Sigh
A post on the New York Times online crossword forum protests a particular clue (Musician whose unusual first name means “ocean child”) from Saturday’s puzzle “because it is arguably incorrect.” I should have paid closer attention to the “:)” that followed. Always giving the benefit of the doubt, I naturally assumed this was someone who was especially knowledgeable about Japanese names and who wanted to argue that “Yoko” was in fact quite common. I was set straight when someone else posted: “I don't know how she does it either, but she makes a living by uttering sounds that people pay to hear.”

10 Comments:
Whenever the puzzle-friendly ONO has been clued as a "musician" in a crossword I'm proofreading, I've tried to get the clue changed (usually without success). This probably isn't fair, since I haven't had the patience to actually listen to much of Yoko's work. But I'm from the era of "Yoko broke up the Beatles."
Similarly, I objected whenever JLo was referenced as a "singer" in questions in my ex-job ("Put these singers in order... she's a SINGER?") I rant about that topic in
http://www.livejournal.com/users/ennienyc/11921.html
Roger that. But what about my question? Is Yoko really an "unusual" name, or is it in fact quite common?
I think it's at least not unequivocally unusual. Googling "Yoko" without "Ono" brings up 880,000 Google hits in English; no doubt some of these still refer to Yoko Ono, some are duplicates, and some hits discussing "Yoko" and "Ono" would not refer to THE Yoko Ono.
Also there's this out there on the internets (emphasis mine):
For example, there are about five common versions for the popular female first name Yoko, depending on the kanji for "Yo".
There's also a series of children's books, by Rosemary Wells, called "Yoko," and "Yoko's Cranes," etc.
Wait. Here are some troubling equations:
Google = authoritative source
number of Google hits = scientific study
Rosemary Wells = Japanese name expert
Therefore, the TIMES is wrong.
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well this took an unexpected turn...
Indeed. I was going to remove all the spam, but then if I did, the beauty of the last comment would be lost. Dear Anonymous: wouldn't you rather post openly, like the rest of us (and to distinguish yourself from those lowly spammers)?
That's why I hedged that response, saying such things as "internets" and "not unequivocally unusual."
Alas, could it just be considered "unusual" because it's not English?
anonymous = rosalind
but:
[D]o not fall in love with me,
For I am falser than vows made in wine:
Besides, I like you not.
Don't worry, I'm not going to speak in verse. Sometimes openness has drawbacks, however.
I did think the discussion was becoming frighteningly Caucasian. Until polyglot's last comment. So to turn the focus on the TIMES: Do you think the puzzle staff could be so hopelessly American that they would blindly skate on the edge of a politically incorrect (some might call "racist") crossword clue?
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