tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post5774224963168433746..comments2023-12-22T06:42:08.261-05:00Comments on Sun Blocks - A Crossword Blog by Pete Mitchell: Monday, May 19, 2008Pete Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00915253628212019131noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-67671838355182112852008-05-20T03:56:00.000-04:002008-05-20T03:56:00.000-04:00I have to sheepishly admit that all kudos go stric...I have to sheepishly admit that all kudos go strictly to Peter on this one!<BR/>I thought I was being really somethin' somethin' having four entries:<BR/>PAULYSHORE<BR/>BILLYOCEAN<BR/>IRENECASTLE<BR/>GEORGESSAND<BR/><BR/>By the time I realized GEORGE did not have an extra S to her name (a common mistake), Peter had suggested adding THEBEACHBOYS and changing IRENE to her lesser known husband VERNON, made GEORGE into TODDSAND (whom I had never heard of) added ARTSHELL (whom at least I vaguely knew from his interviews on Letterman, as I am a total sports illiterate) AND made it, with six entries, a MONday!<BR/>(SO my complaint still stands, bill d!)<BR/>This is my first time at this blog and I like it! Thank you very much for all the nice praise, I wish I could take even partial credit!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-50347105586496074932008-05-19T22:35:00.001-04:002008-05-19T22:35:00.001-04:00@joon: Re, the foreign clues: That's a really good...@joon: Re, the foreign clues: That's a really good question. It does seem to be de rigueur to do so, and I have to admit I do the same in my own puzzles. Constructors are always trying to be clever and to make their clues sizzle. Wordplay, misdirection, rhyming, and alliteration are all common vehicles for this. But you're right, alliteration is much more common for foreign language clues. I think it's because "Mrs. [Span.]" is too dry and "Mrs. in Tijuana" feels just a little too random (unless there were some movie or book of the same name, for example). Rhyming is much more difficult; so that leaves alliteration. Mostly, people copy what works (and by "works" we mean, what's been published).Pete Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00915253628212019131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-88693382490242178012008-05-19T22:35:00.000-04:002008-05-19T22:35:00.000-04:00@joon: Re, the foreign clues: That's a really good...@joon: Re, the foreign clues: That's a really good question. It does seem to be de rigueur to do so, and I have to admit I do the same in my own puzzles. Constructors are always trying to be clever and to make their clues sizzle. Wordplay, misdirection, rhyming, and alliteration are all common vehicles for this. But you're right, alliteration is much more common for foreign language clues. I think it's because "Mrs. [Span.]" is too dry and "Mrs. in Tijuana" feels just a little too random (unless there were some movie or book of the same name, for example). Rhyming is much more difficult; so that leaves alliteration. Mostly, people copy what works (and by "works" we mean, what's been published).Pete Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00915253628212019131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-57400204394501454172008-05-19T22:16:00.000-04:002008-05-19T22:16:00.000-04:00art was a great player (HOF offensive lineman)... ...art was a great player (HOF offensive lineman)... not so great at coaching, but that's what he'll be remembered for, because hey, who remembers offensive linemen? anyway, he was a gimme. TODDSAND and VERNONCASTLE, not so much.<BR/><BR/>i'm almost embarrassed to admit that i got PAULYSHORE without any crossings, and that was before i had figured out the theme. i don't even think i've ever seen any of his oeuvre, but for whatever reason i can name several of his movies. "in the army now" is one of them. "biodome"? yeah, i think so.<BR/><BR/>cool puzzle, and i think it was a judicious use of the 15x16 grid. there's simply no good way to get 6 theme entries into a 15x15 if two of them are 12s, unless you're lucky enough to have four intersections.<BR/><BR/>tangentially, is there a rule that clues for foreign words <I>have</I> to be alliterative? why [Mrs., in Mazatlan?] would [Mrs., in Spanish] really be so bad? or even [Mrs., in Tijuana]? i'm okay with the occasional alliteration, but i am flabbergasted that it's become essentially 100% prevalent.Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-30205220682524047802008-05-19T21:37:00.000-04:002008-05-19T21:37:00.000-04:00Art Shell was the first theme entry that I got, bu...Art Shell was the first theme entry that I got, but I had a hard time placing him as a Raiders "great." I'm too young to remember his early playing and coaching days and only remember his dubious 1 year 2-14 record as Da Raidas head coach in 2006.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-9740883961940512342008-05-19T20:32:00.000-04:002008-05-19T20:32:00.000-04:00@torbach: I never claimed to be Italian, Tony. I'm...@torbach: I never claimed to be Italian, Tony. I'm just quoting Wikipedia. So you're saying ziti is not bias cut? I'm more confused than when I started. :)<BR/><BR/>@kenny clarke: Welcome. Glad you found us.Pete Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00915253628212019131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-11696925020182006262008-05-19T17:38:00.000-04:002008-05-19T17:38:00.000-04:00Extra good puzzles from Andrea today - nicely done...Extra good puzzles from Andrea today - nicely done!