No Jon Delfin at the contest either.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2022 17:03 (two years ago) link
re 56A Sometimes it seems as if constructors are poring through lifestyle magazines trying to find cutesy terms that will be recognizable only to an extremely limited in-group and will be used by no one whatsover in a year's time. It's all a big cuddle puddle.
― Josefa, Saturday, 2 April 2022 18:00 (two years ago) link
Stuck in SW, very possibly a DNF as I sit on 999 puzzles solved.
― Ace of Base Are Belong To Us (Leee), Saturday, 2 April 2022 18:46 (two years ago) link
wait so you are on the cusp of a 1,000 day streak?
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2022 19:13 (two years ago) link
Also:
Best of luck, all ye who dare to enter the Marriott of Stamford!Seriously, I miss you all already, but please have a blast and remember: "No sleep till Puzzle 5" ❤#acpt #acpt2022 @StamfordMarriot pic.twitter.com/VdfGEBmmyA— Deb Amlen (@DebAmlen) April 1, 2022
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2022 19:17 (two years ago) link
999 is the total number of puzzles I've solved once I started playing in the app, and my current streak is only at 316.
― Ace of Base Are Belong To Us (Leee), Saturday, 2 April 2022 23:43 (two years ago) link
I found NYT Sat very hard, I had to use the "check puzzle" several times and I know that means I am dead to everyone ITT
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 3 April 2022 00:32 (two years ago) link
No worries.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 00:53 (two years ago) link
I caved and just looked up 23D, and 51A. IMO awful clues and awful answers, but at least my streak is intact.
― Ace of Base Are Belong To Us (Leee), Sunday, 3 April 2022 00:57 (two years ago) link
Those two I could figure out.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 01:18 (two years ago) link
But not the one mookie mentioned
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 01:25 (two years ago) link
are you all figuring these puzzles out without doing some internet searches? I would like to, but I don't give a shit about sports stars, sports stats, sports in general including team initials, the Simpsons, US TV networks, government agencies, comics, brand names, etc and I will never learn them, so unless it's a Monday or Tuesday puzzle I won't be able to solve them without help.
I wish there were more clues about stuff I like but there aren't
― Dan S, Sunday, 3 April 2022 01:46 (two years ago) link
I just get them on random recollections of headlines, and otherwise from the crosses. But yeah I never search for answers, it feels like a slippery slope. On the plus side I now know about five baseball stars' names. But I curse the designer who clues something like "batter stat." and it turns out to be FJL or some other useless chunk of initials.I allow myself "check puzzle" if I've run the list of unsolved clues twice without cracking anything, but that's only once or twice a week except for this one, where I had to use it about 4 or 5 times - like climbing a difficult pitch using a safety rope.
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 3 April 2022 01:58 (two years ago) link
You could try some British crosswords, not necessarily cryptics, but some of their general knowledge puzzles, which are often called “quick” crosswords. The grids are only half-checked, so you don’t end up with any of the crosswordese glue you need in US puzzles.
― Michael F Gill, Sunday, 3 April 2022 02:03 (two years ago) link
I do occasionally rely on the internet for some harder puzzles where I can't brute force certain clues (still happens 5-10 times a year), but that's because I'm way too attached to keeping my streak alive and so never use the check puzzle function. Otherwise the years of solving have honed my instincts to typical crosswordese that are now nearly reflexive fills.
― Ace of Base Are Belong To Us (Leee), Sunday, 3 April 2022 03:56 (two years ago) link
Ah - I've only been doing it routinely for about 8 months - realised it was a good way to break the 3am mental-race if I am under stress, so I bought the app subscription and got into it more than I expected.
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 3 April 2022 05:29 (two years ago) link
Is there actually a stigma associated with the check function? Since I started solving daily again this year after an eight year layoff I have used it when needed and tried not to be uptight about it.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 12:13 (two years ago) link
Of course I also have been trying to do a better job of checking visually before hitting that button, and a lot of times that works but I don’t want to agonize over it.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 12:14 (two years ago) link
Yeah same. I think of it as a counterfoil to the inevitable typos caused by using a screen keyboard without autocorrect available. But sometimes I will use it a few times mid puzzle to consolidate and that feels a little cheat-y.
