:

1. Use Be-Bop-A-Lula in a sentence.
2. How did middle school go for you?
3. What could be another fourth in a series of 12?

Next stop, Friday.

Ryan solves the NYT, Wed 7-28-10

Yesterday I recommended that people watch the new AMC show Rubicon because of a crossword puzzle plot device.  Today, I discovered a Rubicon-themed crossword puzzle on the NYT site.  It's not very difficult but it is by Fred Piscop and is a fun solve.  Here's the link.

In other news I finally bought Red Dead Redemption for the xbox 360.  Very excited.  If any of you have the game and are on xbox live let me know.  Maybe we can wrangle up a posse together.  I was looking at some message boards to see what other people think of the game and I came across a post that pretty much demonstrates everything I hate about message boards:

I cant put it down!!!!! I been playing the game for over 20 hours and i think i only have 70 points on it, not because its hard but because i get lost. LOL I wanna do some mission but then 3 dears jump in front of me and well i have to kill them and skin them lol, then some boar show up lol or some plants or some random stranger asking for help. Not to mention the countless hour i spent just playing poker. I have to say that this is for sure THE MOST FUN GAME i have ever played.

It defies explanation.

Today's puzzle is by Howard Baker (Debut! Lifetime!) and features an intricate and somewhat weird theme.

There is a long answer that represents the title of the story that is behind theme.  It's spread out over a number of entries:

MR. IGGINS AND MISS DOOLITTLE ATTEMPT TO SOLVE A CROSSWORD

Sprinkled throughout the grid are answers that Miss Doolittle might give in her cockney accent.

5A. Professor says "Stocking stocker," pupil suggests ... (OSIER).

36A. Professor says "Qualifying races," pupil suggests ... (EATS).

39A. Professor says "Ax wielder," pupil suggests ... (EWER).

70A. Professor says "Equine restraint," pupil suggests ... (ALTER).

So, it's clever.  Definitely.  There's just this intangible weirdness about it that keeps me from loving it.  Good for Mr. Baker though for coming up with something none of us have seen before.  I look forward to his future puzzles.

Other highlights:

46A. Biblical witch's home (ENDOR).  Which part of the Bible has the Ewoks?

5D. Kobe sash (OBI).  Let's see how many Star Wars entries we can get without ever mentioning the movie in the clues.

29D. Earth, in sci-fi (TERRA).  Doesn't this also mean Earth in regular old sci?

40D. Signs of leaks (WET SPOTS).  Nice, someone finally figured out how to sneak WET SPOTS into the NYT.

Workbook questions:

1. If people need to type LOL then fine but I think everybody should be alloted a finite number of them for each calendar year.  Any ideas on how to police this?
2. What was Moff Kentor Sarne's role in the Bible?
3. What are the sci-fi names of the other planets in our solar system?

Next stop, Thursday.

Ryan solves the NYT, Tue 7-27-10

Anybody watch the sneak preview of Rubicon on AMC?  It’s a little hard to tell what’s going on from the first episode but it has something to do with conspiracy theories.  The reason I bring it up is crossword puzzles have a pivotal role in driving the story forward.  I think it’s going to be repeated on Sunday.  Seems like a fun show.

Today’s puzzle is by Mike Torch and features THE WHOLE theme.

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

THE WHOLE SHEBANG

THE WHOLE SHOOTING MATCH

THE WHOLE SCHMEAR

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS

Every once in a while I’ll say THE WHOLE SHEBANG but I never use the other ones.  My go to THE WHOLE phrase is THE WHOLE MAGILLA and, my favorite, THE WHOLE MAMBO JAMBO.

Other highlights:

19A. Pindar, notably (ODIST).  I guess I haven’t been doing crosswords long enough.  I thought Pindar was a type of cloth.

68A. Potter's potions professor (SNAPE).  This is the one Harry Potter fact I know.  I saw the first movie, Alan Rickman was fantastic as usual and it stuck with me.  Pickles really wants me to read the books but I’m still resistant.  I may be wavering though.

2D. Track bettors play them (PONIES).  Some day.

5D. Salad bar bowlful (OIL).  Weird clue.  Since when do salad bars have bowlfuls of oil sitting around?

61D. ___ Party movement (TEA).  Eek.

