Fill Me In

This week, Ryan and Brian take a dive into a bowl of soup with Learned League 1-Day Special champion (and New Yorker food writer) Helen Rosner ! Laura Braunstein (who co-smithed the LL quiz with Brian) also joins us for a conversation you don't want to miss. Our Contest of Still Going On is still going on (download it here ), and we invite you to our Twitch stream for cryptic crosswords ( Wed @ 7:...

This week, Ryan and Brian welcome indie crossword legend Sid Sivakumar to the show for a conversation about indie vs. mainstream, representation, and the art of crosswords. There's a brand new contest crossword courtesy of Neville Fogarty (download it here ), and we invite you to our Twitch stream for cryptic crosswords ( Wed @ 7:00pm Eastern ). Sid's Grids A-to-Z crosswords Cracking the Cryptic ,...

This week, Ryan and Brian spend an inordinate amount of time being amazed at other people's skills and accomplishments, and almost completely forget to talk about crosswords. There's still a Contest of Still Going On (download it here ), and we invite you to our Twitch stream for cryptic crosswords ( Wed @ 7:30pm Eastern ). If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're...

This week, Ryan and Brian welcome special guest Robyn Weintraub to the show! In addition to the celebrity interview, we have a new Contest of Now (download it here ), and we invite you to our Twitch stream for cryptic crosswords ( Wed @ 7:30pm Eastern ). Vulture article on Name of the Year The West Wing Weekly podcast If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feelin...

This week, Ryan and Brian discuss road atlases, scary numbers, and someone lets a four-letter word slip. We left it in just so we could mark this episode "explicit." The Contest of Still Going On is still going on , and you should watch us try to streamsolve a cryptic ( Wed @ 7:30pm Eastern ). Article from Vice.com New Yorker crosswords (with "partner mode") Matt Gritzmacher's Daily Crossword Link...

This week, Ryan and Brian learn about the days of the week, the months of the year, and develop a fresh fascination for the Jew's harp. There's a brand new Contest of Now ( free crossword! ), and you should watch us try to streamsolve a cryptic ( Wed 4/22 @ 7:30pm Eastern ). If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do...

This week, Ryan and Brian learn of more sources for cryptic crosswords, more activities to do online with others, and how many more puzzles Brian is trying to finish from 2019. The Contest of Still Going On continues here . Join R&B as they stream cryptic crosswords – Wed 4/15 @ 7:30pm Eastern . Lovatt's Crosswords and Puzzles LR Crosswords Psych! Codenames If you get bored, write something for th...

This week, Ryan and Brian learn why "Lost" was allegedy good, why alto horn is a legit instrument, and why we should know the name Ximenes. There's a brand new Contest of Now (get it here ), and join R&B as they stream cryptic crosswords – Wed 4/8 @ 7:30pm Eastern . If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you enjoy...

This week, Ryan and Brian attempt to stay connected to the outside world, spend an inordinate amount of time talking about cryptics without actually doing any, and imagine a world in which they might Twitch together. Also: Contest of Still Going On . Ryan is hosting various online events, including solving cryptics on Twitch and running a D&D game . Kevin Wald's cryptics Guardian Quiptics Fifteen...

This week, Ryan and Brian recap the joy of #couchword, propose an oracle podcast, and can't pronounce a crossword luminary's name. All that, plus a brand new contest puzzle JUST FOR YOU! Crossword Tournament From Your Couch Ricky Cruz's puzzles Infinite Jest wiki Stephen Sondheim's cryptics and his article for New York Magazine If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you...

This week, Ryan and Brian (like the rest of you, most likely), can't quite deal with reality ... so we made another podcast. At the very least, it's 71 minutes that you won't spend feeling stressed about the world. Also, "Jag on a Hank" is good hand-washing music. Contest of Still Going On: download here If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropi...

This week, Ryan and Brian attempt to begin a variety cryptic, learn about crosswordese in the wild, and present a brand new contest crossword, which is available here . You have to listen to the show to get the password, but the puzzle is free! If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, i...

This week, Ryan and Brian finish a cryptic, learn more about the Barnacle's family, and connect with a real life member of professional baseball. The Contest of Still Going On is still going on, so grab it now . You have to listen to the show to get the password, but the puzzle is free! Check out some links: The ORCA Awards Band Weaving (or possibly, Spell Marching) [PDF download] Carl Zimmer The...

This week, Ryan and Brian welcome a new club, announce an upcoming tournament, and someone actually solved the last contest. There's a new contest puzzle this week, so grab it now . You have to listen to the show to get the password, but the puzzle is free! Check out some links: National Post Cryptics Finger Lakes Crossword Competition If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . An...

This week, Ryan and Brian talk cryptics, number puzzles, and the New York Times Spelling Bee – and you'll be lucky if any of it came out right, thanks to some shoddy internet service in California. Editing this week's show was utter bananas. You think we're usually incoherent? Let's see how this works out. We're continuing the Contest of Still Going On, and you can downloade it at http://bit.ly/fm...

This week, Ryan and Brian discuss dental work, review the Oscars, take baby steps in a P&A Magazine, and debate whether Brian is forgettable. We've got a brand new Contest of Now, which can be found at http://bit.ly/fmi230con . We also talked about a bunch of cryptics: Patrick Berry's puzzles Trip Payne's puzzles The Nation Fraser Simpson's books If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me I...

This week, Ryan and Brian talk make brief reference to the Super Bowl, commit to a Panda Magazine, and don't understand kids' games. We continue last week's contest (now the Contest of Still Going On), which can be found here . If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter!...

This week, Ryan and Brian talk cryptics, metas, Cheez-Its, a mostly-good #NYTXW week, and a very special Contest of Now that you have to download (hint: it's a crossword puzzle). Other links: Peter Washington's weekly puzzle The Nation ( two links explaining cryptics) Patrick Berry's site Andrew Ries's site Linguistic Society of America If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . A...

This week, Ryan and Brian battle a cryptic crossword, weigh the values of a Philadelphia roll, and render apologies. The first five minutes are about baseball, but after that, we talk puzzles. Links: Scott Weiss's Anti-Match Quiz • Ben Zimmer's 2019 nominees for Word of the Year If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon ....

This week, Ryan and Brian spend the first 30 minutes of this way-too-long episode on Learned League and baseball — that's a warning to you. Skip ahead to 28:26 for Viewer Mail. But also: cryptics, Centuplicates, and Brian gets no thunder of his own. Last week's Contest Of Now is still available at http://bit.ly/fmi225con . If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're f...

This week, Ryan and Brian get a second report on Two Across , practice saying 4-digit numbers and words with silent letters, and offer a two-week contest which can be found at http://bit.ly/fmi225con . Also, Beauty and the Beast may have closed, but the puzzles live on! If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you e...

This week, Ryan and Brian get a report on Two Across , learn plurals and numbers from The Barnacle , and discover a long-lost homage puzzle . Also -- check out our feature interview with Sonya and Heidi, two new word puzzle enthusiasts! If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn'...

This week, Ryan and Brian discuss whether the rules of language have any value whatsoever, and that pretty much sets the tone for their entire lives. Also, congratulations to Amanda Yesnowitz and Brendan McGrady on their wedding! If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matte...

This week, Ryan shows up late, Brian leaves early, and as a result, you get to enjoy a shorter-than-usual(-but-as-long-as-we-wish-it-typically-was) episode. If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This wil...

This week, Ryan plays a new board game, Brian recommends an old crossword, and they both delight in editorial changes at a major newspaper (not the New York Times).  If you get bored, write something for the Fill Me In wiki . And if you're feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon . Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn't matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts....