October 27, 2011
One of the things I enjoy doing with my free time is crossword puzzles. While sometimes they make me feel really stupid, I can manage to get through most of them over time. I certainly cannot do them in pen like the brainiacs out there. And, the more you do them, you know some words are more commonly used than others, and that helps.
Every once in a while, the creator of the crossword puzzle impresses me with their cleverness. Sarcasm is a big part of figuring out clues, and that I am familiar with, but also knowing common phrases is helpful. Many times they will take a common phrase and alter it by one letter to change the meaning. Those are fun to play with.
However, the creator of "Take it from the Top", Joe Dipietro, just cracked me up with one of his answers. The puzzle is reprinted in my very local suburban paper, but originally came from The New York Times Magazine.
The clue is, "Proof that a Jersey Shore character has an incontinence problem?" The answer is a commonly used phrase, unaltered, but taken literally. Spoiler alert. If you do not want to see the answer, read the rest of this paragraph with your eyes closed. Answer, "Depends on The Situation."
How funny is that. And sad. These Jersey Shore people have made their way into the New York Times Magazine crossword puzzle as if they are mainstream. Gooz, as June would say. I am frackled, as Duffylou would say.
I had heard that Jersey Shore was the number one show amongst a very large demographic on television, and instantly I felt smarter. Not sure why. Can I feel superior if I continue to watch the Bengals whenever I get the chance? I give Beth a hard time regarding her affinity for reality tv (mostly Hoarders and Intervention and People with Spending Problems), but she fires right back that sports are reality tv. Gooz.
My favorite shows are actually some of the dramas that are popular now: NCIS (reg and LA), CSI, House, Unforgettable, Revenge, Castle, and Pan Am. Wow, I watch a lot of television. Perhaps I should read more. Or take up looking at Facebook. Or go back to video games. Or see what Snooky is up to in People magazine.
Maybe my television viewing is not so bad.
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Ack! I feel instantly inferior to your NYT pen and paper crossword puzzle knowledge. I play Words with Friends on my iPhone when I have a free minute. I'm farkled! It almost seems blasphemous.
ReplyDeleteI watched my first episode of the Jersey Shore this week. You must watch it if you want to see a bunch of twenty somethings getting sloppy drunk to the point of falling down or fighting. No dialog because there is so much bleeping to cut out the swearing they might as well play a music track instead. Since this is a family site I can't tell you some of the other gross stuff. Needless to say I'm not thrilled enough to go back for another looksee. I'm far from being a prude. This is just not my cup of stale beer.
I just did that puzzle, too, TS! The Jersey Shore reference wasn't as funny in the puzzle but now it's cracking me up. I blame you.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Jersey Shore, but we share a couple of tv likes. I'm behind, though. With tivo, I don't even try to watch things on time anymore. Then I catch up on the weekends.