Workbook questions:

1. What is your favorite THE WHOLE phrase?
2. Was your life enhanced by reading the Harry Potter books?
3. What item would you like see in bowlfuls at the salad bar?

Next stop, Wednesday.

Fill Me In #112: Context, no context

Our motto: What happens in Studio B stays in Studio B.

Our two top features got mangled in the editing room, so you're left with Ryan playing the vuvuzela and Brian reciting a small portion of "Mairzy Doats." Also in this episode:

• Brian's phone rings
• Brian yells at Ryan
• Brian likes Jeremy Horwitz of the Jetz, but didn't like his puzzle
• Ryan... does some stuff.

Angst outweighs content once again. And guess what -- Lollapuzzoola happens really soon. Read about it now. And Puzzle 1 drops at 11am.

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone joining us for a Mets game on August 13, we'll meet you by the ticket window at 6:40pm. Or, if you're not there on time, buy tickets in the far left field corner, anything in sections 524-538. We'll be in that area.

Zambezi and oat. Buy our stuff.

Fill Me In #112: Context, no context

Ryan solves the NYT, Mon 7-25-10

What happened to the shade?  There has been zero shade in NYC for the past few days.  Doesn’t matter what time it is or where you stand.  There is no shade.  Is NYC like Peter Pan?  Has it lost its shadow?

Today’s puzzle is by Janet R. Bender and is a solid, well-constructed Monday puzzle.  There’s nothing all that thrilling about it but I always find it nice to shoot through an easy puzzle after the mind crushers of the weekend.

The theme is about as basic as you can get.  Two word phrases where both words start with a C.

17A. County ENE of San Francisco (CONTRA COSTA).

27A. What a programmer writes (COMPUTER CODE). 

43A. Monica player on "Friends" (COURTENEY COX).

57A. Winter afflictions (COMMON COLDS).

And there is your theme.

Other highlights:

16A. ___ Today (newspaper) (USA).  Home of everybody’s least favorite crossword.

38A. "No ___!" ("Uncle!," in Spanish) (MAS).  What happens when you yell TIO in Mexico?

29D. Chief Norse god (ODIN).  Gosh, where would we be without Odin?

Wow, this may be the most unexciting puzzle I’ve come across.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it but it is completely unremarkable.

Workbook questions:

1. Monica Player sounds like the name of an athlete.  What sport does she play?
2. When you feel a cold coming on are you one of those people, like me, who heads straight for the grocery store and buys a carton of OJ?  Does the OJ ever prevent the cold from happening?
3. If you were a god what would you like to be the god of?

Next stop, Tuesday.

Ryan solves the NYT 7-25-10

We’re going to see Inception later today so the universe only has 3 or 4 hours left to try to ruin it for me.  I figure if I put it out there like that then there’s no way it will happen.

Ok, it’s way too late so this is going to be a short post.  The puzzle today was constructed by Alan Arbesfeld, a guy I thought was from New Zealand, then Canada and now I’m not sure from where he hails.  The theme is UP STARTS.  The first letter of in-the-language phrases is moved up one space in the alphabet to create out-of-the-language phrases.

23A. Cause for Adam to refuse the apple? (FAST OF EDEN).
28A. Precamping preparation? (TENT PACKING).
35A. Christmas, for Christians? (SEASON TO BELIEVE).
51A. Bountiful harvest? (DREAM OF THE CROP).
67A. Independence Day barbecue serving? (CORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY).
86A. Unnecessary part of a jacket? (HOOD FOR NOTHING).
98A. Ultimatum from a spouse who wants nicer digs? (MOVE ME OR LEAVE ME).
106A. Refusing to watch football on New Year's Day? (NIXING BOWLS).
119A. Nathan's annual hot-dog contest, e.g.? (EATING GAME).

I’ll probably be completely alone with this but the theme just didn’t grab me.  The clues were a little on the nonsense side, the entries were a little on the nonsense side and I just didn’t find myself caring all that much about it.  Every once in a while a Sunday puzzle will just take me too long to finish and my interest will simply peter out.  That’s what happened here.  I got about 90% done and moved on to other parts of my life.  Is that lame?  Maybe.  Even after blogging about these puzzles for over two years I’m still not sure why some Sundays are super fun and a blast to solve and why others feel like homework.  Thoughts?

