Ryan solves the NYT, Sat 11-15-8
Gaaaaah! One letter away from a no-google! I had TALE OF TEARS instead of VALE OF TEARS and just couldn’t figure out the error. Unbelievable. I got all the toughies: CADUCEI, ALBALONGA, JASPERFFORDE. And got tripped up on something I’d actually heard of. Son of a…
So, that’s frustrating. And, since I’ve spent all morning trying to solve Karen M. Tracey’s puzzle I don’t have any time left to blog about it. I’m off to rehearsal.
My full review of Quantum of Solace will be forthcoming.
Next stop, Sunday.
November 15th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
And herein lies the big crosswordy difference between Ryan and me. With one square’s exception, he no-Googled the grid.
With one clue’s exception, I had an entirely BLANK grid.
Are you serious, Ryan? I knew ONE ANSWER, and you no-Googled it?
I’m in awe.
November 16th, 2008 at 1:47 am
I don’t know if it’s anything to be in awe of. My ability to solve (or almost solve) a Saturday is based largely on luck. If I happen to know a few of the answers right off than I sometimes I can build a foothold and go from there. Many times, though, I don’t know any of the answers or the few I do know are spaced too far apart.
In the case of this puzzle, I happened to know DANZA because I saw the production of Iceman Cometh referred to in the clue. And right next to it was Noted TV neatnik which was going to be either FELIX or UNGER. I went with UNGER and got a ZE combo which led me to BULLDOZER. And I built from there.
If I hadn’t seen Iceman Cometh who knows what would have happened?
November 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Ryan–
Just admit it…you’re getting more smarter! (Jeez, who pumped up my pom-poms today?)
xop2
November 16th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
The more of these puzzles you do, eventually the more words, trivia, names, and miscellaneous bizarre stuff will seep in. The more stuff you remember, the more chance of being finding a knowable answer in the puzzle to break into it.
The easier it is to break into the puzzle, the more letters you have to work from, increasing your odds of finding more answers. And so it goes, until you have either solved the puzzle, are left with a number of blanks which require Googling or outside help, or you simply curl up in a fetal position mumbling to yourself in frustration. Hopefully not the latter.