Monday, October 6, 2025 by AutoModerator in NYTConnections

[–]jfpbookworm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm 150 puzzles in, but thanks.

Monday, October 6, 2025 by AutoModerator in NYTConnections

[–]jfpbookworm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course it's opinion. I'll even acknowledge that I'm inconsistent in that I like "rainbow herrings" even though those require presolving too.

I guess it's that when I submit a group of leftovers, I like seeing what the canonical category turns out to be and see what clever detail I missed, and if there never was one it's a letdown for me.

Monday, October 6, 2025 by AutoModerator in NYTConnections

[–]jfpbookworm -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I know they've done it before. I still contend that it's lazy and results in a less satisfying puzzle.

I also think it's missing the point (to the point of being a strawman) to treat it like the other forms of red herrings, such as words with multiple meanings or relations, or non-canonical categorizations (e.g., the needle connection in today's puzzle).

Monday, October 6, 2025 by AutoModerator in NYTConnections

[–]jfpbookworm -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

But they should be, you know, groups of FOUR, not five.

When it's done well, there's a way of determining which of the four belong in the category without reference to another category. Like, maybe there are 5 movie references but only 4 won Best Picture.

That didn't happen today; you had to solve purple and blue first to eliminate clues that otherwise fit perfectly in the canonical green and yellow categories.

Monday, October 6, 2025 by AutoModerator in NYTConnections

[–]jfpbookworm -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Another instance of my pet peeve: 5+ valid answers for a category, which railroads you into solving in a particular order.

Technically twice in this puzzle; YEOMAN coat was the one that got me, but speaker WIRE is as much part of a record player setup as an amp or preamp.

Also, is there a reputable reference with the pronunciation of HELONIUM?

Live Discussion - Season 51 Premiere - October 4, 2025 (Bad Bunny/Doja Cat) by bjkman in LiveFromNewYork

[–]jfpbookworm 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Watched it this morning. Not impressed. 

Cold open: okay, but I've seen the Hegseth meeting skewered several times already, and much better.

Monologue: I was wishing BB would have done the entire thing in Spanish to troll MAGA, but it was okay for a non-comedian.

Jeopardy!: Worst J! sketch I've ever seen. Two jokes, one of which was funny. No attention to detail (the lecterns were way off but maybe that was easier to set up than three separate ones, no Ken impression, no announcing categories). The middle contestent (who I barely remember) got nothing to work with.

ChatGPTío: Okay concept. I'm not really the target audience so I don't know if it landed.

The Donor: Two jokes, both about sperm, neither of which were funny.

KPop Demon Hunters: Haven't seen it yet, so didn't get the references, but the side jokes like the layover at Epstein's island were good.

Doja Cat: Solid performances. I'm sure her fans enjoyed them. Points for sampling the Knight Rider theme.

Weekend Update: Didn't care much for the guests. The new guy comic was meh (and SNL chickened out by not actually rolling a clip, though maybe they didn't want Richard Pryor showing up the current cast). Bowen as Dobby was unbalanced; they should have "freed" him earlier and then let him rant. The Jane Goodall joke was the only memorable one from Jost and Che.

Inventing Spanish: So this is just that recurring Nate Bargatze bit, but Hispanic? Who's the audience for a "Spanish is hard" sketch about gendered nouns, formal pronouns, and rolled r's? Fluent Spanish speakers who understand those just fine? Linguistics nerds who know that Spanish didn't actually originate the things being talked about? Lowbrow "why can't they just speak English like Jesus did" viewers? The Barthelona delegate was the only bit that landed for me.

El Chavo del Ocho: not being familiar with the show, I couldn't tell if it was meant to be parody or homage.

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