A few highlights:

19A. PBS figure from 1968 to 2001 (FRED ROGERS).  First appearance of FRED ROGERS in the WSE of the NYT.  Crazy.

59A. Robert Downey Jr. title role (IRON MAN).  Why are sequels bad?  Why can’t they be good continuations of entertaining films?

7D. One subjugated by Cyrus the Great (MEDE).  Man oh man, was that Mede ever subjugated.  Of all the subjugated entities in history I’d say Mede was probably the most subjugated.  (I have no idea what the clue or answer means.)

16D. Patron saint of goldsmiths (ELOI).  Another ELOI?  This is the crossword equivalent of a cinnamon babka.

54D. Mr. Peanut prop (TOP HAT).  For a guy who doesn’t wear any pants he sure has a lot of props.

101D. Alternative to Cialis (VIAGRA).  The symbol for Cialis is two people in separate bathtubs.  How does this demonstrate the effectiveness claimed by the product makers?

Workbook questions:

1. How many hot dogs and buns could you eat in 10 minutes?
2. During his prime would you be able to beat Fred Rogers in a hot dog eating contest?
3. How many props would you need to feel comfortable leaving the house without pants?

Next stop, Monday.

Ryan doesn’t really solve the NYT, Sat 7-24-10

This may seem hard to believe but Lollapuzzoola 3: The Great Pickle Giveaway is only 3 weeks away.  Crazy.  It’s going to be a great time.  If you haven’t registered, what are you waiting for?

Well, I tried.  I tried to solve David J. Kahn’s Saturday puzzle.  I did my patented “work on it in bed on Friday night, fall asleep with 5% of the grid filled in, wake up Saturday morning and desperately try to figure out the rest while watching the Dodger game from the night before” method.  No luck.  I’d say I figured out a good 40% of the puzzle.  I got the rebus.  The rebus!! On a Saturday!!  But, in the end, there was just too much I didn’t know.

The rebus was fun and meta.  AHA was shoved into 5 different boxes.  I figured it out with AHA MOMENT.  That was fun.  I had an aha moment while figuring out aha moment.  Good times.

I also got YAMAHAS, OMAHAS, MIA HAMM, MAHALIA and TALLAHASEE but didn’t come close to getting MINNEHAHA or SAHARA.  In fact, the bottom right was the only section that I really completely figured out.  Most of the rest of the puzzle was shrouded in mystery.

1A. Some Guinness Book listings (FIRSTS).  Because I had LASSES instead of FILLES, INTO IT instead of IN DEEP, MDS instead of RNS and THOU instead of THEE I wound up with LIMITS here.  Not a great start.

7A. Sources of woods used for saunas (ASPENS).  I went with CEDARS.

14A. Nonabrasive leather (CHAMOIS).  For this one I decided 7 blank squares was my best bet.

16A. Grandma or grandpa (OLDSTER).  Shouldn’t this be “Grandma or grandpa, possibly”?  I know quite a few grandparents that I wouldn’t consider oldsters.

17A. Went back to the buffet, say (HAD MORE).  Sticking with my own personal theme of getting everything wrong I entered in ATE MORE.

19A. Two-___ (SEATER).  My guess: Two-FISTED. 

32A. Film studio stock (STILLS).  So you’re saying B ROLLS is incorrect?

45A. Tomfoolery (PRANKS).  I got this one!  Woohoo!  This bottom left area was completed screwed by my entry of MAHARAJAS instead of MAHARANEES.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who made this mistake but I had no idea how to get out of it.

65A. Place for barkers? (SEALERY).  Good God.  Why did I even attempt this puzzle?

13D. Yellowstone sight (MOOSE).  Hey, check me out.  I got this one.  Thank god GEYSER didn’t fit.

You know, I could go on and on.  To sum up, this puzzle was way outside my wheelhouse.  If was to mail something from my wheelhouse to where this puzzle was I would most certainly have needed more than just 44 cents of postage.  And that’s if I just wanted to mail an envelope.  If we’re talking about a package I’m not if it would even have been worth it.  Look, you’re just going to have to pick it up, alright.  What am I, made of money? 

Anyway, this puzzle was hard.

