Comments for Diary of a Crossword Fiend http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog Reviewing the best crosswords in newspapers and on the Web Thu, 23 May 2013 06:10:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Comment on Thursday, May 23, 2013 by Jackson http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2013/05/22/thursday-may-23-2013/#comment-220823 Jackson Thu, 23 May 2013 06:10:28 +0000 http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/?p=44024#comment-220823 About time to see Stephanie MEYER in a crossword, after being shunned for 4-6 years. Unique theme, but bad fill, so I'd put NYT at 3 stars. LA Times fill was decent as far as what seems to come through these days. Liked DASHDOT. 3 stars for me as well. About time to see Stephanie MEYER in a crossword, after being shunned for 4-6 years.

Unique theme, but bad fill, so I’d put NYT at 3 stars.

LA Times fill was decent as far as what seems to come through these days. Liked DASHDOT. 3 stars for me as well.

]]> Comment on MGWCC #259 by CY Hollander http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2013/05/21/mgwcc-259/#comment-220798 CY Hollander Thu, 23 May 2013 00:41:22 +0000 http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/?p=43987#comment-220798 Prickly Pear Island Anderson Cay Angle and Fish Cay Big Grand Cay Big Joe Downer Cay Bonds Cay Burnside Cay Children's Bay Cay Crisby Island Danger Cay Daniels Cay Dead Mens Cays Deadman Cay Diamond Cay Dunc Cays Fernandez Cay Garden Cay Gaulding Cay Golding Cay Grand Cay Grand Cays Halls Pond Cay India Cay Joe Downer Cays John Downer Cays Lanzadera Cay Laughing Bird Cay Leonard Cay Linder Cay Little Grand Cay Little Joe Downer Cay Lynyard Cay Mamma Rhonda Cay Man Head Cay Norman's Pond Cay Old Yankee Cay Over Yonder Cay Peace and Plenty Island Randall's Cay Red Shank Cay Redknapp Cay Salt Pond Cay Sand Bank Cays Sandy Cay Sandy Harbour Cay Scotland Cay Sneijder Cay Staniard Cay Upper Sandy Harbour Cay Woolen Dean Cay Ernst Thälmann Island (formerly Cayo Blancos del Sur) Cayo Ines de Soto Cayo Levantado Island (Barcelo Island) Calivigny Island Grande Cayemite Big Portland Cay Drunken Man's Cay Gordon Cay Sandals Cay Little Portland Cay Maiden Cay Sandbank Cay Golden Cay Sand Cay Deadman's Cay Prickly Pear Island Sandy Cay <b>Grand Cayman</b> Duck Pond Cay Sand Cay Big Sand Cay Donna Cay Middleton Cay Plandon Cay Sand Cay Cayo Algodones Cayo Don Luis Cayo Fanduca Cayos de Ratones Sandy Point Rock Whistling Cay I guess that narrows it down <i>some</i>... Prickly Pear Island
Anderson Cay
Angle and Fish Cay
Big Grand Cay
Big Joe Downer Cay
Bonds Cay
Burnside Cay
Children’s Bay Cay
Crisby Island
Danger Cay
Daniels Cay
Dead Mens Cays
Deadman Cay
Diamond Cay
Dunc Cays
Fernandez Cay
Garden Cay
Gaulding Cay
Golding Cay
Grand Cay
Grand Cays
Halls Pond Cay
India Cay
Joe Downer Cays
John Downer Cays
Lanzadera Cay
Laughing Bird Cay
Leonard Cay
Linder Cay
Little Grand Cay
Little Joe Downer Cay
Lynyard Cay
Mamma Rhonda Cay
Man Head Cay
Norman’s Pond Cay
Old Yankee Cay
Over Yonder Cay
Peace and Plenty Island
Randall’s Cay
Red Shank Cay
Redknapp Cay
Salt Pond Cay
Sand Bank Cays
Sandy Cay
Sandy Harbour Cay
Scotland Cay
Sneijder Cay
Staniard Cay
Upper Sandy Harbour Cay
Woolen Dean Cay
Ernst Thälmann Island (formerly Cayo Blancos del Sur)
Cayo Ines de Soto
Cayo Levantado Island (Barcelo Island)
Calivigny Island
Grande Cayemite
Big Portland Cay
Drunken Man’s Cay
Gordon Cay
Sandals Cay
Little Portland Cay
Maiden Cay
Sandbank Cay
Golden Cay
Sand Cay
Deadman’s Cay
Prickly Pear Island
Sandy Cay
Grand Cayman
Duck Pond Cay
Sand Cay
Big Sand Cay
Donna Cay
Middleton Cay
Plandon Cay
Sand Cay
Cayo Algodones
Cayo Don Luis
Cayo Fanduca
Cayos de Ratones
Sandy Point Rock
Whistling Cay

