Jean & Mike Do The New York Times Crossword

Today's puzzle marks Jill Singer's debut Sunday NYTimes crossword , which playfully pays homage to a now passé form of coinage. We'll let you mull over that cryptic hint, or, if you can't wait, simply download today's episode, where all will be revealed.  Show note imagery: One of our favorite stores, which, if you stretch it a lot , is indeed related to today's theme...

Today's crossword was, by Saturday standards, quite straightforward. But since a) Friday's crossword was a real battle royale, and b) today's clues were suitably amusing/intriguing/educational, we are not complaining, quite the contrary. Our analysis waits within, so have a listen, and, as always, please let us know what you think! Show note imagery: A Box Jellyfish, in search of a...

This, Adryel W. Robles Ojeda's second NYTimes crossword , was uber difficult, thanks to a plethora of relatively obscure names, abetted by some rather cryptic crosses: we loved it (as today's podcast makes clear).  As an example of the cryptic crosses, we had 29D, Diamond wear, MITT (nice one!); 49A, Especially ornate, ROCOCO (we definitely had to dredge that out of long-term storage); a...

Most of the time, Thursday themes do something unexpected with the answers, but occasionally the twist involves the clues. Hoang-Kim Vu has provided a sparkling example today , and apart from our Yoda reference in the title, we'll provide no spoilers here, but fear not — we will take a deep dive into that theme, and of course take a gander at the rest of the grid, in today's podcast. Sho...

Kareem Ayas has a real knack for writing entertaining crosswords, and those skills are on full display today . The theme was LOL, and there were marvels throughout the grid. Besides those mentioned in the podcast, we had the sly 59D, Important stretches, ERAS; the quintessential garden path of 45A, Cats and dogs, for example: NOUNS; and in the "but of course" realm, 41A, President who wa...

Kudos and congrats to Jeremy Venook on getting his debut crossword in the NYTimes! 🎉🥳 He had us when he name-dropped URIAH Heep, and kept us enthralled with a theme that was ideal for a Tuesday. Well done! Speaking of Tuesday, we have, as per custom, a Triplet Tuesday™️ segment, and this time Jean's the interrogatee. How'd she do? The answer is as close as your download button! 😀  Sho...

You would expect that someone who has published 85 (!) NYTimes crosswords, including 31 Mondays, would craft a fine Monday puzzle, and your expectations would be met and then some. Zhouqin Burnikel has produced a picture-perfect Monday, with a lemon meringue of a theme and some awesome clues. Some that did not make into the podcast include 49D, Sound asleep?, SNORE (😀); 36D, "Sounds like a p...

This marks Sam Brody's fourth NYTimes crossword, and we found it quite appealing. The theme was suitably punny, and we learned oodles. For instance, we now know 40D, Bum, CADGE, Mike can now speak knowledgeably about 95A, Fiber also known as viscose, RAYON; and both cohosts can now confidently spell 31A, Water nymphs of Greek myth, NYIAD ... no, half a mo, NIAID, no ... come back tomorrow, we...

This was a challenging Saturday crossword, requiring that both cohosts really put their backs into it — which, since we are talking about crosswords, involves moving hardly a millimeter while staring at their screens with an intensity that could melt untreated glass (fortunately, their computers come with Apple's optional "stare resistant coating" 😁). The crossword represents Blake...

Zhou Zhang is gradually working through the days of the week: this crossword marked her Friday debut . The only days on which she has not published are Tuesday and Saturday, but we expect those in short order. We also expect, based on prior experience, great cluing, and Zhou Zhang certainly does not disappoint here — every clue pulled its weight, and the puzzle as a whole was fabulous. Deets insid...

Killian Olson has put together a very crunchy Thursday crossword for your puzzle-solving pleasure. We found it to be quite the workout. The theme was dazzling, with lots of bamboozlement throughout the grid. Killian (as reported in xwordinfo.com) identified several clues that he was particularly proud of: 31A, Dessert often eaten before the ides of March, PIE (delicious!); 73A, Last term in a math...

This midweek crossword was short (well for some: YMMV) and sweet, with a theme that did a fine job of melding two of our favorite activities: cruising the web, and cruising NE Wisconsin. It also included some great clues, such as the historically helpful 30D, Tabard ___, locale in "The Canterbury Tales", INN (RIP: it burned down in in 1676); the wry and dry 48D, It's on the up and u...

Today's crossword, a debut (😃) by Wade Bednar , combined music and  dynasties — specifically Chinese dynasties — in an absolutely ingenious way. But Wade didn't slough off when it came to clues, either. Thanks to the wonders of HI* we can admire 56A, "Abso-freakin-lutely!", DOI; 25A, Lollygag, IDLE; and the best of the lot, 18D, Head of a noted animal rescue project, NOAH. 😀...