Workbook questions:

1. Can you take the name of any animal, add ERY and that becomes a place where said animals are?  Has anyone ever visited a moosery?
2. Where was your aha moment for this puzzle?
3. Does a rebus on a Saturday constitute cruel and unusual punishment?

Next stop, Sunday.

Two more errors maintains Brian's non-solving streak! (Fri., 7-23-10)

Site update: We have Lollapuzzoola puzzles from '08 and '09 up. Click the PUZZLES link above.

Also: Lollapuzzoola 3 kicks off at 11am. Show up before that to register.

I have issues with comparative thinking. And this might be part of the reason I can't solve crosswords. If I'm, say, at the grocery store, I will likely stand in the cereal aisle for twenty minutes reading the sides of the boxes to try and figure out which one will provide me with the most optimal combination of taste, nutrition and overall enjoyment. But I stare at them, and can't seem to draw enough comparisons in my mind between Corn Flakes and Kix to make a sensible decision. Twenty minutes later, I'm annoyed to still be in the cereal aisle, and now I hate breakfast.

I'm not sure how this ties into crosswords, but I'm working on that part. Maybe it has something to do with making the proper connections between the clue on the page and the intended answer in the grid. I don't see what the rest of you see. Like 3-D movies. I can't see those either.

Anyway. John Farmer has made today's puzzle, and although I finished it in 20 minutes, I had three mistakes. One was a crossing of two things I'd never heard of, and the other was just plain wrong, but could have been right. My problems:

• 20A. Fort named for a Civil War major general : ORD. I thought it was ORT. I realize now that ORT is a table scrap (not that I've ever heard of it outside of a puzzle, but whatever). And this crossed one of the four 15s in the puzzle, GRAND INQUISITOR (1D. Christ's visitor in a tale from "The Brothers Karamazov"), which looked fine as GRANT INQUISITOR. What do I know? Not much.
• 49A. Ranch in the 1956 film "Giant" : REATA. This crossed two places that were mysteries to me. The first was at 53D. ___ Air (carrier to Taiwan). It's EVA, but why not EVE? Furthermore, 49D. Brogue, e.g. was SHOE, which I don't get at all. Isn't a brogue like a Scottish accent? The two completely non-normal clues for REATA and SHOE, combined with the coin flip EVE/EVA made that area meaningless.

So here I ask -- those of you out there who are seemingly startled every time you no-Google a puzzle (Bruce Sutphin, Ryan Hecht, I'm talking to you). Do you just happen to guess it right? Maybe you knew this corner, but in corners like this. Do you just guess it right? I mean, at some point, you decide you're done, and that's that. If you're solving on paper or in Across Lite, how do you know you've got it right? By the "well, I'm finished!" standard, I may as well have no-Googled this. I only checked it against XWordInfo.com so I didn't make the same stupid kind of ABC/EBC mistake I made in yesterday's blog.

Other highlights:

• 6A. Alternative : PLAN B
• 10D. Subject of "Eight Men Out" : BLACK SOX SCANDAL. I wrote a musical about the Black Sox Scandal, believe it or not.
• 17A. Actor Auberjonois : RENE. I want to see his last name in a puzzle. Also, I went to college with his son.
• 33A. Sporcle.com feature : QUIZ. Check out sporcle.com if you haven't been there. It's either fun (if you're brilliant), or a metaphorical kick in the face from Jeremy Horwitz if you're stupid like me.
• 52A. In a precarious position : ON THE RAZOR'S EDGE. Our friend Sammy The Dentist used to go by the nickname The Razor.
• 60A. Growing area of commerce : ETAIL. I wanted this to have something to do with growing. I hate the word "etail."

If you're good boys and girls, Ryan will return soon, and you won't have to put up with my lousy attitude this weekend.

Workbook Questions:

1. Apparently, Jeremy Horwitz of the Jetz is not going to kick me in the face at Lollapuzzoola. I'm currently full of self-loathing, for a variety of irrational reasons. Can I get one of you to kick me in the face?
2. Speaking of Lollapuzzoola -- does anyone have any friends in the NYC area who might like to volunteer for us? We have room for several people, but most specifically, I am seeking someone with experience in Microsoft Excel. They just need to enter data, but understanding how to navigate a spreadsheet is important.
3. Did the 4-way symmetry of this puzzle today make solving it more fun? Did it matter at all?