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Yukon 
"Co-editor of FWFR book"
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 Posted - 03/03/2011 : 21:18:34
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Hi folks,
Apparently crossword fans are up in a tizzie because the New York Times used seveal FWFR reviews in a recent crossword.
Here are some clues from the March 2 cross words (as reported from a crossword blooger's post: "17a. An Affair to Remember loses its An and becomes the pun A FARE TO REMEMBER, clued as ["Taxi Driver" tagline?].
25a. ["Back to the Future" tagline?] is A COMEDY OF ERAS. The Shakespeare play is The Comedy of Errors, not A Comedy of Errors, but �comedy of errors� is a common phrase on its own.
42a. This is the one that won my heart. The kid�s spooky line in The Sixth Sense, �I see dead people,� turns into a ["Titanic" tagline?], ICY DEAD PEOPLE. Horribly tasteless, yes, but it made me laugh. I just read it to my husband and he laughed and said, �Nice!�
Look Back in Anger becomes LUKE BACK IN ANGER, a ["Return of the Jedi" tagline?]. Doesn�t quite parse grammatically, but it picks up a hint of Terminatory �he�s back� menace."
There is a debate on it on the New York Times Crossword:
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/je-ne-sais-quoi/?permid=50
And one crossword blogger wrote about it (scroll down a little to find the post): http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2011/03/01/wednesday-3211/
What are your thoughts?
Some people are mad -- I'm kind of honoured. |
Edited by - Yukon on 03/03/2011 21:32:12 |
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Sean 
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 03/03/2011 : 21:39:36
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I'd take it as a compliment if they'd ripped off one of mine.  |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/03/2011 : 21:54:28
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| Those are all pretty widespread puns: it's possible that they're ripped off from here but it's not in the balance of probability. |
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benj clews 
"...."
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Posted - 03/03/2011 : 22:07:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Cracovian
Those are all pretty widespread puns: it's possible that they're ripped off from here but it's not in the balance of probability.
Actually, the author does acknowledge two of them likely did come from here by way of an acquantance who sent them to him. Apparently, he came up with the other two all by himself. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 03/03/2011 : 22:14:16
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Well, if the source is cited, it's not a rip-off either.  Anyway, Yukon's not exactly the F.W.F.R.er best placed to object to reviews being duplicated.
I'm guessing that the crossword fans are objecting to the material as being unsuitable for clues, which is quite right (especially by the way it sounds as though it is being presented), but American crosswords are much worse than British ones so it doesn't really matter either way.
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 04/07/2011 : 06:06:31
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I just happened to notice this today when I was solving a puzzle from last month! (My local paper runs them about a month behind, so it will publish last month's puzzles this month.)
I was solving the puzzle for March 2, 2011, when I figured out the one for ICYDEADPEOPLE. That was too much of a coincidence. Then I spotted the others immediately and I KNEW that the thematic clues all came from FWFR!
Rex Parker has a popular blog where he solves the puzzles. He did not know of the FWFR connection, but some of the comments revealed that a couple of people had noticed the connection (though some speculated that tahe puzzle came first, or that the "taglines" were not even on the site!).
It made me laugh with surprise, though. There's no doubt they all came from FWFR.
P.S. Cracheadian, go fuck yourself, you miserable shit stain. |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 04/07/2011 : 07:37:31
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| I think this is great and hang those who find "Icy Dead People" is in bad taste! |
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randall 
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 04/07/2011 : 23:34:04
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| Considering what all of us fwiffers have ripped off from others in the past ten years [our name is LEGION], it's simply a case of chickadees coming home to roost. |
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 04/08/2011 : 00:06:36
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| For my part, I thought it was an intentional homage to the site and quite expected the crossword blogs to confirm it. I agree with randall: God knows I didn't steal that "Me No Leica" review. |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 04/08/2011 : 15:30:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Cracovian
Well, if the source is cited, it's not a rip-off either. Anyway, Yukon's not exactly the F.W.F.R.er best placed to object to reviews being duplicated.
I'm guessing that the crossword fans are objecting to the material as being unsuitable for clues, which is quite right (especially by the way it sounds as though it is being presented), but American crosswords are much worse than British ones so it doesn't really matter either way.
If you're actively attempting to disparage all of North America - check (Yukon is belove throughout Canada). |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 04/08/2011 : 15:32:53
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BTW - who is Michael Sharp - do we know him?
(that's what I constantly ask my wife - do I know that guy - my brain is dissolving apparently) |
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RockGolf
"1500+ reviews. 1 joke."
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Posted - 04/08/2011 : 20:31:18
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I just caught up with this.
The cruxiverbalist (David Poole of Peterborough Ont.) claims he was sent two of the four themed clues in an e-mail without attribution, but that he and the editor came up with the other two (unspecified) in consulting with the editor.
I'm sorry, but that he could independently come up with two of the top 100 reviews on this site, character for character, on the same movies just defies all probability. Just astronomical odds.
More likely he heard Yukon's interview on CBC, and somewhere in the back of his mind, those reviews stuck, at least subconsciously. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 04/08/2011 : 23:03:19
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quote:
Originally posted by turrell
If you're actively attempting to disparage all of North America - check (Yukon is belove throughout Canada).
Um... what? I was 'attempting' to say that American crosswords are much worse than British ones...
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 04/08/2011 : 23:28:34
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Your statement about Yukon appears to assert a criticism, implying that Yukon is being hypocritical. However, review of Yukon's post reveals no "objection" at all. So your apparent snarkiness is not only characteristically rude, it lacks an accurate basis. Hence, go fuck yourself.
Usage of the word "worse" implies a value judgment denegrating all of American crosswords. If you meant "more difficult" or "more challenging" then you should have used a different adjective. The fact that more than one person understood your remark to be perjorative indicates that you either intended to be jingoistic, or that you were unduly careless with language. That would make you either a miserable shit stain, or just plain stupid.
So now we are waiting: which one is it? |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 04/09/2011 : 14:04:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Cracovian
Those are all pretty widespread puns: it's possible that they're ripped off from here but it's not in the balance of probability.
Nope, not improbable, nor are they all widespread at all [and the comments on ICY DEAD PEOPLE imply that no blogger had ever seen it before, as I had not before I first read it here]. Pray, where did you see it before, allowing you to call it "pretty widespread"? Yeah, that's what I thought. Your writing would be more persuasive if you would refrain from hasty generalizations. By the way, the word "pretty" is unnecessary: either something is "widespread," or it isn't. I'm sub-editing here for clarity.
It becomes probable by virtue of all four appearing in the same puzzle. It is possible, but highly unlikely, that the constructor did not use FWFR as a resource and coincidentally created all four puns instead. That doesn't bother me, but it evidently bothers some solvers, who seem to expect original wordplay from a constructor.
P.S. British crosswords are so boring. |
Edited by - randall on 04/10/2011 02:31:35 |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 04/09/2011 : 15:40:36
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
P.S. British crosswords are so boring.
I agree! A US x-word aficionado, I have such respect for such exemplars as Will Shortz and Margaret Farrar. I especially like the themed ones and those hilarious puns.
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NYT Times crossword copies FWFR!
