The New York Times Crossword Puzzle thread
SPOILER FOR THURSDAY
So "state postal codes" is the trick - hence Montana = MT. "MT" said aloud sounds like "empty" - so MONTANA NEST is the answer for "place where kids aren't found now" (empty nest) - similarly, "whenever" = anytime or NEBRASKATIME (Nebraska's postal code is "NE" ("any"))... Illinois was a bit of a stretch (aisle seat)...
**** Spoiler continues ******
aieee OK. First of all, I got that code wrong, so that didn't help.
And it was a little too punny for me, I guess. I've been doing the Puns and Anagrams puzzles lately, and I kind of consciously switch mind sets when I'm doing the pun and regular puzzle. Probably switched over too much.
You know, I actually think this has a lot to do with brain chemistry/wiring.
I have a very weird ability to un-jumble words in an instant. Not all the time, and the efficacy of the ability seems to be inversely proportional to how much I think about it - but often times I just see the answer immediately. And I don't even have to double-check to make sure I'm using all the letters. I just know.
Not quite a super-power, but it sure comes in handy on these puzzles!
DaveSchmidt said:
Somaper said:
Puns and Anagrams is my favorite!
What's your secret? As much as I enjoy puns and anagrams, when it comes to PandA puzzles I'm bamboozled. I can barely fathom where my own come from, let alone reverse engineer what the puzzlemaker was thinking.
btw, I love these pens. Not as fine point as the Millenniums, but a very nice feeling tool.
Thanks for the suggestion.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
...
I always use a blue Precise V5. I buy them by the box.
...
drummerboy said:
btw, I love these pens. Not as fine point as the Millenniums, but a very nice feeling tool.
Thanks for the suggestion.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
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I always use a blue Precise V5. I buy them by the box.
...
Yay. Thanks for following up.
That's funny. I have to wait for the teen to complete and clear the puzzle before I can do it. But yesterday said teen was asking me why crossword writers love Alex Trebek so much.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
You got a name with vowels, yer in the puzzle.
Should be many more Italians then... 
I've been doing the Puns and Anagrams puzzles a lot. I'm trying to finally learn how to do cryptics. I looked at the article below for some help in how to approach the cryptics, and it sounds very similar to the puns and anagrams.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/games/10527732/A-guide-to-cryptic-crosswords.html
so, you cryptic experts, does that cover the clue types? Or are their other tricks of the trade?
They have a separate puzzle subscription for like $7 a month. It's a good deal - It has archives going back many years.
Try this:
http://www.nytimes.com/crosswords
you should see a link to subscribe.
Let me know if you get the subscription, I'll give you some suggestions on how to use it.
Once you have it, it actually makes some of the clues easier...
drummerboy said:
still working on Thursday myself. but I think I got the trick.
I love the Thursday puzzle. Today's was very clever.
It really took some out of the box thinking to complete it.
Hahahahaha!
Groan... I thought it was ok, but once again, once the theme was discovered, it kinda became too easy...
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
It really took some out of the box thinking to complete it.
yer both right.
I thought it was a remarkable construction, but from the solver's end, once you figured it out....
lanky said:
Groan... I thought it was ok, but once again, once the theme was discovered, it kinda became too easy...
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
It really took some out of the box thinking to complete it.
yup.
As for Friday's puzzle, I gave up on it. The puzzle and I were in different dimensions today. Even as I revealed answers, it took me a second to see the connection between clue and answer.
lanky said:
Particularly impressive was 34 across...
Still working on Friday. Got most but having trouble with NW...damn 1 across...
drummerboy said:
yup.
As for Friday's puzzle, I gave up on it. The puzzle and I were in different dimensions today. Even as I revealed answers, it took me a second to see the connection between clue and answer.
lanky said:
Particularly impressive was 34 across...
I just got around to the Dec 25th puzzle. the "Married Couples" one.
I finished it, more or less, but I don't get the long answers.
Anyone?
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semi spoiler for Thursday 11/24
I finally finished it, but I still don't get it. I assume the across lines can be compressed using the code? But I don't get anything that makes sense by doing that.