Nate Cardin's 8th NYTimes crossword was a quintessential Monday puzzle. For one thing, it didn't have QUINTESSENTIAL in the grid. This is not particularly surprising, though, because even though QUINTESSENTIAL is a common enough word, and shows up in, among other places, the XWord Info Word List, it has never appeared in the grid! Still, there's always tomorrow ... Apart from the mi...

Making any Sunday crossword is definitely not easy. Making one with a two-high stack of grid spanning answers is amazing; and making one with 2 two-high stacks, in one puzzle, is so difficult that it has only happened 3 times in the history of the puzzle, including ... today . It is with a combination of awe and, well, more awe that we therefore doff our hats and yell huzzah in the general directi...

This was Kameron Austin Collins' 20th Saturday NYTimes crossword, and his name at the top of the marquee is pretty much an ironclad guarantee that we're in for a good time. We laughed, we learned, and ... we were grateful that the esteemed KAC didn't turn up the crossword-difficulty level to 11, something that he is wont to do.  Besides the crossword we have some exciting Fan Mail a...

This is Jesse Cohn's fourth Friday NYTimes crossword, and it checks all the right boxes: Tough, but not soul-crushing ✅ Educational ✅ Highly entertaining ✅ So, it's definitely in the running for this week's JAMCOTWA™️ (Jean And Mike Crossword Of The Week Award). The suspense builds! 😀  In other news, we have a fascinating fun fact for Fun Fact Friday™️: have a listen and be prep...

Today's podcast title — we promise! — will seem quite droll , even, dare we say it, chuckleworthy ,  once you've sussed out today's theme. We won't say any more about that here, but invite you to have a listen as we explore Dena Verkuil and John Kugelman's latest oeuvre. Show note imagery: The Farm, by Joan Miró — winner of the Guggenheim International Award and clearly ma...

If you took a look at this crossword and decided that it's time to split, we commend you on your choice of metaphor. Daniel Bodily has constructed a puzzle that pays homage to, and yet goes beyond, one crafted by Joel Fagliano way back in the " carefree" days of 2020 . It was apparently a beast to construct, but clearly worth the effort, as we discuss in today's podcast. Show n...

If you like weddings, have at least a passing knowledge of Indian words, and enjoy puns, then you should find today's crossword theme quite satisfying (as was the case for both cohosts). The rest of the grid also held some delights: 58D, Battery for a mouse, AAA (ah, that kind of mouse); 55D, Where Anheuser-Busch is "BUD", NYSE (informal and instructive, very nice); and 14A, So-call...

Willa Angel Chen Miller's crosswords normally show up on Friday, so we were slightly concerned to see her name here on Monday , but she has done an excellent job, with some straightforward but well-crafted clues. Besides those mentioned in the podcast, we have 43D, Rewards for excellent employees, RAISES; 7D, Eve's man, ADAM; and something we're all familiar with here in NE Wisconsi...

This was an awesome Sunday crossword by Ralph Sharaga (a debut for him) and veteran constructor Doug Peterson (this is his 61st!). The theme was absolutely hysterical , and the rest of the grid glistened with guffaw-inducing clues. Among our favorites were: 14D, Race prior to a race?, REV (delightful); 97A, Safari destinations?, URLS (ha!); and we enjoyed the 180° change of tone in 47D, Opposite o...

Saturdays are typically the most challenging crosswords of the week, and today's was a splendid mental workout, with some absolutely stellar clues, including 33A, Field whose prospect are looking up?, ASTRONOMY 😉. Jean found the crossword to be a challenge, and Mike's egregious unfamiliarity with "Days of Our Lives" actresses definitely pushed him to his limit. In short, both...

Rafael Musa was in his element today — over 50% of his crosswords have appeared on Friday. We were therefore unsurprisingly KEENON on today's effort, which featured a bevy of fine clues that left us ALLSMILES. Deets inside. Our Fun Fact Friday™️ segment involves one of the world's most popular textile patterns. To keep up the suspense, we won't tell you what it is right now, but we...

This was a fine Thursday crossword by Joel Woodford, with a nifty theme that was surprising, entertaining, and — bonus! — gave us a chance to use "nifty" in a sentence. Our favorite clues included 22A, It may be padded or slapped, KNEE (🤔); 66D, It might be left hanging, ART (😀); and 23A, Do you read me?, NOVEL (😂). There were definitely more, check out today's episode for the ve...