I guess that narrows it down some…

]]> Comment on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 by Karen K http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2013/05/21/wednesday-may-22-2013/#comment-220793 Karen K Wed, 22 May 2013 23:40:34 +0000 http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/?p=44009#comment-220793 We are all entitled to learn something, John. But you need fair crossings. With 15 + crosswordese, and, 5-6 unfair crossings, the puzzle becomes very difficult for some solvers. Any more than 3 crosswordese in a reasonable grid is just wrong IMO We are all entitled to learn something, John. But you need fair crossings.

With 15 + crosswordese, and, 5-6 unfair crossings, the puzzle becomes very difficult for some solvers. Any more than 3 crosswordese in a reasonable grid is just wrong IMO

]]> Comment on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 by Doug http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2013/05/21/wednesday-may-22-2013/#comment-220792 Doug Wed, 22 May 2013 23:33:21 +0000 http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/?p=44009#comment-220792 I'm still waiting for AJA to be clued as [Jem and the Holograms guitarist]. I’m still waiting for AJA to be clued as [Jem and the Holograms guitarist].

]]> Comment on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 by john farmer http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2013/05/21/wednesday-may-22-2013/#comment-220791 john farmer Wed, 22 May 2013 23:00:37 +0000 http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/?p=44009#comment-220791 Karen, Yes, there are other factors. If the Best Actress-nominated role from a recent Best Picture-nominated film is too far afield for crosswords, then I think we need a new rules committee. That's not to say most people know the name. I'd guess most do not. But so what? We're all entitled to learn something. One point I was looking to make about popularity is that we can overestimate how popular even "popular" things are. That 99 out of 100 people might not have seen a movie doesn't surprise me. More than 93 out of 100 people don't watch NCIS, and that's the most "popular" show on TV. The ghosts of Lucille Ball and Milton Berle are laughing as we speak. Karen,

Yes, there are other factors. If the Best Actress-nominated role from a recent Best Picture-nominated film is too far afield for crosswords, then I think we need a new rules committee. That’s not to say most people know the name. I’d guess most do not. But so what? We’re all entitled to learn something.

One point I was looking to make about popularity is that we can overestimate how popular even “popular” things are. That 99 out of 100 people might not have seen a movie doesn’t surprise me. More than 93 out of 100 people don’t watch NCIS, and that’s the most “popular” show on TV. The ghosts of Lucille Ball and Milton Berle are laughing as we speak.

]]> Comment on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 by Karen K http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2013/05/21/wednesday-may-22-2013/#comment-220784 Karen K Wed, 22 May 2013 21:07:04 +0000 http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/?p=44009#comment-220784 There are other factors (significance, appropriateness, currentness, contrivance, the guidelines of the place you're submitting a crossword to, and "is it a partial?"), but popularity is the one that is most important. If it's not popular, it's crosswordese. And if it's crosswordese, people feel cheated. My guidelines were more of an estimate of how popular something has to be, not the end-all. There are other factors (significance, appropriateness, currentness, contrivance, the guidelines of the place you’re submitting a crossword to, and “is it a partial?”), but popularity is the one that is most important. If it’s not popular, it’s crosswordese. And if it’s crosswordese, people feel cheated.

My guidelines were more of an estimate of how popular something has to be, not the end-all.

]]> Comment on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 by Gareth http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2013/05/21/wednesday-may-22-2013/#comment-220776 Gareth Wed, 22 May 2013 19:56:09 +0000 http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/?p=44009#comment-220776 There's also a Welsh singer-songwriter called Jem. She's current(ish). I'm not sure she's better than Scout's brother though... I only know her because she's a guest artist on my Vusi Mahlasela album Naledi Ya Tsela. There’s also a Welsh singer-songwriter called Jem. She’s current(ish). I’m not sure she’s better than Scout’s brother though… I only know her because she’s a guest artist on my Vusi Mahlasela album Naledi Ya Tsela.

]]>