Arguably the most common QA in my field is QUALITY ASSURANCE, which is surprisingly missing from today's theme set.
Evad | 06.08.08 - 6:04 am | #

Maybe it is the incredible heat wave here (A certain anti-intellectual public official should have to sit outside all day in this), but I was underwhelmed by the overall impact of the NYT puzzle. I did like good portions of it and have to think some hard work went into it. I guess not every puzzle will click with everyone. I am not complaining, but some of the recent Sundays have been such fun for me.

Hotsy-Totsy is known only to me by spending time with my dad's siblings. It has to be old, although I think Arnold and Vinnie talked about a certain Ms. Totsy on Welcome Back Kotter.

I wonder if you have run across ectozoa, which is really the same thing. I have known a few.
PhillySolver | 06.08.08 - 6:52 am | #

Can anybody tell me if the Newsday "Saturday Stumper" is available in Across Lite?

I slogged through the NYT puzzle in a little under 45 minutes with no particular vigor. All difficulties were gettable from crosses
Bill from NJ | Homepage | 06.08.08 - 1:07 pm | #

Bill, the Newsday puzzle isn't made available in Across Lite. Which, if you ask me, should be against the law. All puzzles should be offered in Across Lite!

Philly, I don't recognize ectozoa either. I mean, i might recognize them if they bit me on the ankle, but not by that name.

Dave, I can't believe I didn't think of that QA! Given that it's been my husband's line of work for the last decade, you'd think it would have leapt to mind for me.
Orange | Homepage | 06.08.08 - 2:10 pm | #

So, re the Boston Globe, it was a good thing we had the warning on friday about FZZ, 'cause I was not able to get any other combination of letters and numbers to work -- I went back and checked to see that the actual numerals do work, but I think I must have tried [num. 5][ltr. O][ltr. O] initially and was peeved to have it fail. I know the argument resurfaces, from time to time, about whether having something be a letter one way and a digit the other is kosher, but I have to say that having something that is a letter one way and a digit the other, but has to be entered as the digit (or its first initial) is really un-user-friendly. This is something that is, of course, only a problem on-screen. At a tournament, it wouldn't be an issue.

My NYT typo was somehow spelling ASPENS with two As. Given that it was well into the day, today, before anyone posted a time that was between my initial submission time and my posted time, though, I'm not going to fret it. Unlike last monday, when my somehow spelling TONTO with one T and three Os left me finishing #11....

Russell
Russell G. Brown | Homepage | 06.08.08 - 3:11 pm | #

If someone is out there (from Chicago, I think) who tried to do today's CrosSynergy puzzle using my applet on alexboisvert.com and it didn't convert correctly, it should work now. There was a bug in my code.

Sorry to co-opt your comment section, Orange, but I don't know how to contact this person otherwise. In fact, this may not work either.
Alex | Homepage | 06.08.08 - 4:37 pm | #

Thank you, Orange, for your kind words about my "Composer Codas." Yes, I am indeed a composer, and yes, that was my puzzle debut. I have 15 more queued for publication in various venues, so you may regret giving me encouragement!

Big warm thank yous to Nancy Salomon for mentoring me, and to Rich Norris for a great job of editing.
John Lampkin | Homepage | 06.09.08 - 3:30 am | #

in merl's puzzle, i liked the partial NSAVE, but the clue didn't include my favorite, TRYNSAVE, the store that bart shoplifts from in the simpsons.

the BG puzzle had the word EJECTA, which is simply fabulous. of course, i wanted it to be JETSAM, but it wasn't hard to figure out that wasn't right.

someday i'd like to see HIBACHI clued in reference to gilbert arenas.
joon | 06.09.08 - 9:52 am | #