<BR/><BR/>Pete...clearly MITCHELL is in no way Italian. Penne and Ziti are definitely different - though the two examples you show, with the ridges (and thus often labeled "rigati" after the "penne" or "ziti" parts) are pretty close, it's true. You know, the bias cut on the penne might well put a person in a different mindset when eating. If I ordered penne and got ziti I wouldn't be happy - though I probably wouldn't complain either'cause i like food too!Torbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03890812257012031327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-22375587260592283502008-05-19T17:16:00.000-04:002008-05-19T17:16:00.000-04:00Just found this this site. I love it.Add UNU to th...Just found this this site. I love it.<BR/>Add UNU to the palindromic politician list along with LON NOL.<BR/> Have to add Max Roach to your must-know jazz drummer list. With Charlie Parker (sax) and Clifford Brown (trumpet) he was extraordinary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-81306218339874334172008-05-19T15:05:00.000-04:002008-05-19T15:05:00.000-04:00Monday is Double Bonus Day! Andrea Carla Michaels...Monday is Double Bonus Day! Andrea Carla Michaels has the LA Times crossword as well. Cute theme again, and a nice diversion! Find it <A HREF="http://www.cruciverb.com/puzzles.php?op=showlink&puzdate=080519" REL="nofollow">here</A>.Bill Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741876820211768387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-81796616496521396512008-05-19T14:46:00.000-04:002008-05-19T14:46:00.000-04:00Such a great Monday puzzle! Nice theme, good fill,...Such a great Monday puzzle! Nice theme, good fill, fun clues! I remember Andrea Carla Michaels "complaining" on Rex Parker's blog that Monday construction was getting so difficult with six theme answers the new four; she has answered back brilliantly! I did not notice the 16th row that Pete mentions in order for her to accomplish this beautiful grid. This change doesn't bother me at all; it's just more great puzzle to work.<BR/><BR/>Before I got the theme I tried "Demi Moore" for <I>Jury Duty</I> star - too short and probably the wrong movie. I thought Art Shell (although a virtual gimme for me) and Todd Sand were pretty obscure names, but very Monday with the crosses and theme hints.<BR/><BR/>As for pasta names, I consider PENNE an interloper. We still call that one Mostacholi (I think it has something to do with mustaches) - small-diameter tubes with raised ribs, cut straight across. Ziti was the same diameter round tubes but with smaller ribs and cut on the diagonal. Rigatoni are tubes about twice the diameter of the first two, with ribs like Ziti, but cut straight. When cooked, they expand and flatten out, so that a friend of dubbed them "second bases". So ends today's Pasta Post.Bill Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741876820211768387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-5050635782448037982008-05-19T13:27:00.000-04:002008-05-19T13:27:00.000-04:00love ms. michaels's puzzles and sense o' yuma -- f...love ms. michaels's puzzles and sense o' yuma -- fun, fun, fun indeed -- also smart, smart, smart!<BR/><BR/>btw -- eve ensler is (was?) the step-mother of dylan mcdermott.<BR/><BR/>;-)<BR/><BR/>janiejaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15129173620859824730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-70874750117701233322008-05-19T12:50:00.000-04:002008-05-19T12:50:00.000-04:00@ruy: The problem is that clue and the answer need...@ruy: The problem is that clue and the answer need to be of the same grammatical form*. "Unroll" is a verb that needs an object, but the object is not part of the answer. So, the clue needs to define the verb only, with a reference to the object for clarification. "Unroll (a carpet)" and "Prepare (a carpet) for installation". "Prepare a carpet for installation" includes both the verb and object, and so would only be appropriate if the fill were something like UNROLL A RUG. While this sometimes makes for awkward sounding clues, solvers expect and count on this consistency. <BR/><BR/>* An exception to this is for what I call "clues by reference", which use a descriptive phrase starting with "It" or "This" or "They" or some such to decribe a noun. Like "It fills the bill?" for FISH.Pete Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00915253628212019131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797119770533435005.post-25028461745986265292008-05-19T12:23:00.000-04:002008-05-19T12:23:00.000-04:00I often scratch my head over clues like 8d ("Prepa...I often scratch my head over clues like 8d ("Prepare for installation, as a carpet"). They make it sound as if the example was one of many possibilities. While I can think of many things one might unroll (a sleeping bag, a wall poster), I can't think of any where unrolling is part of installation. Why not just clue this as "Prepare a carpet for installation" or something similar?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com