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 3 April 2022 18:25 (two years ago) link
Think the A final may be on now or just finished and their might be a brand new champ.
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 18:44 (two years ago) link
There even
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 18:45 (two years ago) link
No, he finished third.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA8htPG0oHE
― Never Mind the ILX, Here's the Blecch Pistols (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 April 2022 21:25 (two years ago) link
Really tough Friday today -- could've been a Saturday puzzle -- though I think it's reasonably solvable and fair.
― Pomelo Anthony (Leee), Friday, 8 April 2022 17:17 (two years ago) link
I liked it, and I think I liked this constructor's previous puzzle as well.
― Mr. Uncut Risin’ (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 8 April 2022 17:23 (two years ago) link
Yes, she co-wrote a Saturday puzzle on January 29th with Andrew Ries and then another Saturday back on October 16th with Erik Agard.
― Mr. Uncut Risin’ (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 8 April 2022 18:03 (two years ago) link
today's nyt crossword was clever, with 4 answers relying on understanding that, in the clues, "m" often replaces "rn" for those of us visually impaired
― Dan S, Thursday, 14 April 2022 23:40 (two years ago) link
I just did before reading that. Yeah, very well done.
― Anita Quatloos (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 15 April 2022 00:06 (two years ago) link
Quite; my vision sucks so much that I solved most of the puzzle correctly, before realizing that I was missing the joke.
― Fifty Centaur (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 15 April 2022 01:12 (two years ago) link
I cleaned my glasses before solving but did have to blink a few times, so same.
― Anita Quatloos (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 15 April 2022 01:25 (two years ago) link
Okay, Friday’s puzzle is ace.
― Ramones Leave the Capitol (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 15 April 2022 03:08 (two years ago) link
And this week’s as well.
― Wile E. Kinbote (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 22 April 2022 11:29 (two years ago) link
Tomorrow’s good too.
― Granny Takes a Tripos (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 23 April 2022 02:16 (two years ago) link
Sunday on the other hand…
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 23 April 2022 22:30 (two years ago) link
By our favorite guy from the other thread.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 23 April 2022 22:37 (two years ago) link
fckn terrible
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:04 (two years ago) link
Friend described it as underwhelming.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:11 (two years ago) link
kind of stunned by the ‘popular st. patrick’s day cocktail’
― mookieproof, Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:26 (two years ago) link
Yeah, me too!
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 April 2022 22:37 (two years ago) link
really bad
this, on the other hand, is nuts:
last time tweeting about a crossword solving time i promise pic.twitter.com/ucJaPWu78B— pa(ol/sc)o (@gpaolopasco) April 24, 2022
― Roz, Monday, 25 April 2022 00:29 (two years ago) link
Yet another reason for me to have given up speed solving.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 00:36 (two years ago) link
I don't even know how you can type that fast while reading/processing the clues?
my time today was 5:45 on my phone (might have been faster on desktop idk) and i thought that was good enough
― Roz, Monday, 25 April 2022 00:53 (two years ago) link
I don’t how people can physically do it either, some kind of freakish wiring.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:05 (two years ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/10/nyregion/how-to-be-the-fastest-puzzler-in-town.html
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:07 (two years ago) link
Or exact same thing here: https://www.crosswordtournament.com/articles/shortz0302.htm
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:11 (two years ago) link
But best version is in this interview with Peter Gordon: https://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/ring/
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 01:13 (two years ago) link
i consider myself a fairly fast solver (avg monday solving time is about 3-3:30 minutes, almost never over 4), and 53 seconds is unthinkable to me!also is anyone else a stickler for doing the puzzle on the day of instead of the night before?
― donna rouge, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:03 (two years ago) link
I'm new to the NYT crossword and am not sure what was so bad about today's puzzle
― Dan S, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:06 (two years ago) link
are you all so good that this was a trifle?
― Dan S, Monday, 25 April 2022 02:08 (two years ago) link
Wasn’t that it was too easy, although it wasn’t really that hard, just that the theme seemed kind of tired.
― H.R. MacGufnstuf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2022 02:10 (two years ago) link